§ Lieut.-Colonel Rees-Williamsasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is now able to make a statement concerning the future of the Territorial Army and the present position of those Territorial officers and other ranks who have been disembodied, but are still on the active list.
§ Mr. LawsonAs regards the future of the Territorial Army, I cannot yet add anything to the reply I gave on 16th October to questions by the hon. and gallant Members for Barnstaple (Brigadier Peto) and Salisbury (Major J. Morrison). Territorial officers and other ranks who have been released revert to the position they would be in if their units were not embodied except that there is no liability for training. They are held in an appropriate Reserve because, under the Military and Air Force (Prolongation of Service) Act, 1939, their service is deemed not to expire until the end of the emergency.
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§ Colonel Stoddart-Scottasked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the 48th Division, which was formed in 1908, was disbanded on 1st November, 1945, after distinguished service in both world wars; and is it his intention to reform this Midland division in the future.
§ Mr. LawsonAe regards the future of the Territorial Army generally, I cannot at present add anything to the reply I gave on 16th October to questions by the hon. and gallant Members for Barnstaple (Brigadier Peto) and Salisbury (Major J. Morrison). The 48th Division has necessarily been disbanded, because there is at present no requirement for it, but hon. Members can be assured that the claims of this and other distinguished formations will not be overlooked in the plans for reconstruction.
§ Colonel Stoddart-Scottasked the Secretary of State for War if it is the Government's intenton to maintain and re-form those T.A. divisions and brigades which have served with distinction in the two world wars.
§ Mr. LawsonI would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply I gave him to-day in answer to a similar Question.