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T H I S D O C U M E N T IS T H E P R O P E R T Y OF H I S B R I T A N N I C M A J E S T Y ' S
Printed
May 1941.
for the War Cabinet.
SECRET.
W.M.
GOVERNMENT
Copy No.
(-11)
53rd Conclusions.
TO
BE
K E P T
U N D E R
L O C K
A N D
K E Y .
I t is requested that special care may be taken to
ensure the secrecy of this document.
W A R C A B I N E T 53 ( 4 1 ) .
CONCLUSIONS
of a Meeting of the War Cabinet held at 10 Downing
S.W. 1, on Monday, May 26, 1941, at 5 P . M .
Street,
Present: The Right Hon. W I N S T O N S. C H U R C H I L L , M.P., Prime Minister (in the Chair). The Right Hon. C. R. A T T L E E , M.P., The Right Hon. Sir JOHN A N D E R S O N ,
Lord Privy Seal.
M.P., Lord President of the Council.
The Right Hon. A N T H O N Y EDEN, M.P., The Right Hon. A . GREENWOOD, M.P.,
Secretary of State for Foreign
Minister without Portfolio.
Affairs.
The Right Hon. L O R D BEAVERBROOK, The Right Hon. Sir K I N G S L E Y W O O D ,
Minister of State.
M.P., Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The Right Hon. E R N E S T B E V I N , M.P.,
Minister of Labour and National
Service.
The following were also present:
The Right Hon. H E R B E R T MORRISON, I The Right Hon. V I S C O U N T CRANBORNE,
Secretary of State for Dominion
M.P., Secretary of State for the Home
Affairs.
Department and Minister of Home
Security.
The Right Hon. L O R D M O Y N E , Secre- The Right Hon. A . V . A L E X A N D E R ,
M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty.
tary of State for the Colonies.
Hon. Sir A R C H I B A L D
The Right Hon. H . D . MARGESSON, The Right
M.P., Secretary of State for W a r .
SINCLAIR, Bt., M.P., Secretary of
State for A i r .
The Right Hon. H U G H D A L T O N , M.P., The Right Hon. Sir D O N A L D SOMERVELL,
Minister
of Economic
Warfare
K.C., M.P., Attorney-General (Item 5).
(Item 3).
The Right Hon. J A M E S STUART, M.P., The Hon. Sir A L E X A N D E R CADOGAN,
Permanent Under-Secretary of State
Joint
Parliamentary
Secretary,
for Foreign Affairs.
Treasury (Item 5).
Admiral of the Fleet Sir D U D L E Y General Sir JOHN D I L L , Chief of the
Imperial General Staff.
P O U N D , First Sea Lord and Chief of
Naval
Staff.
A i r Chief Marshal Sir CHARLES F. A .
P O R T A L , Chief of the A i r Staff.
Secretariat.
Sir
EDWARD
BRIDGES.
Major-Geheral Sir
[22556]
Mr.
W.
Mr.
L.
D
F.
HASTINGS
WILKINSON.
BURGIS.
ISMAY.
W A R C A B I N E T 53 ( 4 1 ) .
CONTENTS.
Minute
No.
1
Subject.
Page.
Naval, Military and A i r Operations
....
45
....
45
Naval Operations:
Naval Battle in the Denmark Strait.
Eastern Mediterranean.
Crete.
2
Aliens ....
....
....
....
....
Application of Conscription.
3
Blockade
45
French North Africa.
4
Shipping
46
Publication of shipping losses.
5
Conscription
....
....
....
Application to Northern Ireland.
....
....
....
....
47
Naval, Military
and Air
Operations.
(Previous
Reference:
W . M . (41) 52nd
Conclusions,
Minute 1.)
1. The First Sea Lord gave an account of the Naval engage­
ment in the early morning of the 24th May between the German
battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen, and H.M. ships
Hood and Prince of Wales. As the W a r Cabinet were aware,
the Hood had blown up after about twenty minutes' fighting. The
First Sea Lord also described the events leading up to and following
the action. A record of his statement is contained in the Secretary's
Standard File of W a r Cabinet Conclusions.
Naval
Operations.
Naval Battle in
the Denmark
Strait.
Eastern
Mediterranean.
A report had been received that H.M.S. Formidable had been
bombed. I t was not yet known what damage she had received.
H.M.S. Grimsby, a sloop of 1,400 tons, had been bombed and sunk
north of Tobruk.
Crete.
General discussion followed as to the course of operations in
Crete. During the last two nights we had landed a limited number
of troops and stores. German air-borne troops were holding their
ground in the Maleme area and had attacked our troops west of
Canea, where severe fighting was continuing. A critical point in
the operations had now been reached. The W a r Cabinet were
informed that a telegram had been despatched, emphasising the
crucial importance of preventing any considerable reinforcement of
men and material from reaching the enemy in the island at this
stage.
Discussion also took place as to the adequacy of the prepara­
tions in Crete to meet the scale of attack which had developed. The
Prime Minister informed the War Cabinet of the suggestions which
he had made to this end during the past month.
The War Cabinet took note of this statement.
Aliens.
Application of
Conscription.
2. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs said that a
scheme had now been worked out for the conscription of aliens in
this country, which he proposed to put before the Representatives of
the Foreign Governments concerned, and to which he hoped they
would agree.
The War Cabinet took note of this statement.
3. The Foreign Secretary said that the United States Govern­
ment
had received a report from Mr. Murphy, whom they had sent
French North to see General Weygand. The latter had given certain assurances, Africa.
which, however, seemed to him (the Foreign Secretary) to be unsatis­
(Previous
factory. Nevertheless, the United States Government wished to
Eeference:
'
continue economic assistance to North Africa (Telegram 2325
W.M. (41) 32nd
from Washington). I t must also be remembered that Germany
Conclusions,
wished
,tq encourage Vichy to attack the Free French. There was
Minute 5.) '
thus r a danger that these supplies, if sent to General Weygand,
' . -i would be used against them:
Blockade.
,;
f
The Prime Minister doubted whether the consignments which
the United States Government proposed to send were of great con­
sequence. I t had long been the policy of the United States
Government to combine inducements to the Vichy Government with
threats of more drastic action. On the whole, he was not disposed to
take a very stiff line with the United, States Government on this
matter.
B 2
[22556],
The Minister of Economic Warfare said that a number of the
commodities it was proposed to send, e.g., sugar and tea, were quite
harmless, but that this did not apply to the cargo of the
Sheherazade, which was carrying 13,000 tons of oil.
The W a r Cabinet—
Invited the Foreign Secretary to reply to Washington to
the effect that, while we agreed in general to their proposal,
we wished to warn them that there was a risk that certain
cargoes, included in these shipments, might be used against
the Free French, and that we should be glad if this aspect
of the matter could be kept in mind.
Shipping.
Publication of
Shipping Losses.
(Previous
Eeference:
W . M . (41) 48th
Conclusions,
Minute 9.)
4. The First Lord of the Admiralty raised the question
whether we should issue, following a strong demand from American
correspondents in this country, a communique as to the attack on the
Atlantic convoy on the 20th May. The Germans had claimed nine
ships sunk—we knew that six had been lost, but it was hoped that
others might still make port. In the circumstances, it was difficult
to issue any statement which would not give information which
would be of value to the enemy.
The Minister of State thought a communique should be issued.
The United States correspondents in this country were highly
critical of our attitude towards the issue of news, and complained
that German news in America would hold the field until we adopted
a more forthcoming attitude on the matter.
A general discussion followed in which the following points
were made:—
(1) I f this particular German claim was contradicted, it might
lead us into the position of having to contradict every
inaccurate German communique. W e must be guided by
whether publication of these losses would give informa­
tion of military value.
(2) I t was stated that the Isolationists in America maintained
that our Atlantic shipping losses were small. To state
what our losses in this convoy had been would strengthen
the hands of those in America who favoured giving us
more help.
(3) On the other hand, to publish these losses at the moment
might, following the loss of the Hood, have a depressing
effect upon opinion both in the United States of America
and at home. Our action in releasing this information
just prior to the Presidents speech might come in for
criticism.
The W a r Cabinet agreed as follows : -
,
(a) For. the present, no communique should be published as to
the attack on the convoy on the 20th May.
\b) President Roosevelt should be informed of the number of
ships we had lost in the Atlantic Convoy attacked
during the previous week, and it. should be left to his
discretion to determine what use lie should make of the
information, subject to no disclosure being made of the
fact that two of the ships torpedoed by the enemy were
still afloat. :
P ,
(c) The Admiralty should formulate., foreonsideration by the
War Cabinet, draft rules to govern the-publication of
- our naval and merchant shipping losses.
(d) The Lord President was authorised to give Mr. Harriman
particulars showing the proportion of cargoes of
munitions, & c , lost in the months of January. February
and March 1941.
Conscription.
Application to
Northern
Ireland.
(Previous
Reference:
W . M . (41) 52nd
Conclusions,
Minute 3.)
5. The War Cabinet had before them the following further
Papers on this matter :—
(i) A Memorandum by the Home Secretary as to the probable
reactions of labour and the Roman Catholic Church
( W . P . (41) 110).
(ii) A Memorandum by the Home Secretary, covering a Report
by the Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabu­
lary ( W . P . (41) 111).
(iii) A telegram from the United Kingdom representative in
Eire to the Dominions Office ( W . P . (41) 113). This
telegram contained the text of a message sent by the
United States Minister in Dublin to Washington,
strongly opposing the application of conscription to
Northern Ireland. A copy of this message had been
communicated by Mr. Gray to Mr. de Valera.
I n the course of the Meeting, the following further information
was given to the W a r Cabinet:—
(iv) The Prime Minister reported to the W a r Cabinet the
upshot of the meeting which he and some of his
colleagues had had with Mr. Andrews, the Prime
Minister of Northern Ireland, and some of his colleagues
on Saturda^"
(v) The Prime Minister read to the. W a r Cabinet a letter of
protest from Mr. de Valera/which Mr. Dulanty had
handed to him.
(vi) A telegram from Mr. Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of
Canada, was read out to the Meeting.'^'
(vii) The Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs mentioned
that a telephone message had been received from
Sir John Maffey, reporting that there was considerable
excitement in Dublin, but that the speeches made in the
Dail had been moderate, and urging postponement of a
decision.
(viii) The Home Secretary and Minister of Home Security
informed his colleagues of a further message which
he had received that morning from Mr. Andrews,
indicating that the strength of the opposition would be
more widespread than had been realised.
While,
speaking for themselves, the Government of Northern
Ireland would like to see conscription applied, the real
test, in their view, must be whether it would be for the
good of the Empire.
Further discussion took placed and it was agreed to defer a final
decision until the following day.
Great George Street, S.W. 1, May 26, 1941. Rl**iJ.
^TL&*&JWI ^ fUi*4X JEl^
(THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY' S GOVERNMENT.). T O BE K E P T U N D E R L O C K A N D KEY. It is requested trial special care may be taken to Wisure the secrecy of this document.
-7
COPY NO,
SECRET.
APPLICATION OP CONSCRIPTION TO NORTHERN IRELAND.
Note of a Meeting of Ministers held at Chequers
on SATURDAY, 24TH MAY, 1941, at 12 Noon.
PRESENT:
The Right Hon. Winston So
Churchill, M.P.,
Prime Minister.
The Right Hon. J.M. Andrews,
Prime Minister of Northern
Ireland.
The Right Hon. Sir Jo"m
Anderson, M.P., Lord
President of the Councilo
The Right Hon. J.P. Gordon,
Minister of Lahour, Northern
Ireland.
The Right Hon. Ernest Bevin,
M.P., Minister of Labour
and National S e r v i c e .
The Right Hon. Lord Glentoran,
Minister of Agriculture,
Northern Ireland,,
The Right Hon. Herbert
Morrison, M.P. , Secretary of
State f o r the Home Department
and Minister of Home Security.
[r. R. Gransden, Secretary to
the Northern Ireland Cabinet,
The Right Hon. Viscount
Cranborne, Secretary of
State f o r Dominion A f f a i r s .
S i r Henry Pownall, Vice
Chief of the Imperial
General Staff.
Sir Edward Bridges.
Secretary of the War Cabinet.
MR. ANDREWS said that a successful Meeting
of the Ulster Unionist Council had been held the
previous day.
The Council had been unanimously i n
favour of conscription in Northern Ireland. Although
they appreciated that there were d i f f i c u l t i e s , they
had given him (Mr. Andrews) a f r e e hand to t e l l
Mr. Churchill to do what His Majesty's Government in
the United Kingdom thought was best for the Empire,,
They were anxious to help in every possible way.
MR. CHURCHILL said that he was grateful f o r
this approach to the subject.
He suggested that
discussion should proceed on the basis that i t was
the desire of the majority of the Parliament and the
people of Northern Ireland that conscription should
be applied to Northern Ireland, and that the
d i f f i c u l t i e s inherent in t h i s question should be
examined on that b a s i s .
The following i s a summary of the chief
points made in discussion on the main i s s u e : ­
( 1 )
MR. MORRISON said that i n l o g i c there was
no v a l i d argument against applying con­
s c r i p t i o n to Northern Ireland, but the
consequences of t h i s course must be
weighed.
He thought that any r e b e l l i o u s
a c t i v i t i e s on the part of the I.R.A. could
be dealt with.
The p o l i t i c a l consequences
were probably the most formidable.
What
would happen i f there was an extensive
refusal to r e g i s t e r , i n s t i g a t e d by
p o l i t i c a l elements or by the Roman
Catholic Church in Ireland?
I t would be
very embarrassing i f we had to put a
number of men into concentration camps.
( 2 )
MR. BSVIN stressed the objections to the
present p o s i t i o n .
For example youngmen
came over from Northern Ireland to take
work here, and were sometimes b i l l e t t e d
in the homes of men who had been
compulsorily e n l i s t e d .
This gave r i s e
to d i f f i c u l t i e s .
The 60,000 extra men
who could be found from Northern Ireland
would be a very welcome help in the man-.
power problems.
( 5 )
Discussion ensued on the attitude towards
conscription of organised labour in
Northern Ireland.
Mr. Beattie had
spoken strongly against conscription,
but the meeting was informed that he had
been expelled from the Labour Party and
carried no weight... . The a t t i t u d e o£
Mr*i Midgeley. a.-.:. ;uhpoX'tant f i g u r e i n Northern
Iceland Trade Union c i r c l e s , had, been
personally favourable to conscription,
but had indicated that there would be a
considerable measure of opposition.
From the labour point of view the
opposition to conscription would be f a r
less strong than would have been the
case had i t been introduced before the
war.
( 4 )
LORD CRANBORNE thought that the Eire
Government and the. Roman Catholic Church
would be bound to oppose the application
of conscription t o Northern Ireland. But,
since most people in Southern Ireland
hoped that we would win the war, he did
not think that the opposition of the S i r e
Government would be very serious. I f
hoveverv there vas serious r i o t i n g , tne
attitude of Eire vjould have greater
s i g n i f i c a n c e . ^Trouble^-as .most l i k e l y t o
SS&p^fflt^S ^fe?ll& on;tn^ gf&de3! wl
0
(5)
(6)
r
must be prepared t o carry i t through.
SIR HENRY POWNALL, asked f o r his views,
said that the Army badly needed the men
who could be got from Northern Ireland.
He did not think that r i o t i n g was l i k e l y ,
nor did he think the Army was l i k e l y to
have serious trouble with any unreliable
elements which were handed over to i t .
I t was true that the m i l i t a r y authorities
had had useful conversations with members
with whom
of the Eire General S t a f f ,
their present relations were s a t i s f a c t o r y .
I t might be that i f conscription was
introduced into Northern Ireland, the Eire
Government would put a stop to these
conversations for the time being.
This
would not be very serious.
s
SIR JOHN ANDERSON thought that the course
proposed was right and that he would l i k e
to see i t adopted.
Once started on this
course we must go through with i t o
Trouble
in the l a s t war had arisen not so much out
of the proposal to apply conscription to
Ireland, but through our having f a i l e d to
carry i t through.
He thought that we
should not be unduly influenced by the
opposition of the Eire Government, since
the action proposed was none of their
business. The greatest r i s k of disorder
would, he thought, be at the very outset,
when meetings of protest and processions
e t c . might be held.
I f i t was decided to
apply conscription t o Northern Ireland,
the matter should be put through quickly.
The following were the main points dealt
with in regard to the methods of applying conscription
to Northern Ireland, and r e l a t e d matters:­
( 7 )
I t was agreed that a B i l l would be necessary. ( 8 )
R e s p o n s i b i l i t y for administering the
scheme,
MR. CHURCHILL " t h o u g h t t h a t t h e
administration
of t h e A c t should be the
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f t h e U n i t e d Kingdom
Governments
T h i s was g e n e r a l l y a g r e e d
to o
MS. BEVIN s a i d t h a t h e w o u l d p r o p o s e t o
use t h e s t a f f o f the M i n i s t r y o f Labour
i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d as h i s a g e n t s .
The
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r s e t t i n g up t r i b u n a l s
and d e a l i n g w i t h a p p e a l s would" r e s t w i t h
t h e M i n i s t r y o f Labour and N a t i o n a l
Service.
The c o n t r o l e x e r c i s e d b y h i s
D e p a r t m e n t i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d w o u l d be
a n a l o g o u s t o t h a t e x e r c i s e d by one o f
the D i v i s i o n a l C o n t r o l l e r s o
I t would b e
n e c e s s a r y o f c o u r s e t o b e a r i n mind t h a t
N a t i o n a l S e r v i c e was c l o s e l y l i n k e d up
w i t h L a b o u r Supply and t h a t b o t h must b e
d e a l t w i t h as p a r t o f a s i n g l e p r o b l e m .
(9)
C o n s c i e n t i o u s o b . j e c t o r s and S c h e d u l e o f
Reserved Ocoupations.
" ME,' CHURCHILL
thought t h a t the p r o v i s i o n s i n r e g a r d
to
o n s c i e n t i o u s o b j e c t o r s and t o t h e
Sehodu/c: o f R e s e r v e d Occupa v; e n s s h o u l d
a p p l y t o N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d on t h e same
b a s i s as t h i s c o u n t r y , p r o v i d e d t h a t
men r e g i s t e r e d when c a l l e d upon t o do s o .
I f , however, they f a i l s 3 . t o r e g i s t e r , they
shoixld n o t b e e n t i t l e d t o any a d v a n t a g e s
which t h e y might d e r i v e e i t h e r from the
c o n s c i e n t i o u s p r o c e d u r e o r from the
Schedule o f Reserved Occupations,
This
would a f f o r d a g r e a t inducement to
r e g i s t e r and would t e n d t o b r e a k up any
foous of resistance^
( 1 0 )
I t was a l s o s u g g e s t e d t h a t i t was
i m p o r ;ant n o t t o a l l o w t h e c o n s c i e n t i o u s
objector
c l a u s e to be abused.
For
e x a m p l e a man must n o t be a l l o w e d t o
make p l a y w i t h c o n s c i e n t i o u s o b j e c t i o n s
t o t h i s p a r t i c u l a r war,
( 1 1 )
P r o c e d u r e i n r e g a r d t o men who f a i l e d t o
registerT"
LORD GLENTORAN s u g g e s t e d t h a t
the procedure should be d e v i s e d whereby,
i f a m-m d i d n o t r e g i s t e r when c a l l e d
upon t o do s o , , he c o u l d b e b r o u g h t b e f o r e
t h e R e s i d e n t m a g i s t r a t e s who w o u l d d e c l a r e
him a d e s e r t e r a n d he w o u l d t h e r e u p o n b e
handed o v e r t o t h e m i l i t a r y .
G e n e r a l a g r e e m e n t was e x p r e s s e d t h a t some
p r o c e d u r e on t h e s e l i n e s s h o u l d b e adopted.,
though i t might b e b e t t e r t o s u b s t i t u t e
-some othex" t r i b u n a l f o r t h e R e s i d e n t
Magistrates^
nO
(12)
MR. CHURCHILL thought that i f the scheme
was worked out on the above l i n e s i t
would provide a safety v a l v e .
Another
safety valve would be provided by the fact
that no doubt a c e r t a i n numbor of men,
who would otherwise o f f e r opposition, would
pass over the f r o n t i e r into Southern
Ireland.
(13)
I t was also hoped that the.call-up might
take place gradually.
MS. BEVIN suggested t h a t , i n the f i r s t
instance, three age-groups might be dealt
with, say, 23/24.
Later a further three
age groups could be called up.
This
would be b e t t e r than c a l l i n g up l a r g e
numbers at a time.
(14)
Essential Work Order.
MR. BEVIN suggested
that i t would be desirable that the
Essential Work Order should be applied to
the Northern Ireland shipyards and that
the men should get the benefit of the
guaranteed week, e t c .
There would be
considerable advantage i f the i n t e n t i o n to
apply the Essential Work Order to Northern
Ireland could be announced at the same
time as the decision to introduce con­
s c r i p t i o n as being an essential part of
the National Service enterprise.
This
was a matter to be dealt with by an Order
made by the Northern Ireland Governmentc.
MR. GORDON said that a deputation of the
Engineers and Shipbuilding Employees
Federation had come t o him four weeks ago,
and had asked that the Order should be
applied to them.
He had pointed out that
i f the Order were applied, and l a t e r work
declined ( e . g . , owing to the yards being
put out of action through bombing), i t
might be necessary to transfer the men
across the Channel.
He had asked them to
think the matter over and to put in a
Memorandum.
They had not so far done so*
I t was l e f t that t h i s matter should be
considered by the representatives of the
Northern Ireland Government.
(15)
Reinstatement and voluntary recruitment,,
Attention
was drawn to the f a c t that the guarantees which
had been given i n regard to reinstatement in
c i v i l i a n occupation a f t e r the war only covered
persons oompulsorily e n l i s t e d , and did not extend
to those who v o l u n t a r i l y recruited. I t was
suggested that this was a matter which might be
further considered, i r r e s p e c t i v e of the decision
to apply conscription tD Northern Ireland. But
i t was agreed that i t would be undesirable to
include a clause on a matter of this kind in
any B i l l applying conscription to Northern
Ireland.
Timetable.
MR. CHURCHILL then dealt with the timetable.
He would report the upshot of the present Meeting to
the War Cabinet on Monday afternoon
The decision then
reached could be announced in Parliament on Tuesday.
While no decision could be reached u n t i l Monday
afternoon, work on the drafting of a B i l l , on the
lines discussed that morning, should s t a r t that afternoon
A draft of the B i l l should be submitted, to a Meeting of
Ministers to be held at 12 Noon on Monday, presided
over by the Home Secretary, in order that the War
Cabinet at their Meeting on Monday afternoon, should be
ahle to'examine the project more f u l l y .
I f the
measure was proceeded with, i t should, he thought, be
carried through a l l stages and passed into law "before
the Whitsun Recess.
c
Great George S t r e e t , S. W. 1.
26th May. 1941.
GYPH15H TELEGKAM
SHORT DISTRIBUTION
From the Government or
CANADA
TO DOMINIONS OPTICS
D* 25th May, 1943..
R* 26th
"
M
5ol6 jp ni^
2 o 3 2 a*ra
e
a
iH&gDiASE
*Jo: 86.
SECRET.
Following for* Prime Minister- from Prime Minister
begins^
I understand that yo\i w i l l "be considering with
colleagues o f the War Cabinet representations recently made
regarding conscription in Northern Irelando I naturally do
not wish t o i n t e r f e r e i n any matter which might be regarded
as exclusively one f o r the Government of the 0nited Kingdom^
I am sure however you w i l l not misunderstand my motive i f I
suggest, in ease the step has not already been taken, i t
would be well to seek from the Ambassador a t Washington an
expression of h i s views as to possible e f f e c t , e s p e c i a l l y
at this very c r i t i c a l moment, upon I r i s h - American opinion
and the a t t i t u d e in the U*S,A* o f a decision by the B r i t i s h
Government to enforee conscription in any part- of Irelandc
% colleagues and I would be g r a t e f u l i f possible
repercussions which such a step might have upon public opinion
in Ganada, might a l s o be considered,:We are at the moment
engaged in a recruiting campaign f o r further voluntary
enlistments in Canada's armed forces for overseas service,,
The more i t i s possible to avoid the conscription issue
becoming a matter of acute controversy the l e s s d i f f i c u l t y
I f e e l sure-, w i l l be the task of maintaining Canadian unity.
Endso
9
ANNEX.III. /S"ee Minute
CONSCRIPTION.
A p p l i c a t i o n to
Northern I r e l a n d .
(Previous
Reference:
W.M.(41) 52nd
Conclusions,
Minute 3 . )
following
(i)
The War C a b i n e t h a d b e f o r e them the
f u r t h e r P a p e r s on t h i s s u b j e c t : ­
A Memorandum by t h e Home S e c r e t a r y as t o
t h e p r o b a b l e r e a c t i o n s o f l a b o u r and t h e
Roman C a t h o l i c Church ( W . P . ( 4 l ) 1 1 0 ) .
(ii)
A Memorandum by t h e Home S e c r e t a r y , c o v e r i n g
a R e p o r t by the I n s p e c t o r - G e n e r a l of t h e
Royal I r i s h C o n s t a b u l a r y ( W . P . ( 4 1 ) 1 1 1 ) .
(iii)
further
5.7 A t e l e g r a m from t h e U n i t e d Kingdom
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e i n E i r e to the Dominions
Office (W.P.(41) 113).
This telegram
c o n t a i n e d the t e x t o f a message sent by
the U n i t e d S t a t e s M i n i s t e r i n D u b l i n t o
W a s h i n g t o n , s t r o n g l y o p p o s i n g the
a p p l i c a t i o n o f c o n s c r i p t i o n to N o r t h e r n
Ireland.
A copy o f t h i s message had been
communicated by Mr. Gray to Mr. de V a l e r a .
I n the c o u r s e o f t h e M e e t i n g t h e f o l l o w i n g
i n f o r m a t i o n was g i v e n t o the War C a b i n e t : -
(iv).
THE PRIME MINISTER r e a d - t o the War C a b i n e t
a message o f p r o t e s t from Mr. de V a l e r a
which Mr. D u l a n t y h a d handed t o h i m .
36
( v )
( v i )
A t e l e g r a m from Mr. Mackenzie K i n g , Prime
M i n i s t e r o f C a n a d a , Y$a.s r e a d o u t t o . t h e
Meeting.
THE SECRETARY OP STATE FOR DOMINION AFFAIRS
mentioned t h a t a t e l e p h o n e message had been
r e c e i v e d from S i r John Maffey r e p o r t i n g t h a t
t h e r e was c o n s i d e r a b l e e x c i t e m e n t i n D u b l i n
but t h a t the speeches made i n t h e D a i l had
been m o d e r a t e d , and u r g i n g postponement o f a
decision.
S i r John Maffey added t h a t he
was s e n d i n g o v e r c e r t a i n s u g g e s t i o n s t h a t
night.
THE PRIME MINISTER s a i d t h a t w i t h c e r t a i n
o f h i s c o l l e a g u e s , he h a d seen Mr. Andrews, the Prime
M i n i s t e r o f U l s t e r , t o g e t h e r with other Northern
I r e l a n d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s on the p r e v i o u s S a t u r d a y .
The N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d M i n i s t e r s h a d a l l e x p r e s s e d
themselves i n f a v o u r o f c o n s c r i p t i o n .
Although they
a n t i c i p a t e d some t r o u b l e , they d i d n o t t h i n k i t would
be serious.
I n o r d e r t o make, the p r o p o s i t i o n more
s p e c i f i c , he had a s k e d t h e Home S e c r e t a r y t o p r e s i d e
o v e r a meeting t o d r a f t a BilD/T
T h i s d r a f t was
b e f o r e the War C a b i n e t ( W . P . ( 4 l ) 1 1 2 ) .
The Prime M i n i s t e r added t h a t , i n v i e w o f
t h e a t t i t u d e t a k e n by Mr. Winant the American
Ambassador, (who had v i s i t e d him, and u r g e d $hat the
p r o p o s a l would have important r e s u l t s )
he thought
i t would be w i s e to c o n s u l t P r e s i d e n t R o o s e v e l t , and
^Appendix.I.
h e r e a d out a t e l e g r a m to the P r e s i d e n t which he had
drafted.
He h a d a r r a n g e d t o p o s t p o n e u n t i l Thursday
t h e r e p l y t o t h e Q u e s t i o n down f o r answer i n the
House.
He t h o u g h t i t was c l e a r t h a t , i n the c i r c u m ­
s t a n c e s , t h e r e c o u l d he no q u e s t i o n o f g e t t i n g a
measure p a s s e d b e f o r e the W h i t s u n t i d e R e c e s s .
THE HOME SECRETARY s a i d t h a t , on grounds o f
e q u i t y and l o g i c , t h e r e c o u l d b e no doubt t h a t
c o n s c r i p t i o n s h o u l d be a p p l i e d t o N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d .
The more d i f f i c u l t q u e s t i o n was whether t h e
d i f f i c u l t i e s i n v o l v e d were out o f p r o p o r t i o n to any
b e n e f i t which we s h o u l d d e r i v e t h e r e f r o m .
On
S a t u r d a y the r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f the N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d
Government h a d t a k e n the v i e w t h a t , though t h e r e
would be some t r o u b l e , c o n s c r i p t i o n c o u l d b e a p p l i e d
to Northern I r e l a n d without d i f f i c u l t y .
But t h e r e
was now some a l t e r a t i o n i n t h e i r a t t i t u d e .
He had
had a f u r t h e r message t h a t morning from Mr. Andrews,
who had s a i d t h a t he w i s h e d the f u l l f a c t s to be
l a i d b e f o r e t h e Prime M i n i s t e r .
The N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d
M i n i s t e r s w i s h e d i t t o be r e c o g n i s e d t h a t t h e r e would
be s e r i o u s o p p o s i t i o n to c o n s c r i p t i o n .
While,
s p e a k i n g f o r t h e m s e l v e s , t h e y would l i k e t o see
c o n s c r i p t i o n a p p l i e d , the r e a l t e s t must b e whether
i t would b e f o r t h e good o f the E m p i r e .
He
s u g g e s t e d t h a t i t would be u n w i s e t o r u s h a d e c i s i o n .
He h a d a l s o had a v i s i t t h a t morning from
Mr. MacDermott, the M i n i s t e r r e s p o n s i b l e f o r p u b l i c
s e c u r i t y , who had s a i d t h a t Mr. Andrews had a s k e d him
t o say t h a t o p p o s i t i o n would be more w i d e s p r e a d than
he had a n t i c i p a t e d , and w o u l d be o r g a n i s e d .
The Home S e c r e t a r y a l s o r e f e r r e d t o a
r e p o r t by the I n s p e c t o r - G e n e r a l o f the R o y a l I r i s h
C o n s t a b u l a r y ( M r . Wickham), which had been c i r c u l a t e d
t o the War C a b i n e t ( W . P . ( 4 l ) 1 1 1 ) .
The I n s p e c t o r G e n e r a l t h o u g h t t h a t t h e r e would be o r g a n i s e d
o p p o s i t i o n i n a l l t h e towns a n d v i l l a g e s , t h a t the
P o l i c e would h a v e to b e u s e d , and t h a t s h o t s would be
exchanged.
The Roman C a t h o l i c Church w o u l d n o t
g i v e way, and s e c t a r i a n f e e l i n g would be a r o u s e d .
The Home S e c r e t a r y s a i d t h a t h e h a d asked whether i t
would be e a s i e r i f c o n s c r i p t i o n was c o n f i n e d to C i v i l
Defence S e r v i c e .
M r . MacDermott and Mr. Wickham had
thought t h a t t h i s would be e a s i e r , b u t t h a t e v e n t h i s
would b e o p p o s e d .
The Home S e c r e t a r y a l s o r e f e r r e d t o the
f o l l o w i n g r e s o l u t i o n p a s s e d by the E x e c u t i v e Committee
o f t h e N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d L a b o u r P a r t y on the p r e v i o u s
day:W h i l e n o t d e v i a t i n g one i o t a from o u r
b e l i e f t h a t Nazi a g g r e s s i o n , i f not
defeated, w i l l r e s u l t in a subjugated
Europe, ( i n l u d i n g a subjugated I r e l a n d ,
n e v e r t h e l e s s we b e l i e v e t h a t b e f o r e
conscription i s considered for
a p p l i c a t i o n to Northern I r e l a n d , a
p l e b i s c i t e s h o u l d be t a k e n o f a l l a d u l t
c i t i z e n s i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d on the
b a s i s of the P a r l i a m e n t a r y f r a n c h i s e ,
so t h a t the q u e s t i o n c o u l d be
c o n s i d e r e d from the a n g l e o f d e t e r ­
m i n i n g w h e t h e r , h a v i n g r e g a r d t o the.
l a r g e number o f p e o p l e who a r e opposed to
t h i s p r i n c i p l e i t would be e x p e d i e n t o r
a d v a n t a g e o u s to a p p l y i t o r whether i t s
a p p l i c a t i o n would, in f a c t , r e s u l t i n
any a c c e s s i o n o f s t r e n g t h to t h e B r i t i s h
Commonwealth of n a t i o n s .
A t the moment t h i s e x e c u t i v e i n c l i n e s to
the v i e w t h a t f o r t h e r e a s o n s mentioned
any g a i n s a c c r u i n g from the a p p l i c a t i o n
o f c o n s c r i p t i o n would b e more than o f f s e t
by d i s a d v a n t a g e s .
He u n d e r s t o o d c o n f i d e n t i a l l y t h a t the meaning o f t h i s
r e s o l u t i o n was t h a t t h e N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d L a b o u r
P a r t y were u n w i l l i n g t o a s s o c i a t e t h e m s e l v e s w i t h
v a r i o u s b o d i e s , such a s t h e I . R . A . , which o p p o s e d
c o n s c r i p t i o n , but that n e v e r t h e l e s s the m a j o r i t y of
them had been opposed to t h i s m e a s u r e .
The " I r i s h T i m e s " , which was n o r m a l l y
f r i e n d l y to t h i s c o u n t r y , s a i d t h a t we had a r i g h t
t o impose c o n s c r i p t i o n , b u t hoped t h a t we s h o u l d not
i n s i s t upon i t .
The Home S e c r e t a r y s a i d t h a t h i s own
f e e l i n g was t h a t the d i f f i c u l t i e s o f a p p l y i n g the
measure were v e r y c o n s i d e r a b l e and would r e s u l t i n a
g r e a t d i s t r a c t i o n o f o u r war e f f o r t .
There would
a l s o be r e p e r c u s s i o n s i n P a r l i a m e n t and the U n i t e d
States.
W i t h g r e a t r e g r e t , t h e r e f o r e , he h a d
r e a c h e d the c o n c l u s i o n t h a t the a d v a n t a g e s to be
g a i n e d by the measure were n o t s u f f i c i e n t t o j u s t i f y
i t s adoption.
THE MINISTER OP LABOUR AND NATIONAL SERVICE
o u t l i n e d the r e a s o n s which had l e d him to r a i s e t h i s
m a t t e r , and e x p l a i n e d the d i f f i c u l t i e s which r e s u l t e d
from b r i n g i n g N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d l a b o u r over t o t h i s
country.
There had a l s o b e e n a scheme on f o o t f o r
b r i n g i n g a c o n s i d e r a b l e volume o f l a b o u r o v e r from
S o u t h e r n I r e l a n d t o do a g r i c u l t u r a l work i n t h i s
country.
He a l s o w i s h e d t o see the E s s e n t i a l Work
O r d e r a p p l i e d t o N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d , and t h i s c o u l d n o t
b e done e x c e p t on some such b a s i s a s the a p p l i c a t i o n
of c o n s c r i p t i o n to Northern I r e l a n d .
He added t h a t
r e c r u i t i n g i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d was h a n d i c a p p e d o w i n g
t o t h e f e a r t h a t C a t h o l i c s would take the p l a c e o f
P r o t e s t a n t s who e n l i s t e d .
The g e n e r a l v i e w o f p e o p l e
who h a d gone o v e r from t h i s country t o d e a l w i t h
l a b o u r m a t t e r s i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d had a l s o b e e n i n
favour of applying conscription.
I t was c l e a r , h o w e v e r , t h a t the p r o p o s a l had
g i v e n r i s e to a storm o f p r o t e s t , and had b r o u g h t t h e
I r i s h Question i n t o prpminence.
He thought t h a t i t
would b e b e t t e r n o t t o t a k e a d e c i s i o n t h a t n i g h t ,
b u t t o w a i t and see what s u g g e s t i o n s S i r John M a f f e y
had t o o f f e r .
of
THE PRIME MINISTER i n v i t e d o t h e r members the War C a b i n e t t o e x p r e s s t h e i r v i e w s . THE MINISTER OP STATE t h a t t h a t more i n j u r y would eome from n o t p r o c e e d i n g w i t h the m a t t e r than from g o i n g t h r o u g h w i t h i t . The v i e w o f o t h e r M i n i s t e r s may he summed
up by s a y i n g t h a t w h i l e , on g r o u n d s o f j u s t i c e and
e q u i t y , they f a v o u r e d t h e measure, on the ground o f
e x p e d i e n c y they doubted w h e t h e r we s h o u l d o b t a i n
any a d v a n t a g e s commensurate w i t h the d i f f i c u l t i e s
involved.
The new f a c t o r i n the s i t u a t i o n s i n c e the
m a t t e r had l a s t been c o n s i d e r e d was t h a t the a t t i t u d e
o f the N o r t h e r n I r i s h Government had changed and
t h a t they c l e a r l y a n t i c i p a t e d much more s e r i o u s
d i f f i c u l t i e s now t h a n a t the M e e t i n g o f M i n i s t e r s
h e l d the. p r e v i o u s S a t u r d a y .
T h i s was a f a r more
important f a c t o r t h a n the o p p o s i t i o n o f the E i r e
Government, which was t o be e x p e c t e d , c . f .
the
p r o t e s t s which had b e e n made when the C o v e n t r y
m u r d e r e r s had been e x e c u t e d .
THE LORD PRESIDENT OP THE COUNCIL s a i d t h a t
he a l w a y s d i s t r u s t e d o r g a n i s e d a g i t a t i o n i n I r e l a n d .
He t h o u g h t , however, t h a t i t would be unwise to
p r o c e e d w i t h the m e a s u r e , u n l e s s we h a d the a s s u r a n c e
o f t h e g e n e r a l s u p p o r t o f the l o y a l s e c t i o n i n
Ireland.
Our t r o u b l e s i n I r e l a n d had o f t e n sprung
from i n t e r n a l d i f f e r e n c e s on o u r own s i d e .
There was g e n e r a l s u p p o r t f o r the v i e w t h a t
a d e c i s i o n s h o u l d be p o s t p o n e d u n t i l S i r John M a f f e y ' s
s u g g e s t i o n s had been r e c e i v e d .
THE DOMINIONS SECRETARY s a i d t h a t c o n s i d e r a t i o n s h o u l d b e g i v e n t o the s u g g e s t i o n t h a t Mr. de V a l e r a s h o u l d b e a s k e d to come o v e r f o r a general discussion.
He t h o u g h t t h a t Mr. de V a l e r a would f i n d i t d i f f i c u l t t o r e f u s e such an i n v i t a t i o n , and t h a t out of some g e n e r a l d i s c u s s i o n we might d e r i v e some a d v a n t a g e . The p r o p o s a l to i n v i t e Mr. de V a l e r a o v e r h e r e d i d n o t meet w i t h g e n e r a l s u p p o r t .
THE FOREIGN SECRETARY s a i d t h a t i t w o u l d be unwise to i n v i t e Mr. de V a l e r a t o come u n l e s s we were c e r t a i n t o d e r i v e some a d v a n t a g e from h i s v i s i t . THE PRIME MINISTER s a i d t h a t a l t h o u g h we
were not p u b l i c l y committed t o a p p l y i n g c o n s c r i p t i o n
t o N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d , y e t i t was known t h a t the m a t t e r
had b e e n under c o n s i d e r a t i o n , and any d e c i s i o n not
to p r o c e e d w i t h the m a t t e r w o u l d , he t h o u g h t , be
r e g a r d e d a s a r e c o i l on o u r p a r t , and was a s e r i o u s
matter.
F o r the moment he d i d n o t w i s h t o r e a c h a
d e c i s i o n whether o r not any statement s h o u l d b e made
i n P a r l i a m e n t the f o l l o w i n g T h u r s d a y .
The b e s t c o u r s e
would be t o d e f e r t a k i n g any d e c i s i o n , and t o a w a i t
S i r John M a f f e y ' s s u g g e s t i o n s .
I n the meantime, i t
was o f the utmost importance t h a t no h i n t o f the upshot,
o f the a f t e r n o o n ' s d i s c u s s i o n s h o u l d be a l l o w e d t o
become known.
Street,
, 1941.
S.W.I.,
14?
APPENDIX I .
High Commissioner
for Ireland.
33-37 Regent S t r e e t ,
London, S . W . 1 .
The f o l l o w i n g message was t e l e p h o n e d t o me b y
Mr. De V a l e r a f o r t r a n s m i s s i o n t o Mr. W i n s t o n C h u r c h i l l : Mr. D u l a n t y has r e p o r t e d t o me your c o n v e r s a t i o n
on t h e s u b j e c t of C o n s c r i p t i o n i n the S i x C o u n t i e s
area.
B e f o r e your f i n a l d e c i s i o n i s t a k e n I f e e l
t h a t I s h o u l d a g a i n p u t b e f o r e y o u r Government as
e a r n e s t l y a s I c a n my view t h a t t h e i m p o s i t i o n of
C o n s c r i p t i o n i n any form w o u l d provoke t h e b i t t e r e s t
resentment amongst I r i s h m e n and w o u l d have the most
d i s a s t r o u s consequences f o r our two p e o p l e s .
A f e e l i n g o f b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g and o f mutual
sympathy w h i c h h e l d i n i t the p r o m i s e o f u l t i m a t e
c l o s e f r i e n d s h i p had grown up b e t w e e n our p e o p l e s
in recent years.
The e x i s t e n c e of P a r t i t i o n was t h e
o n l y s t u m b l i n g b l o c k , and t h e r e was the hope t h a t i n
t h e improved c o n d i t i o n s i t t o o w o u l d d i s a p p e a r .
The
i m p o s i t i o n o f C o n s c r i p t i o n w i l l i n e v i t a b l y undo a l l
the good t h a t has b e e n done and throw the two p e o p l e s
b a c k i n t o t h e o l d unhappy r e l a t i o n s , ,
The C o n s c r i p t i o n
o f the p e o p l e of one n a t i o n b y a n o t h e r r e v o l t s the
human c o n s c i e n c e .
No f a i r m i n d e d man anywhere can
f a i l t o r e c o g n i s e i n i t an a c t o f o p p r e s s i o n upon a
w e a k e r p e o p l e , and i t cannot b u t damage B r i t a i n h e r s e l f *
The S i x C o u n t i e s have towards t h e r e s t of I r e l a n d a s t a t u s
and r e l a t i o n s h i p which no A c t of P a r l i a m e n t can change.
They a r e p a r t of I r e l a n d .
They have a l w a y s b e e n p a r t
of I r e l a n d , and t h e i r p e o p l e , C a t h o l i c and P r o t e s t a n t ,
a r e our p e o p l e .
I b e g o f you b e f o r e you e n t e r on a b o u r s e w h i c h
can a f f e c t so p r o f o u n d l y t h e r e l a t i o n s of our two
p e o p l e s t o t a k e a l l t h e s e m a t t e r s i n t o the most e a r n e s t
consideration.
( S g d . ) JOHN W. DULANTYo
(THIS DOCUMENT I S THE PROPERTY OF PUS BRITANNIC MAJESTY 8
1
S E C R E T .
-
WAR
.
.
CABINET.
APPLICATION OF CONSCRIPTION TO NQJgTJHgga
DRAFT
TRBIlAffl?-
BILL.
M e e t i n g of M i n i s t e r s h e l d i n the Home S e c r e t a r y ' ^
Room, " M i n i s t r y of Home S e c u r i t y , on "Monday,
26th May, 1941, a t 12.15 p.m.
PRESENT:
The R i g h t Hon H e r b e r t M o r r i s o n , M . P . ,
S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r Home A f f a i r s
and M i n i s t e r of Home S e c u r i t y ( I n
the C h a i r ) .
0
The R i g h t Hon. S i r John A n d e r s o n , G. C . B . , G . C . S. I , .
G . C . I . E . , M.,P., L o r d P r e s i d e n t o f t h e C o u n c i l ,
The R i g h t Hon, E r n e s t B e v i n , M.P. ,
M i n i s t e r of L a b o u r and N a t i o n a l S e r v i c e .
The R i g h t Hon V i s c o u n t C r a n b o r n e ,
S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r Dominion A f f a i r s ,
0
The R i g h t Hon. S i r D o n a l d S o m e r v e l l ,
Attorney General.
The f o l l o w i n g
were a l s o
O . B . E . , K . C . ,M.P. ,
present:-
S i r G r a n v i l l e Ram, K. C.B. , P a r l i a m e n t a r y
Counsel,,
S i r A l e x a n d e r M a x w e l l , K . C . B . , K . B . E . , Permanent
U n d e r - S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e , Home O f f i c e ,
S i r Thomas w. P h i l l i p s , K. C.B. , K . B . E . , S e c r e t a r y
the M i n i s t r y of L a b o u r and N a t i o n a l S e r v i c e .
S i r William Beveridge, K.C.B.,
and N a t i o n a l Service,,
M i n i s t r y of
Mr. G. Myrddin E v a n s , M i n i s t r y
National S e r v i c e
of L a b o u r and
Mr,
C.G,
Markbreiter,
Mr,
H.A.
Strutt,
Mr,
H. F r e e r ,
S i r Edward B r i d g e s ,
C.B.E.,
M.V.O. , Home
Home
of
Labour
Office,
Office,
Home O f f i c e .
K.C.B.,M.C.,
Mr. L . F . B u r g i s , C.M.G. , C V . 0 . ,
- ' of t h e War Cabinet,;
Secretary
Assistant
of t h e War C a b i n e t .
Secretary,
Offices
/IPP£AJ^M* J L
148
(THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OP HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT).
SECRET.
-
COPY NO.
WAR
CABINET.
APPLICATION OF CONSCRIPTION TO NORTHERN IRELAND.
DRAFT
BILL.
Meeting of Ministers held in the Home Secretary's
Room, "Ministry of Home Security, on "Monday,
26th May, 1941, at 12.15 p.m.
PRESENT:
The Right Hon Herbert Morrison, M. P. ,
Secretary of State f o r Home A f f a i r s
and Minister of Home Security ( i n
u
the Chair)o
The Right Hon. Sir John Anderson, G. C. B. , G. C. S. I . ,
G.C. I.E. , M.,P. , Lord President of the Council.
The Right PI on, Ernest Bevin, M. P. ,
Minister of Labour and National Service,
The Right Hon, Viscount Cranborne,
Secretary of State f o r Dominion Affairs,,
The Right Hon. Sir Donald Somervell, O.B.E. ,K.C. ,M.P. ,
Attorney General.
The following were also presentsSir Granville Ram, K.C.B., Parliamentary Counsel.
Sir Alexander Maxwell, K.C.B.,K.B.E., Permanent
Under-Secretary of State, Home O f f i c e .
Sir Thomas W. P h i l l i p s , K. C.B. ,K.B.E. , Secretary of
the Ministry of Labour and National Service.
Sir William Beveridge, K.C.B., Ministry of Labour
and National Service,,
'Mr. G. Myrddin Evans, Ministry of Labour and
National Service,,
Mr, C.G. Markbreiter, C.B.E. , Home O f f i c e .
Mr. H. A. S t r u t t , M..V. 0 . , Home O f f i c e .
Mr. H. Freer, Home O f f i c e .
S i r Edward Bridges, K.C.B.,M.0., Secretary of the War Cabinet.
Mr. L.F. Burgis, C.M.G. ,.C.V.0., Assistant Secretary, Offices
of the War Cabinet,;
; The Meet lag had before them a draft B i l l prepared
by Parliamentary Counsel xn accordance with instructions
given o r a l l y following a Meeting of Ministers held on
Saturday, 24th May, at 12 Noon.
Discussion on the draft B i l l turned on four main
points:­
( l )
Was i t appropriate that the M i l i t a r y Service
Hardship Committee should (as provided in
Clause 2 ( 2 ) ) b e the tribunal to determine ­
( a ) whether a particular individual f e l l
within the scope of the Act; and
( b ) whether he had a reasonable excuse f o r
f a i l u r e to r e g i s t e r under the Act?
A f t e r discussion, i t was decided that
the draft B i l l should be amended so as
to provide that these issues should be
determined by the Courts of Summary
Jurisdiction.
( 2 )
A f t e r discussion i t was agreed that the procedure
set out in Clause 2(2) of the draft should be
amended on the following l i n e s : I f a man f a i l e d to r e g i s t e r , and an
enlistment notice was served upon him,
that notice should state that i f tie
wished to claim ( a ) that he was not
within the scope of the A c t , or ( t ) )
that had a reasonable excuse f o r raot
having r e g i s t e r e d , h i s claim could
come before the Courts. Any such claim
would have to be made in the p e r i o d
between the r e c e i p t of the enlistment
notice and the date on which the
claimant was c a l l e d upon to j o i n up.
I f the Court was s a t i s f i e d that the
claimant had reasonable excuse f o r no"&
having r e g i s t e r e d , the Court should
have power to postpone the enlistment
notice so that i t would take e f f e c t as
from a c e r t a i n date, unless the man
r e g i s t e r e d within that period.
(o
;
i s was agreed that in order to avoid discrimination
the procedure set out in Clause 2 which was
discretionary, should apply not only t o Northern
Ireland, but also to the United Kingdom. The
B i l l would therefore f a l l into two parts: Part I
to amend the National Service Act ( i . e . , Clause 2
of the present d r a f t ) , and Part I I to extend the
National Service Act, as so amended, to Northern
Ireland
0
( 4 )
-
The P a r l i a m e n t a r y draughtsman was r e q u e s t e d
t o make s u r e t h a t the A c t w o u l d e n a b l e
persons e n l i s t e d under i t s p r o v i s i o n s to b e
d r a f t e d f o r s e r v i c e i n C i v i l Defence u n i t s ,
on the same l i n e s a s i n G r e a t B r i t a i n .
I t was a g r e e d : That a r e v i s e d d r a f t , amended as a b o v e ,
s h o u l d b e c i r c u l a t e d , t o t h e War C a b i n e t
a t t h e i r M e e t i n g a t 5 p. m. t h a t a f t e r n o o n .
Great George S t r e e t ,
26th May,
1941.
S.W 1.,
e