§ Viscount WOLMERasked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether any Regular non-commissioned officers of the Royal Engineers (Signal Section), who during the War obtained acting rank as sergeant or warrant officer, will on the termination of the War have to revert to the same position they held in 1914, whereas men of the New Army have had their acting ranks substantiated; (2) whether, in view of the fact that Territorials and men of the Signal Section, Royal Engineers, who joined the New Army and held acting ranks prior to 1916 have had their ranks substantiated, he can state why these conditions have not been applied to the non-commissioned officers of the Regular Army, many of whom had held acting ranks for a considerable period before the New Army men enlisted, and who in consquence of this distinction now find themselves junior to New Army non-commissioned officers whose total service in many cases does not equal the period in which the Regular Army men have been performing the duties of non-commissioned officers?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe promotion to substantive rank of Regular soldiers in the Royal Engineers is carried out on a Corps roster to fill vacancies on the peace establishment as in the case of the promotion of Regular officers. They have also been eligible up to the 1st January, 1919, if serving overseas, to obtain temporary rank higher than their substantive rank for the duration of the War, and, if serving at home, acting rank when filling a vacancy higher than their substantive 2541W rank. It is not possible to substantiate this temporary or acting rank, as if this were done it would mean wholesale supersession, a complete upsetting of the Corps roster, and a redundancy of warrant officers and non-commissioned officers at the end of the War. Since the 1st January, 1919, soldiers of both Regular and New Army Royal Engineers are eligible for acting rank to fill vacancies overseas or at home. The promotion of men in the New Army is for the duration of the War to fill vacancies on the War establishment. Should a non-commissioned officer serving in the New Army Royal Engineers desire to join the Regular Army Royal Engineers, he can only be accepted in the rank of sapper, and no hardship is caused thereby to Regulars on the Corps roster in the matter of promotion.
§ Viscount WOLMERasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that many time-expired warrant officers and non-commissioned officers of the Royal Engineers (Signal Section) are still holding positions on the corps general promotion roster, instead of being put on to a supplementary one, and that the promotion of younger Regular non-commissioned officers has thereby been blocked; and whether he will say what action he proposes to take to deal with this state of affairs?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am having this point looked into, and hope to be in a position to reply to my Noble and gallant Friend later.