PHYSICAL RATING

Evening Star, Issue 22524, 17 December 1936, Page 6

PHYSICAL RATING

BRITAIN’S ARMY LOWERS STANDARD Tho physical and medical standards set for admission to the Army , arc too high for thousands of candidates who offer themselves. Last year, out of 08.000 men who applied, no fewer than 35.000 were rejected, says the military correspondent of tho ‘ Morning Post.’ The Adjutant-General’s Department has therefore decided to initiate a new scheme which will embody four grades. The fighting lino will be recruited from grade A men, while the lower grades will provide' men who are employed for the most part- behind the front line. This new departure was announced at the War Office by Major-general D. K. Bernard, Director of Recruiting and Organisation. It will come into operation on December 1, and will follow in its main features tho method adopted during tho Great War. Instead of every man having to pass the “ A 1 ” standard, General Bernard explained, all recruits for enlistment will be graded by tho medical recruiting officers. Those in the lowest category—probably’ defective through flat feet, poor teeth, deficient weight, etc. —would, if accepted, bo employed in the rearguard services. By making tho standard more elastic they would, he believed, bo able' to accept at least 1,000 to 1,500 men in a year who would otherwise be rejected. These men would bo able to do their job perfectly well. The fighting troops would still bo recruited from the highgrade men. “ I am quite certain,” General Bernard concluded, “ that our medical standards have been rather too rigid. We have wanted the ‘ A 1 ’ men and have often had to give them an ‘ A 3 ’ job.” This new scheme, together with other proposed measures, is part of a big effort to maintain the voluntary character of service with the “ Colours.” There are strong arguments against a compulsory form of service, and a reversion to the militia ballot would be decidedly objectionable. General Sir Harry Knox, AdjutantGeneral to the Forces, admits that to avoid any disturbance of the voluntary system of recruiting on which the country pride itself, public opinion must be aroused to the serious weakness of man-power to-day. The relation of strength to establishment for each of the three land forces—Regular Army, Territorial Army, and Supplementary Reserve—showed, he said, a gap of serious proportions. The Army’s year ends on March 31. During the next few months, the Adju-tant-General said, the Regular Army, needs, to complete the establishment of units and to replace annual wastage, no fewer than 37,000 volunteers. The requirements of the Territorial Army would not be satisfied with fewer than 86,000, while the Supplementary Reserve needed approximately 21,000. The total for all three services was 144,000.