WANGANUI PEOPLE THANKED BY BRITONS FOR FOOD PARCELS

Wanganui Chronicle, 21 January 1947, Page 4

WANGANUI PEOPLE THANKED BY BRITONS FOR FOOD PARCELS

LETTERS TO NAVY LEAGUE Wanganui's food gifts to the people of England hare not been without appreciation being expressed in the British Press as well as through official channels. Spontaneous expressions oE gratitude have also come from those who have benefited by the parcels, and regularly batches ol mail are received by the Navy League adding to the already voluminous hie of thanks letters received. The Ministry of Food, London, has forwarded a total of 317 letters it hat received from grateful recipients ol parcels from Wanganui ,but these are only a few of the total number ot letters received either directly or through the Ministry after each consignment has been distributed. “The friendly feeling between people of New Zealand and residents in Thurrock brought about by the sending of gifts is emphasised by correspondence received by Mr. J. B. Chawne, who has been responsible for the distribution,'' states an article in the "Essex and I'hurrocit Gazette,' headed "Gifts from New Zealand.' The article continues: — “Last September live cases were received from the Navy League, Wanganui. New Zealand, consisting of canned meats, milk, honey, fruit, cneese, soaps and jam. These were distributed to 95 needy residents in Thurrock. Some of the recipients were so grateful that they wrote direct to the organisers in New Zealand.

"Mr. Chawney has now received a letter from Mrs. J. Murray honorary secretary of the Food for Britain Fund, Navy League, to the effect tnai letters continually arrive tram people in Grays and a iew from Coventry, where parcels were also sent, ano while it was their desire to acxnowleuge all tne letters xt was xouna impossible. Mrs. Murray also enclosed a tetter tor publication, whicn read: “would ah who wrote to tne Navy League, Wanganui, Jew zeaianu, please accept nus acknowledgement, ft is impossible to write to ail our friends individually wno so Kindly expressed appreciation ot me guts forwarded Hom our organisation, it has given the committee and tne public, who have so generously coninnutea to the fund, great pleasure to learn that the food was uustnbuted in tne counties where mt. need was greatest. Best wishes to an. ’

A note irom tne Ministry of Food has been received in wanganul. it reads, simply: "1 have great pleasure in forwarding the enclosed letters or appreciation which nave just been received. Tne enclosed brougnt tne total number of letters ot acknowledgement and gratitude tor Wanganui s parcels to air.

They were irom the aged and needy of various counties nt zugiana, anu the deepness ot their gratitude tor food which is commonplace in New Zealand throws some ngnt on wnat th» gilts from this country must mean to them, Several ot tne letters were writttn by the families 01 tne recipients. One woman whose daugnter wrote was in ner 80 s, another couple were too blind to be able to write, so their son expressed thanks for. them. The last batch of parcels arrived just before Christmas, anu tins was a tact which particularly delighted those who received gifts. “It’ll be a brighter Christmas now," the expression of one was a message conveyed in various forms by most of the people. One letter of particular interest to New Zealand read: “As hall porter of the War Office for 28 years (now retired), 1 have met many notable officers of the Empire, such as FieldMarshal Smuts, General Fraser (Australia), and also a very dear friend o£ mine, General Freyberg. I visited all the colonies in 1901 on the Ophir the late King George V, during his worio tour.” The signature was H enry D'Arcy.