MOREEXCHANGES LIKELY

Southland Times, Issue 24819, 11 August 1942, Page 4

MOREEXCHANGES LIKELY

Repatriation Of War Prisoners

“There is a good prospect that arrangements will be made with Italy for further exchanges of prisoners of war,” said LieutenantColonel A. A. Tennent, in the course of an interview yesterday. Lieutenant-Colonel Tennent spent four months in an Italian prisoner of war camp and he was one of a number of repatriated men who arrived in New Zealand recently. He is at present visiting Invercargill.

He added that from what he had heard he had reason to believe that further exchanges would be made. The Liternational Red Cross Society was interesting itself in the matter, and he understood also that the Italian authorities were in favour of further exchanges. TREATMENT OF PRISONERS Referring to the prison camps in Italy, Lieutenant-Colonel Tennent said that the Italians treated the prisoners quite well. Any difficulties that arose were, he thought, due to inexperience in handling prisoners of war, for the Italians seemed to be sincerely anxious to abide by the international rules relating to the treatment of war prisoners. On leaving Italy they were taken to Smyrna (Turkey) by an Italian hospital ship. It was a first-class ship, efficiently run, and their treatment on board was very good. They were not allowed to land at Smyrna, but the small British community there provided them with cigarettes, fruit and other luxuries. At Smyrna they were transferred to a British hospital ship, which took them to Alexandria. They were egain very well treated, and at Alexandria they received a great welcome and much kindness from the British residents and from the local branch of the Red Cross Society. PARCELS WELCOME The parcels received by the prisoners of war were of great value to them, said Lieutenant-Colonel Tennent. The food included in these -parcels formed a very welcome addition to the camp diet. The parcels which reached the camp where he was interned came from i Canada through the International Red Cross, and they contained such ! things as tins of dried milk, bully ■ beef, salmon, herrings, packets of raisins and cakes of chocolate. The bully beef, for example, was very welcome because the camp diet did not provide for a very large allowance of meat weekly. Soap was another useful article to include in a prisoner of war parcel because soap was difficult to get in Italy at present. I Lieutenant-Colonel Tennent said he thought the best way to get parcels to prisoners of war was through the International Red Cross. It made special to get the parcels to I Europe, and from the port at which they were landed they were sent in sealed railway trucks to Geneva. From Geneva they were again sept in sealed trucks to Germany or Italy. In this way there was small chance of the parcels being rifled en route. There was a greater risk with parcels specially addressed to prisoners of war. They had to go by a long, round-about route and there was always the danger that they might be tampered with in transit. Lieutenant-Colonel Tennent added that in adidtion to food, articles of warm clothing would'be welcomed by prisoners of war in Italy because, although it was hot there in the summer, it was very cold in the winter.