REMEMBER OUR BOYS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17078, 29 January 1916, Page 10

REMEMBER OUR BOYS.

APPEAL BY THE MAYORESS. Mrs Holland, wife of tho Mayor, has issued the following appeal:— Once more the members of the Lady Liverpool Committee are making preparations for forwarding comforts to tlm Canterbury men on active service by the March troopships. Think of these men, living in "dugouts" or trenches, far from all tho comforts of home; how, after a strenuous day, some little luxury vroiilu be appreciated 1 To heap a soldier iu good lighting condition, he must, be both well fed and clothed. As the Lady Liverpool Fund is supported by voluntary subscriptions, it behoves the people ol the Canterbury Military District to support such a worthy object. Contributions iu money or kind, namely, condensed milk, factory jam (iu tms), cocoa, chocolate, biscuits, dried or tinned fruit, boiled' sweets, soup tablets, bovril, moat extract, chutnevj stationery, insect powder, camphor, socks, scarves, shirts underclothing and coloured handkerchiefs will be gratefully received at the depot, 121 Lichfield Street. Parcels by rail com© free if addressed to the Lady Liverpool Depot or City Council Chambers, Christchurch.

Mrs Holland also draws attention to extracts from a letter written by Private Cedric D. Smith from Gallipoh. It was written before the evacuation, but the same conditions as those described, .Mrs Hohand says, prevail in Egypt. The extracts are as follows : ''We get bacon for breakfast, very little; rice for lunch, also very little; stew for tea, and have to fill up on biscuits and jam and tea, which is very unsatisfactory for hard work, such as treuch digging and general fatigue work. Wo are always reading about tho Now Zealand public giving thousands of pounds to relief fund's and Red Cross funds. Why can't they spend £IOO or so in sending their troops a few little delicacies such as butter, cheese, cake, plum duffs, etc.? You people have no idea how we crave for a change, of tucker, and surely it would be possible to send a shipload of wholesome delicacies to us to help down the bully beef, biscuits, and jam. Instead of sending quite so many clothes, 1 wish you would send me every week some delicacy such as chocolate, butter, a tin of small sweets, or cakes or biscuits. Internal delicacies which are not considered as such at home are absolutely craved for here. We only get one-third of a small tin of jam to last for twenty-four hours."

Sapper Eric James,' who went from Rangiora with the Fourth Reinforcements, writing from the trenches at Gallipoli under date November 20 to his mother, Mrs L. James, Raugiora, makes mention of tfye distribution of condensed milk sent from Canterbury. He states that the milk, which was distributed eight tins to each man, was highly appreciated, and the men in his "bivi" wished him to convey their thanks to those who provided the gift.*