BRITISH DECISION

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 9

BRITISH DECISION

WAR ESTABLISHMENT TO BE DOUBLED

TOTAL 1 OF 340,000

TERRITORIAL FIELD FORCE

(British Official Wireless.) (Received March 30, 11.20 a.m.)

RUGBY, March 29.

The Territorial Field Army is to be brought forthwith up to war, establishment, and the war establishment is to be doubled, making 32 divisions available for service overseas in place of 19 as announced by the Minister of War three weeks ago. The announcement of the increase in the establishment of Territorials was made in the House of Commons by the Prime Minister, Mr. Chamberlain, who indicated that it is the first result of the re-examination of every aspect of national life, which, as he stated in his Birmingham speech, is necessitated by the new international situation. In the course of this review, said Mr. Chamberlain, the Government had been impressed with the need for availing itself still further of the spirit of voluntary service which was manifest throughout the country, and in particular the Government felt that it could not allow would-be recruits of the Territorial Army to be refused because the units to which they applied were already over strength. Accordingly the Territorial Field Army, which was now on a peace establishment of 130,000 men, would be raised forthwith to war establishment —an addition of about 40,000 men. The Territorial Field Army, so brought up to war establishment, would be doubled, and would therefore be allotted an establishment of 340,000. A MINISTRY OF SUPPLY? The Premier mentioned the increase in war potential necessary to maintain the increased force, and in reply to Sir Archibald Sinclair, the Liberal leader, who raised the question of a Ministry of Supply, said that the Government had not yet had an opportunity to consider whether the increase would require any modification of the views the Government hitherto had held on that question, but it would give the matter full consideration. Mr. Chamberlain also confirmed an assumption voiced by Mr. Arthur Greenwood (Labour) that the proposal was an evidence of the Government's opinion that they had not by any means exhausted what could be done by voluntary service, which could be demonstrated to have the ability of meeting all the country's needs.

In a previous answer, Mr. Chamberlain had admitted that the question of compulsory national service was discussed in conversations with' the French Foreign Minister, M. Bonnet, last week, but he declined to divulge what passed in the course of the conversations.