NEW ZEALANDERS WITH BRITISH UNITS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15989, 25 August 1917, Page 9

NEW ZEALANDERS WITH BRITISH UNITS.

AN INCOMPLETE STATEMENT. !' ' | (fkosi ottr own correspondent.) , -LONDON, June 29. According to a cable message from i London, dated April 24th, "Sir Thomas Mackenzie has compiled a list of SOO New Zoalanders fighting with the Army and Navy outsldo the New Zealand forces." This statement is probably intended to show New Zealand how well Sir Thomas keeps in touch with our countrymen serving the Empire in other forces than the N.Z.E.F. As a matter of fact, it is rather a poor advertisement for tho Dominion, and merely shows how incomplete the efforts of tho High Commissioner in this respect have been. Eight hundred is not much moro than one-third of tho full number of New Zealanders serving in the British Army and Navy. The card index which has been kept in the London offices of the Christchurch "Press" since the war began, shows that moro thau 2000 New Zealanders are known to have been serving with the British Armv and Navy, irrespective of the hundreds with the A.I.F. and the few score with the Canadian forces. Subtracting the 200 who had been killed on service and the 2-5 (not belonging to tho N.Z.E.F.) who ore prisoners ' of war, there are still I3o[)_ of our countrymen with Jbho colours in the British Army and Navy. Of these it seems tliero are about 1000 of whom Sir Thomas Mackenzie has not heard, in spite of the advantages he possesses for collecting such information. I do not pretend that my own list is complete, but it forms a roll very creditable to tho Dominion. Hero it is summarised: — In British regiments ... 1370 In the British Navy ... 391 Awaiting commissions or on transfer ... ... 133 Killed and died on service ... 198 Prisoners of war ... 25 2117 I shall ho very glad to 'receive the names and addresses of New Zealanders serving in other forces than the N.Z.E.F., and shall also willingly furnish information to friends who address their enquiries to the London Correspondent, Christchurch "Press," 85 Fleet street, E.C.