MISSING N.Z. SOLDIERS

Grey River Argus, 8 June 1943, Page 4

MISSING N.Z. SOLDIERS

EFFORTS TO TRACE THEM, p A WELLINGTON, June 7. ’“Relations of soldiers who have been posted as missing in the Middle East can be assured that New Zealand army authorities make thorough and continuous efforts to trace all missing personnel,” stated Mr Fraser. The work was undertaken by the casualtv section of the Overseas Base, and no source of information that might even remotely be of use was overlooked. . ,

When a soldier was posted missing the following routine steps were taken (a) • medical returns were checked to make sure the man missing was not in hospital; (b) returns of graves registration units in the field were checked; (c) units were required to hold a court of inquiry to decide whether the soldier was‘to be posted missing or believed prisoner, killed, etc.; (d) a further court of inquiry was held for the same purpose after a lapse of three to six months, while meanwhile units were instructed to forward any information that might come to hand; (e) casualty section kept available complete particulars about, every man, and every soldier making enquiries was questioned for information about men missing from his or other units; (f) all escapees were personally interviewed about information regarding men on missing list; (g) checks were made with International Red Cross lists; (h) International Red Cross has been requested to instruct camp leaders in various prisoner ot war camps in Italy to prepare rolls of the New Zealand personnel for the purpose of checking; (i) periodically notice was published by N.Z. E.F. “Times” requesting information about missing men. Mr Fraser added that apart from this routine procedure, further steps recently had been taken in an endeavour to" obtain additional information about missing men. Complete rolls of missing men have been issued to units with a request for information .about men of their own units or those closely associated with them in the campaigns of Greece and Crete. Rolls also are published by the N.Z.E.F. “Times” with the same reouest. Any information received was passed on to the next-of-kin.