Experiences Of Former Prisoners Of Japanese

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29367, 21 November 1960, Page 17

Experiences Of Former Prisoners Of Japanese

Men who had been imprisoned by the Japanese in Burma, China, Changi (Singapore), Hong Kong, Japan, Java, New Guinea, the Celebes, and other places were all present at the first national reunion of former Japanese prisoners of war which was held in Christchurch during the weekend.

In the lounge of the hotel where the reunion dinner was held on Saturday night, and where many of the former prisoners from other parts of New Zealand were staying, was a display comprising cartoons of prison-camp life, Japanese occupation money, copies of Japanese regulations, Japanese letter forms, and other items. One of the most Interesting and amusing items on display was a copy of a translation from a Japanese magazine that had been posted on a notice board at Maruku prison camp in the Ambon, or Spice islands, in the Molucca group.

The translation was headed, “The Maori Race Killed.” It read: “New Zealand has same climat as Nippon. Therefore English people wanted to capture it. English was going to take it with religion, but it was disappointed so that they conquered it with arms, but Maori race brave in the far south using their swords and bamboo lances conquered the English so they were disappointed in their effort.

“The English made the Maoris fight amongst each other giving arms to the one who is attacked. They got tired of fighting each other for such a long time and the Englishman contributed more armament on both sides so that after seven years of fighting the population was only half of what it was before. The English then called together all the Radjas and made New Zealand under British Government.” Two of the men present at the reunion. Mr J. Menzies and Mr S. B. Wallace, met after having not seen each other for 15 years. They were together on coast watch in the Gilbert and Ellice

islands in 1941. Mr Wallace, who was a radio operator, is believed to have sent the first radio message saying that the Japanese forces were coming down through the islands. Mr. Wallace and Mr Menzies were taken to a prison camp in Japan near the Kure navaj base. They remained in this camp more than three years until they were liberated by United States forces. Mr A. McKenzie was captured in Singapore with the Scots Guards. He worked on the Burma railway until its completion. While working on the railways he developed appendicitis, and one of the prisoners who was a doctor removed the appendix without an anaesthetic, using a jack-knife as his surgical instrument. Mr D. C. Duff, of Christchurch, who served in the Royal Air Force, was captured at Tasik Malaya, in central Java, in 1942. For two years he was imprisoned at Maruku prison camp in the Molucca island group, a camp at which there were 600 British prisoners, 1400 Dutch prisoners, and three New Zealanders. Two of the New Zealanders, of whom Mr Duff was one, survived. The other, Mr C. A. Ironside, was also at the reunion.