LETTER FROM GERMANY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 75, Issue 6442, 5 November 1947, Page 7

LETTER FROM GERMANY

WRITER A BOY SCOUT “NEW ZEALAND SO FAR REMOVED FROM CIVILISATION” Added interest is given the following letter written to the Mayor of Feilding, Mr Seddon, by reason of the fact that Mr Seddon has been appointed Chief ‘Commissioner of the Boy Scout movement in New Zealand. The writer is Heinz Bossl of Munchen 13, Bluten Star 9/0, Germany, U.S. Zone. The writer states: “I am sure you will be very startled to receive a letter from Germany. I am a “silent member” of our Boy Scout organisation in Bavaria and found your address in our newspaper. I would like very much to hear views from the very opposite of this God-for-saken world, and I think New Zealand must, be a very peaceful Paradise. It is so very far away from “civilisation.” I am sure I would love to be there. Well, I think -you want to know about me first. I am a German boy 19 years old. I went to college for six years- and work now in a big warehouse here in Munich, textile branch. I never mixed up With politics before and I never will. I joined the Boy Scouts organisation last year because I think its ideas are the best there are. As I have to make money for my parents (my father is sick) I do not have time to attend the meetings. Scouting in Germany makes little progress but this is not the fault of our leaders; they do their best. It is because of the lack of everything, the occupation, and last but not least, the German people who had too bad experiences with a certain organisation called “party.” But time will change everything so we hope. Now being no correspondent, I do not know what to write else, so I beg your pardon for my mistakes. I hope you will get this letter in 1947 if at all, and I beg you to send me an answer if you do not mind. I do not know your scout salute so I wish you much luck and send you very hearty greetings with our German ‘“Gut Pfeid.”

The envelope is addressed to Feilding Borough Council Mayor’s office, New Zealand, Neu Zeeland. It also bears the inscription, “English written” and the same in German. It is stamped with' the U.S. Civil Censorship stamp, Munich. The letter has been made available to the Courier by a local resident.