FIRST ECHELON

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 303, 30 September 1940, Page 3

FIRST ECHELON

SUPPLY OF COMFORTS. POSITION RESTATED. (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, September 28. “Some letters which have come under notice recently s\iow that apparently there is still some lack of appreciation of the position in respect to comforts for the Ist Echelon of the N.Z.E.F. in Egypt,” says a statement issued to-day by Mr G. A. Hayden, secretary of the National Patriotic Board.

“There was a tendency to the belief that the men of the Ist Echelon,” said Mr Hayden, “had been forgotten, but nothing was further from the truth. They had been supplied by the Patriotic Fund Board with sports gear, various games, writing materials, song books, radio sets, coffee and milk, lemons, soda water, pianos, books and magazines, etc., for use on the voyage, as well as goods to be awarded as prizes on board ship, and other articles intended for use on disembarkation, including tinned fruit, marquees and crockery. Sums totalling £6735 in New Zealand currency for fit men, and £6050 for sick and wounded men, had also been remitted to Egypt. It was most regrettable "that the follow-up in the nature of gift parcels, 5000 cases of apples, and more books and periodicals did not arrive in Eigypt owing to the diversion to the United Kingdom of the 2nd Echelon, with whom the goods were sent; but as soon as tills position became known steps were taken to meet it. The board’s representative in Egypt was asked to provide additional comforts from the funds he had in hand, and by the first available ship a fresh supply of gift parcels, together with 66 cases of fruit cake, was sent to the Ist Echelon. A few days ago lie had received a cable stating that these goods had arrived. “Played its Part.” j “These,” said Mr Hayden, “were the facts of the case.” He said it also did not appear to be fully appreciated.that the Y.M.G.A. aiid the Church Army were agents of the board overseas and that all the work carried out by these organisations was financed by the National Patriotic Fund Board. In addition, every padre overseas was provided with money to assist individual cases. The work done in the camps in New Zealand by the Y.M.C.A., Salvation Army, Church Army and the Catholic Chuych was financed out of patriotic funds in the same way. Having regard to all the facts, Mr Hayden said he thought it would be appreciated that the national patriotic * organisation had played its part by the Ist Echelon. No one more than the board members regretted the position that arose when the 2nd Echelon was diverted to England and the comforts for the Ist Echelon did not thereby reach Egypt, but that was due to no fault or omission of the board, which, as soon as it was practical to do so, saw to it that -this loss was fully made up.

The patriotic organisation throughout the country was working well, and the aim of all engaged in the work was to see that the men of the fighting services received the maximum benefit of the funds subscribed. The public could rest assured that that was being done.