NEED FOR CORRECT ADDRESSES

Southland Times, Issue 24491, 19 July 1941, Page 4

NEED FOR CORRECT ADDRESSES

LETTERS TO AIRMEN OVERSEAS I (P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 18. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) in a statement today emphasized the necessity for ensuring that correct addresses were given to facilitate the delivery of cables, letters and parcels to New Zealand airmen serving overseas. “Complaints have been received that parcels, letters and cables addressed to New Zealand airmen serving overseas, particuuarly in Canada, are being unduly delayed in transit or not reaching their destination,” he said. “In many cases investigations reveal that the trouble is due to insufficient or incorrect addresses. The correct method of address for New. Zealand airmen overseas is as follows: Number (N.Z. 123456), rank (sergeant), name (Brown), initials (J.J.), trade (observi er), care of (a) Royal Canadian Air Force Headquarters, Jackson’s Building, Ottawa, Canada or (b) New Zealand High Commissioner, 415 The Strand, London W.C. 2 or (c) Royal Air Force, Middle East, Cairo. “It will be noted that the number, rank, name, initials and trade are given in that order followed by the distributing office in the country in which the airman is located. The numbers of all New Zealand airmen are prefixed by the letters N.Z. It is important that this prefix should identify the individual as an airman, as New Zealand army numbers do not have a similar prefix. “Communications are sometimes addressed to me or to Base Records referring to an individual simply by number. If the inquiry concerns an airman ‘he prefix should be added. It sometimes happens that n airman’s number (without the letters N.Z.) will correspond with a number allocated to a soldier. This leads to some delays while the records are searched and checked. If an airman’s current number (including the letters N.Z.) is given on all communications it will greatly assist in ensuring that possible confusion or delays will be avoided.”