"OUR DAY" 1918

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 310, 25 September 1918, Page 2

"OUR DAY" 1918

BED CROSS BELIEF- FOR BBITISH PiUSUNJSKS. Among many branches of the work of tlio tfricisii Red Uross Society and the Order of Hi. John, to which recent developments in tho lighting areas have wrought marked- int-i'oaso of responsibility, is ■ the task of providing i'ooil parcels for British prisoners of war in enemy hands. Parcels of food for about one-third of our prisoners aro provided directly by the Bed Cross throrigh the Central Prisoners'of War Committee, at i Tiiurloe Place, London, S.W. The. others are provided through regimental care- committees and local associations, all of which act iiudiv the/control and authorisation of tho Central Committee, which administers the official scheme of relief. Financial aid grants aro mado to many of theso caro committees and associations. , . ' I'rccise figures arc at the moment difficult to give with regard to prisoners, but iu May parcels were being packed and sent direct from Thurloo i'iaco to 'more than !X)0 officers and some '20,001) men. By the end of Juno over 22,UU0 names of new prisoners had-been received, and during that mouth no-fewer than 157 ,®S'A packets Were packed ana sent off by t-ne Central Committee, in addition, about two-thirds of tho British prisoners receive bread through the two special bread depots maintained at Berne and Copenhagen, while, a depot at Rotterdam is kept supplied with food in bulk, to' bo soiib quickly to enemy prison camps for the.'benefit of newly caphired men. . Tho system organised and controlled by-the committee is directed to one thing—the supply to eyory British prisoner, military and civil, in enemy countries of a full ration of, food, clothing, aud as many comforts as possible. To evory prisoner 301b. of food is sent each fortnight, arid two parcels, weighing *151b. each when packed, are now being dispatched, instead of the three 101b. parcels, which went formerly in each, fortnight. The bread, of course, is additional. So far tho work involved by tlio increase of prisoners has been satisfactorily mot, in spite of the difficulty of obtaining workers. Tho. requirements and limitations of tho censorship and other regulations, under wliish parcels have, to bo sent, naturally involve great complexity of work, the handling of large sums of inonoy, vast quantities of supplies, aii ever-growing correspondence, and the keeping of elaborate records. At a recent date the number of workers under the Central War Committee exceeded 500, and they hare since been added to. Women play a large and much appreciated • part in tho work, and the built of the packing is dono by them. As fnr- ns the cost to tho Bed Cross funds of relief for prisoners is -concerned, it has of course risen enormously. Last year it amounted to £.1500 per day. It is now about £4000 a day, and will probably iucroaso still further in the near future. Tlio sorvico for prisoners is one of tho most urgent and vital for which the Bed Cross is responsible. Its increasing demands, like- those in other departments of war activity, serves to emphasise tho. urgency of wide and generous response to the appeal for funds which the joint societies aro again making on "Our Day" (October 24), for it is only by • such response that tho 'maintenance at- the full of all tho Rod Cross help for sick and wounded captives can be assured.