In the House of Commons on Tuesday Sir L. Worthington
Evans said that the Army Estimates were two and a-half times as large as in 1914 because the value of money had declined to that extent. The numbers of officers and men would by April, 1922, be reduced by 53,000. The War Office aimed at creating anew an Expeditionary Force of six divisions ; the requisite Reserve of 140,000 now numbered only 62,000, and would be raised to 80,000 in the coming year. The Territorial Army now had 100,000 men, but 236,000 were needed to make up fourteen divisions. Four Regular cavalry regiments—the 5th and 21st Lancers and the 19th and 20th Hussars—must be disbanded ; all but the senior ten of the 55 Yeomanry regiments must be converted into artillery or armoured car units. The Secretary for War emphasized the fact that the Army was fully employed in Ireland, in the Near East and Middle East, and in the Rhineland, as well as in India. He was all for economy, but " there was a point beyond which it would be unsafe to go until to-day's liabilities were liquidated." The reduction of the Cavalry and Yeomanry was sharply criticized by military members, including Sir Charles Townshend, who expressed doubts of the value of tanks as a substitute for horsemen. But the Vote on Account was passed.
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