Mr. Vane:

asked the Secretary of State for War how many copies of "Normandy to the Baltic," by Field-Marshal the Viscount Montgomery, were printed in Germany by the Printing and Stationery Service, B.A.O.R.; what purpose was served by so publishing an edition for private circulation; and what was the cost to the public.

Five thousand five hundred copies were printed in Germany. The main object of the edition was to present for study by the officers of the Rhine Army a factual account of the part played by 21st Army Group in the conquest of Germany. But, in view of the educative value of the volume, a wider circulation has been arranged to training establishments, General Staff reference libraries and officers' mess libraries, so that all officers of the Army may study this campaign. The cost of the edition was approximately £1,570, of which mere than half represents material and labour supplied from German sources.

Mr. Vane:

Will this book be republished as a training manual or can it only be bought through the retail trade?

As to buying the book, I shall have to pay for it if I want a copy. I have not received a gift copy. But I have not heard that it is to be printed as a training manual.

Can we get away from the idea of "I shall have to pay for it"? Is it not the taxpayer who has to pay?