N.Z. MILITARY FORCES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18458, 17 April 1922, Page 7

N.Z. MILITARY FORCES.

UNCLAIMED memorial plaques

As a result of being unable to obtain the addresses of next-of-kin of deceased soldiers in a large number of cases, the Defence Department is in possession of quite a number of unclaimed, Memorial Plaques and Scrolls. With this exception the work of despatching the memotrials issued on account of those niembers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who died overseas is practically completed. Plaques and scrolls are distributed under regulations which prescribe that the recipients are to lie the nearest of kin of the deceased at the date when the plaque and scroll were posted, and there is no question of legal succession. Those who are entitled to thfc memorials on account of soldiers who died overseas but have not received them, should at once notify tho Officer in Charge "War Accounts and Records Office, Wellington, who is also receiving applications for plaques and scrolls on account of those soldiers who have died as a direct result of war service subsequent to being discharged from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. It has been decided to issue memorial plaques ’to the naujtijof-kin of those members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who did not have overseas service but died white in camp. Applications for these plaques should be made immediately by the next-of-kin to the Officer in Charge, War Accounts and Records.

It is almost inconceivable that nearly I I.members of the E-peditionarv k'orce have failed to notify the Officer in Charge War Accounts and Records of their addresses or changes of address so that he can issue! to them their war* medals and certificates of service with rhe N.Z.E.F. This particularly applies to men discharged overseas who have returned to New Zealand. Almost every day men write complaining of delay in issuing medals, and it is almost invariably found that lhe cause of the delay is due to the fact that the medale have been posted to the last known address of the soldier and have been returned through the Dead lietter Office. The Department is now completing the writing of illuminated certificates, and tire unclaimed ones will be stored and delivered as tlie addresses of the soldiers become known.

No doubt as Anzac Day approaches, many urgent requests will be received for the immediate despatch of medals and certificates.