§ Sir HERBERT NIELDasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, upon the signing of the Armistice, members of the Inns of Court Officers' Training Corps, whose training was nearly completed, were compulsorily and permanently transferred to the 5th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps, but that Colonial members were sent to No. 11 Officers' Cadet Battalion, at Pirbright, and given commissions forthwith and demobilised; and why, seeing that Officers' Cadet Battalions have now been demobilised, the same treatment was not accorded to Officers' Training Corps?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLMembers of the Inns of Court Officers' Training Corps were ordinary enlisted soldiers and as such were liable for service in the Army unless they could be demobilised under the Regulations in force. The Colonial members were under an agreement as to repatriation under a scheme made with the various Governments. It was for this reason and for the better organisation of repatriation that these members were collected and placed at the Officers Cadet Battalion mentioned. I should point out that Officers' Cadet Battalions were not the same as Officers' Training Corps. The former were composed of those who had been selected from Officers' Training Corps, and other units and were, in fact, a higher step in the organisation.