I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the grant to a soldier, having loss than six years' continuous service abroad, of ninety days' furlough, on condition that he defrays the whole cost of his passage to and from England, is held by the War Office to break the continuity of his foreign service; if so, how long this view has been held by the War Office; and whether, in order to prevent the great hardships which must result from a misunderstanding of this point, he will cause the results of accepting such a special furlough to be clearly explained in future to every soldier applying for it by his commanding officer before the furlough is granted.
As far as is known in this Department, no such case has occurred. But should a soldier defray the whole cost of his passage to and from England, the furlough would not cause a break in the continuity of his service abroad £ provided that, in the case of India, the Indian authorities raise no objection.