Letter to Les Pickford's Father from the British Red Cross

Letter to Les Pickford's Father from the British Red Cross

The letter acknowledges that Les is a prisoner of war in Tripoli. It advises the procedure of sending mail and parcels to Les.

1941-08-26

One typewritten sheet

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EEddyJMPickfordF410826

WAR ORGANISATION OF THE BRITISH RED CROSS SOCIETY and ORDER OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM

BOK/HB

[logo]

[italics] President: [/italics]
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

[italics] Grand Prior: [/italics]
H.R.H. THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, K.G.

[logo]

PRISONERS OF WAR DEPARTMENT

[italics] Chairman: [/italics]
THE RT. HON THE EARL OF CLARENDON, K.G., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O.

[italics] Managing Director: [/italics]
STANLEY ADAMS

[italics] General Manager of Packing Centres: [/italics]
THE LORD REVELSTOKE
TELEPHONE NO.
ABBEY 5841

[italics] Deputy Director: [/italics]
J.M. EDDY, C.B.E.
ST. JAMES'S PALACE
LONDON, S.W.1

August 26th, 1941.

F, Pickford, Esq.,
41, Broadway Road,
Kingsway,
Manchester.

Dear Mr. Pickford,

[underlined] RAF/M/1203– Sgt. L. Pickford 551653 [/underlined]

We are informed by the Air Ministry that you have heard from your son telling you that he is a prisoner of war in hospital in Tripoli. We hope he has given good news of his progress and that you will soon hear from him again. Neither letters nor parcels should be sent to your son in North Africa, but letters can be sent c/o the Italian Red Cross, by whom they will be forwarded. You will find this address set out in full No 3 on page 2 of the enclosed circular 99/41. Your son will probably be sent to a prisoner of war camp in Italy as soon as he is well enough to leave hospital, but until the camp address is known it will not be possible for you to use the special labels that will be sent to you for a next-of-kin parcel. We will write to you again and give you full information about parcels as soon as we hear your son's address. It is possible that you will hear this from your son himself before we write to you again and we shall be glad if you will inform us if this is the case.

We are well aware that this will be an anxious time for you and would like to assure you that reports reaching this office speak very highly of the hospital treatment of prisoners of war in enemy territory.

Yours sincerely,

p.p. J.M. EDDY BOK

Deputy Director.