Son of Herbert and Fannie Anderson, nee Hutton, of Utakura.

Private R. A. Anderson (Stalag 306 XVIII D)

Letter 1: 15/2/1942
There's great excitement in the house today for one of the boys received the first home parcel from NZ. It was despatched on 8 Sept, so my hopes are soaring. Have had no mail for a while owing to the post being held up by the snow, but I still head the Kiwi pack with 31 letters. I don't think I've mentioned before that we have cards for poker and 500, and several cheap mouth organs. One lad has a mandolin.

Letter 2: 24/2/1942
I must write to tell you how delighted I was when my parcel arrived last night. It had taken just a little over 4 months, which I reckon is pretty good going. Everything came through all right and arrived in top-dog order. After the papers had been signed I brought the contents into the lager, dished out some chewing gum all round and everything was inspected and admired to the accompaniment of appreciative grunts emitted from numerous ruminating jaws. It's great having comfortable feet again - the rug is a beauty. I've wanted a mouth organ like that for a long time; in fact, I'm very, very grateful for everything and many, many thanks to all. (Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 4, July 1942, p.9))

R. A. Anderson (Stalag 306 XVIII D)

Letter: 28/4/1942
Some us went down to the next village this morning for some Red Coss parcels and when I got there was delighted to receive 2 letters. One of the other lads here also had a letter from his mother, written in February, in which she mentioned reading in the newspaper that I was working on a farm, so I assume that at last you have had some of my mail. We have some books issued from the Stalag and today got some nuts and dried fruits from the Turkish Red Coss. At Easter we were granted 2 days' holiday which formed a welcome break.. Tried the horses out for the first time last week on a spot of ploughing and although one mare is stone blind they're quite a good pair.

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 6, October 1942, p.6))

Private R. A. Anderson (Stalag 306 XVIII D)

Letter 1: 21 June
I received another personal parcel this time from the English branch of the NZ Red Cross. I've really got too much stuff now, so in case my previous letter hasn't got through don't send me any more for a while except socks and chocolate. At present we are making hay; so is everybody about here. My boss traded one of the horses for a pair of oxen the other day and I had quite a pleasant little outing to a village some miles away to collect them. Have had 4 personal parcels and have really too much stuff. In a few days I'll have been working here for a year. Please write to the NZ Red Cross and tell them I greatly appreciate the parcel they sent via Canada.

Letter 2: 26/7/1942
Had a real summer's day, so this afternoon we all picked up the boys from the other camp and went swimming in one of the mill streams. Returned to the other camp, had a cup of tea and collected the new issue of Red Cross Parcels. This morning I made quite a passable fruit cake (at least nobody has died from after-effects) from a collection of ingredients from our Red Cross parcels. We mowed and carted in the rye this week, then ploughed the patch for the next crop. We manage to get a little bit of beer occasionally.

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 7, November 1942, p.8))

Corporal Robert A. Anderson (Stalag XVIII B)

Letter 1: 10 May
Now wear nothing but a pair of shorts when working. We have been planting crops all week and have now finished the maize and nearly all the spuds. Last night we all went down to the other lager to collect our new battledress uniforms which the Red Corss have sent. Only one pair of new boots came here, size 11, and here my big plates of meat came in handy. Even although I am far from home I've got a good grip on the earth. More new boots are coming next month. Also today, meat, honey, chocolate and sugar came from the Argentine and nuts and dried fruit from Turkey.

Letter 2: 21 August
Have been on various odd jobs, shovelling coal, carting mail etc. Lately we have been able to buy tomatoes, watermelons in the canteen the French prisoners manage. Last Wednesday we shifted the Red Cross Magazine to a new building. The job took all day. We have a fair sort of library here and quite a few musical instruments. Last Sunday the French prisoners put on a Fair which was quite a good show, especially as they are handicapped for material. Concerts occur about twice a week. The food is better than when I was here last year and with our Red Cross parcels we have plenty to eat. Besides the camp newspaper we also receive at regular intervals, approximately every month, bulletins of home news from NZ and Australia, sent via London. For sports we have basketball and cricket but the old "two-up" is still by far the most popular.

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 8, January 1943, p.10))

Corporal R. A. Anderson (Stalag XVIII D 306)

Letter 1: 6 September
We have just unloaded 3000 Red Cross parcels from the station, as an additional ration. Every 2 men were issued with a milk parcel. The contain custard powders, cocoa, ovaltine, Horlicks malted milk, arrowroot and such like foods. We staged a sports meeting here this morning and managed to clean up the Frenchmen in nearly all the events. I met Stan Hilder yesterday, when he came in for a few hours from his forestry job. The big mobs of sheep have grazed their pastures bare and are making for the hills, the dogs have a hard job to hold them. I managed to keep my photos and wallets. The authorities have them at present but I should have the back soon.

Letter 2: 17 October
There is a trace of winter creeping into the atmosphere of late, and we are expecting the initial fall of snow any day now. Because of a restriction being placed on the amount of mail that we are allowed to receive, I have had no letter for some time. However a small amount is being released daily this week so that I'm living in hope. Since last writing I've been working on a fruit job. Originally we were loading apples at the Railway Station and yesterday started at another place on the outskirts of this town, handling apples and spuds.

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 9, March 1943, p.18))

Corporal R. A. Anderson (Stalag XVIII A)

Letter: 26 December 1943
We had quite a merry Christmas here out of the hole and a rattling good dinner. We drew our Red Cross parcels on Christmas Eve. This year, they are slightly different. Each parcel contains a cake, a pudding, a box of lollies, a tin of steak and tomato pudding, a tin of steak and macaroni chocolate, cheese, jam, butter, condensed milk, chocolate biscuits, sugar and soap. We all put in a bit of margarine and roasted spuds and carrots in one of the washing basins. We had 6 bottles of beer each. After dinner, we all retired to bed. We have acquired a gramophone. One of the new men brought it with him. The snow visited us today but did not settle. Winter is very different from last year. The concert was a great success and we are going to put on a show every fortnight. We are somewhat hampered through lack of musical instruments and materials but last night's effort was OK.

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (Special, June 1943, p.4))

Cpl R. A. Anderson (Stalag XVIII A)

Letter: July
PATRIOTIC PARCELS
The installation of our new copper is just about complete, so maybe we'll be able to achieve a lesser shade of grey in our washing. At present my clothes would made good contrasts for Persil. Another Patriotic parcel of smokes turned up the other day. On Friday we got a new batch of library books from the Stalag. On Thursday I got a cigarette parcel and on Friday a tobacco parcel from the PATRIOTIC FUND. I dread to think how we would be without these organisations to help us out

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 15, November 1943, p.10))

Corporal Robert Anderson (Stalag XVIII A)

Letter: Undated
With regard to the query; the 120/L was the number of my first working party. The L camps are for farm work and the G.W. ones are railway and quarry jobs. Since then I've been on another farm job and a road camp and am now on a railway 1023 G.W. 23 new recruits arrived here last Saturday but already 11 have gone back to Stalag. We mostly work with our shirts off. We run a small physical training school in a spare room here at nights. Boxing and skipping, however, are as yet the extent of our activities. The latest craze here is telling fairy stories to each other in German. One of the lads punctured the rugby football on the barbed wire last week so until we can repair it we are making shift with a soccer ball.

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 13, September 1943, p.11))

Corporal Robert Anderson (Stalag XVIII A)

Letter: 16 August
Lately I've had a great run of luck with parcels. The January one came to light, followed 2 days later by the April one as well as 2 Patriotic cigarette packets. Those sandals are beauties, a good fit and very comfortable. Everything else arrived in excellent condition. Most of the socks and the pullover I've put away for the winter. Last Wednesday I got 4 April letters. By the way it seems hardly worthwhile paying for airmail forms as the ship mail seems to arrive just as quickly. Today we had to tar the roof of the camp to prevent leakage. We also destoryed a nest of wasps which had been getting into everything. (This PoW has up to date received 6 NoK parcels and he states the only thing missing over the whole lot were one cake of detifrice and one stick of shaving soap. His parents consider this "rather wonderful" - Editor)

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 16, January 1944, p.11))

Corporal R. A. Anderson (Stalag XVIII A)

Letter: 7 November
NZ Red Cross food parcels are on issue at the Stalag. Sufficient are in reserve for 10 weeks' supply. A dozen new lads arrived on Saturday night which brings us back to full strength again. We have knocked up a stage in an empty room here, and shifted the piano in. Next Saturday we are putting on a variety show which should be good. We've come back from playing Rugby and Soccer on our first visit to the local football ground. There are a number of walking wounded but no one was seriously hurt and I think we all enjoyed ourselves.

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 18, March 1944, pp.11-12))

Corporal R. A. Anderson (Stalag XVIII A)

Letter: 22 November
10 letters on Saturday. Have no letter form this week, so am sending this card. On Tuesday my 7th parcel arrived in perfect order just what I wanted for winter. Last week I was elected Man of Confidence, which means that I have to act as arbitrator between us and the Germans. I'll have a lot of correspondence to fix up, but at least I've an inside job for the winter.

(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (No. 18, March 1944, p.12)) AWMM