04/01/2005
Files reveal Army restrictions on ethnic recruits
For almost 20 years, the British Army secretly monitored the number of recruits of ethnic origin, newly released official documents have revealed.
From 1957, Army medical officers were instructed to record all recruits with "Asiatic or Negroid features" in order to fulfil part of a policy of 'quota restrictions' on 'non-white' troops in the Army.
The information was revealed in papers released to the National Archives on the first working day of the Freedom of Information Act, which came into effect on January 1, 2005, and which as seen the release of around 50,000 government files, which had been hidden from the public for decades under the, now defunct, 30-year rule.
The system was explained in a briefing paper, written for the Adjutant General of the Army, in November 1972. It stated: "Officially, we state that we do not keep statistics of coloured soldiers. In fact, we do have a record, resulting from the description put on the attestation paper by the medical officer, of the features of the recruit."
The paper also revealed that the determination of the characteristics was left to the discretion of the medical officers and "could include Chinamen, Maltese or even swarthy Frenchmen".
The secret recruiting system appears to have been used to limit the number of ethnic minority troops – designated "D Factor" personnel by the Army – serving in any one army unit.
The newly released information also revealed that Government Ministers were no even aware of the system. In another paper from February 1974, Denis Brennan in the Adjutant General's office, stated: "The way in which the Army records the colour of soldiers is complex and we do not feel that it would be appropriate to mention it to ministers.
In a statement to the BBC, the Ministry of Defence, has stated that the report "does not reflect the current situation" within the armed forces. An MoD spokesman said: "We strive to employ the best recruits , irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds" and added that the Army had an "excellent relationship" with the Commission for Racial Equality.
(KMcA/SP)
From 1957, Army medical officers were instructed to record all recruits with "Asiatic or Negroid features" in order to fulfil part of a policy of 'quota restrictions' on 'non-white' troops in the Army.
The information was revealed in papers released to the National Archives on the first working day of the Freedom of Information Act, which came into effect on January 1, 2005, and which as seen the release of around 50,000 government files, which had been hidden from the public for decades under the, now defunct, 30-year rule.
The system was explained in a briefing paper, written for the Adjutant General of the Army, in November 1972. It stated: "Officially, we state that we do not keep statistics of coloured soldiers. In fact, we do have a record, resulting from the description put on the attestation paper by the medical officer, of the features of the recruit."
The paper also revealed that the determination of the characteristics was left to the discretion of the medical officers and "could include Chinamen, Maltese or even swarthy Frenchmen".
The secret recruiting system appears to have been used to limit the number of ethnic minority troops – designated "D Factor" personnel by the Army – serving in any one army unit.
The newly released information also revealed that Government Ministers were no even aware of the system. In another paper from February 1974, Denis Brennan in the Adjutant General's office, stated: "The way in which the Army records the colour of soldiers is complex and we do not feel that it would be appropriate to mention it to ministers.
In a statement to the BBC, the Ministry of Defence, has stated that the report "does not reflect the current situation" within the armed forces. An MoD spokesman said: "We strive to employ the best recruits , irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds" and added that the Army had an "excellent relationship" with the Commission for Racial Equality.
(KMcA/SP)
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