§ Mr. T. P. O'CONNORasked the Under-Secretary of State for War if his attention has been called to the case of Corporal Ernest Frank Wood, of the 17th Mechanical Transport Company, Royal Army Service Corps, who has been court-martialled and sentenced to 56 days' detention and deprived of his stripes, for failing to fall in with the Church of England soldiers at the church parade at Woolwich; and whether he will immediately order the reversal of this sentence, which may well be interpreted as a deprivation of Catholic soldiers of the right of conscientious objection to joining in religious services to which they do not adhere?
§ Mr. SNELLasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Corporal Frank Wood, 17th Company, Royal Army Service Corps, stationed at Woolwich, was tried by court-martial, reduced to the ranks, and sentenced to 56 days' detention for disobeying an order to fall in on a Church of England parade at the Artillery Barracks, Woolwich; whether he is aware that Corporal Wood believed that, as a Roman Catholic, he was not required by the Army Regulations to parade for religious services other than those of the church to which he belonged, and that, 294W although the sentence imposed upon this soldier has been remitted and his rank restored, the conviction has been allowed to stand; whether he will have the rule governing the duty to parade for religious services made clear for the protection of other soldiers; and whether he will take into consideration the advisability of abolishing compulsory attendance at church parade in both branches of His Majesty's service?
§ Lieut.-Colonel ASHLEYI am aware that Corporal Wood was convicted and sentenced as stated. He was detailed as a non-commissioned officer to accompany a party on the way to church, but he was never ordered to be present as a Roman Catholic at the Church of England service. It is sometimes necessary for officers and non-commissioned officers to march parties of a different religious denomination to their own to church, but they are never required to attend the service. Corporal Wood would, therefore, have remained outside the church. He appears not to have understood this, and he refused to obey the order to fall in for the church parade. I regret the whole incident, but when the court martial came up for review in the normal way the Army Council remitted the whole of the sentence, and Corporal Wood was released and reinstated in his rank on the same day.
With regard to the second question, it is not proposed to quash the finding of "guilty," which was fully justified by the evidence. The rule that soldiers are not to be obliged to attend the services of religious bodies other than their own is already clearly stated in paragraph 1599 of the King's Regulations. I am not prepared to recommend the abolition of compulsory attendance at church parade.