By 1914, of all parties in the House we had by far the largest proportion of men over military age.

I question whether three out of the seventy could have passed the standard then exacted--for two or three of the younger men were medically unfit.

In these circumstances the War Office would have been well advised to waive a regulation or two to facilitate matters; but the rigour of the rules was maintained.

One of my colleagues, a man in the early forties, offered to join as a private; he was refused.

In my own case a similar refusal was based on Lord Kitchener's personal opinion against that of the Under-secretary for War, to whom, as a personal friend, I had written; it took nearly six months to get the decision altered; and by that time the value of example was much depreciated.