§ Mr. FORESTIER-WALKERasked the Secretary of State for War if he will state the number of search parties in Austria and Turkey, respectively, looking for missing men; the number of men found; whether any evidence of men deceased has been ascertained; if so, how many; and have the relatives been notified?
Captain GUESTI would point out to my hon. Friend that a distinction must be drawn between missing men, and men reported prisoners of war who are unaccounted for. Two parties were sent into Austria, and were the means of repatriating about 624 soldiers and civilians who were known to be in Austrian hands, but none of these can be described as "Missing." As regards Turkey, a residue list of prisoners in Turkish hands unaccounted for by the Turkish authorities, has been sent to the High Commissioners at Constantinople, but no information as to the names on this list has yet been received. "One man was found in hospital in Vienna, as a result of information given by a re-2258W leased prisoner. There were only two of our men in Italy who were prisoners unaccounted for, and both cases have been specially referred to General Headquarters, Italy. A considerable amount of evidence of death of prisoners of war has come to light both before and since the Armistice. The number of deaths so accepted is six in Austria and over 2,200 in Turkey. These figures relate to the period of the War as well as the period subsequent to the Armistice. The evidence comes mainly from the Ottoman Red Crescent, and from fellow prisoners, before and after release. Relatives are notified of evidence of death which appears reliable.