Transcript
SECRET
Copy No. 1
Extract from the minutes of the 155th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Army council held of Friday 31st March 1944
20 General 6022A
72. Powers of command of officers of the women’s auxiliary Corps (India) in relation to military personnel
AG said that he saw many disadvantages in the proposal, referred to in
his paper (E.C.A.C./P(44)29), that a regulation should be issued by the
Government of India giving powers of command to Indian women officers,
equally with British women officers, of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps
(India), which might result in the exercise of such over white troops;
he was not sure, however, on what grounds a refusal by the Army Council
to agree to such a regulation should be based. The Government of India
desired to model their Women’s Auxiliary Corps on the A.T.S., and
this involved giving powers of command, by analogy, to women officers of
the W.A.C. (India); further, such powers would have to be given to both
British and Indian women officers, or to neither category.
In discussion, it was agreed that the proposal was difficult to withstand on
purely logical grounds, but the opinion of most members was emphatically against
conveying Army Council agreement to the Government of India’s suggested
regulation. One member, while sharing the general dislike of the proposal,
thought that, if the regulation nevertheless were issued, it was necessary
that Indian women officers should have the same powers of command as British
women officers, but that the “superior military authority” at whose
discretion such powers would be exercised over military officers and soldiers,
should be of rank not below that of brigadier, and not field rank as the draft
regulation appended to E.C.A.C./P(44)29 proposed.
It was suggested that the regulation, if issued, might be likely to place an
undue strain on the discipline of the troops who might find themselves subject
to powers of command of women officers of the W.A.C. (India).
(72) The Committee:-
disapproved of the proposal of the Government of India, as set out in E.C.A.C./P(44)29,
to publish a regulation which would have the effect of giving Indian women
officers power of command over white troops, and invited A.G. to reply accordingly
to the India Office.