THREE YEARS AT WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 106, 31 October 1942, Page 10

THREE YEARS AT WORK

AIR FORCE RELATIONS

IMPRESSIVE FIGURES

The month after the declaration of war the organisation known as Air Force Relations was formed. A report of the work accomplished by the Wellington Centre and the various branches throughout New Zealand during the past three years has been compiled and makes impressive reading. About 24,0361b of wool has been knitted into over 85,000 garments, and these have been distributed to the various Air Force Stations and issued to the men. A monthly bale has been sent to Air Force Comforts in London, who are responsible for supplying New Zealande.rs in England, and at the request of the New Zealand War Services' Association in May of this year for garments for distribution among New Zealanders in London one dozen of everything (balaclavas, socks, longsleeved and sleeveless pullovers, mittens, scarves, jerseys, gloves, etc.) have been sent each month. Air Force Relations, at the request of the Air Department, also undertook to make gloves, .12,500 pairs having been made and a quota of 500 pairs a month supplied to the Air Department. Three thousand pairs of black gloves to be worn under flying gauntlets were also made, but a request for more of these could not be met, as great difficulty was found in obtaining knitters for the black wool. Consequently, a firm was found to manufacture these. VARIETY OF SERVICE. The work of making the white peaks for the caps of the men training for air crew was another task undertaken

by Air Force Relations, and since January,. 1941, over 20,000 of these peaks have. been made by a group of reguI lar workers in a room lent by Mrs. Beryl Martin, the organiser. Many pairs of socks have been received as gifts, and distributed mostly to men overseas, and old scoks that have .been returned to stores as worn out have been used by some branches for making mittens. Over nine thousand .hussifs have been distributed. These are now only given to men who are going overseas. I FOOD PARCELS HOME. An average of a case a week \ of tinned foods and butter has been sent to-England. The contents for these parcels are sent in from various branches. Air Force Relations has played a large part on many stations and in several towns in the staffing of canteens and service clubs. The mending of airmen's clothes has also been done on many of the stations. When there was an urgent call for nets, 23 were made, but, with the shortage of twine, workers returned to knitting. There are now Air Force Relations branches a,t nearly all the R.N.Z.A.F. stations, as well as 17 in towns, and there are 20 knitting circles, mostly, in country districts. There are also many hundreds of individual .knitters. The co-operation with" headquarters of all the branches throughout the Dominion has been of very great help jin the smooth running of the organisation.