WOMEN THANKED

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24624, 21 July 1945, Page 8

WOMEN THANKED

VALUE OF RED CROSS PARCELS "I owe my life to you women at home, and I came here this afternoon chiefly to tlwik , ypu,” said, Captain J. Hill, who was a prisoner, of war in Germany for four years, when speaking to a meeting of the Women’s branch of the National Party at Timaru yesterday. Women of the Red Cross and other patriotic organisations who were responsible for sending food parcels and comforts to prisoners of war would never realise just how much these men owed them, said Captain Hill. When taken by the Germans, men of the N.ZE.F. became part of a mob, which was a very terrible thing, he said. They were cut off from food supplies and communications with relatives, and could not let next-of-kin know that their men were safe. When rations were cut off food became short, and a hungry man, who was no better than beast, would steal from another, and even rummage through refuse for something to eat. Red Cross parcels meant more than just luxury; they were the main supply of food, for the daily ration from the Germans was made up of potatoes, bread, a little margarine, and occasionally a little sugar. British people made the best of a bad job, and as cook for his mess, Captain Hill said he learnt to serve the food supplied, with the addition of extras from Red Cross parcels, in many unusual ways. Towards the end of the war food became almost non-existent, and the only solid food given out by the Germans, to the prisoners was turnip. . _ There was not a prison camp in Germany that could not listen to the 8.8.C. on- wireless sets made by the prisoners themselves, said Captain Hill. For the most part the men read much and very often produced good entertainments. People in New Zealand did not know how cold the winters were in these continental camps. Fuel was short and pullovers received were never thick enough, so the men learnt to knit themselves sweaters from wool unravelled from old socks and other garments, and knitting swept through the camp like a craze, he said. He had once seen a Maori officer, knitting himself a warm garment from 15 balls of different wools, on needles as thick as his fingers. When not getting good food, the men felt the cold all the more, and he himself had often worn as many as five sweaters at once. The men played every sport they kneW but were never allowed to play football for more than half an hour at a time, as they were not fit enough. Discussing his captors, Captain Hill said that though the Germans had conquered most of Europe, the ones he saw had a bad inferiority complex, and were never really sure that they would win the war, and those who were guards at the prison camps soon became pretty sure that the Reich was going to lose. Nothing got them down quicker than ridicule, so the prisoners never lost an opportunity to laugh at them.