THE WAR OFFICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23702, 9 January 1939, Page 7

THE WAR OFFICE

ADMINISTRATION DEFENDED MINISTER REPLIES TO CRITICS RECENT ARMY CHANGES DRASTIC BUT ESSENTIAL (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (British Official .Vireless) RUGBY, Jan. 6. The Secretary of State fc War, Mr L. Hore-Belisha, referring in a speech to the charges recently made about his administration at the War Office, said that since he took office it had been completely overhauled in all its formations and units. The role of the army had been defined in a series of precise priorities, and the Territorial Field Army had been reformed on the same lines as the Regular Army, involving much conversion, adaption, and replanning. While under 23,000 recruits were obtained in the year 1936-37, in the

current year it was estimated that there would be about 40,000 despite the fact that the requirements of the other regular services had more than doubled in the interval. In the past 19 months the position and prospects of every officer and man in the British Army had been improved. The number of officers undergoing staff training had been doubled, and an additional staff college had been established. The Territorial Army 19 months ago was 153,204 strong—to,-day it was 200,190 strong. It was closer to its establishment than ever before in its history. The demands of all the various auxiliary forces, active and passive, had increased by over 500 per cent., but despite those large demands the increase of recruits for the army auxiliary forces, at the present rate of intake, would be nearly 50 per cent. Such, declared Mr Hore-Belisha, was the magnificent response made by the manhood of the nation to the claims of its citizens’ army. Mr Hore-Belisha also alluded to certain measures of a drastic and decisive character which he had to take. It had not been palatable, for instance, to make comprehensive changes in the Army Council and the higher command, and he was not unconscious of the risks he had run; but the knowledge that the Prime Minister was equally acquainted with the character of the task which had awaited him at the War Office and with the repercussions which must follow the forthright measures he had to take had throughout sustained him. He added there were still things to be done if the nation were to have the army it merited. Mr Hore-Belisha mentioned that the batteries of the first anti-aircraft division defending London would be brought up within a month to war strength in 3.7 in guns, the design of which was only finally approved in 1937. The number of men in the anti-aircraft units of the Territorial Army had been increased in 19 months from 22,753 to 65,870.