§ 25. Mr. Gammansasked the Secretary of State for War how many armoured vehicles the Army has in Malaya; and what is the explanation of the continuing casualties arising from ambushes of unarmoured vehicles.
§ Mr. StracheyIt would not be in the public interest to reveal the number of armoured vehicles held by the Army in Malaya. Requirements of these vehicles have, however, been kept under constant review by the military authorities in the Far East who have recently asked for additional supplies. Urgent steps have been taken to comply with this demand; 56 armoured vehicles, including 25 armoured cars, have been despatched and a further 60 will be shipped this month. The repair programme for scout cars is also being accelerated and it is hoped that 25 a month will shortly be going to Malaya.
In addition, supplies of armour-plate and bullet-proof glass have been sent, in order to permit the conversion of a large number of unarmoured vehicles and to provide them with a measure of protection. I must emphasise, however, that experiments have shown the impracticability of armouring completely a normal load-carrying vehicle since the weight involved exceeds the maximum load.