WELFARE SERVICES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 73, 18 May 1943, Page 2

WELFARE SERVICES

WORK IN NORTH AFRICA

A brief nole received by the Secretary of the National Patiiotic Fund Board from Lieutenant-Col-onel Waite, the Board's, Commissioner in North Africa, indicates that the welfare services organised for the New Zealand, forces have kept well up with the_ New Zealand Division in the fight that has taken place recently. The letter was written from 'Tripoli early in March, when sCctl'onel Waite was en rent? to Ben Gardane. "1 came up with a mobile cinema. taking eight days I rum Cairo,' he says. "Tobruk and Benghazi are terrible wrecks of places. From Agedabia to Mixurata is just one long waste of sand and sa.tv marsh. The mobile cinemas, are doing great work around here, serving . everybody. The Kiwi Concert Party has also been a great .success, The difficulty as far as canteens are concerned is getting supplies. Land transport is long, and heavy on trucks. Sea transport naturally gives welfare services a very low priority, but the New Zealand Y.M.C.A. men are doing great work. Wlie® I get back to Cairo I will sencTyou as full a report as I. can." Colonel "Waite. wrote on Italian paper which had fallen into British hands when Tripoli was taken. The paper was headed by the name of an Italian Fascist organisation and also carried, a message in Italian from Mussolini in one corner. Gramophones and records If in any homes there are portable and- table model gramophones that are not wanted particularly, great use of them can be made by the National Patriotic Fund Board, Gramophones of these types arc required to help brighten the existence: of -New Zealand forces in parts of the. Pacific area and fo<r the personnel of small naval units. Difficulty is being experienced by the Board in providing them. v The board would be glad to receive any that are available.; also fairly recent recordings in good condition and. any unused gramophone needles. They should be given to the local patriotic committees.