Help For British Prisoners of War

From Woman’s Weekly, 12th October 1918.

HELP FOR BRITISH PRISONERS.

A Very Useful Article, Telling How to Inquire After the Soldier who is in Enemy Hands.

MUCH time might be saved, and trouble avoided, by going about a thing in the right way.
At the request of your Editress, therefore, I am going to tell readers who are anxious to ascertain information of the missing, or to send parcels to prisoners of war, the best way to go about it.

THE FIRST STEP. 
IN the first instance, write to The British Red Cross Society, 18, Carlton House Terrace, and do not fall into the common error of stating that "your son or husband is missing" without giving his Christian name and regimental number, or even the name of his regiment.  Remember that in the majority of cases dozens bear the same surname, and the omission causes unnecessary trouble and delay.
Should you hear from Carlton House, or from some other source, that he is a prisoner of war, your next step would be to call at or write to

Central Prisoners of War Committee, 
Records Dept., 
4, Thurloe Place, 
London, S.W. 1, 

giving information received, with a view to sending him food.  The entire record, as far possible, of every prisoner, and details, can be had from the above address.  However, many regiments have their own care committee, and the Central Prisoners of War Committee—which is a branch of the Red Cross—only pack for a certain number.
If you want to send a parcel to a British prisoner, you can send it through the committee.

STANDARD PARCELS. 
HEREWITH two standard parcels, costing about 10s.

(A)

One pound of beef, one pound of vegetables, one pound of rations, half a pound of cheese, quarter of a pound of tea, half a pound of milk, half a pound of sugar, half a pound of dripping or margarine, one pound of jam, one pound of biscuits, one packet of Quaker oats or milk pudding, fifty cigarettes or one ounce of tobacco, one tin of sardines, and one tablet of soap. 

(B)

One pound of beef, one pound of bacon, one pound of baked beans, half a pound of tea, half a pound of ham or veal, or beef dripping, one pound of biscuits, one pound of rations, one pound of dripping or margarine, one pound of Quaker oats or Grape Nuts or milk pudding, one tin of sardines, one pea-soup roll, fifty cigarettes, and one tablet of soap. 

NO assistance is afforded by the Government in any way, the institution being entirely supported by voluntary contributions.  This being the case, surely no one with a conscience will seek assistance without doing their utmost to help.
Of course, there are genuine cases of poverty.  The mother with a large family of growing children, struggling bravely with her inadequate separation allowance, can do little, if anything. If, however, she frankly states her case to the secretary of the committee, the prisoner will be as well looked after as those whose relatives are able to provide for him.

WHAT THE PRISONERS WRITE. 
HERE is a typically grateful letter, culled from a large number of similar ones, which the committee has kindly given me permission to publish:
(Extract from Pte. E. May's letter.) 

Rifle Brigade, 

Lager Lechfeld, 

May 13th, 1918. 

You will be glad to know that we are regularly receiving our parcels from the British Red Cross, and we are truly thankful for the same.  What we should do without them I dread to think.  Life would not be worth living.  They contain an excellent assortment of foods, and the best quality at that.  In addition to our grocery packets we receive bread parcels, each containing two loaves of pure white bread.  So you can rest assured that we will not starve while we have a British Red Cross Society.  May their good work continue to the end!  
The Red Cross sends all we need. 

With regard to the bread mentioned in the letter, as soon as the committee know the camp at which the prisoner is, a wire is instantly despatched to Copenhagen, and the society's agents begin to send him weekly supplies of bread.

HOW THE COMMITTEE WORKS. 
DIFFERENT sections deal with different regiments.  Directly information is received from the secretary relating to any particular captured man it is taken to the right quarter, and two cards are written for him.
One is for the camp-room (containing all particulars and source of information), the other for the records.
The latter are filed in boxes alphabetically arranged.  Fresh information is added from time to time, so that the committee is in a position to supply in-quires with all particulars.
The splendid work done by the Red Cross—of which the Central Prisoners of War Committee is a branch—needs no comment. Even those who have grown somewhat weary and sceptical of war charities must surely be in sympathy with it.
Every penny sent for the help of the prisoners of war is spent on them, and on them alone.  I am in a position to unhesitatingly assert this.  There is no reduction for working expenses, or anything of that sort.  Our brave lads get the full benefit of your generosity and self-denial.
I must not omit to mention that officers are cared for in the same way as the men and the relatives of both receive the same courteous consideration from all who have the great work at heart,
FREDA ELLIOT.