PRISONERS OF WAR

Waikato Independent, Volume XLI, Issue 3893, 18 August 1941, Page 2

PRISONERS OF WAR

INTEREST IN THEIR WELFARE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION The Mayor of Cambridge, Mr Edgar James, has received an interesting letter from Major R. R. Atkinson, of Cambridge, and now in the Middle East, in which he encloses valuable information concerning British prisoners of war. Major Atkinson said that he had received numerous cables and letters from relatives and friends of soldiers believed to be prisoners, asking for information. He was doing all he could to satisfy the enquiries. On several occasions he had been in touch with the local representative of the Geneva Convention and also Lieutenant-Colonel F. Waite, Overseas Commissioner for the Red Cross Society, both of whom had been helpful in furnishing him with first-hand information. However; the position with regard to prisoners of war was very difficult and information took a long time to come to hand. An article from t,he N.Z.E.F. Times, dealing with prisoners of war was enclosed by Major Atkinson and reads as follows: Intricate Organisation An intricate organisation exists in the interests of the welfare of prisoners of war. From its headquarters at Geneva the International Rpd Cross is in touch with all .prisoner of war camps and from the various fields of action the names of prisoners are sent to that headquarters. Mails are sent through the agency of the Red Cross which, in addition, holds a “watching brief” by means Of its observers in the different camps, whether British or enemy. New Zealanders taken prisoner in the Middle lEa|st campaigns come within the scope of the activities of the International Red Cross, Cairo. From Geneva the names of the men concerned come to Cairo and are sent on to 2nd Echelon, G.H.Q., Middle East and to the Prisoners of War Bureau, British Red Cross, Cairo. / This Bureau keeps a card index of every man, on which is written all the information given about him, whether he is wounded, where he is in'hospital, to which camp , he is eventually sent, etc. But it must be remembered that this information comes in very slowly, and the only information received to begin with is simply that he is a Prisoner of War. Prison Camps ITALY: So far there has been only one camp in Italy, but now some others are being built. j CULMONA Camp: The only one to date is in the Abruzzi mountains. From the two reports sent to us from the delegate of the International Red Cross after his visits to the camp, we gather that the conditions there are good. The dor-

(• { >' •• '■ mitories are bare but comfortable, shower baths are available and there is a gymnasium. The men do light work about the camp and cook their own food. Prisoners taken in the Western Desert eventually go to Italy.

GERMANY: Prisoners taken in Greece and Crete may eventually go to Germany, but it is not known to which camp. It is probable that new camps will have to be built. Most of the prisoners taken in Greece are temporarily being kept at a camp in Corinthia. Letters to Prisoners of War Letters should deal with purely personal matters, and care should be taken that no information that might be of use to the enemy is giyen. Two sides of a sheet of note paper may be used; write clearly, and remember that postage is free.

Newspaper cuttings may not be enclosed and photographs of a purely personal ndture may be sent, unmounted.

Envelopes should be addressed very clearly with the following particulars given: (a) Rank.

(b) and initials. (c) Camp address if known. If not known, c/o International Red Cross, Geneva, Switzerland. (d) Prisoner of War Number, or if known, Regimental Number. (e) On the top left hand corner write “Poste de Prisonnier de Guerre,” for Italy and “Kriegsgefangenenpost,” for Germany. (f) On the back of the envelope the name and address of the sender should be written. Please note that Service Personnel niust not use their Service Addresses., If they have no private address to which they can refer, they must give as their address: c/o The British Red Cross, 9 Sharieh, Malika Farida, Cairo, registering their Services with the Prisoners of War Bureau. No indication of the unit to which they belong should be given cither on the envelope or'in the body of the letter. (g) The name and address of the addressee should be on the letter itself as well as on the envelope. Letters will not be accepted for ! forward transmission at this Bureau unless the addressee is confirmed as a prisoner of war. Parcel May be Sent Parcels of not more than 5 kilos (or lOlbs) may be sent to Prisoners of War. Postage is free and addresses should be as for letters. The name and address of the sender must be given, also a list of the contents, both inside and outside. Articles allowed include: Non-perishable food in tins, cigarettes, tobacco and pipes, underclothing, knitted wear, shoes and socks, shirts of blue, grey or khaki, khaki shorts or slacks, soap and toilet requisites in tins (not bottles or tubes), indoor games or playing cards. Books of a non-political nature may be sent, but it is advisable to send them separately. Articles not allowed include:— Printed papers or periodicals of any description even used as wrappings, money or valuables, pens or fountain pens, tubes of any kind, medic-

ines, matches or solid fuel, or any-

thing with a sharp edge. No letter may be inserted in a parcel.

The Prisoners of War Bureau, with goods supplied by the Australian Red Cross, endeavour to sent a parcel of food to each man as his jname comes in from Geneva, but owing to transport difficulties, this is a very slow process. In time it is hoped that each prisoner will receive a parcel of clothing as well, and food parcels will continue to be sent out as often and as regularly as conditions allow.

The Joint Council of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society works in the Middle East as an expending agent of the National Patriotic Fund Board. The Overseas Commissioner of the Patriotic Fund ,(Lt. Col. F. Waite) also acts as the Commissioner for the New Zealand ,Red Cross. . Acting in co-operation with ,the British Red Cross in the Middle past, New Zealand now has a Pris-oners-of-War Office within the British Red Cross Prisoners-of-War Bureau, situated at No. 9 Sharieh Malika Farida, Cairo. Sergeant McColl, .from the 2nd Echelon Office of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. is in charge. He will render whatever information he can to inquiries on service in Egypt.