HELP FOR ANZACS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 August 1941, Page 7

HELP FOR ANZACS

AMERICAN AMBULANCES DONATED TO NEW ZEALAND FORCES. OTHER EQUIPMENT PROMISED. (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service). CAIRO, July 8. Tangible evidence of American citizens' interest in the welfare of the Anzac forces is a fleet of up-to-date ambulances, ten in number, with 5 more to follow, which recently arrived at a New Zealand base camp in the Middle East. These fine sturdy vehicles of the Indian type are the welcome result of generosity of people in the United States who have felt a desire to do something that would be of service to New Zealand’s fighting forces.

Built to stand up to the worst' active service conditions, they are fitted with four comfortable bunks, together with all necessarj' accessories, while a wellplanned system of ventilation should make for the maximum of comfort possible even in the most difficult of desert or other conditions. On' one side the vehicles bear the legend "British American Ambulance Corps in Co-operation with the Anzac War Relief Fund, New York,” while on the other side arb printed the names of the donor or donors. Three have been donated by the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel in the United States of America. Another is presented in memory of Charles H. Rathbone, and another bears the name of James Marchall Stuart, New York City. Still another is the gift of Mr and Mrs Roswell, while two others were respectively donated by Mr and Mrs F. Senior. Riekes, St Louis, and the Hopedale Community, Massachusetts, with best wishes. After inspection by Brigadier K. McCormick, D. 5.0., chief of the New Zealand Medical Services in the Middle East, the ambulances were formally handed over by Lieut.-Col. F. Waite, Overseas Commissioner to the New Zealand Patriotic Funds Board. A simple ceremony in a desert setting, it was the climax of the magnificent effort of our unofficial allies in the United States.

This represents only part of the efforts of the beneficent body known as the Anzac War Relief Fund, New York. Already five ambulances have been sent to New Zealand for use in the Dominion, making a total of 20 for our country, which in itself is included in a grand total of 65 for Australia and New Zealand. Promised, and probably on their way, is a number of mobile canteens, equipped with primus cookers and kerosene refrigerators, while in many other ways, such as gifts of hundreds of thousands of cigarettes, these generous-hearted Americans have shown in a concrete form their unstinted sympathy with our cause. Included in the list of executive officers of the organisation are people whose names are well known in all parts of the world, such as Sii' Hubert Wilkins, Mr Percy Grainger, Miss Nola Luxford, Miss Merle Oberon, “Snowy” Baker, Errol Flynn, and Clement May. Honorary patrons are Mr Peter Fraser, Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Mr R. G. Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia.