Red Cross Prisoner’s Parcel

Original WW2 Red Cross prisoner’s parcel. The cardboard box bearing the symbols of the Red Cross and the Order of St. John’s. The box is in very good condition! It is printed with the words “PRISONERS’ PARCELS BRITISH RED CROSS & ORDER OF ST. JOHN WAR ORGANISATION KRIEGSGEFANGENENPOST” in black letters. “NEW MILLS” is stamped onto the top of the box. Red Cross parcel box intended for Allied prisoners of war. POW rations were always low and at best supplied only around half of the calories each man needed. Each Red Cross parcel contained a number of tinned and packed foods, which included cheese, dried milk, fruit, Marmite and tea. Every POW was supposed to receive one per week. The daily ration provided to prisoners in Germany generally consisted of weak tea, thin soup and a slice of rye bread or hard biscuit. This meagre diet was supplemented with food parcels supplied by the Red Cross. The course of the war could affect their supply. At the start of the war, and towards the end, few parcels got through to the prisoners. When POWs had to survive only on their official rations, they came close to starvation. During the war, 20 million Red Cross parcels were sent out from the UK alone.