AGREEMENT between Great Britain and France respecting the Liability to Military Service of British Subjects in France and French Citizens in Great Britain.-Signed at Paris, October 4, 1917.* HIS Britannic Majesty's Government and the Government of the French Republic, being convinced that it is in the interest of their respective countries that, for the better prosecution of this present war, British subjects now residing in France and French citizens now residing in Great Britain shall either return to their own country to perform military service in its Army, or shall serve in the Army of the country in which they remain, have concluded the following Agree ment: ART. I.-Every male British subject in France who at the date of the signing of this Agreement has attained the age of 18 and has not attained the age of 41, and who, if he were for the time being resident in Great Britain, would be liable for service in the British Army, and every male French citizen in Great Britain who, at the date of this Agreement has reached the age of 18 and has not reached the age of 41, and who, being liable by the law of France to serve in the French Army, has been summoned by the competent French authority to present himself for service in France, shall either return to his own country or shall become liable for service in the Army of the country in which he remains: Provided that no male British subject in France between the ages of 18 and 41 and no male French citizen in Great Britain between the ages of 18 and 41 shall be regarded by the French Government and the British Government respectively as excepted from the operation of this article in the ground of non-liability to military service by the law of his own country unless he holds a certificate of such non-liability issued to him by or on behalf of the British Ambassador in Paris and the French Ambassador in London respectively. II. For the purposes of this Agreement persons possessing both French and British nationality shall be considered as possessing exclusively the nationality of the country in which they are at the date of this Agreement. III. The British Ambassador in Paris and the French Ambassador in London shall be respectively entitled in any special case to issue a certificate of exemption to a British subject remaining in France and a French citizen remaining in Great Britain from liability to military service in that country. IV. The holder either of a certificate of non-liability given Signed also in French. under the proviso to Article I, or of a special certificate of exemption given under Article III, who does not elect to return to his own country shall not be required to serve in the Army of the country in which he remains. V. Every male British subject in France between the ages of 18 and 41 who has not left France for Great Britain within 30 days after the date of the Order in Council applying this Agreement in Great Britain, and who does not hold either a certificate of non-liability given under the proviso to Article I or a special certificate of exemption given under Article III hereof, and every male French citizen in Great Britain between the ages of 18 and 41 who has not left Great Britain for France within 30 days after the date of the Order in Council applying this Agreement in Great Britain, and who does not hold either a certificate of non-liability given under the proviso to Article I or a special certificate of exemption given under Article III hereof, shall become liable, on the expiration of this period, to serve in the French or British Army respectively. Neither the French Government nor the British Government shall be under any obligation to pay the expenses of the return of a British subject from France to Great Britain or of a French citizen from Great Britain to France, but opportunities shall be given by the competent authorities to every British subject in France and every French citizen in Great Britain who may wish to return to his own country in accordance with the provisions of Article I of this Agreement. VI. This Agreement shall not apply to any French citizen in Great Britain who came to Great Britain after the 1st August, 1914, or who at a subsequent date deserted from the French Army after service with the colours, and His Majesty's Government will, at the request of the French Government, use every lawful means to secure that any such persons shall forthwith return to France. VII. The French Government may take such steps as are necessary by law to secure that any British subject in France who, under the terms of this Agreement, becomes liable to serve in the French Army, shall so serve, and the British Government may take such steps as are necessary by law to secure that any French citizen in Great Britain who, under the terms of this Agreement, becomes liable to serve in the British Army, shall so serve: Provided that a subject or citizen of either Contracting Party liable under the terms of this Agreement to serve or serving in the Army of the other Contracting Party shall be treated in regard to conditions of service, pay, allowance, pensions, rights of exemption on medical or other grounds. medical re-examination, and discharge, in all respects in the same manner as a subject or citizen of the country in which he is for the time being resident. VIII. This Agreement shall also apply to any male British subject in France and to any male French citizen in Great Britain who, being under the age of 18 at the date of the Agreement, attains the age of 18 during the continuance of the war, with the modification that in any such case liability to serve in the French or British Army respectively shall not arise till 30 days after the attainment of the age of 18. IX. The liability to military service in the French Army imposed on British subjects under this Agreement, and the liability to military service in the British Army imposed on French citizens under this Agreement, shall cease upon the termination of the present war. In faith whereof the undersigned, duly authorised to that effect by their respective Governments, have signed the present Agreement and have affixed thereto their seals. Done at Paris in duplicate, this 4th day of October, 1917. (L.S.) BERTIE OF THAME (L.S.) A. RIBOT. BRITISH ORDER IN COUNCIL under "The Military Service (Conventions with Allied States) Act, 1917,' signifying that an Agreement, dated October 4, 1917, has been made with France.-London, November 27, 1917. At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 27th day of PRESENT THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY IN COUNCIL. WHEREAS by "The Military Service (Conventions with Allied States) Act, 1917,"* it is provided that His Majesty may by Order in Council, signifying that a Convention or Agreement has been made with an allied country which imposes a mutual liability to military service on British subjects in that country and subjects of that country in the United Kingdom, direct that the said Act shall have effect with respect to that allied country and the subjects of that allied country, but that no such Order in Council shall be made unless the following conditions are fulfilled, that is to say: See page 297 VOL. XXVIII. G (a.) Unless the Convention or Agreement secures to His Majesty's Ambassador or other public Minister in the allied country power to grant to British subjects in that country exemption from military service; (b.) Unless the Convention or Agreement contains provisions to the effect that British subjects in the allied country and subjects of the allied country in the United Kingdom shall before being liable to military service have an opportunity, if they make an application for the purpose, of returning to the United Kingdom or the allied country, as the case may be; and it is further provided that no such Order in Council shall be made until the expiration of 30 days from the date on which the Convention or Agreement is laid before Parliament; And whereas an Agreement dated the 4th day of October, 1917,* has been concluded beween His Majesty's Government and the Government of the French Republic respecting the liability to military service of British subjects in France and French citizens in Great Britain, and the said Agreement complies with the conditions aforesaid; And whereas the said Agreement was laid before Parliament on the 25th day of October, 1917: Now, therefore, His Majesty is pleased, by and with the advice of his Privy Council, to signify, and it is hereby signified, that such an Agreement as is mentioned in the said Act has been made with the Republic of France, and His Majesty is further pleased, by and with the like advice, to direct, and it is hereby directed, that the said Act shall have effect with respect to the Republic of France and French citizens. ALMERIC FITZROY. NOTES renewing the Arbitration Agreement of October 14, 1903, between Great Britain and France.-London, October 8, 1918. The French Ambassador to Mr. Baljour. M. LE SECRÉTAIRE D'ÉTAT, Londres, le 8 octobre, 1918. VOTRE Excellence a bien voulu me faire connaître que le Gouvernement de Sa Majesté britannique était disposé à renouveler pour une période de cinq années, à partir de la date de son expiration, la Convention d'Arbitrage conclue * See page 79. entre nos Gouvernements le 14 octobre, 1903,* et déjà renouvelée deux fois depuis lors. * J'ai eu l'honneur de faire connaitre à votre Excellence que, de son côté, le Gouvernement de la République était également disposé à accepter le renouvellement de cet accord dans les conditions indiquées par le Gouvernement britannique Si cette manière de procéder convient à votre Excellence, il sera entendu que la présente note et la réponse que votre Excellence voudra bien me faire parvenir serviront à constater l'entente intervenue entre nos deux Gouvernements. Veuillez, &c. PAUL CAMBON. Mr. Balfour to the French Ambassador. YOUR EXCELLENCY, Foreign Office, October 8, 1918. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your note of this day's date, informing me that the French Government are prepared to renew, for a further period of five years from the 14th instant, the Arbitration Agreement concluded between the Governments of Great Britain and France on the 14th October, 1903, on the understanding that His Majesty's Government are equally prepared to agree to such renewal. I have the honour to accept, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the proposal that the Agreement in question should be renewed for a further period of five years dating from the 14th instant, and the present exchange of notes between your Excellency and myself is accordingly regarded by them as placing upon record the understanding arrived at between our respective Governments in the matter. I have, &c. ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR. BRITISH NOTICE of Denunciation by France of certain Commercial Conventions between Great Britain and France. London, October 12, 1918. Foreign Office, October 12, 1918. His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has received from the French Ambassador in London a communication, dated the 10th September, 1918, giving notice. *See Vol. 23, page 492. † See Vol. 25, page 335, and Vol. 27, page 128. |