PLAQUES AND SCROLLS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4404, 21 April 1922, Page 4

PLAQUES AND SCROLLS.

CAUSES OF DELAY. WANT OF ADDRESSES. SURPRISING INFORMATION. As a result of being unable to obtain the .addresses of next-of-kin of deceased soldiers in a large number of cases, the Defence Department is in possession of quite a number of unclaimed memorial plaques and scrolls. With this exception the work of despatching the memorials issued on account of those members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who died Overseas is practically com r pleted. Plaques and scrolls are distributed under regulations which prescribe that the recipients are to be the nearest of kin of .the deceased at the date when the plaque ,and scroll were posted, and there is no question of legal succession. Those who are entitled to the memorials on account of soldiers who died overseas but have not received them should at once notify the Officer-in- 1 Charge, War Accounts and Records Office, Wellington, who is also receiving applications for plaques and scrolls on account of those soldiers who have died as a direct result of war service subsequent to being discharged from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. It has been decided to issue memorial plaques to the next-of-kin of those members of the New Expeditionary Force who did not have overseas service but died while in camp. Applications for these plaques should be made immediately by the next-of-kin £o the Officer-iin-Charge, War Accounts and Records.

It is almost incpnceiv.abl.e that nearly .14,00.0 members of the Expeditionary Force have failed to notify the Officer-in-Charge, War Accounts and Records, of their addresses or , changes of address so that he can. I issue ,to them their war medals and ‘ certificates of service with the N.Z.E F. This partieularily applies to ! men discharged overseas who have I returned to New Zealand. Almost every day men write complaining of delay in issuing medals, and it is al- | niost invariably found that the cause ! of the delay is due to the fact that the medals have been posted to the last known address of the soldier and have been returned through the dead letter office. 1 The Department •is now completing thu writing of illuminated certificates, and the unclaimed ones will be stored and delivered as the addresses of the soldiers become known.' No doubt as Anzac Day approaches , many urgent requests will be receiv- I ed for despatch of medals and certificates. I