Lieutenant Hughesasked the Secretary of State for War if he will put an end to the practice of sending ex-prisoners of war to units at which they are given elementary initial military training by N.C.O.'s far junior to them in age and service.
§ Mr. LawsonI am afraid this practice has been unavoidable. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to find non-commissioned officers who possessed the qualifications of age and service combined with the necessary training experience to fill all the instructors' appointments in the diverse units concerned in the initial military training of returned prisoners of war. It is by no means unusual for officers and non-commissioned officers, other than ex-prisoners of war, to be instructed by experts junior to them both in age and service.