Territorial Army (Recruitment)

Part of Orders of the Day — Army Estimates, 1950–51 – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 20 March 1950.

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Photo of Mr Michael Maitland Stewart Mr Michael Maitland Stewart , Fulham East 12:00, 20 March 1950

Yes; I will assure the hon. and gallant Gentleman that I have not forgotten that point, and that I will be referring to it again before long. / had been speaking of the Regular Army. May I now say a word about the National Service men? The hon. Member for Blackpool, North, assured us with great emphasis that National Service was not universal. I must say that it seems to me to be knocking down an Aunt Sally which he himself had first put up. What did he mean by suggesting that we had under-the-counter selective service? I am bound to say, if I may borrow an expression which the hon. Member used, that to suggest we have an under-the-counter selective service is "bunk." How can it be put under the counter when he was able to set before us an elaborate analysis based on information supplied to every member of the public as well as himself? We all know there are numerous exceptions, and that a considerable body of our young men do not go into the Armed Forces, but where that happens it happens for reasons that have been debated in this House and which have been accepted by the nation as a whole.

If it is suggested that we ought to make further exceptions, then we must be told on what grounds they are to be based, and what sort of people are to be excepted. It may well be, since there are already some people who are not called up, that we ought perhaps to add further categories to those who are deferred, and possibly defer for a longer period. But we should want to know what categories are to be so added and for what reasons.

The hon. Gentleman, and I think other speakers, did comment on how the period of 18 months' National Service worked out. Here we have to strike a balance between the effect on the national economy, on the one hand, and what will enable one to make proper use of the man's service on the other hand, on the assumption—the correct assumption at the moment, I think—that one has not only to train him but to use him as a trained soldier. I see no reason to believe that if we altered the period from 18 months in either direction, we should get any better balance between the needs of the Service and the national economy than we have at present. The general opinion among those qualified to know is that in this period of service the young man does give valuable service to the Army while he is there, and that he will bring to the Territorial Army that degree of training which will make him capable of playing a useful part in that Force.