PRISONERS OF WAR

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 168, 18 July 1942, Page 6

PRISONERS OF WAR

ITALIAN PRACTICE

NUMBERS ARE NOT GIVEN

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, this day

Although there are some exceptions the Prisoners of War Inquiry Office headquarters in Wellington have been advised that it is not the custom for the Italian authorities to give men prisoner of war numbers to next-of-kin. Therefore they should not hold up any parcels or correspondence simply because they are anticipating the receipt of a number.

The Inquiry Office particularly desires that provincial offices be given any recent information of parcels being acknowledged by relatives either of men in Italy or on the Continent generally. There are still 500 New Zealanders, whose permanent addresses the office has not yet received.

A list of internees and prisoners held by the Japanese in Hongkong has been sent to the secretaries of the joint council of St. John and the Red Cross in the provinces and is now open to public scrutiny. Information has been supplied to the Inquiry Office of personal parcels having been received at Stalag 88, 18D, 18A, 18D, 9C, 58, 078 (Italy). Stalag Luft 1. OflaK 68. The total prisoners officially reported is 6182 and unofficially ascertained 15.