PARCELS OVERSEAS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 95, 22 April 1944, Page 4

PARCELS OVERSEAS

VISIT OF PATRIOTIC FUND BOARD COMMISSIONER • Women's organisations, in particular, are interested in the visit to Wanganui of Lieutenant-Colonel F. Waite, New Zealand Patriotic Fund Board Commissioner in the Middle East, who is at present on furlough. He will address a public meeting in the Victoria Hall on Monday night.

Lieutenant-Colonel Waite will be able to tell the little-known side of patriotic work, with particular reference to distribution of parcels. Occasionally, news comes from the men themselves, when they express grateful thanks for what they have received. Sometimes people are adversely critical of what is being done. Those people should hear what Lieu-tenant-Colonel Waite has to say. At. the last meeting of the Wanganui Patriotic Committee two letters were tabled which expressed thanks from soldiers for parcels received. “I am writing these few lines in order to lhank you for the lovely narcel I received from you,” wrote one soldier. “The articles such as were in the parcel are very much appreciated by we boys in the jungle, and again I thank you. The parcel arrived in excellent condition because of good packing. I am a Wanganui boy myself, and I think it a great honour to have received a parcel from your branch of the Patriotic Board. At one period we had some trouble in getting our parcels from home, but now the mail seems to be coming much better. Life here is very dull and news is scarce.” (This letter was from a Pacific front). “In a recent letter from home I was informed that you had received no acknowledgment from me of receipt of parcels,” writes another. “As a matter of fact, I wrote several months ago, and, presumably, my letter has gone astray, so I am writing again to let you know how I appreciate your kiqdness in sending parcels to me. Your parcels are always excellently packed, and so arrive* in first-clas*s order, and the contents show that you know just, the sort of things we most need over here. Please convey my most sincere thanks to the ladies responsible for packing and sending them.

*T gather that there is a general impression in Wanganui that we are not receiving our share of the. Patriotic Board Fund parcels. I assure you that, in this battalion at any rate, we have no complaints, as the Patriotic Board parcels are issued at regular intervals throughout the year, approximately one every three to four months, and I believe that this is the case with the whole of the 2nd New’ Zealand Division. “As a matter of fad, we received our Patriotic Board Christmas parcels yesterday (December 22). Mine was packed by Mrs. Tricker, of Bulls, and contained barley sugar, cake, coffee and milk, oysters and tinned fruit. We also received a patriotic issue of 100 cigarettes each. I hope you will make these facts known to the people concerned.” (This letter was from th n Middle East).