§ 81. Mr. Emrys Hughesasked the Secretary of State for War what is the number of members of the Women's Royal Army Corps which he proposes to send to the British Army of the Rhine in the next few months.
§ Mr. ProfumoThe rôle of the W.R.A.C. in B.A.O.R., as elsewhere, is to carry out responsible military tasks and thereby release soldiers for service with fighting units. At the same time our troops in Germany undoubtedly benefit from their companionship.
As I recently explained to the House, there are practical limitations to the number of W.R.A.C. who may be stationed in Germany; partly because B.A.O.R. is an operational command, and partly because of accommodation and administrative problems, which are of prime importance in safeguarding high standards of discipline and conduct in the Corps.
There are at present 366 members of the W.R.A.C. serving with B.A.O.R. I hope to send a further 150 members of the Corps in the course of the next eight months. If, as a result of the improved recruiting of the Corps, further opportunities arise for sending more W.R.A.C. to Germany, I shall certainly consider them.