JEWELS FROM JAVA

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 July 1946, Page 5

JEWELS FROM JAVA

ROMANCE of DUNEDIN AIRMAN

HAPPY ENDING FORECAST (PA) DUNEDIN, July 29. A romantic story of the recovery of a quantity of jewellery, purchased by a Dunedin airman as a gift for a girl in his home town, buried in Java so that it could not be taken by the invading Japanese, given up for years as lost, and now m the prospect of being returned to him, has been revealed by the publication of a newspaper story in Australia. The article was transmitted from Melbourne lor publication in New Zealand, and it has only been by this means that the airman has learned of the efforts that have been made to restore the articles to him. The Melbourne cablegram stated: — Whefi a young airman was fleeing from the Japanese advance in Java, he was assisted by an elderly Danish couple He left in their hands a tin of jewels The tin contained a moonstone locket on a gold chain, an opal braclet and a moonstone braclet. The airman who was known to the Danes only as “Jim” told them that the jewels were for a girl named “Shirlev ” He went on and the Danes, though sure he had died, kept the jewels through the rigours of occupation When peace came the couple sent the jewels to Australia by an Army major, who returned to Melborne recently with a request that the girl should be traced. Within a few days a squadron mate of the airman came forward with the information that Jim had escaped and was back in his native New Zeand and was probably married to his Shirley. Messrs E- C. I. Eckersley and r) r u. Cummins, formeily of the Thirty-six Squadron, R.A.F., said that Tim is Flight Lieutenant James Vaientlne, M-Z-A.F Bather Creecent Dunedin, who returned home last October, and became engaged in November. With another airman, the three had sheltered on the Dane s estate in 1942. and the Australians remembered that Valentine had bought jewellery for a girl friend named Shirley. . . . The accuracy of the story told in the cable message was confirmed by Valentine. He was a prisoner of war in Java for four years, for the first two of which his fate was unknown to his relatives. He purchased the jewels in Singapore as a birthday Present for Miss Shirley Williamson, who is well-known in repertory circles in Dunedin, but they were not immediately posted as he did not want them to reach her too soon before the event. They were, however, wrapped anti adddressed when the Japanese invasion of Java came. Valentine and his companions kept the most valuable of their possessions until hope of their escape by boat had gone. Then it became necessary to dispose of material in view of the certainty that it would be taken from them by the jA A suggestion was made by Danish residents, who were associated witn a plantation, that the valuables should be buried by a servant When the war was over they said they would recover the jewellery and post it to Valentine. . From that time until he received a telephone message last night from a representative in Wellington o the Australian newspaper. Vale - tine had heard nothing more of too jewels. The information he. received on Sunday-was not sufficient to 'in. dicate even that they were m Australia, and it was only on the publ cation of the cable message from Melbourne to-day that he learned, much to his surprise, not only that they had been recovered, but also that there was a reasonable prospect that they soon would be returned to him so that they could be handed onto the lady for whom they were oiigmally intended. The story is destined to have a doubly happy ending as Valentine and Miss Williamson are shortly to be married.