WAR CASUALTIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25289, 24 August 1945, Page 8

WAR CASUALTIES

AEMY TOTAL 33,013 FIGURES FOR AIR FORCE (S.H.) V WELLINGTON, Thursday An analysis of the* casualties in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and in the Royal New Zealand Air Force is given in the annual reports of the General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Forces, Lieutenant-Genera! E. Puttick, and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal L. M. Isitt. The reports were presented in the Llouse of Representatives today. The Army casualties since the outbreak of war to May 31 last total 33,013 and the overseas casualties in the Air Force up to March 31 of this year total 3998. Aircraft accidents in New Zealand up to the same date accounted for 265 deaths. Mofor and other nonflying accidents were responsible for 46 deaths and 73 died from natural causes, making a total of 384 deaths in New Zealand since the outbreak of war. Casualties in the military forces up to May 31, 1915, were as follows: — Killed in action: Middle East, 4033; United Kingdom, 2; Pacific, 95; total 4130. Died of wounds, etc., 1791; 1; 41; 1833. Deaths due to accident: 268; 10; 43; 321. Died of sickness: 212; 8; 32; 282. Prisoners of war: 8181; nil; 7; 8188. Missing: 340; nil; 2; 342. Wounded: 17,683; 3; 231; 17,917. Totals: Middle East, 32,538; United Kingdom, 24; Pacific, 451; grand total, 33,013. Overseas casualties to New Zealand airmen from the outbreak of war to March 31 last and for the year ended on that date were as follows:—Killed or presumed dead: Total, 2875; figures for year, 665. Missing, believed killed: 138; 45. Missing: 476; 162. Prisoners of war or interned: 509; 61. In addition, 91 have been reported seriously ill or injured and remain on the list at March 31. 1945. Of the total of 3998 casualties, 3648 have been reported to be R.N.Z.A.F. personnel and 350 New Zealanders serving with the R.A.F. at the outbreak of war. WAR PRISONERS JAPANESE RIOT IN CAMP FOOD AND BLANKETS BURNED SYDNEY. Auk. 21 The Australian authorities will be relieved and thankful when they have seen the last of Japanese prisoners of war, but they will keep a strict watch for treachery to tho last. On June 27 the authorities feared a repetition of the camp rebellion which occurred at Cowra, western New South Wales, last year, when in a mass escape attempt 231 .Japanese were killed and 108 were wounded. The Cowra prisoners were moved to the Hav camp, in southwest New South Wales, bringing the number held there to 2000. A new disturbance began when guards, making an inspection, walked into the huts with muddy boots. The older occupants of the camp had kept the huts meticulously clean and they objected to the guards tramping about the huts in their mud-caked boots. The Japanese from Cowra used this as an excuse to inflame the others into another mass escape attempt. A warning of impending trouble was given by a friendly Japanese and t'..« guard was increased and weapon posts manned. Australian families living in the vicinity of the camp were evacuated and 90 were accommodated in the town's halls and schools.

The Japanese raided the stores which were to have provided them with meals for three days and were worth £3OO. They made a bonfire of the food, which comprised cases of tinned fruits, vegetables, boxes of fish, portion of a bullock, carcases of sheep, several tons of rice and dozens of cases of butter. Some heaped their mattresses and blankets on the fire, which sent a pall of smoke over the town. When further developments were expected GOO of the rebellious Japanese called off the revolt and turned on <IOO other prisoners who wanted to go on with an attempted mass escape. Table knives and baseball bats were used as weapons and four prisoners were gravely wounded. They have since recovered.

When the Japanese were told of the Emperor's surrender decision they wept and went into mourning, but Japanese civilians who had been interned cheered. A more philosophical attitude has since developed among the prisoners, who apparently have come to the conclusion that what was good enough for the Emperor was good enough for them. Many have now expressed a desire to return to Japan, which they had previously regarded as impossible, having passed into the classification of "living dead" bv falling captives. The Japanese civilian internees have a different outlook. Principally pearldivers, lugger-owners, laundrvmen and business men, most of them elderly, thev are eager to collect the securities held for them and resume their pre-war occupations. Their securities approximate £1.000,000 and consist of hundreds of thousands of pounds of Australian currency and pearls worth tens of thousands of pounds.

WOMEN'S ESCAPADE TRIP IN LIBERTY SHIP RETURNED FROM BOUGAINVILLE SYDNEY, Auk. 21 Two young Melbourne women ,who visited a United States Liberty ship in Port Melbourne for a party sailed with the ship and were marooned on Bougainville Island for three weeks. They were Miss Rosalie Lyttleton and Mrs Marjory Smith, the Australian wife of an American serviceman now in America. Mrs Smith has an 18-montbs-old son. The women -told their story when they were' transported by plane back to Brisbane this week. Thev admitted that they had had too much to drink at the party and had only a hazy recollection of members of the crew tucking them into boxes in the hold. Tho sailors brought them food, whisky and gin each day. One night the ship stopped and they wero put ashore on an island by the sailors, who told them to wait. No one came for them and they were found by American "Seabees" and told they were on Bougainville. Said Miss Lyttleton: "Did we get a shock? We had only the things we stood up in and one of ue was dressed in a pair of shorts and a fur coat. For three weeks the "Sea-bees" kept us hidden in the jungle. They built us a hut and brought us beans —nothing but beans and beans to eat. Wo had a little jungle stream in which tp swim, and we darned the men's clothes for them. One night an Australian military provost grabbed u«. He took us to a camp hospital and shoved us in the brig. Wherever we moved on the island we had a military police guard, but the nurses and men were wonderful to us. After some daws we wore sent in a hospital ship to Lao, where we were given clothes." Miss Lyttleton said she had no parents, but she was wondering how her dressmaking shop was getting on. BRITISH CASUALTIES LONDON, Atiff. 22 The Prime Minister, Mr Attlee, replying in the House of Commons to Miss Eleanor Rathbone (Independent), said it wns provisionally estimated that ,the United Kingdom forces had suffered 'lO casualties between Japan's first offer of pence on August 11 and the final offer on August 14. No figures for the Commonwealth and Empire forces were available.