PLAQUES AND SCROLLS.

Shannon News, 19 April 1922, Page 3

PLAQUES AND SCROLLS.

SOLDIERS’ MEMORIALS

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 ■ac count of those members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who died overseas is practically completed. Plaques and Scrolls are distributed under regulations which prescribe that the recipients arc to be the nearest of kin of the deceased at the date when ilia plaque and scroll were posted, and there is no question of legal succession. 1 Those who arc entitled to the Memorials on account of soldiers who died overseas but have not received them should at once notify the Officcr-m-Cliarge, War Accounts and Records Office, Wellington, who is also receiving applications fora plaque and scroll on account of those soldiers who have died as a direct result of War service subsequent to being discharged from the New Zealand Expeditionary loicc. It has been decided to issue Memorial Plaques to the next-of-kin of* those members of tke New Zealand 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 to the Officer-in-Charge, War Accounts and Records. It is almost inconceivable that near-ly-14,000 members of tho Expeditionary Force have failed.to notify the Of-ficer-in-Charge, War Accounts and Records of their addresses or changes of address so that lie can issue to them their War medals and certificates of service with tho N.Z.E.F. Ih s paiticularly applies to men- discharged overseas who havo 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 duo to the fact that the, medals havo been posted to the last known address of the soldier and kave been returned through the Dead Letter Office. The Department is now completing the writing of illuminated certificates, and the unclaimed ones will bo stored and delivered as the addresses of the soldiers become known. No doubt as Anzac Day approaches, many urgent requests will, be received for the immediate despatch of medals and certificates.