SOLDIERS' GRAVES.

Taihape Daily Times, 3 November 1917, Page 2

SOLDIERS' GRAVES.

t LONDON, Sept 4. For the guidance of relatives of soldiers who have fallen the British Ad-jutant-General has issued the following order, which will have its deep interest for New Zealand: ''Some time may elapse after burial before the grave has been properly registered and marked, and the position correctly recorded. As soon as this is done notification will be sent to the next of kin. This notification may be taken as final verification, or correction, of information received from other sources. It is not possible to arrange for the distribution of flowers and wreaths for individual' graves but the cemeteries as a whole were grass-sown and planted with flowers and shrubs where conditions would allow under the advice of the Director of the Royal Gardens at Kew. Their maintenance is under super,vision of officers of tie Graves Registration Unit. "Photographs of such graves in France and Belgium as are accessible to the photographers employed for the purpose are furnished to relatives on application, free of cost, from funds placed at the disposal of the directorate for this object, as well as for the. planting of burial grounds by the general committee of the British Red Cross Society and St. John Ambulance Association All applications are carefully noted, and photographs are sent as soon as possible, but. it will be understood that in many case week s or months may pass before photographs can be taken. "Circumstances not infrequently arise which make it undesirable in « i the interests of the military situation, to disclose the position of a grave, although it has been duly registered and recorded. "Many considerations, among which is the desire felt at the front to avoid the inequality of treatment, have made it necessary to forbid the erection of any permanent memorials during the progress of hostilities. Tbe sending of cresses to France is also prohibited, as all transport is required for war material."