§ Mr. MACQUISTENasked the Prime Minister why the infringement of the right of Mercantile Marine masters, officers, and other British seamen under the Hague Convention of 1907, No. 11, to be exempted from being made prisoners of war, provided they undertook, on the faith of a written promise, not to engage, while hostilities should last, in any service connected with the operations of the war, was not specified in the Peace Treaty as a class of damage for which reparation to the wronged seamen would be exacted from Germany?
§ The PRIME MINISTERIt was impossible to specify in the Peace Treaty every single class of claim which British subjects might have against Germany for breach of Conventions or of the usages of war; but my hon. Friend will remember that the first class of specific damage for which Germany is bound to pay compensation, under Annex I. of Part VIII. of the Peace Treaty, includes damage by personal injury or death of civilians caused by acts of war at sea; that is to 2453W say, damage to officers and men of the Mercantile Marine comes in the first of the ten categories of damage specifically mentioned in the Peace Treaty.