HOW TO SEND MAIL, MONEY AND
PARCELS TO PRISONERS IN
GERMANY OR AUSTRIA

AMERICAN PRISONERS

MONEY

1. Send check or money order for the amount desired, made payable to the American
Red Cross, to the Bureau of Prisoners' Relief, American Red Cross, Washington,
D. C.

2. Write plainly the full name and address of the prisoner for whom the money is
intended and your own name and address as sender.

NOTE: It is usual to send amounts monthly as follows:
For privates - From $5.00 and not to exceed $15.00.
For officers - From $5.00 and not to exceed $50.00.

LETTERS

Letters addressed in accordance with directions given below should be sent directly
to prisoners of war and not through the Red Cross.

1. On the front of the envelope write plainly prisoner's name, and in case he is a
military prisoner, give his rank and unit, as "Private John Smith, 1st Infantry," and on
the line below the prisoner's name write "American Prisoner of War."

2. Name and Location of Prison Camp, and before the name of the Camp write
"Kriegsgefangenenlager," which is the German translation for "Prisoner of War Camp."

3. In the upper right-hand corner, where on an ordinary envelope the stamp would
be placed, should be written the following words: "Prisoner of War Mail - No Postage
- Via New York."

4. On the Back of the envelope should be written the full name and address of sender.

5. No reference should be made to the war or any governmental matters. Letters
should be written on one side only of not more than two sheets of paper.

Prisoner of War Mail
No Postage
Via New York

(Private) John Smith (Company) (Regiment)
American Prisoner of War
Kriegsgefangenenlager
(Name of Camp)
Province (such as Westphalia)
Germany (or Austria)

From (Name of Sender)
(Address)
U. S. A.

SAMPLE ENVELOPE

Place your letter thus addressed and without stamp in the NEAREST POST BOX.


PARCELS

Parcels of food and clothing, as well as incidental comforts, are sent from the
American Red Cross warehouse in Switzerland to all American prisoners whenever known.
For this reason the sending of parcels by families and friends is discouraged; but they
may be sent from America to AMERICAN PRISONERS ONLY. Individual parcels
may be sent as per the following instructions:

Parcels may be furnished Allied Prisoners if certain instructions are followed. (See
paragraph headed "Allied Prisoners.") Only the following articles may be included in
packages sent to American prisoners of war:

Belts (not made of leather), brushes (hair, hand, tooth, shaving and shoe), buttons,
candy (hard), cigars, cigarettes, comb, crackers, or biscuits, gloves (not made of leather),
handkerchiefs, knives (pocket), needles and thread, pencils, pens, penholders, pins, pipes,
safety razors and blades, shaving soap, powder or cream, scarfs, shirts, shoe laces (not
made of leather), smoking or chewing tobacco, soap (toilet), socks, sweaters, tooth
powder (paste or liquid mouth wash), towels, underwear, personal photographs, periodicals
published prior to beginning of the war. Under no condition must the package,
including wrapper, weigh more than 11 pounds.

Only one package per month may be sent to any one prisoner.

Parcels should be securely wrapped, preferably in reinforced paper.

The same form of address as in case of letters should be used and in addition to the
name and address of the sender should be written the relationship of sender to prisoner,
as "Mother," "Sister," etc.

Parcels should not be sent through the Red Cross, but correctly addressed, in accordance
with the above, should be sent directly to the prisoner.

ALLIED PRISONERS,
ALSO
AMERICANS IN FOREIGN UNITS

MONEY

1. Send to the Bureau of Prisoners
Relief, American Red Cross, Washington,
D. C., check or money order made payable
to the AMERICAN RED CROSS,
with a short letter stating what shall be
done with the money.

(a) To be transmitted to prisoners as
cash in the form of camp currency, or

(b) To be used to purchase food,
clothing and supplies, through one of the
Foreign Relief Societies, according to
directions of sender. (Size of clothing
should be stated.)

2. Write plainly the full NAME,
NATIONALITY and PRISON CAMP
ADDRESS of the prisoner.

3. To avoid unnecessary delay and
correspondence, send the postal card or
envelope received from the prisoner,
showing his latest prison camp address.
It will be returned if requested.

4. Write plainly your own NAME and
ADDRESS as sender. This information
is given to the Society in Europe
to be sent by it to the prisoner with the
relief.

NOTE: It is usual to send amounts
monthly as follows:
For privates - From $5.00 and
not to exceed $25.00.
For officers - From $5.00 and
not to exceed $50.00.

While it is not possible to send money
or packages direct from this country
to Allied prisoners, the desired result
may be accomplished by following the
instructions given above.

LETTERS

1. Letters should not be sent to the
American Red Cross to be forwarded.

2. Letters should not be longer than
TWO pages, written on ONE side of the
paper only and enclosed in a plain envelope,
properly addressed and marked
as follows:

3. On the FRONT of the envelope
should be written the full name of the
prisoner and the address of the camp
where he is confined.

4. In the UPPER RIGHT-HAND
CORNER, where on an envelope
containing an ordinary letter the stamp
would be placed, should be written the
following words:
Prisoner of War Mail
No Postage 
Via New York

5. On the BACK of the envelope
should be written the name and address
of the sender.

6. Letter, UNSTAMPED and
UNSEALED, should be placed in any post
office or post box.

7. No reference should be made to the
war or any governmental matters.

Prisoner of War Mail
No Postage
Via New York
(Name of Prisoner)
(Nationality, Prisoner of War)
Kriegsgefangenenlager
(Name of Camp)
(Province)
Germany (or Austria)

From (Name of Sender)
(Address)
U.S.A.

SAMPLE ENVELOPE

AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS BUREAU OF PRISONERS' RELIEF
WASHINGTON, D. C.