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17 April 2014updated 28 Jun 2021 4:45am

The Returning Officer: Camels

By Stephen Brasher

In 1916, the Imperial Camel Corps was formed to suppress pro-Turkish tribes in Egypt and later saw service in Palestine. At least two MPs fought with the ICC. John Henry “Jack” Jones was Labour MP for Bolton (1945-50) and Rotherham (1950-62), having been a steel smelter, and he rose to the rank of regimental quartermaster sergeant. The other was Captain W F Strickland, a Tory MP for Coventry (1931-45).

In a debate in 1920, the president of the Board of Trade Robert Horne confirmed that 4,862,000 pounds of camel hair had been imported from Russia. John Newman, MP for Enfield (1910-18) and Finchley (1918-23), queried this: “Are there any camels in Russia?”

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