PRISONERS OF WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 February 1943, Page 3

PRISONERS OF WAR

FOOTWEAR TYPES- PERMITTED ADVICE TO NEXT-OF-KIN. RECENT DESPATCHES OF PARCELS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Next-of-kin are reminded by the Prisoners of War Inquiry Office that the only types of footwear permitted to be sent in quarterly parcels to prisoners of war - in Italian camps arc army boots, which must be studded canvas shoes with rubber soles, and indoor slippers with soft soles. Civilian boots and shoes and not permitted. Where prisoners are known to be in any working detachment, next-of-kin are advised to send in their quarterly parcels as many working clothes as possible, keeping to the clothing listed under the permissable articles. Many parcels are reaching the censoring and repacking depots with a special Red Cross label inside the parcel Next-of-kin are advised that in future, unless the label is on the outside, in accordance with the instructions in the brochure, they will not be accepted. From the middle of November to the middle of December, six ships sailed from Lisbon for Marseilles, carrying Red Cross' supplies and parcels. Geneva advises that from October 1 to 15, there were despatched to camps for British prisoners in Germany and Italy approximately 300,000 food parcels, nearly 2,000 invalid comforts’ parcels and over 10,000 tobaccco parcels. Also bulk food estimated at about 75,000 food parcels were forwarded. The Headquarters Inquiry Office urgently requires copies of recent letters from Stalag VIIIB.