§ LORD LLOYDasked His Majesty's Government how many officers and men of His Majesty's Navy and Army respectively are engaged or about to be engaged this year in connection with tattoos and similar displays for charitable purposes; how many weeks are spent in this occupation, and whether, in the opinion of His Majesty's Government, such employment is not harmful to naval and military training.
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMI will deal with the two Services separately. The only display in which officers and men of the Royal Navy are taking part this year is the Royal Tournament at Olympia. The total number of Royal Navypersonnel employed is 444 and the Royal Tournament lasts from the 25th May to the 11th June. The Admiralty do not consider that their participation is in any way harmful to naval training, nor does it interfere with Fleet training, as the ratings taking part are selected from men not required for seagoing draft before the termination of the Tournament.
In the case of the Army the number of officers and men employed in displays for charitable purposes will number approximately 12,300. This figure includes every kind of display from gymnastic displays lasting for twenty minutes on one particular day to the Aldershot Tattoo which, including rehearsals, is spread over a month and in which 4,400 officers and men participate. In many cases rehearsals form part of normal training 518WA and occupy, say, an hour a day for a few days. In larger displays rehearsals may spread over two or three weeks. In every case the work in connection with these displays is regarded as having considerable value for training purposes, and the displays themselves are a stimulus to recruiting.