§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Secretary of State for War how many officers and soldiers were at the time of the Armistice reported missing; how many have since been found; and what further steps are still being taken to discover the others?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe number of missing at the time of the Armistice were given in answer to a question in the House on the 19th November last. They were roughly 5,000 officers and 103,000 other ranks. These figures were approximate only, and have since been subjected to constant revision. I may say that, with few exceptions, the only missing officers or men found alive have been those who were captured too late to allow reports that they were prisoners being received from the enemy country before their release. These reports were much delayed in some cases. A considerable amount of evidence has been received from many sources as to the death of the missing, and this evidence is being investigated. No exact statistics exist as to the numbers of officers and men included in the two classes referred to, but I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a question asked by the hon. Member for South Hackney on the 18th March, where an approximate figure of 64,800 was given as the number missing whose fate remains to be determined.
As regards the last part of the question I would refer my hon. Friend to the same reply to the hon. Member for South Hackney, in which it was explained that, with a view to ascertaining the fate of the missing during the War the wounded were examined in hospital by the Red Cross Society, and since the cessation of hostilities released prisoners are being examined. The battlefields have always been searched as far as possible, and a systematic search is being undertaken by the units of the Director-General of Graves Registration and Inquiries, now that the whole area is open.