honourable Japanese

[Allan L]

My late father had one of those Samurai swords for many years, smuggled here after WWII. There wasn't a family discussion about it, but Mum & Dad decided to send the sword back many years later (the family name was on a scroll inside the handle). It went back via a Catholic priest (who got into some trouble over the whole thing) but that's a different story!

Whilst the sword must have had some sentimental value to Dad, they obviously decided that it had more value to another family who had lost a son, albeit a combatant of my father.

(Dad was pretty private to us young uns about WWII, but enjoyed the camaraderie of the annual reunions and was President of the Battalion Association, and was involved in commissioning the book "A Young Man's War" a history of the Aust. 37/52.)

Edit: PS. He too finished up owning 'Jap' vehicles!

[Max Hedges]

Sometime in the 1990's a 20 year old Japanese girl came to the Yass for work experience, she came to learn about wool and was misdirected to a goat farm and was told they were sheep. We can't remember how but she came to stay with us for 10 days, and it so happened to coincide with our shearing (the same happened to Swiss Chris later on). During her stay my father wanted to meet her, so we took her to visit, and dad being his suttle self asked her if she had any relatives in the war (by this time dad had mellowed a little towards the Japanese) once she realised my father was in the war as a front line soldier, she became very upset and begged to go home. Then there was a very touching moment when dad went and picked a flower from the garden and gave it to her, she settled down and really treasured that flower for the rest of her stay, and she showed a lot of repect towards dad afterwards. This girl took a fleece of wool home with her as it happens it wasn't work experience she came for it was to learn about the process of wool as she was doing textiles and design at university and planned to spin and weave the wool into fabric and then make a garment from this.

This shows how time does heal a little with old soldiers as during the 1950's at wool sales in Sydney when dad first saw a Japanese, since the war he had a very bad reaction and had to be taken away into a different area.

[malcolm erik bogaert]

many men in my locality (Royal Northumberland Fusileers) had been POW in the far east and one in particular would not have anything Japanese in his house!I did know the Late Capt.Eric Lomax and his book will make you cry(never mind the film)...some years ago whilst visiting the excellent little museum of the Royal Scots in Edinburgh there was aparty of Japanese School girls in front of me..they started to read the writing on some captured Japanese flags and then ran out of the building crying there heads off..have to say it was very moving...in the spirt of reconcilliation I was in a seafood resturant in Helmsdale,Sutherland,Scotland a couple of years sago and there was only 2 lobsters left..although I was first I let the young Japanese tourists have them and recieved a nice bow in return! the world changes millions are being spent by goverments on snooping on there own people..never forget whats happened in the past but try to move on! best regards to all from a sunny(rare) north-northumberland...malcolm

[Private_collector]

Malcolm,

Is Eric Lomax' book called The Railway Man?

I hope it is. Ordered a copy after reading your post.

Thanks,

[malcolm erik bogaert]

Tony yes thats the book...in my humble opinion much better than the film which had its international premier in my own home town!Eric was in our local signals assoc but I always found him a bit quite and reserved..not supprising when you read the book!all the best...looks like the rains comming again! cheers malcolm

[Marc Montgomery]

wikipeadia has an interesting reading on Japanese history textbook controversies.. It includes the following line
"Reflecting Japanese tendency towards self-favoring historical revisionism, historian Stephen E. Ambrose noted that "The Japanese presentation of the war to its children runs something like this: 'One day, for no reason we ever understood, the Americans started dropping atomic bombs on us.'"[4]

Here's an interesting link from Feb 07 2014

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...r-9115827.html

[Private_collector]

Marc,

That is simply hilarious! They may write it that way, but anyone over the age of gestation can find, read, watch, or listen, to all the information they can handle, courtesy of the internet. Japanese are world renown for their tendancy to travel (some even visited Hawaii, in December, 1941), and the world is full of reminders that disagree with the official writings.

I sort of recall Dad telling me Japanese had no word for Retreat. They considered it an 'Advance to the Rear'. That always cracked me up as well. Such an ego. Bushido indeed. More like Bullshido.