SOLDIERS' LETTERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2992, 1 February 1917, Page 2

SOLDIERS' LETTERS

EOYI: DELAYS OCOTJR. ■' Frequent complaints reach '-the Defence Department from correspondents iu New Zealand in regard to the nondelivery of correspondence to soldiers of the Expeditionary Force. The following facts will be of interest as showing how often a soldier on ■service- may change his address. Couple.witli this' the loss of mails due to a state of war, ami much of -the difficulty is explained., A complaint that Liout. • 's correspondence had not been delivered .was recently investigated in London. It was found that in one year ho had been moved or transferred as follows:—Joined i'nit (O:M.R-.), Mudros, 29/9/15; admitted hospital, 'Miidros, 6/10/15; embarl'.ed for ' England, H.S. Aquitania, 21/10/15; admitted 3rd London Hospital, London, 27/10/15; adtonded N.Z. Baso Depot, Hornchufch, 26/2/16; ombarked for Egypt, 24/3/16; posted to N.Z.M.R.T.R., Moascar, 7/4/16; detached to Sahcol of Instruction, Zeitoun, \ 30/4/16; rejoined regiment, Tel-el-Kebir, 20/5/16; transferred to A.1.R., Tel-el-Kebir, 29/5/16; cmbarked for France (Marseilles) from .Uexandria/ 29/5/16; embarked • for France (MarseillesV from Southampton, 26/6/16; attended Strength Base Depot, Etaples, 6/7/16.; H/out to Now Zealand Division from Etaples, 6/7/16; taken on strength of No. 2 M.G. Company, 7/7/16; in 2nd N.Z. Field Am-, bulance from 17tli to 19/7/16 (influenza); transferred from No. 2 to.No. 3 M.G. Company, 28/7/16; wounded! in action, 16/9/16. • In,some cases letters had travelled from New Zealand to Egypt, been' forwarded to England, failed to. catch him there, and been sent back, to England again, finally overtaking him in Franco. This is not by any means an exceptional case, and serves to show how difficult it is to deliver mails to members of an army in the field l : '