MANY INQUIRIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 125, 29 May 1941, Page 10

MANY INQUIRIES

WOUNDED SOLDIERS

ALL INFORMATION GIVEN

PRISONERS OF WAR

An assurance that when a casualty to a member of the New Zealand Forces overseas was reported all the information received by the military authorities was given to the next-of-kin at once was made today in a statement by the Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones), who said that further inquiry at that stage would serve no useful purpose. Mr. Jones's , statement was prompted by many inquiries being received concerning wounded soldiers. Next-of-kin and others, said the Minister, wanted to know the nature of the wound, which hospital the soldier was in, and how letters should be sent to the wounded men.

All information available was conveyed to the next-of-kin by telegraph at the time the casualty was reported, said the Minister. As a rule, the nature of the wound could not be stated, because it was unknown. The proper description of the wound could only be given after the man's admission to hospital and when a proper diagnosis could be made. For security reasons the hospital the soldier was in could not be stated. Addressing letters to wounded soldiers involved no variation in the present practice of writing to a soldier who was in- the Middle East or another war theatre. Letters should be addressed in the usual way whether or not the soldier was in hospital. LETTERS FOR WAR PRISONERS. Inquiries received, said the Minister, also showed that the conditions to be observed in sending letters to prisoners of war, including civilian internees, were not yet widely known. Instructions supplied by the Postmaster-Gen-eral (Mr. Webb) stated that letters and postcards for jurface dispatch were accepted for prisoners of war free of postage, but if air-mail services were used, the appropriate air-mail charges must be prepaid in full. Each letter must bear on the back of the cover the name and address of the sender. On the top left-hand corner should appear the words "Prisoner of war post." If the letter was addressed to a prisoner of war in German hands, the German equivalent "Kriegsgefangeneiipost" must appear underneath, and if the prisoner was in Italian hands, the words "Service dcs prisonniers de guerre." The address on the envelope must be in ink and must be written also on the le ter enclosed. The place jof internment if known should be ' given. The following was a specimen address: —

Prisoner of war post Kriegsgefangenenpost. Pilot Officer J. (or Pte. J,

British Prisoner of War. No.

known), (Place of internment), Germany.

The instructions also provided for letters being limited to one sheet of notepaper, both sides of which might be written on, and the letter should be easy to read. Other points to observe were that no attempt should be made to communicate with prisoners of war through intermediaries in neutral countries; communications must not contain information which might be useful to the enemy, and no reference was allowed to the naval, military, economic, or political situation. Mounted photographs, picture postcards, or pici torial representations of any kind could not be sent, but, exceptionally, snapshots or unmounted photographs of a personal nature were allowed. PARCELS AND MONEY. Referring to parcels for prisoners of war, Mr. Jones said that inquiry should first be made of the local postmaster. I who would supply full information as to restrictions and conditions.

-The question of sending money to prisoners of war is now being investigated by the Minister of Finance," continued Mr. Jones, "but finality has not yet been reached. Every effort is being made to reach a suitable arrangement as soon as possible."