SOLDIERS' EFFECTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 March 1918, Page 7

SOLDIERS' EFFECTS.

TREASURES FROM THE BATTLEFIELD. WORK OF THE DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT.

One branch of the Defence Department of which practically nothing has been heard during the war is the Returned Effects Distribution Department. 'Probably no department knows more intimately the sad effects of the war than this branch. It is here that all remaining possessions o f soldiers who have fallen on the field of battle are received back from the front, to be forwarded on to the deceased soldier's relatives. The sentimental value placed by a. father or mother on the few possessions their sons have taken to the battlefield possessions which return alone without their owners —can never be estimated. All thest, small possessions are carefully collected on the battlefield, from the trendies, or in the hospitals, to be sent back to the relatives in Xew Zealand. It may be a prayer-book, an old photo, a handkerchief. perhaps only an identification disk: tliev are collected by comraderc at tin, '. to eventually leach here and be i! ' rUnited by this department. This invol. es an immense amount of khor, both at the other side of the world, and finally in Wellington; but it is labor that is repaid by the gratitude 0 f those who cherish these little treasures of a son or a brother who will never return

I ' A BUSY DEPARTMENT. A New Zealand Times reporter recently made a tour of inspection over the offices of this department in Wellington. The offices for a considerable time past have been located in "K" Shed in Waterloo quay, but have now removed to more suitable quarters at the old Te Aro Railwav Station. Here the rooms of the station are packed with the kits and pg>. eels- received back from the front. Not only are deceased soldiers' effects handled, but also the kits of returned soil, diers The small staff of five is kept hard at work tinder the direction of. Mr. T. Bland (in charge) and Mr. 0. M. Ellison. Some idea of the amount of work put through can be gathered from the fact that during the last two and a half years some twelve thousand kits and parcels have been handled. Added on to this is an ever-growing correspondence which such work necessarily entails. The belongings are brought back from the front by various steamers, the kits hive to be gone through and sent on to their owners or to the next-of-kin concerned, the parcels have to be sorted out, wtch to be sent on bv registered post, and the people concerned notified.

GOING THROUGH THE ICIT3, The kits involve a large amount of work. They are the ordinary soldiers' kits, and arc 20110 through by the staff and anything of value, sentimental and material, kent aside for consignment on to the relatives concerned. Anything of no value in the way of oh! clothing, etc., is sent on to the Ordnance Stores, under whose control the Effects Department works. These useless articles are either burned or sent down south to the paper mills to be turned to use. Returned soldiers' effects are not gone through, and are sent on to their owners untouched, Tt. was found advisable to go through the deceased soldiers' kits on account of complaints received from the next-of-kin. The personal belongings are received from the ba'.e in England, and are sewn tip in can-as bags. These contain the belongings found in most canes on the dead body of the soldier. Each packet contains the name of the deceased son dier. along with an inventory of the articles inside. These parcels are not opened, and are forwarded by registered post to the next-of-kin.

BELONGINGS OF THE DEAD. The various belongings form an interesting and sad little collection. Here there mnv be a safety razor, a charred pipe, a Bible, a pair of rosary beads or in another parcel there may be a revolver some old eoins. a collection of military medals, a bundle of letters, a watch, or a match-box. Mostly articles of little material value, but all priceless articles to ihose who have been near and dear to the owner. German helmets, gas masks, shell cases, etc., are frequently In the parcels—articles that some soldier vainly hoped that he might some day show to admiring friends. Tn one case a kit contained a battered bugle. It had been scarred and torn with shrapnel just aa its owner had sounded the last note he was ever to sound on earth. Sometimes all that is returned from a soldier who has fought his last fight is an identification disk. Nothing else could be found.

MISSING PROPERTY. The department has received pitiful letters in oases from fathers and mothers beseeching for just one little possession of their sons to remember them by. The department is only able to deal with what is received from the front, however. Again complaints arc received that such and such an article is missing from the belongings, but here tho same e-vplana* tion applies. The most frequent coinplaint is with reference to wristlet watcfies. The department has, however, received hundreds of grateful letters from next-of-kin, and the work left in its hands when the effects return lias been carried out. without a hitch. The greatest cause of trouble arises from the failure of returned soldiers and next-of-kin to notify change of address. Every day letters and parcels are received from the dead-letter office. There is also a large number of kits and parcls now lying at Te Aro for which it has been impossible to obtain owners.

The effects of a dead soldier usually take about four or five montliß to arrive back from the front, dating from the time of his death. The department is naturally kept very busy with inquiries, but with the excellent system of records •kept there is little difficulty in giving the required information.