HC Deb 18 February 1919 vol 112 cc775-6W
Lieutenant-Commander CRAIG

asked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether at the time of the signing of the Armistice a number of cadets in the Royal Air Forces, having passed all their examinations, were in process of qualifying for commission by putting in the requisite number of hours flying; whether he is aware that, in accordance with a practice recognised in the Army as well as in the Royal Air Force, and in view of the difficulty of obtaining uniform in the period elapsing between the granting of a commission and the time for reporting for duty, many cadets placed orders for uniform with Service tailors and passed in payment orders on Service bankers; whether the granting of commissions has since the signing of the Armistice been stopped or very largely reduced; whether he is aware that these circumstances have occasioned hardship both upon cadets and suppliers; and whether he will take steps to assist these cadets in discharging obligations to suppliers, incurred upon a reasonable and legitimate anticipation of becoming commissioned officers?

General SEELY

All flight cadets who qualified for commissions before the date of the Armistice have been granted commissions, carrying the right to the full outfit allowance of officers. The question of granting a special outfit allowance to flight cadets who qualified for commissions after the Armistice, but have not been granted commissions, is now under consideration, and an announcement on the subject will be made shortly.