WOMEN’S WORKING CLUB.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 17 July 1917, Page 5

WOMEN’S WORKING CLUB.

A few months back the Women’s Working Club, in sending parcels to the soldiers at the front, decided to include in each ■ parcel a card of acknowledgment. A number of these cards have come back from soldiers ’ who have received parcels as follows: f Rifleman Ted Bagley, Cpl. J. Stodart, Pte J. Cryer (two parcels), Tpr F. Snelling, Tpr J. J. Mahoney, Pte J. M. Jones, Pte L. H. Haydon, Pte C. McWhirter, Pte R. J. Tod, Pte A. E. Lyall, Pte C. Rowling '(two parcels), ■ Lieut H. Speight, Pte Frank Cole, Pte Davis, W. Rihia, Pte J. McCormick, Rfmn E. A. Baker, D. N. Collins, Pte . W. R. Auld. In addition to the above the follow- - ing acknowledged receipt of parcels as follows, the letters speak for themselves: — England, April 22, 1917. 1 I have just received your gift package of January 30, and must thank 1 your committee very much for same. These little things are very useful, and I can assure you are very much appreciated by we boys.—Gratefully : yours, Dan. L. Addis.

Desert, 28/4/17. Your parcel arrived at a very opportune time, for we have been out a fortnight now and we only carry the clothes we stand up in, so you may guess what a filthy state some of us • are in. We are away up in the Holy . Land now, and the dust is awful when a mob of horses are moving. Some- . times you cannot see 20 yards ahead. - You can imagine w-haf .a fellow looks - like when he is wet with perspiration, then goes through one of these clouds of dust. Last night I had the first unbroken night’s sleep since we left our camp. Some of the fellows received cakes and such like by this mail, but the s-hirt; r -and sox were worth a dozen cakes. Thanking you and all the good people of Taihape for such good things.—Yours truly, H. E. Parson,, 11/1947, W.M.R.

N. Z. General Hospital, Walton-on-Thames, 25/4/17. I must write and thank you for the parcel which I received to-day from the Taihape Women’s Club, and for the good wishes expressed by you in the enclosed note. The contents of the parcel were in good order and I was very pleased to receive such recognition from old friends. You asked me to write and let you know if I needed such comforts as those contained in your parcel, and I am taking advantage of your request in order to let your Club know what gifts are most appreciated by the boys. In regard to clothing, the boys in the line and in hospital are -well provided for excxept in the matter of sox. There is a limited amount of space in a soldier’s kit and the authorities always provide a sufficiency of shirts, singlets, etc. Sox are always acceptable to men on active service, and the Army issue could be greatly improved in this respect. Soap (Lifebuoy), shaving soap, tooth paste and brushes, boot laces, cigarettes and tobacco are all in great demand, but in regard to smoking material it is difficult to know the tastes of a smoker. Most soldiers smoke cigarettes, and if tobacco is sent it should be either dark Havelock or full strength Capstan. Both cigarettes and tobacco should be in dry airtight packages. Such articles as soap, shaving soaip, tooth paste and brushes are not easy to procure from the authorities, and the men usually make up their shortages by pur- | chasing such articles for themselves, i Issued tobacco and cigarettes are of such poor quality that the men have to purchase most of their requirements in this respect. You will be pleased to observe that nearly all the articles named have been contained in parcels sent out by your Club and that the comforts have been of a kincl most calculated to meet the needs of the boys. After spending three months in hospital and four months in a convalescent hospital, I am again receiving hospital treatment. I was operated on again last week and the leg Aas been better ever since. The cause of the trouble was a piece of bone which had been driven very deep into the leg, and as that has now'Feen I taken out, I should have a chance of | recovering sufficiently to be able to | walk without crutches. I expect to be sent back to New Zealand within

three or four months, as I think they will have finished treating me by that time. I have acknowledged receipt of other parcels from the Taihape W. (W.W.C., and I hope my acknowledge | ments have been received all right. I | notice that my old mate Jim Munro i has been very busy on behalf of your | Club, and I am sure that his efforts i have met with great success. He is a great organiser and everything he I is connected with is bound to be sucJ cessful. —With best wishes from E.- ■ Lenihan. 8/2442, No. 1 Machine-Gua I Company. (To be continued.)