SOLDIERS MISSING FROM N.Z.E.F.

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23494, 24 November 1941, Page 6

SOLDIERS MISSING FROM N.Z.E.F.

MANY NOW KNOWN TO BE PRISONERS RELATIVES ADVISED TO NOTIFY HEADQUARTERS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, November 22. The arrival of a large overseas mail this week again shows that many missing New Zealand soldiers are actually prisoners of war, although they have not yet been officially notified as such. Relatives have received letters in tne last week from such men, and in the prisoners’ and their own interests are urged to send , details immediately„to headquarters of the _ Prisoners ot War Inquiry Office, Wellington. This enable the office to save much time m connexion with the quarterly next-of-kin parcels. . . , The High Commissioners office in London has requested that it Je advised of the names of all men. m respect of whom special next-of-kin parcels are to be forwarded from Ne\ Zealand. The information is necessary to ensure that every man receives a parcel from some source. It is also officially learned from London that the sending of one next-of-kin parcel to each New Zealand pn soner whose address is known is almost completed; In a certain number of cases in which next-of-kin are resident in the United Kingdom, the British Red Cross will accept for transmission to New Zealand prisoners those parcels forwarded . fr 9™ Zealand packing centre m London, but this is on the understanding that the parcels will be sent only in cases where next-of-kin parcels are not being forwarded direct from New Zeal3 To ensure that every prisoner-, as soon as he is officially notified, shall receive a parcel as early as possible, one is being sent through the New Zealand packing centre in every case, irrespective of where the next-of-kin may reside. Official sources state that the war organisation of the British Red Gross has asked the Internationalized Cross to distribute to camps holding British and Empire prisoners reserves of clothing held at Geneva, and has also requested the German authorities to re-issue winter clothing, which, as a matter of procedure, has been taken into store during the summer.