PRISONERS OF WAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 44, 21 February 1942, Page 9

PRISONERS OF WAR

NOW 5618 ON FILES

NO DELAY WITH LETTERS

Information has been received by the Prisoners of War Inquiry Office, Wellington, from the Internatisnal Red Cross Committee, Geneva, that the large number of letters from relatives and friends in New Zealand that have been forwarded through the International Committee for Prisoners of War are aonstantly being sent on as soon as the address of a prisoner is made known to Geneva. It is essential that letters be clearly addressed in block letters. The number of prisoners now recorded on the files in Wellington is 5618, of whom 5445 are Army. The balance consist of Air Force (121), merchant seamen and civilians (26), Navy (6), and miscellaneous (20). The men known io be prisoners of war, but who have so far not been officially notified as such, have been excluded from the total, as it is expected that a number of them should be officially reported in the last lists received.

It is learned from Geneva that, prisoners of war in Italy have not yet received prisoner-of-war numbers. The Foreign Office in Tokio has agreed to recognise Dr. Paravicini as the International Red Cross delegate in Japan.

■ During the week 871 official notifications of prisoners of war have been received by the Prisoners of War Inquiry Office.. Next-of-kin and relatives of these last notifications are advised that experience has shown that when the official notification is received the camp address and the prisoner-of-war number very seldom come through simultaneously. ' The Government takes every possible step to obtain this information, and the moment it is received it is conveyed to the official next-of-kin.

The extent of the work of the inquiry office is shown by the fact that the 871 latest next-of-kin have each been sent an envelope containing the quarterly Red Cross label, contents slip in duplicate, acknowledgment card, parcel instruction sheet, pamphlet, and two other sheets of information—all necessary in connection with prisoners.

Early next month next-of-kin will receive the brochure containing complete and up-to-date information concerning prisoners'.