The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-14
KIN OF CAPTIVES
 FORM CLUBS IN
 OVER 100 CITIES
BY ALBERT ?. MAYER United Press Staff COrrespondent)

(Vulteu ETeoS OtAtt NVttOpVtWeul
 Chicago, tup)--Next to Kin clubs, composed of families of Americans interned in enemy prisoners Of war camps, are now operating in over 100 American cities under the aus. pices of the Young Mems Christian Association.
 The first Next to Kin club was started two years ago in San Francisco by Delmar Branch, Ge secretary of the Frisco YMCA. Branch was a guest at meeting ot the San Francisco Press club ad- dressed by pr. Tracy Strong, gen- eral secretary of the nssociat'onS world committee. Strong told of loneliness and pathetic conditions in prison camps and of the lack Of news from home.
 Branch decided to so something about 1t and called meeting to which families of American war prisoners were invited. He induced Strong to return and address this group. As result the first Next of Kin club was formed and rapid ly spread to other parts of the nation. The group named French as its secretary and Mrs. B. B. Brlnn, whose son Ray is war prisoner, as its president.
 Largest In Chicago
 When the San FranciscanS met, they found that most of their relatives were confined to Stalag Luft No. 3, camp for captured Allied air officers, in Germany. At that time, there were nearly 5000 Americans and large number Of British and Canadians confined to this particular camp.
 Chicago now has the largest Next of Kin club membership with over 5000 families enrolled in l7 community units. Other cities chiefly have only one unit. There are over 4000 families In the San Francisco club. Pittsburgh and Boston are also listed among the larger clubs of the country.
 The r community units of the Chicago club meet each month and there Is an occasional city-wide meeting. Attendance at the Small- est unit meeting is 20 persons and the largest unit draws over 300. All are under the direction of Mrs. Harriet Hester director of the Next to Kin division of the War Prisoner Aid Service maintained by the YMCA.
 Letters Can Be Shared
 When a family first learns where a relative is imprisoned, usually through the Red Cross, they notify the Next to Kin club which ob- tains additional information for worried parents, wives and sweet hearts.
 By checking correspondence and Interviewing repatriated prisoners, "" workers learned that only about one letter in every three sent to and from prison camps gets to its destination. This explained why some prisoners go: very little mail and certain relSt!ves have never heard from war prisoners, Next to Kin club members pool their information for the benefit of all prisoners from their com- munity When each member writes, he or she usually mentions bits Of news about other people whose kin are confined in the same camp. The prisoners then share their let ters with the others from their home community and In this man. ner keep informed about home folks,
 Group Photos Sent
 When families meet for photo graphs, every family mails one Of the group pictures to their prisoner in the hope that at least one boy will receive one of the pictures. If he does, he shows 1t to all the other Chicago boys in the camp.
 When a mother writes her son she may tell him something like this:
 "I saw Mrs Jones yesterday She and the family are all well and the married daughter has new baby. Mrs. Brown was III, but has fully recovered now. Tom Whites boy Junior graduated from high school last month and expects to enter the Navy soon"
 The American prisoner who gets such q letter then contacts PTS. oners Jones. Brown and White, known to be In hls camp, and shows them the information about their loved ones at home. The same procedure is followed by the priS- oners when they write, each man telling something about the other FbIoouo y,1op ip camn