Cowra celebrates 70th Anniversary = Biggest Prisoners Breakout In WWII

Cowra celebrates 70^th Anniversary

Biggest Prisoners Breakout In WWII

On 5^th August 1944 at Cowra, a country town in Central West New South Wales 1,100 Japanese prisoners of war armed with knives and sticks, and baseball bats stormed their way out of the lightly guarded prison camp a kilometer or so from the town’s center.  Suicidal act it may be but to the minset and training of a Japanese soldier, sailor, or pilot it is better to die honourably for one’s country and sacrifice one’s self to the Emperor then be a prisoner.  On that note and with Pearl Harbour in mind, one should remember that instilled in the training and mindset of a kamikaze pilot is the notion and belief that when he and his airplane crash on a destroyer or carrier it is an act comparable to the Divine’s manna from heaven offered to the Emperor, the likes of that sustained the Jews during their 40 years journey through the Sinai desert.     The ensuing melee of the breakout resulted in the death of 231 Japanese prisoners and the injuring of 108 others.  After few days the remaining 761 prisoners were recaptured.  To their credit, training, and culture none of Japanese escapees harmed any civilian either in Cowra or surrounding towns.  The Australian casualties list was four dead.  There are tales of Japanese prisoners walking into farms and being offered tea and scones in traditional country hospitalities.

To celebrate the occasion the remaining sole survivor of the breakout, 94 years old Teruo Murakami flew from Japan for the occasion to pay his respect and thank the people of Cowra.  To commemorate the occasion the casts of a special play produced by Tokyo based theatre company Rinkogun supported by the Japanese and Australian governments called No Hancho Kaigi (Hancho’s Meeting in Cowra) flew to Cowra on 1 August.  Five Australian stage actors will perform in the play one of whom is Matthew Crosby who plays the role of Private Ralph Jones one of the four Australian killed during the breakout. One interesting aspect of the play focuses on the Imperial Japanese Military Regulation at the time requiring a Japanese serviceman to die rather than being captured.   To what extent the writers, directors and those involved in the play are subtly or otherwise suggesting modern men and women serving in present day Japanese armed forces should abandon 1944 Imperial Japanese Military Regulations is a question to the audience to judge.  The play which started in Cowra on 1 August will make its way to Canberra and Sydney. 

It is worth noting that in recent weeks the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, visited Australia and addressed both Houses of the Australian Parliament before signing Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.  It is also worth noting that in recent weeks, despite the chagrin and protest of countries that suffered at the hands of Japanese occupation in 1930’s and WWII such as South Korea, and China, Shinzo Abe removed the shackles imposed by the allies on Japan’s armed forces after WWII.  Japanese armed forces can now venture and take part in drills and maneuvers outside Japan.

In the next blog I will look at the forgotten massacre of Australian POW’s by Japanese army on the island of Ambon in 1942.

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