PRISONERS OF WAR

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20602, 1 November 1941, Page 6

PRISONERS OF WAR

NAMES OF SOLDIERS UNOFFICIAL ADVICE LETTERS TO RELATIVES (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The prisoners of war inquiry office set up by the Joint Concil of the Order of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society has lately had quite a few instances brought to its notice where the next-of-kin have received letters from men who up to date have not been officially notified as prisoners of war. In some cases these letters do not bear any address and some of them have even been known to take four months to arrive in New Zealand. Some of the cards bear instructions for the next-of-kin not to reply. The Joint Council fully understands that these letters may have come from men, who at the time of writing were still in Crete or even Greece and were definitely in prison camps but had not been officially notified by the detaining power as prisoners to the International Red Cross at Geneva. Various reasons may be put forward for this, e.g., the detaining powers did not see fit to notify the names to Geneva until the men were transferred to permanent prison camps, or for strategic reasons Red Cross delegates may not nave been permitted early access to the men’s locations. The Joint Council is most anxious to receive names from reliable sources of any such letters having been received from men who are not, yet officially notified as prisoners of war. Inquirers should send to the prisoners of war inquiry office, headquarters, Wellington, the full name, the number, and other necessary details of any such men, and also should any next-of-kin have received a letter with a definite camp address —even if it has not been officially confirmed by the Government —this information also should be sent to the prisoners of war inquiry office, when steps will immediately be taken to supply the next-of-kin with official labels and instructions for their quarterly parcel. The prisoners of war packing centre, where next-of-kin parcels are censored, find that many parcels are still coming in inadequately wrapped. Next-of-kin are strongly advised to wrap the parcels in strong calico or strong cloth.