§ Sir J. HOODasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether it is the practice of the Imperial War Graves Commission to hand over the wooden cross from a grave of a soldier to any relatives who apply for it; whether any inquiries are made as to the next-of-kin; whether, in the absence of such inquiries, the cross has been handed over to relatives other than the widow without consulting her; whether applications will still be received for these crosses; and, if so, up to what date?
Lieut.-Colonel GUINNESSIt is the practice of the Imperial War Graves Commission to hand over the wooden cross to any relative applying for it. No inquiries are made as to the next-of-kin, because in practice this has not been found necessary. Disagreements as to the person entitled to the cross are of very rare occurrence, and when they do occur the Commission have usually been able to I settle them. No doubt in a certain number 2191W of cases the cross has been handed to relatives other than the widow, but with one or two exceptions no objection has been raised. With regard to the last two parts of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on the 10th April to the hon. Member for Central Southwark (Mr. Gilbert).