REPORTING A CASUALTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10062, 29 August 1918, Page 3

REPORTING A CASUALTY

A paragraph taken from an exebanga and reporting that a son of Air Roger Finnerty, of Bluff, had been wounded, , was published in yesterday’s issue ot the “Times.” In tho paragraph was the following statement-.—“ The mistake is undoubtedly due to au error of someone in the Base Records Office, as the list should not have been released for publication until the parents had been advised.” The Director of Base Records writes submitting the correct ■ facts of the case, in order that tbe statement may be publicly corrected. Ho says:—“On August 10th last a cable was received from Base Records, Alelbourno, requestingthi s office ,to notify Roger Finnerty, Bluff, that his • son. 6556, Roger Finnerty, was reported wounded, <gas. This information was forwarded by urgent telegram on .the same date, and the list of telegrams presented to the Post Office for transmission shows that telegram No. 1460 was duly dispatched. This telegram was not returned'to the department, and it is, therefore, 'presumed that it must hare been delivered to the addressee or his agent. As is customary, the weekly casualty list of New Zealanders serving in and : Australian Forces was published in the press of August 17th. On the 23rd , idem W. Finnerty, Bluff, telegraphed to the Minister for Defence, asking for particulars with reference to tho newspaper casualty of 6556, R. Finnortv. This telegram was replied to the i same day from ■ the ■ Base Records Office, sending full particulars, and stating that advice had been sent t< B. Finnerty, Bluff, on tho 10th instant. On August 24th a further telegram was received, signed ‘Finnerty, Oitv Hotel, Dunedin,’ addressed te ‘Military Authorities, Wellington,' slating that in the list of wounded of the ‘Times’ of August 22nd was the name of Rl Finnerty, serving with the A.1.P., and asking that information might bo sent. A reply wa s dispatch- . ed by wire to this message, repeating for the third time the information re- - ceived frorn '■Melbourne Base Records on the 10th instant.”