SOLDIERS' MAILS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 113, 6 February 1919, Page 6

SOLDIERS' MAILS

HOW THEY WERE HANDLED MAJOR F. D. HOLDSWORTH'S STORY Among those who returned to New Zealand by : the Euahine was Major F. D. Holdsworth, of Auckland, formerly Chief Postmaster there, arid who for the past two and a half years has been located in London a3 Chief Postal Officer with .the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Major Holdsworth, who'is visiting Wellington, said that he was very glad to get back to New Zealand. In the light of his experiences he did not think there ■was any better place under the sun. Major Holdsworth said that their quarters in London were in the Army Base Post Office at Mount Plcs<»nt, the largest sorting office in Londoi'. is. vl'kh Nt-v Zealand was given excellent quarters. As soon as he got Homo a fine system was devised for the facilitating of deliveries, and it had worked smoothly ever since. Seeingithat soldiers;in action were subject to/sudden changes of location, each individual had to be followed up, so they hacl an elaborate card system, which provided a separate cird for every man. The men were advised to forward "any change of address at once to the N.Z.E.F. Post Office, and as the advice was received it was noted on his card, and mails ■were forwarded "by the card." A man might be in France tndav, in London to-morrow, and Glasgow the next day, or he may be in the trenches at one time, and in hospital somewhere in France or England the next, but if he could possibly manage it he was enjoined to inform the Post Office at Hie earliest opportunity. In that way delays in delivery were avoided as far as possible. They could not bo tvoided altogether, because many of the men would fail to notify changes of address, and bock would come the letters and narcels time after time as they tried to follow the man up." There were lflo.™en on the staff, now under Major M'Curdv, who was a xerf able officer. Major G..8. Dall is now on the water, having been appointed to succeed -Major Holdsworth in charge. 'As the fighting is done tlie work .will; now be comparatively easy, and it is probable,, that a quota of the postal men ifthe staff in London were all men from the service in New Zealand) would no 'doubt be returning with each draft. The only time they hr-d to staff was at Christmas, when an extra 60 men were employed to .'deal with the mountains of "mails and parcels for men at the front. One Christmas ronsidernble trouble was caused through the peculations of some of the extra hands, who develoned the habit of stealing the .parcels, quite.as though thpv were.not doing anything untoward. They we're successful in catching some of and three were court-martialled and punished. After that 'they had to be very careful when it came to the extra men for work "at Christm».s-timfv

Reference has been mad*, to the man. lier in.which .the men of the N.Z.E.F. ijibve about aw!'the difficulty it !s to keep In touch; with them. As an illustration of the work such conditions entail, Major HoHsworth-stated that in one month no fewer than 75,000 redirections were made of letters, papers, and 'packages. 'Major ■ Holdsworth, who has retired from the service on superannuation, intends to reside at Auckland:' Mrs. Holdsworth also returned by the Ruahine.