§ Major WARINGasked the Secretary of State for War whether he can state the percentage of commissioned officers and other ranks, respectively, who have been demobilised, retired, placed on half-pay, or reverted to their permanent grade since 11th November, 1918?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe total number of officers and other ranks of the Army (British only) on the strength of units, including British prisoners of war, on the 11th November, 1918, was:
Officers. Other ranks. 171,900 3,544,000 The total number demobilised up to noon on the 27th October, 1919, was:
Officers. Other ranks. 127,989 3,186,675 From the last figure, however, must be deducted 75,000 men who re-enlisted for two, three or four years, but who passed through dispersal stations, and 144,000 men who before the Armistice were in the Army Reserve and not then on the strength of the Army, leaving a net total of 2,967,675 other ranks demobilised. I regret that it is not possible to give the number of officers retired, placed on half-pay, or reverted to their permanent grade since the 11th November, 1918. These figures cannot be made available without great labour, and the result would be useless, as many officers have been gazetted to all three of these categories during the period in question. The total of such gazettes would, therefore, be largely in excess of the actual number of officers ceasing to be employed.