COUNTESS OF LIVERPOOL'S FUND

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2626, 23 November 1915, Page 3

COUNTESS OF LIVERPOOL'S FUND

NEWS FROM ALEXANDRIA BASE DEPOT. The following letter has been received by Her Excellency, tho Countess of Liverpool, fiom Lieutenant-Colonel A. B. Charters, Officer Commanding tho New Zealand Base Depot, Alexandria: I have the honour to notify you that the. gilt goods forwarded by the Malieno were duly collected, and are now gradually being distributed.' _ Unfortunately, just as the goods arrived, our forces suffered very severe casualties, and it has been most difficult to trace many of the men for whom personally addressed parcels have been sent, and I do not send out such parcels on any off chance. All units at present in Egfot have had their gifts handed to theiii, and those at the front are receiving them as quickly as their requisitions come in.

Owing to our heavy losses it was simply waste to think of sending over to Anzae 1000 gifts per battalion when such unit could muster only 200 men — the goods not immediately issued would simply have been destroyed by enemy's shells or wasted in other ways. Consequently, I sent a circular to each commanding officer of company, etc., asking him to let me know the number of men left in his unit from different districts. Here was delay again, as the fighting was so heavy that I havo not yet received replies from all officers written to. However, as these arrive they are immediately, attended ta. i ■

_ I am sure everybody appreciates very highly your thoughtfulness in supplying our brave lads with comforts, and it is a. matter for sincere regret that so liiany of our poor fellows will not receive those sent to them.

Would it not be possible in future to make goods.for "general distribution"? I do not wish to dictate or interfere in tho very slightest, but our men are now so scattered, and are likely to be so in the future, that it is most difficult to trace them; also cases addressed, for ,example, 4tlv Reinforcements, 6th Reinforcements, etc., are practically impossible to deliver, because- immediately these, reinforcements join our force they are split up among the original troops, and so absolutely lose their identity. I make these SuggesI tions not only for convenience in dis-, ix'i'bution, but also,: for \ the -sake of 'quicker delivery. .If all goods come for "general.distribution'.' they .can imjnediately be dispatched "en bloc," according to thp average number of men in'a unit. ' ' .

Please accept my sincere thanks, on behalf of officers' and men of the 'New Zealand Expeditionary Force, for the HioughTfulness of the promoters of your fund; tlie ladies may. rest content that none'of the results of their "labour of love" is wasted; and as 1 far as 'possible everything goes where it is intended.