Mr. Shinwell's statement that he had ordered the replacement of
the officers responsible for the military exercises at Aldershot a few weeks ago, in which two cadets died of sunstroke after route marches indicates, J have little doubt, that he has given close personal atten- tion to this matter. I should have expected that he would, for no member of the Cabinet is more conscientious in the discharge of his duties than the Secretary of War. At the Ministry of Fuel and Power various circumstances were against him, and it was in that period that his fatal facility for letting his tongue run away with him on public platforms was most disastrous. At the War Office he is gain- ing a high reputation for hard work and grasp of complex problems. An M.P. with long and wide experience (not a Labour man) said this week that Shinwell was one of the two men of Ministerial rank whose word he would never doubt. I think the numerical restriction is a little harsh. The judgement is of some interest, none the less.
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