SOLDIERS’ THANKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1941, Page 8

SOLDIERS’ THANKS

CHRISTMAS GIFT PARCELS

CONTENTS APPRECIATED. , RECIPIENTS IN EGYPT & FIJI. ! Several letters have come to hand i from recipients of Christmas parcels, j serving with the New Zealand forces ! overseas, expressing their thanks and

! appreciation of the gifts. In a letter j to the Mayor. Captain N. E. Winhall. ; Chaplain, writing from Egypt, states: "Will you please convey to the j people of Masierton who were in any ! way connected with the contribution I to and distribution of the Christmas | parcels for the troops overseas the I deep and sincere appreciation of all '! the "lads" of this depot who receivied them. The contents were excellent | and were most welcome. ; "As chaplain to the above depot, I I was closely connected with the dis- | iribution of hundreds of similar par- * cels on the morning of December 24. | and so am aware of the pleasure afi forded to the "lads." Being myself ' an old boy of Masterton. and with my 1 parents still residing in the town. I j received a thrill upon opening several { cases and finding the contents labelled ! From Masierton. but as the 'lads’ had I io receive theirs first, I was not fori lunate in receiving one from my old : home (mine was from Canterbury*. j "Though, perhaps, you may receive * few letters of thanks, I wish, to assure ! you and other friends in the borough I dial their gifts are very much ap- ; predated. We have in this depot i three or four .Masterton ‘boys’ and all I are happy. It gives us great pleasure j to know that the friends back home | to well shared with us our experience * of spending a Christmas in a strange ' land ; "With kindly greetings for the ! New Year. ' "The above expressions are endorsed oy us. other 'Old Boys’—Ronald A. Cameron, Cyril T. Wilson, Harry F. Hill. Neil Gordon Macdonald." Sergt. W. H. Johnston, writing from Fij. to the president of the Masterton

Patriotic Committee, .states: "Re Christmas gift parcels to soldier.-; serving overseas.

"I am writing tins brief note of appreciation on the supposition that your committee was responsible for ■ the abovementioned gifts. Should this ! not bo the case I should be obliged i if you would kindly forward this letter ! to the correct address.

"Our battalion is stationed in Fiji. , and although the white residents have done everything in their power to as- ■' r-ist us in having the proverbial Merry ; Christmas, there are not enough of i them to cater for a whole battalion, j "Naturally, the great majority of j us received parcels, etc., from home, i but there was a certain proportion j who had no relatives in New Zealand | and consequently they expected no ' gifts at all.

“As for the rest of us—the sight of New Zealand cooking and tobacco was too good to believe at first, but we soon set about the task of making ourselves familiar with them. The only regrets I have, so far. heard expressed. pre that we cannot have them al! the year round.

“Several of the men in my platoon, myself included. received parcels marßed 'From Masterton.' and were disappointed to find that there was no definite address enclosed to which they eoukl write and say 'Thanks.' Hence * his shot in the dark of mine. ' You may be interested to hear that we are all accustomed to the heat; that we are all well fed and contented, and ‘.hat the only upsetting thing about the place is that there arc not even rats lo lire at. "Again, many thanks on behalf of the boys.” wi'oiher letter, similarly addressed, comet from ten Wairarapa men serving in Fiji. It reads: ’A i wish you to convey to your members and committee tile verv sincere thanks for your very generous Chrt: tmtis gifts. We assure you they arc wry much appreciated by Wairarapa troops m Fiji and when our turn comes we hope to prove worthv ■_ f your kind thoughts and gifts.-—! Ilaxton. Maxwell. H Palmer, W lapl'n. E A. Eastwood. V. I’. Graham. •T F Corlotl. Colin A McLeod. Turn McDonald. B Milieu. 11. A ' dr T .Lrtlan has received a letter of th; nks from Private J 11. I. Curran. Egypt, m which ho ,- tuies, inter alm: ' i <-u have no idea the amount of i ,<-iy you ci.,mined into my busy life. I : the kicky soldiers whol a novel with the name of I ihe sender ~n ...mc :nd 1 ( - ;in ~u n i yot. . t de ail the difl'erei.ce in the j

world to have an idea who sent the gifts instead of receiving them and wondering who sent it. who wrapped, ii. etc. No matter what I write 1 couldn't find words to express my gratitude. So please accept the thanks that are' given from the very bottom of my heart. There is a saying of everybody having a soft spot lucked away somewhere and you found it. . .’’

Then are times when we get terribly homesick and wish the whole show was over and we were back home, but wo usually get over these spasms, espec-

killy when we receive a few reminders that the folks at home are watching' and waiting for us to do our share and are also reminded th.u they haven’t quite forgotten us. Bravo, you old dears, the whole lot of you and you can rest assured we arc proud of .he old home and the willing mothers and daughters we left behind. We will certainly fight al! the harder and think more kindly than we may have done before. You are an example for us to follow: good luck and may God take care of you."