VILLAGE HELP FOR PRISONERS OF WAR. [To THE EDITOR 0/
THE "SPECTATOR."] SIE,—A plan for helping prisoners in Germany has been carried out here for four or five months with such success that I think other small places may be glad to know of it. Our village has a total population of about two hundred, and with one exception all the householders are breadwinners. In May a lady called on a number of the cottagers and asked whether they would be willing to subscribe twopence or threepence a week in order to adopt a prisoner belonging to the Queen's West Surrey Regiment and send him a five-shilling parcel of food once a fortnight. Many of the villagers have sons or brothers in the West Surrey, and the response was so warm that the village was able to adopt two prisoners instead of the one proposed. Not only is the local interest keen, but the prisoners are much pleased to be remembered by a Surrey village. One man hopes to come here to thank his friends as soon as he returns to England. The lady who acts as Secretary communicates at once with the next-of-kin of each prisoner, so that in each case the relations send food alternate weeks with the villagers. The money is collected monthly, when the Secretary shows any cards or letters from the prisoners or relations as she goes her round, so that each subscriber feels personally linked to the man he helps. The Hon. Secretary of the Prisoners of War Help Committee, 5 Southampton Street, Strand, W.0., will gladly give the address of the Secretary of any regiment in which a village takes special interest, and this Secretary will supply the names and addresses of prisoners and instructions for the making up and
sending of parcels.--I am, Sir, &e., L. M. F. Dorking.
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