§ 82. Mr. Bottomleyasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will make a statement about the special Royal Navy reserve of men and women to supplement the regular staff handling naval affairs at Plymouth in connection with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation exercises.
§ Mr. SoamesThe Reserve consists of a new section of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Women's Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve known as List "H". Its purpose is to provide a Reserve of trained men and women living near to Naval Headquarters who will be immediately available in war to assist in manning the Headquarters and will be able to assist in naval exercises by undergoing peacetime training at the Headquarters.
Officers will normally be recruited for service with List H from those already in one of the various Reserves or on the Retired or Emergency Lists. Ratings will normally be recruited from persons without existing Reserve liabilities who are living in the vicinity of the Headquarters.
The Reserve is now being formed initially at Plymouth and Northwood.