§ Mr. CAPEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty what was the number of casualties among the British naval forces operating against Soviet Russia from the date of General Golovin's interview with the Secretary of State for War and Air in May, 1919, up to the latest available date?
§ Mr. ALLAN PARKINSONasked the Secretary of State for War what was the number of casualties among the British forces in Russia from the date of his interview with General Golovin in May, 1919, up to the latest available date?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI gave on Tuesday last the number of British casualties incurred since the date of the Armistice by British operations in the withdrawal from Russia. The hon. Member now asks for a return showing what proportion of these casualties were incurred after a conversation, of which a very inaccurate account has appeared, which I had at an early date in May with a Russian general. As this conversation constituted no departure in policy and involved no action of any kind which affected the situation, there would be no sense in giving such a return. Its only purpose would be to provide material of a petty and misleading kind for pro-Bolshevik propaganda in this country. I shall therefore ask the House to support me in declining to waste the time of the War Office staff on such a matter.
On the other hand, I am willing to have a calculation made of the losses incurred after the date when some definite decision of policy was taken, for instance, the telegram of the five great powers (Great Britain, France, the United States, Italy and Japan) sent to Admiral Koltchak on 2622W the 3rd of July last year promising him a continuance of allied support; or the decision of the War Cabinet of the 27th June, 1919, authorising an advance to be made on Kotlas for the purpose of disengaging the British forces in North Russia and enabling the evacuation to be completed without interference from the enemy; or the decision of the House of Commons on the 5th November, 1919, approving a further and final contribution in arms and money to General Denikin.