ARMY OF BRITAIN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19900, 30 March 1939, Page 5

ARMY OF BRITAIN

EARLY INCREASE TERRITORIAL FORCES WARTIME ESTABLISHMENT PRECAUTIONS NEEDED CHAMBER LA IN’S REVIEW (Elnc. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 12 noon. RUGBY, Mar. 29. The territorial field army is to bn brought forthwith up to war establishment and the war establishment is to be doubled, making 32 divisions available for service overseas in place of the 19 announced by tiie Secretary of State for War, Mr. L. HornBelisha 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. Neville Chamberlain, who indicated that it was the first result of the re-examination of every aspect of national life which, as he stated in his recent Birmingham speech, had been necessitated by the new international situation. In the course of this review the Government had been impressed with the need of availing itself still furtner of the spirit of voluntary service which was manifest throughout the country and in particular the Government felt it could not allow would-be recruits of the territorial army to be refused because the units to which they applied already were over strength. Being Raised Forthwith Accordingly the territorial field army, which was now on a peace establishment of 130,000 men, would be raised forthwith to the war establishment —-an .addition oi abo„. uOO men. The territorial field army so brought up to war establishment would be doubled and would therefore be an allotted establishment of 340,000. Mr. Chamberlain mentioned the increase in the war potential made u necessary to maintain an increased force and in reply to the Liberal Leader, Sir Archibald Sinclair, who raised the question of a Ministry of Supply, said that the Government had not yet had the opportunity of considering whether the increase would require any modification of the views that 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. A. Greenwood (Lab.) that the proposal was evidence of the Governments opinion that it had not by any means exhausted what could be done by voluntary service, which could be demonstrated to have the ability of meeting ail the country’s needs.

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

Asked yesterday to consider an increase in the establishment of the territorial army to 2,000,000, Mr. Hore-Belisha pointed out to a questioner in the House of Commons the organisational difficulties of such a sudden great increase, but he added that the Government had certain proposals under examination. It is explained that the territorial field army does not include 80,000 men of the anti-aircraft forces and other non-field units. Thus presumably the total territorial strength of all units will be nearly 500,000 men. Mr. Chamberlain’s statement that the Government felt that Britain could demonstrate the voluntary system would answer all needs is interpreted to mean that the Government is not introducing conscription. The extent of British and French co-operation is increasingly revealed It is learned that General Georges, the right-hand man of General Gamelhi, the French Chief of Staff, has been in England incognito for a fortnight. The French Air Minister, M. La Chambrc, will come to London on Monday to confer with the British Air Minister, Sir Kingsley Wood, on Tuesday.