OUR MEN IN HOSPITAL.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 1 October 1917, Page 6

OUR MEN IN HOSPITAL.

WHAT THEY MOST NEED When our soldiers return from active service to England, either on leave or to go into hospital, it is found that in the fighting a very large proportion lose their wallets and pocket books. Therefore, in the hospitals and other places organised efforts are made to raise funds to replace these articles which soldiers seem to value more than anything else. At Christmas time, while Mrs Batt w r as assisting at the Battenhall Hospital, she had an experience that has led her to want to do something towards giving another lot of New Zealand soldiers similar pleasure to that she saw given to others. Huge , Christmas trees were provided, profusely decorated with coloured electric and heavily laden with those articles it had been found by investigation, what soldiers most desired. These included first, wallets and pocket books, then pipes and such other things as the heart of man lusteth after. A lady of title called out the names of the men ? a gentleman ''of title as Father Christmas, delivered -the goods, attended by two little fairies having titled parents. Mr s Batt thinks that times may be harder in England and she does not like the idea of a similar great pleasure being given to the wounded men now in Battenhall, and she is inviting ■every man woman, and child to help in sending something that will gladden the heart of the men at Christmas time. The school-child’s penny will be just as acceptable as the rich ian’s £lO, and nobody need hesitate to give because of the smallness of the amount. Every penny will be acceptable. The money can be sent to Mrs Batt, left at her house, or it may be left at this office, hut Mrs Batt pleads with everyone to do just a little so that she can have the satisfaction of feeling that the inmates of ' the hospital in which she worked are having articles lost in the fighting replaced ty means of the Christmas tree.