PATRIOTIC PARCELS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 258, 30 July 1942, Page 4

PATRIOTIC PARCELS

Gratitude Of Soldiers In Middle East “Any suggestion that patriotic parcels are not being delivered is incorrect. Wherever it lias been humanly possible, every man received at least two parcels at Christinas time. This accounts tor many tens of thousands for a start-off.” Thesa statements are made in a letter which Jias been received by the wife of a New Zealand officer and forwarded to the Wellington Provincial Patriotic Council in refutation of complaints that, soldiers have not been receiving patriotic parcels in Egypt. . , , “The boys in tho desert received for the most part far more than this,” adds the writer. *‘l have spoken to at least 10 of these chaps, none of whom received less than three. It is only natural that anyone who was a prisoner in Bardia, for instance, perhaps did not get his parcel at Christmas, but you can take it as a certainty that over 00 per cent, of the men in the N.Z.E.F. received their full quota of patriotic parcels eventually, and, in fact, a splendid job was done by those doing the distributing. I had occasion two mouths ago to have a man up on. the mat for writing home that Iw had received absolutely nothing, when I personally had handed him two patriotic parcels 10 days before. . “The complaint about, having to t>uy the free gifts at file canteens is just too contemptible to discuss. The Patriotic Fund is doing a great job of work (our Christmas dinner, for instance), not to mention sports gear, the recreational huts, mobile cinemas, mobile canteens, the New Zealand Chib in Cairo, and hundreds of things which tho soldier docs not realize come from the Patriotic Fund.” Another soldier serving in 'the Middl'd East writes: “Just a few line,® to thank vou for the parcels which wore distribut’d to ns a few days ago. Wo all got a "■rent thrill out of opening them. It was jnst like having a Christmas Day alt to ourselves. There are only a few of us nt our particular outpost, but all the parcels I saw arrived in good condition, and contained an excellent assortment of useful articles. If vour committee could have seem the pleasure with which wo opened (and devoured) the contents of the parcels. they would have felt amply rewardod for their efforts,”