Japan Capitulates

Heroes Remember

Japan Capitulates

Transcript

When the war finally did end, we were, our shift was done, mine at the ten, at the time and we knew something was up. We all gathered for, ready to, to get in the cars to come back to the surface and this was fairly early in the shift and one of the Korean guards told us, "Senso Warai." Senso Warai in Japanese could mean either, the track is broken, or the war is over. We could hardly believe that it was the war was over so we thought it was the track was broken. This time while we were waiting for the gin saws to bring us back up to the top, Ishagowasan gave me his pipe and tobacco and I had a smoke. We got back up, we found out the war was over, we didn't really know whether to believe them or not. Whether it was a trick, ‘cause see what would happen, what would we do, what would happen or anything, and the next day our camp commandant, who previous to this had always spoken to us through the interpreter, got up in front of us, and he started off with, "My boys," and then he went on with, "the day that we have all, at long, long, longed for, along last has arrived. The war is over and our Emperor has capitulated to the Americans." And he ended up his little speech by saying, "And of course tomorrow, you'll go back down in the mine." So, we promptly asked him, "Who the hell won the war and who lost it?" He was quite emphatic that we should go back down and the American doctor is saying that no way we were going back down and we did decide that we wouldn't go back down. And there was certain guards in camp that, some of us met, went to the American doctor and got him to go to the camp commandant and tell him strictly that if these guards were left in charge that he couldn't be responsible for them and to get them the hell out of there. That they'd been too bad, too rough on us and so they were taken away and the good bosses and the guards that weren't half bad they, they were kept around.

Description

Mr. Peterson remembers discovering that Japan had surrendered to the Americans.

George N Peterson

Mr. Peterson was born in Winnipeg February 8, 1921. His family moved to Saint Watell, where he now considers home, when he was five years old. His father was a Veteran of the First World War, having served as a sergeant in Artillery. Having participated in Sea Cadets and the Cameron Cadets previously, with written permission from his father, Mr. Peterson joined the Winnipeg Grenadier Militia as a drummer in the bugle band in January 1938, at the age of 16. Mr. Peterson signed on for active service with the Winnipeg Grenadiers on September 6, 1939, - his twin brother also joined the Grenadiers September 7th, and their father joined the Winnipeg Light Infantry September 12th. Soon after signing on, Mr. Peterson was promoted to Lance Corporal and was made a Mark 4 Vickers machine gun instructor. After Basic Training, his unit was shipped to Jamaica as POW camp reinforcements, but returned to Canada soon after On October 27, 1941, his unit boarded the Awatea in Vancouver, bound for Hong Kong. Captured after capitulating to the Japanese, Mr. Peterson was interned in North Point and Shamshuipo POW camps. While at Shamshuipo he was put to work as slave labour at Kai Tac Airport. Eventually he was sent to Japan to work in a coal mine 120 miles north of Tokyo. After three years and eight months of internment, Japan surrendered to the Americans. Mr. Peterson was reunited with his family soon after.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 03:41
Person Interviewed:: George N Peterson
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Asia
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Winnipeg Grenadiers
Rank:: Lance-Corporal

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Japan Capitulates

Heroes Remember