§ 23. Sir William Davisonasked the Postmaster-General between what posting dates were letters or parcels addressed to prisoners of war lost at sea or otherwise known to have been destroyed?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonI am not aware that any letters addressed to prisoners of war have been lost at sea or otherwise destroyed. As regards parcels, I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the parcels sent by or on behalf of the next of kin. Of these, no parcels sent by permit holders have been lost at sea or otherwise destroyed, but some 2,000 "personal" parcels have been lost at sea. It is impossible to say with accuracy when these were posted but about 1,000 of them were posted in October, 1940, and the other 1,000 in February, 1941. A number of parcels addressed not to individual prisoners of war but to the International Red Cross are known to have been destroyed or seriously damaged in recent air raids.
§ Sir W. DavisonIn view of the anxiety of many people about getting these clothing parcels to prisoners of war, will it not be possible for some public announcement to be made in the Press when parcels are lost in the way described?
§ Mr. MorrisonI will consider that.