Major M`KENZIE WOODasked the Secretary of State for War how many soldiers who were sentenced to imprisonment during the War and had their sen- 1694W tenses suspended were committed to prison after the Armistice; and how many, if any, are still in prison?
§ Mr. FORSTERI regret that I am not in a position to give this information. It is not available in the War Office, and could not be obtained without much research and reference to all Commands, entailing a great expenditure of time and labour, besides the cost of cabling to distant parts of the world, which I do not think could be justified under present circumstances.
§ Mr. KILEYasked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the case of Morris Schwartz, who joined His Majesty's Forces in 1915 at the age of fifteen and deserted after sixteen days' service, and surrendered to the police on 3rd October, 1919, and stated he was a deserter, and was courtmartialled at Mill Hill Barracks on 23rd October and sentenced to twelve months' hard labour; and, in view of the boy's age on joining, is he prepared to take action with a view to obtaining his release?
§ Mr. FORSTERIf the hon. Member will send me particulars of the man's regimental number and unit, so that the case to which he refers may be traced, I will have inquiries made, and write to him in due course.