MEMORIAL PLAQUES.

Otaki Mail, 15 April 1922, Page 1

MEMORIAL PLAQUES.

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 Plagues 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 completed. Plagues 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 plague and scroll were posted, una there is no question of legal succession. Those who are entitled to the Memorials on-accouut of soldiers who died overseas but have not received them should at once notify the Officer-in-Charge, War Accounts and Records Office, Wellington, who is also receiving applications for plagues 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 ha s been decided to issue Memorial Plagues to the next-of-kin of those members of the New Zealand Expeditionary force who did not have overseas service but died while in camp. Applications for these plagues should bo mado immediately by the next-of-kin to the Oificer-iu-Gkarge, War. Accounts and Records. It is almost inconceivable that nearly 14,000 members of the Expeditionary Force have failed to notify the Of-fieer-in-Charge, War Accounts and Records of their addresses or changes of address so that he can issue to them their War medals and certificates of service with the N.Z.E.F. This particularly applies to men discharged overseas who have returned to New Zealand. Almost every day men write complaining of delay in issuing medals. and it is almost 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.

The Department is now completing the writing of illuminated certificates. and the unclaimed one.- will be stored and delivered as the addresses of the soldiers become known. No doubt as Anzae Day approaches, many urgent requests will be received for the immediato despatch of medals and certificates.