§ 79. Major Bruceasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the periods during the last 10 years when recruiting, other than by conscription, of male and/or W.R.N.S. writers has been stopped; and whether he will state the reasons for the cessation of such recruitment.
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Mr. Dugģdale:Writers in the Royal Navy were entered by competitive examination from 1936 to 1940 when recruitment on regular engagements ceased owing to uncertainty as to postwar requirements. Entries on Special Service engagements of seven years in the Fleet, and five in the Reserve, recommenced in November 1945. During the interval requirements of writers were met by "Hostilities Only" ratings, some of whom were volunteers. Direct voluntary entry into the writer categories of the W.R.N.S. began in September, 1939, and continued until November, 1942, except for a short period from December, 1941, to January, 1942. Such recruiting was again commenced in November, 1945. During the interval W.R.N.S. were entered with a liability to serve in any category, and were selected for writer duties according to qualifications, the wishes of individuals, and the requirements of the Service All voluntary recruiting for W.R.N.S. was suspended from July, 1943, to January, 1944, and from March, 1945, to July, 1945, owing to the number of recruits under the National Service Acts who applied for that Service