MOST APPRECIATED

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 51, Issue 3105, 13 April 1942, Page 8

MOST APPRECIATED

PAEROA PATRIOTIC PARCEL LETTER FROM CORP. W. ALLEY “Just a few lines to thank you very much for the parcel which I received ten days ago. I would like you to know that the contents were very appropriate, just what is most appreciated ovex’ here and that everything arrived in good order,” writes Corporal W. H. Alley, formerly of Hikutaia and now of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Middle East, to Mr D. A. Vincent, of Paeroa.

“We get quite a good army ration here of course, but these extra delicacies are very nice indeed, especially when we are camped away in the desert where the only things of that nature procurable are the very few we can get through the Y.M.C.A.

“I was not in the recent Libyan campaign myself, having been sent to base as an instructor for three months. However, those that were in the fighting received many parcels when they returned to their forward base. You can imagine how they ‘went over.’

“ I am now back with my old unit and we are doing training near the .Suez Canal. Where we go from here we can only guess but rumours are very strong for three different places, two would bring us up against the Japs, while the other would still have us pitted against Jerry. “Probably you have seen in the New Zealand papers where a New Zealand army rugby team beat one from the rest of the services in Egypt last Sunday. We listened in to the game over the wireless but it was spoilt by a very weak announcer. The score at half-time was 17-0 and at the finish 22-0.”