§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will seek advice from his Department's Historic Branch on the contribution made in the battle of the Atlantic by the Polar Bears, in securing Iceland in 1941, and on whether they are entitled to the Atlantic Star. [157420]
§ Dr. MoonieThe men of the 49th West Riding Division whose divisional sign was a Polar Bear, formed the core of the British garrison of Iceland between the late spring of 1941 until the end of 1942 when responsibility for the garrison passed wholly to the United States forces who began to arrive there in the summer of 1941.
The securing of Iceland by this garrison made possible the subsequent basing there of Allied aircraft to carry out anti-submarine patrols and thus provide further support to the Allied convoys on which so much depended. Further, the island was used as an assembly point for convoys to Russia.
However, the land garrison did not participate directly in the operations contributing to the Battle of the Atlantic, and accordingly land service on Iceland was not included among the categories of service conferring eligibility for the Atlantic Star. This campaign award and the other Campaign Stars and War Medals, were considered by the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals for the 1939–45 War and subsequently agreed by the King.
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will seek advice from his Department's Historic Branch on the contribution made by 269 Squadron while operating out of Iceland in securing the Enigma code technology from a captured U-Boat; and if Squadron members are entitled to the Atlantic Star. [157419]
§ Dr. MoonieNumber 269 Squadron made a distinguished contribution to the Battle of the Atlantic, including sinking several enemy submarines and playing a major role in the capture of U-570 in August 1941. The 295W surrender of U-570 did produce valuable intelligence on enemy submarines. Unfortunately, the unavoidable lapse in time between the surrender of the vessel to 269 Squadron and the arrival of a Royal Navy surface warship allowed the U-boat crew to throw overboard, or otherwise destroy, all the submarine's Enigma equipment and codebooks.
Members of 269 Squadron who meet the necessary qualifying criteria are eligible for the award of the Atlantic Star.
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Minister for Veterans' Affairs will meet representatives of the 49th Infantry Division Association to discuss members' entitlement to the Atlantic Star. [157421]
§ Dr. MoonieThe basic qualifying criteria for Second World War medals were agreed by the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals in 1946. It would not be appropriate to attempt to review, with a view to altering contemporary decisions, events which happened more than 50 years ago. A meeting with the members of the 49th Infantry Division Association would not, therefore, be helpful to them.
Medal entitlement is examined on an individual basis. Members of the 49th Infantry Division Association who feel that they are entitled to the Atlantic Star should write, individually, to the Army Medal Office enclosing as much information concerning their service as possible. Their case will then be considered.
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria were laid down for service men and women to be entitled to the Atlantic Star; and if he will make a statement. [157417]
§ Dr. MoonieThe qualifying criteria for the campaign stars and medals instituted for service during the Second World War, including the Atlantic Star, were published by the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals in Command Paper 6633 in May 1945 and amended by Command Paper 6833 in June 1946. Copies of both these documents are in the Library of the House.