PRISONERS IN GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2850, 15 August 1916, Page 6

PRISONERS IN GERMANY

\the position of new ZEALANDERS

A VALUABLE SUGGESTION

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—May I crave a small portion of your space to bring before the public what I venture to thiiik is an important matter?

Now that our boys are .fighting in France it is inevitablo that a certain number will bo taken prisoners. Having very recently com© from Home, I should like to inform the friends of any such men that, unless these men 'receive 1 ' parcels of food regularly every week, they will in all probability either starve, or suffer considerably. The German ration, as issued to prisoners,is totally inadequate t-o / support life, especially in tho case of men such as ours, accustomed to a full diet. I have constantly seen letters from soldiers imprisoned in Germany, saying that, were it not for the parcels tliey receive from England, they would starve. The German diet given to our imprisoned soldiers and sailors is now regularly reinforced by parcels sent every week from Home. It is really important that our men should ( be treated in like manner. I may add that these parcels do, as a rale, reach the men for whom thev are intended.

The . Army and Navy or the Junior Army and Navy Stores make up ss. parcels and send them regularly on receipt of the money. This is the kind of thing I sent myself: lib. tin of Is.; tin tongue, Is. 6d.; sugar, ojd.; tea tabloids, lOJcl.; Nestle's condensed milk, 8-J-d.; biscuits to complete ss. As to the proper fonn of address, here is one:— A.M., Prisoner of War, No. (?)., Barrack 12, Englander lager, Ruhleben, Germany. The addresses of our men could be obtained by tlie High Commissioner, either through the /War Office or through the American Ambassador in Berlin. I don't know if thero is any organisation here or at Home to handle this matter, hut it should he seen to and the High Commissioner communicated with at once. As our blockade gets tighter the more will the prisoners suffer. Wo aught not to delay.— I am, etc., W. KINGTON FYFFE, Major, N.Z.M.C.'