§ 98. Mr. Hurdasked the Secretary of State for War how many men of the Polish armed forces arc now in this country; how 151W many of them are fully employed and how their food rations compare with those of soldiers at home stations and civilians.
§ Mr. LawsonThe total number of members of the Polish Armed Forces now in this country is 83,000. Of these, some 4,000 belong to the Polish Navy and some 11,000 to the Polish Air Force, and I understand that they are as fully employed as the peculiar circumstances of their resettlement permit. A further 8,000 are fully employed on work for the War Office and British Civil Departments, and 30,000 have only recently arrived from Italy. Of the remaining 30,000, some are awaiting return to Poland and a large proportion of the rest are either under training with a view to facilitating their future settlement or are fully employed in the administration, supply, etc., of the Polish Armed Forces pending their final resettlement in accordance with the arrangements already announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In reply to the last part of the Question, the great majority are fed on the home service ration scale, which applies to the British soldier at home. The small number who are billeted out use the normal ration card which entitles them to rations on the civilian scale.