Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 4. p 915

Royal Berks Regiment Prisoners of War Fund -” continued.

Clothing Parcels.

Each of the prisoners was sent the following clothing as soon as he was reported a prisoner at a recognized camp: - €”2 vests, 2 shirts, 2 pants, 3 socks, jersey, gloves, 3 handkerchiefs, 2 towels, 3 balls of mending wool, 3 darning needles, 1 pair boots, 1 pair shoes, 1 suit, great coat, cap, braces and kit bag. All these articles of clothing were renewed every six months with the exception of the great coats, caps and braces, which were only sent every twelve months.

Up to May the Misses Eastwood packed the underclothing, great coats and caps. After that date it is regretted that they could no longer manage the packing for the increased number, and from that time all the clothing was received and dispatched from Wasing Place. The number of packers had to be largely increased, and the Committee would like to record their deep sense of obligation to the following for their help: Major and Mrs. Bramwell, Mr. and Mrs. Hadden, Mr. Mitchell, Mrs. Gliddon, Miss Wyer, Mrs. King, Mrs. Dines.

The number of parcels dispatched from Jan. 1st to Nov. 11th was 6,825. It is satisfactory to hear from one of the sergeants of the 2nd Royal Berks that the prisoners belonging to that Battalion were the first of any of the prisoners taken at the Chemin des Dames at the end of May to receive their clothing.

Secretarial Department.

Owing to the increase in the number of prisoners additional workers had to be obtained for the secretarial department, and the thanks of the Committee are due to the devoted work done by Miss Fowler, Miss Hadden, Mrs. Edden, Miss Sims-Williams, Miss Goudlay, Miss Hilda White, Miss Sylvia White, Mrs. Teichman, Mrs. Lonsdale, Miss Hall, Mrs. Langford. The labels for the parcels were all done by Miss Annie Fowler and Colonel Langford. The Committee would also like to record their appreciation of the work done by Mrs. McLeod, who has done all the typing and shorthand work during the last three years. The number of letters and cards from Ja. 1st to Dec. 31st amounted to 17,782. This number was irrespective of the Advice postcards which were sent out with each clothing parcel, and of the food acknowledgment cards which had to be booked, addresses checked and the cards re-directed to the various adopters.

[photo, portrait] MISS EASTWOOD (Member of Committee).

[photo, portrait] Mr. W. A. MOUNT, M.P. (Chairman of Committee).

Accounts.

There is a balance of £3,401 11s. 1d in hand, including £2,500 which has already been invested in War Loan. This may seem to some to be excessive, but it must be pointed out that this was only enough to cover two months'€™ expenditure at the current rate, and it was not generally thought that the care of the prisoners would come so suddenly to an end.

In accordance with the War Charities Act, the approval of the Charity Commission had to be obtained to the disposal of this balance, and our Committee have decided, with their consent, to apply the balance of £3,401 11s. Id. in the following way:- £330 to be held by the Royal Berkshire Prisoner of War Care Committee for giving assistance to repatriated prisoners of war, with a preference to those who have served in the Royal Berkshire Regt. The balance to be transferred to the Trustees to be appointed by the Local War Pensions Committee of Berkshire, for the maintenance of a Convalescent Home to accommodate about 20 patients, for the benefit of discharged soldiers and sailors with the following priorities:-

(1) Prisoners of war in the Royal Berkshire Regt., including the Territorial Forces.

(2) Any prisoners of war resident in Berkshire belonging to other Forces.

(3) Discharged disabled soldiers from the Royal Berkshire Regt and all branches of the Berkshire Territorial Force.

(4) Any discharged disabled soldiers and sailors resident in Berkshire belonging to other Forces.

(5) Discharged disabled soldiers and sailors from other Forces not resident in Berkshire, priority to be given to those residing in "the Joint Area".
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The Home to be managed by the Local War Pensions Committee of Berkshire and Reading, to which Committee Mrs. Mount has been co-opted as representing the Royal Berkshire Regiment Prisoners of War Care Committee. When the Home is closed, any balance which may be over is to be used for some purpose in connection with the Royal Berkshire Regiment, which shall be approved by the Charity Commissioners.

The thanks of the Committee are again due to Mr. Blake P. Allnatt for his services as honorary Auditor.

Adopters.

The Committee would like to express their sincere gratitude to the adopters for the great personal interest and kindness they have shown to their prisoners, and also to those who have so generously subscribed to the Fund. They would also like to record their thanks to the Depôt of the Royal Berkshire Regt., the Central Prisoners of War Committee, and the Bread Bureaux at Berne and Copenhagen for their invaluable assistance and co-operation in the care of their prisoners. It may be interesting to record that when the Care Committee first commenced its work in May, 1915, there were only 27 prisoners, and that this number had increased to 1,400 on November 11th, when the Armistice was signed. The number of grateful letters that are daily being received from repatriated prisoners and their relations have more than repaid the Committee for their work, and they hope that the adopters and subscribers will realise the intense gratitude of the prisoners.

[photo, portrait] MISS L. A. FOWLER (Member of Committee).

[photo, portrait] MISS V. EASTWOOD (Member of Committee).

That the work was appreciated by the prisoners is strikingly demonstrated by letters received from them, of which the following are typical:-
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Sergt. Hemmings, 1st Royal Berks,, wrote from Saltau:
I hope you will excuse my writing to you like this, but I thought I would like to write and let you know how much I and the other N.C.O.'s of this Regiment appreciate all you have done for us since we have been in Germany. I can safely say that no other regiment gets so well looked after as our own.

Sergt. Summers, 1st Royal Berks, wrote from Munster 2:
I feel it is incumbent upon me to write my thanks to you and Miss Eastwood for all you have done for the N.C.O.'s and men of the Regiment in Germany, and most especially myself. I have always been proud of my Regiment but am now even prouder of all those ladies who work voluntarily for its physical comfort. I can assure you ladies that every N.C.O. and man here heartily appreciates the splendid work of you all.

Corpl. Innocent, 1st Royal Berks, writing from Hameln, said:
I don'€™t know what we prisoners would have done had there not been so many good Samaritans in the old country. I assure you the men appreciate to the full the efforts of their respective donors and distributors.

Corpl. Shaw, 1st Royal Berks, writing from Switzerland December 3rd, 1917, said:
I have at last arrived in this beautiful country, also Sergt. Laing. How grateful we are to you, Mrs. Mount, and all your generous-hearted people at home. Now I have a free hand to write, I can tell you candidly that you great workers at home are savers of life; if it was not for the parcels sent to us in Germany we should now be in our graves.

These letters of thanks and the warm expressions of gratitude contained in them must have provided a veritable source of inspiration to the committee in their labour of love. By this magnificent organisation a two-fold object was achieved - those who were engaged in the work at home derived strength to endure the strain of war, while our lads in Germany were given power to bear their sufferings more patiently by the thought that they were not forgotten by those in their native land.