WAR PRISONERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 54, 18 May 1942, Page 5

WAR PRISONERS

DESPATCH OF PARCELS WORK OF COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE The following extracts from a letter from Mr C. Burdekin, Prisoners of War Department, of the New Zealand High Commissioner's Office, London, Avill indicate to parents or relatives of men now in prison camps in Germany and Italy the splendid parcel service which is maintained. The letter reads: "The work is mostly in connection with our Prisoners of War. W T e have taken a suite of rooms in a building in Charing Cross Road, next to tlie New Zealand Forces Club and there we have a staff busily engaged on making up parcels of underclothing, toilel articles etc. to> send to every prisoner. Also I^2lbs of chocolate goe: iia each iiarcel. We are sending these from here to enable our men to gel parcels as quickly as possible. Al'tei the first quarter they w r ill probably be sent from New Zealand by tliei: next-of-kin, but we see to the firs

parcel for each man. Also we will see to the re-addressing of parcels sent C/~ of this office, by relatives in New Zealand for men whose prison camp addreses were not known to the relatives when the parcel is posted in New Zealand. Of course some have next-of-kin here and others will probably prefer to get relatives in England to continue to act for them, even though the next-of-kin are in NeAV Zealand. The work of the packing centre will, however, tend toi diminish considerably later on, as the next-of-kin in New Zealand take over the job. We have purchased many thousr ands of pounds worth of articles oi various kinds, for making up the

parcels, through, the British Red Cross, which enables us to get them at the price charged by the manufacturer to the Red Cross and also avoids purchase tax, but even so, each parcell costs about £3 12s. Though I've had the responsibility of getting this show running, I don't work there but I am still in New Zealand House where we keep card records of all the prisoners, missing and casualties and deal with a tremendous amount of correspondence —letters from relatives and friends asking for information; or enquiring what the&t can do in the way of sending parcels etc.

We've also had many letters from

prisoners asking for various things to be sent them—-a most curiously miscellaneous lot of requests, ranging from two chaplains asking for Communion sets and clerical garb etc., to- men asking, for concertina or saxophone tutors, etc. Many ask for books to enable them to go on with, their studies and nearly all ask for tobacco or cigarettes. We've been sending monthly parcels of these to all men and alsoi books and

games. What happens usually is that as soon as they reach a camp from which they are permitted to write, and before there has been time even for their presence there to be reported men write to their relatives telling them of the clothing, food,' etc., which thcty need. Naturally relatives getting such letters get very worried! and. wonder if proper steps are being taken to supply the wants. I can assure you, however, that we've done, all we possibly could, and so have the British Red Cross, the International Red Cross at Geneva and the British Govern-

ment. The latter has sent large stocks of battle dress, underclothing, boots etc., to Geneva to be held by the International Red. Cross and despatched; by them at once to any camp from which word comes that

new prisoners ave arrived in need of such, articles. jNlost camps get the 101b weeldy food parcels very regularly now. Enough are despatched from Geneva for each British (including Dominion) prisoner to receive one of these 101b l'ood parcels every week, and they are jolly good: stufT too, -so, with tliis added to the. rations supplied by the Germans, our chaps should not fare too badly once they get into the permanent camps, but I expect they had a very thin time while on the, move from Greece to

Germany as there was then no means of ascertaining their exact whereabouts or getting any parcels, let-

iers clc. to them. The reports of the International Red Cross delegates and of the re-presen'a'-ives from the U.S.A. Embassy at Berlin, who visit the camps regularly and have, opportunities of direct contact with the prisoners (often without any (Herman being present) tell' the 'same story, i.e.

minor inconveniences and siic-tcoia-ings but no ill-treatment :ill' 1 apparently no bad feelings on the jp'u't °1" the guards towards the- prisoners. In view of the treatment of- Jewsand others in concentration campsand the barbarous methods of then. Germans in dealing with the Poles,., Czech* etc.. it was a great relief find that our men were being treat— edj so comparatively well..