§ Mr. SNOWDENasked the Under-secretary of State for War if he has received a communication from a solicitor acting on behalf of Arthur Wood, of Accrington Road, Blackburn, who is now Private A. 54W Wood, No. 124448, 3rd class air mechanic, Overseas Section, Royal Flying Corps; whether, in view of the fact that in January last the Ministry of Munitions made a claim to the Ministry of National Service for this man's retention in his employment as a goldbeater's skin maker, in which he was engaged exclusively upon work for the Admiralty, acting upon which request the Ministry of National Service issued instructions to the recruiting officer at Preston to suspend the calling-up notice; whether, in view of the further fact that the Ministry of National Service informed the Ministry of Munitions that the recruiting officer concerned had been instructed not to call up Wood until the 12th August, 1918, this man was called up for service and passed into the Royal Flying Corps; and, in view of all these facts and the indispensable nature of the man's civil employment, will he give instructions that this man should be returned to his employment at once?
§ Mr. BECKPrivate Wood was due to report for military service on 14th January last, and was regularly called up and posted to the Royal Flying Corps on 28th January. The application for his retention was not lodged with the Ministry of Munitions until 18th January, and was not forwarded to the Ministry of National Service until 31st January.