Great Rush to Join Territorials

Northern Advocate, 27 April 1939, Page 7

Great Rush to Join Territorials

(Received 3 p.m.) LONDON, April 26. The great rush to join the Territorials throughout the day continued tonight on the news that men, aged 20, who joined up would become exempt from conscription, but . there would be no exemptions after tonight. The proposals apply to men between their 20th and 21st birthdays. The whole 200,000 will not be called up for training simultaneously owing partly to difficulties of equipment. The Government considers the plan will cause a minimum of trouble to businessmen as the age of the group was chosen on the grounds of the average young man most easily spared for. that period. The scheme effects about 2000 undergraduates at Cambridge. A British Official Wireless message states that the Dominions were immediately informed of Britain’s decisions regarding fresh measures for defence, which were announced in Parliament. The fullest information was also communicated to France and the United States. In Berlin, Sir Neville Henderson, British Ambassador, called on Dr. Weizacker, Secretary of State, at the German Foreign Office, and in Rome the British Charge d’Affaires, called on the Italian Foreign Office. The gross number of men who will be called up for training under the bill is estimated at 310,000, but Mr Chamberlain, replying to a House of Commons inquiry by Mr Lloyd George, said this figure would be subject to considerable reduction. The estimated active number to be obtained under the measure will be 200,000,