§ Viscount WOLMERasked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether officers of the Royal Air Force promoted to the substantive rank of major for distinguished service rendered in the War by His Majesty in the New Year Honour List have been now instructed to vacate their position in the Royal Air Force as majors, to relinquish this rank, and to report back to their old unit?
§ Major TRYONPromotion in the Royal Air Force is given in respect of an officer's Royal Air Force commission and is not Army rank. The number of Air Force officers has been reduced from, approximately, 30,000 at the date of the Armistice, to about 4,000 at the present date, and consequently a large number of officers seconded to the Air Force from the Army have been returned to their units. Promotions in the Royal Air Force conferred as rewards for good service in the Air Force on officers seconded from the Army must necessarily become inoperative during the subsequent service of these officers in the Army unless they have attained equivalent rank in their parent Service. The question of allowing officers, who have not then attained Army rank equivalent to their Royal Air Force rank, when they finally leave the Army to reassume their Royal Air Force rank will again be considered.