Advice For Next-Of-Kin Sending Parcels To Prisoners Of War

Northern Advocate, 18 November 1941, Page 4

Advice For Next-Of-Kin Sending Parcels To Prisoners Of War

[Per Press Association. —Convright! WELLINGTON. This Day

It is essential for next-of-kin, when addressing letters or labels for quarterly parcels for prisoners of war, to write plainly the numbers of the camps in Roman fixures, not Stalag 18A, for instance, but Stalag XVIIIA. A considerable number of letters has been received by the Prisoners Inquiry Office headquarters. Wellington, from relatives who have had postcards from missing men, about whom the Government has not yet been officially advised as to their being prisoners, and consequently there cannot be any known address. Next-of-kin are advised to have their parcels made up ready for despatch and to await receipt of a permanent camp address. Wait for Permanency There is ample evidence from England and the Red Cross. Geneva, it is stated, as to the inadvisability of unlimited numbers of parcels being sent, particularly where there is no [known camp address. Even in some of the camp addresses recently received there had been advice from the British Red Cross that they might not be permanent camps, but only transit camps. It should be obvious to next-of-kin that, in the present conditions on the Continent, parcels cannot be simply redirected as would normally be done by postal officials in peacetime. It is quite likely, too, that a man may be removed from one permanent camp to another. A representative of the International Red Cross at Geneva was allowed to visit a transit camp at Corinth on three occasions recently. He discussed with occupying authorities and the Greek Red Cross a means of giving help in the way of food and medicine, and also preparing lists of prisoners. Help was given to wounded prisoners transferred to Kokinia. Greece. Food From Patriotic Funds

A cablegram from the overseas commissioner for the National Patriotic Fund Board (Lieut.-Colonel F. Waite) states that on behalf of the Prisoners of War Department in Egypt, in conjunction with the British Red Cross, Ihe had already despatched sufficient supplementary food on a basis of lOlbs. a week for every known prisoner in Greece. At that time sufficient food was forwarded to last until the end of February. As there had recently been quite a large transfer of prisoners from Greece to camps in Germany, next-of-kin should have no fear whatever any men still left in Greece will be short of supplementary food. Colonel Waite, in reply to a question from headquarters in Wellington, said he could not supply food to German camps from* his position in the Middle East.