National Archives

I recently received copies of my grandfather's original army documentation. I ordered it from the National Archives back in May. It took over 5 months to receive anything back. After 3 months I lost all hope that I would see anything returned, and, cringing at the fact I would have to start the process all over again. However, I didn't, and with a dear surprise I received over 200 pieces of original certified documents. I couldn't believe there was so much information. This has tremendously helped me with the accruracy and timeline of my grandfather's campaigns in World War II and, also hopefully to help me write an amazing novel !

John "Jack" Prosser - Original army portrait - Day of enlistment 8th August 1942

Second army portrait: 1st June 1949

Last army portrait - 4 August 1950

Remembrance Day - Friday, 11th November 2011

11:11am - I spent this once in a lifetime moment with my grandfather. It was lovely.

Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day) is a memorial day observed since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. 

Tuesday, 18th October 2011 - Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i U.S.A

I just got back, from my first visit to the United States. I was away for a month, splitting my time evenly in Hawai’i and New York City. 

18^th October 2011, was the day I visited Pearl Harbor. I had already been in Hawai’i since the 6^th of October, spending five nights in Maui and four nights on Big Island. I was overwhelmed and taken aback by how friendly the Hawaiian and American people are. Their culture is warm, blissful and stress-free. But, most of all, their actions and gestures are genuine and sincere. I had an amazing fourteen days which was filled with snorkeling, swimming, surfing, diving, volcano tours, learning about the Kingdom of Hawai’i and Madame Pele, shopping, sunrise at Mt Haleakala, waterfalls at Waimea Valley and most of all eating delicious food whilst watching the most beautiful sunsets in this world. Hawai’i is truly a place of paradise, kindness and exquisiteness. I fell in love with the islands, and would visit again tenfold over.

Diamond Head - Waikiki; Resort Bar - Kaanapali; Sunset at North Shore - Oahu and Sheraton Resort, Maui.

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is one of the most significant and historic marks in World War II, as it was a turning point for the United States. The war was no longer classified as the European war, it was now a global war. I had relatively mixed feelings on going to see Pearl Harbor. I knew for writing the book, seeing it in person, would be invaluable and help to tell a better story.  However, with all the reading and research I’ve done on both wars , it can be quite depressing to see such a place.

We arrived at Pearl Harbor around 11am. It was not what I had expected. In my mind I portrayed a large monument and memorial park that was by the water. But when arriving, it was very different.Following the events of September 11, we were advised on the tour that you weren’t permitted to take  backpacks or handbags into the memorial centre. We could only take our cameras and wallets, our bags were to be held at the security storage outside the centre. When we hopped off the tour bus, directly in front was the entrance of the visitor centre. It was a white one-story building, which looked similar to a high school block. The visitor centre wasn’t very big and the entrance reminded me of the gates to a football stadium. There was five security guards collecting tickets and keeping a watch of who was trying to enter with their bags. Pearl Harbor remains the top tourist destination in Hawai’i with over 1,500,000 visitors annually.

We had around an hour and a half to view the grounds of the memorial before we had to commence the video and boat tour to the U.S.S – Arizona. We walked to the right of the centre, heading towards the U.S.S Bowfin Submarine. We stopped at the Waterfront Memorial, which is dedicated to the more than 3,500 submarines and 52 American submarines lost during World War II. The memorials were on the point, in a half circle overlooking Pearl Harbor and in the centre stood the American flag. Displayed to the left of the memorials was a fighter plane and torpedo. I looked at them in detail and was captivated by the size of the fighter plane.  In comparison to the torpedo it was very small.

U.S.S Bowfin Submarine and Museum

After looking at the war instruments, we walked into the U.S.S Bowfin Submarine Museum. It was extremely moving looking at the navy artifacts, as it gave a human presence to the memorials and vessels you saw outside. There were portraits of the Naval Captains and the posthumously Medal of Honor crosses they received along with the first communication typed when the attack happened at Pearl Harbor, which read “Japan started hostilities govern yourselves accordingly”. However, the most frightening piece of artifact in the museum was the replica of the atomic bomb. The scale and sheer size it was compared to a regular torpedo was inconceivable, and knowing the destruction on humanity it caused. 


The U.S.S Bowfin Submarine, was decommissioned on December 1, 1971 and permanently installed in Pearl Harbor. The submarine is open to visitors, allowing you to go inside and view where the 80-man crew worked, ate and slept whilst on patrol during World War II and the Korean War. Looking inside the submarine, I felt a little uneasy due to the confined  space. I couldn’t believe or fathom how 80 men were inside this small vessel, breathing the same air, working and spending days and weeks 650 feet (approx 200 meters) underwater. The submarine was nicknamed the “Pearl Harbor Avenger” as it was launched a year after the attack and is personified as a she. The U.S.S Bowfin is a Balao-class submarine named after the Bowfin, a fresh water fish of the eastern United States. This underwater vessel amazingly sunk 44 enemy ships during the course of her extraordinary war patrols. She completed nine war patrols operating from the Netherlands East Indies to the Sea of Japan and the waters south of Hokkaido. A vessel that certainly surpassed its expectations of retaliation.

U.S.S Arizona Memorial

After viewing the Bowfin, it was time to make our way to the theatre. Before boarding the boat that would take us to the U.S.S Arizona memorial, we viewed a documentary. Watching the film was difficult and heartbreaking. I couldn’t help feeling weak for what I saw people went through that day.
The battleship U.S.S Arizona sunk in Oahu’s Pearl Harbor after a Japanese bomb triggered a massive ammunition explosion on board. It took only 19 minutes for the ship to sink and taking 1,177 soldiers with it.

An indescribable amount of sadness and sympathy filled the room after the film. There was silence as we all boarded the boat to the U.S.S Arizona Memorial. It was a ten-minute journey to where the ship was lying at the bottom of the ocean. Whilst in the boat, we passed the spots where the Battleship U.S.S Oklahoma capsized, killing 420 soldiers and the U.S.S Nevada was beached, taking 60 lives. Both ships were resurfaced later on.

The Arizona memorial looked more like a bridge in the middle of the water. It was white and in shape of a rectangle with the American flag in the centre. Again, it wasn’t what I had expected. I thought it would be much larger in scale. When we stepped onto the memorial, I was quite reserved. The film still had a great effect on me it seemed. I was observing everything around me and the actions of other people. Many were taking photographs and leaning over the railing to see the remains of the ship. I walked to the back of the memorial where a red reef was standing in the middle of the room. Behind the reef, engraved into the large marble wall was the list of the soldier’s names that were killed on the ship. Below the names was the following inscription “To the memory of the Gallant men here entombed and their shipmates who gave their lives in action on December 7, 1941 on the U.S.S. Arizona”.

Walking away from the memorial wall, I then came across the glass floor, which allows you to view the brown rustic steel remains of the ship. The water was a green color and you could see fish swimming about. I started to feel sick. The place was incredibly eerie and I could only think of the 1,177 screaming men who were trapped in the ship, burning alive or drowning. I felt myself going white, so I went to the railing to get some air. Over the railing, I could see more of the ship underwater. It was extremely sad.  I overheard a tour guide saying that you can still see oil bubbles coming to the surface from down below. I don’t pray often, but looking at the ships remains underwater I did. I said thank you, as I felt so fortunate to be alive at 25, for when some of these men who died were as young as 17.

After about 30 minutes at the memorial we got back onto the boat and headed to shore. As we went further and further away from the memorial, I looked back at it one last time. A spot where bodies rest, and that shall be there forever for our future generations to remember the torture and loss which is caused by war and greed.

Hickam Airfield and U.S.S Missouri

Once we got back to shore, we hopped back on the bus and drove through Hickam airfield, passing by the original watchtower. You could see the bullet scars visible on the walls. We continued onto the Battleship U.S.S Missouri.

Stepping off the bus and looking up at the ship, it was absolutely gigantic. We had to climb three flights of stairs just to get onto the deck of the ship. However, once up top you could view Pearl Harbor entirely. The U.S.S Missouri, is the world-famous Battleship, nicknamed the "Mighty Mo". It is berthed on Battleship row in Pearl Harbor and was converted into a museum on January 29, 1999. This ship is famous for it was the very ship that Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese on September 2, 1945 that ended World War II.

U.S.S Missouri is the youngest of the four Iowa class battleships built by the United States. These battleships were extensively upgraded several times during their half-century of naval service. During World War II, Missouri participated in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, screened task force 58 during air strikes against Japan and served as Admiral William F. Halsey’s flagship. During the Korean War, she supported the Inchon landings, provided support for the evacuation of Hungnam and conducted extensive shore bombardment of North Korea.

The tour of the battleship was mesmorising and interactive. We walked the decks and saw inside the ship, viewing the wardroom, mess hall, library, post office and living quarters of how the crew served and lived on board the ship. Although the most surreal moment, was when we stood at the very spot where the Japanese signed the Instrument of surrender. In this spot lies a heavy bronze plaque bolted on the deck scripted “Over this spot on 2^nd September 1945, the instrument of formal surrender of Japan to the allied powers was signed thus bringing to a close the second world war. This ship at that time was at anchor in Tokyo Bay”.

It is funny, when you have expectations of what you think something is going to be and it turns out completely different. Hawai’i is such a beautiful place, as they say a place of paradise. Standing on the deck of the U.S.S Missouri, which overlooked the U.S.S Arizona memorial, the very spot of the end and start of the pacific war. But what did the world go through to get to the end.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

The National Cemetery was the last stop on the tour. It is in this cemetery that the remains of the first casualties on the attack of Pearl Harbor were interred. The Honolulu Memorial on the northwest end was constructed to honor the service, achievements, and sacrifices of the men and women who served in the Pacific during World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War.The cemetery is one of the most visited special attractions in the State of Hawaii it also houses the memorial to U.S. astronaut Ellison Onizuka of Hawaii who perished aboard the Challenger space shuttle and the Unknown Soldier killed in the Pearl Harbor attack. 

The cemetery is set within the crater of an extinct volcano known to Oahu's residents as "Punchbowl" because of its shape. The crater was once known to Hawaiians as Puowaina, or "the hill for placing of sacrifices." It is for this reason that the street leading to the memorial is also called Puowaina. The memorial was very clean. The grass was bright green and the gardens were landscaped immaculately. Monkey pod trees were scattered through the graves, providing shade and a nice breeze. You could see the entire Honolulu city, Waikiki beach and Diamond Head from the cemetery, the view was beautiful.

Friday, 12th August 2011 - Canberra (Australian War Memorial)

My uncle John and I went on a road trip to Canberra today. I had made an appointment the week prior to meet a man named Daniel McGlinchey. Mr McGlinchey is a Duty Curator from the Military Heraldry & Technology division at the Australian War Memorial and specialises in War artifacts. I was explaining my grandfather’s story over the phone and he suggested to bring the sword down.

Our appointment was at twelve o’clock and we got there with exactly five minutes to spare, it took us precisely three hours to drive. My uncle was extremely pleased with his timing, grinning and saying “right on time”. He knew I was a little worried we wouldn’t get there on time as we left a little later than anticipated.

We walked to the administration building where our appointment was scheduled. The building was to the left of the Australian War Memorial and highly secured. We had to register our names and obtain security passes before proceeding. Once, we registered our details, Mr McGlinchey collected us from the reception area. He was a tall slender Englishman with short light brown hair and hazel eyes. I think he was around his mid thirties and very softly spoken.

We were guided into a large open area that looked like a small library. Hundreds of books lined the shelves and there were small study desks spread out in sections. We sat at a long table that was actually four smaller tables pushed together. My uncle carefully removed the sword from its wrap and placed it on the table. Mr McGlinchey, put on a pair of blue gloves and started examining the sword. He was able to immediately identify the sword as a Shin Guntō. Which is an Army Issued sword used by the Imperial Japanese Army between the years of 1935 and 1945. Mr McGlinchey said, it was a general purpose sword, with a traditionally constructed hilt with ray skin wrapped with traditional silk wrapping. A cherry blossom theme was incorporated into the guard and pommel (hand grip). It had a copper handle and was missing spaces from the top of the blade. Mr McGlinchey believed that the blade was narrower than usual blades he has came across. He compared the sword to an image out of a Japanese history book, and believed it matched the Type 94 Shin Guntō that was made of metal with a wood lining to protect the blade. He said that the blades found in Type 94 Shin Guntō’s ranged from modern machine made blades through to contemporary traditionally manufactured blades to ancestral blades dating back hundreds of years.

Mr McGlinchey asked if we would mind if he made an attempt to open the handle. He said that all swords have the manufacturing markings on the blade, sometimes they will also have the name of the soldier or family details. These details are on the blade and protected by the handgrip. We were most happy for him to try, as any details found would help us get closer to tracking down the family. Unfortunately, after a few minutes of trying, the handle wouldn’t release and it was too fragile for him to proceed. He didn’t want to risk damaging the sword. He said it will need a bit more force to open and recommended we take it to a museum in Sydney or trying ourselves.

My uncle showed Mr McGlinchey the two photographs my grandfather found on the soldier. He was taken back and thought it was remarkable that we had the photographs of the soldier with the sword. He wasn’t able to identify the ranking of the soldier off hand, but referred us to some sites where we could locate the details. Mr McGlinchey said we were up against a few hurdles due to the sensitivity of the Japanese culture and also that the Japanese did not have good records of their soldiers locations. I asked him if he has come across anybody who has been successful on returning a sword. He replied he hasn’t come across anyone, but with the photographs, it will help tremendously with the search. He advised us to speak with the Japanese Embassy whom will be able to provide guidance to the Japanese Army records. He concluded the meeting wishing us all the best and “Good luck”.

After walking out of there, I had mixed feelings. It was great to have the sword identified and receive some guidance on the next steps. However, I couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed by the size of the task, trying to track down the family of the soldier.

Australian War Memorial

My uncle had to meet some clients for work, so I was able to look in the Australian War Memorial and take a few photographs. The War memorial was much larger than I imagined. The exhibitions on WWI and WWII were huge. I didn’t expect all the detailed timelines, along with copious amounts of artifacts they had. I only had a bit over an hour to look in there. To properly view it, you would at least require half a day. I quickly briefed WWI and went onto WWII. I only got through a quarter of the exhibition before my uncle called to pick me up.

The memorial wall of all the soldiers who lost their lives in the war.

'Man in the mud' life sized diorama by Peter Corlette

Sunday, 12th June 2011 - Bathurst/Duramana

“A young farm boy from Bathurst, to flying pigeons on the emperor’s palace”.

We hopped into the car, dad was driving, my grandfather sat in the front and I in the back. Bathurst was 165km away (approximately two and half hours drive) from my parents place in the lower Blue Mountains. The day was perfect for driving, it reminded me of a day when it wasn't raining in London. It was around 14 degrees, overcast with a slight breeze and everything was grey.

In order to obtain a better understanding of the life my grandfather lived as a young child, I wanted to see and feel where he grew up, and all the small places he ventured too as a mischievous young boy. So today, my dad and I took my grandfather on a road trip to Bathurst. From the age of 8 to when he enlisted into the Australian Military at 18, my grandfather grew up on a large sheep station in Duramana, 24km North of Bathurst, currently home to around 282 people today. I felt like a young girl again, sitting in the backseat, whilst dad drove us. 

The drive through the Blue Mountains was intriguingly mistic, the tall pine trees lined the side of the road and after passing Lithgow there was endless farmland with cattle, horses and sheep, all feeding on the long brown grass and drinking from the dams.

I listened tentatively to my father and grandfather reminiscing about the past. It was nice, as I was able to learn and absorb all the stories while they were conversing. I was frantically writing down all the family history and memories. My grandfather talked quiet in depth about his mother and sister. I could see how fond he was of his older sister, Edna. She was 5 years older than he, and she played a motherly role towards him. My dad also liked Edna very much, he told me how he and mum use to go down to visit her place in the South coast (Lake Illwarra) every weekend. During the conversation, I would occasionally throw a question or two, too keep it going and dwelve abit deeper into the past. The information I got was priceless.

Bathurst


Once we arrived at Bathurst, we first stopped by the City Library. I was in search to track down the old Army drill hall, it was the very hall my grandfather enlisted into the war. After searching through the records, very disappointedly found out the old drill hall no longer existed, now standing in it's spot is a KFC.

Carillon War Memorial

Before stopping for lunch we stopped by the Carillon War Memorial, Old Prebyterian Church and Council Chambers.

By 1920 there was a popular desire for a Bathurst memorial for those who had fallen in World War I. The idea of a Carillon was then advanced by G.H. Hoskins. A public meeting approved the concept on August 26, and a committee was formed to raise funds and proceed with the work. The largest bell weighs over 1.5 tonnes and the smallest, almost nine kilograms. They are in three tiers and the whole range is one note short of three octaves. The largest bell is inscribed- “Thus Bathurst and her surrounding villages honour their men of 1914-18. Lest we forget”.

The second largest bell has an inscription from returned soldiers. It reads:- “To the ever glorious memory of our fallen comrades. Greater love hath no man that this, that he lay down his life for his friends”.

The third bell, which carries the Red Cross emblem, is in honour of the war nurses and the other bells have been allotted as memorials to soldiers from the various localities in the Bathurst district. The dedication ceremony was held on Armistice Day, November 11, 1933, and the official opening was performed by the Mayor of Bathurst, Alderman M. J. Griffin. A crowd estimated at 15,000 assembled for the occasion. 

Duramana

After we left Bathurst, my grandfather directed us to his old property. My father and I were amazed of how accurate my grandfather's memory was, he knew exactly where to go. Dad, kept on double checking, repeating the directions “are you sure it’s this right here?” and he would repeat “yeah, yeah this way, turn here”.

It took around 10 minutes outside of Bathurst and we were in the countryside again. There were large properties set on a minimum of 25 acres, and the closest neighbour would be 2km away. As we continued to drive, we hit a dirt road, I could feel dad getting anxious of where we were, and if my grandfather’s memory was still correct. Then all of a sudden my grandfather pointed out “there’s our old church”. My father and I turned our heads, and there it was. A small church, fitting no more than 40 people. “Every Sunday, we would be there, my old property is just up that road” my grandfather continued.

We drove for about another 3km, my grandfather then started saying "All these fields, there were thousands of tails, they would be everywhere. This is where I would hunt rabbits, there were that many of them, they were a pest". Then all of a sudden with such thrill and excitment he gasped “That’s it, there’s where I lived !”. We could see from a distance a property standing up ontop a hill. We could see the property had new owners, a modern house had been built in front of the property.

As we drove up the long rocky dirt driveway, we could see some old remains still standing at the back of the new house. The new owner was standing outside, and I could see his curiosity. He was wondering what on earth is a white city car driving up his property in the middle of the country. As we slowly approached him, he let his guard down once he saw my grandfather. We explained that my grandfather grew up on the property, 79 years ago and would he mind if we had a quick look at the old remains. The new owner, was fascinated and very welcoming.

As we hopped out of the car, my grandfather was ecstatic and overwhelmed that his old house was still standing. He started pointing and explaining where everything was, from the sheep station, to the outside kitchen, to the toilet, to the fire place and even where he slept in the house. I could see his childhood was flashing before him, as if it was yesterday.

My grandfather started asking the new owner about the neighbours who lived nearby. The owner, was in complete amazement as my grandfather knew all of them. I think for the first time it struck him that this old man had an impeccable memory. “How old are you again?” he asked my grandfather, “almost 87 !” He stared at my grandfather for a few seconds and gave a slight smile, "unbelievable" he then said.

We stayed at the property for about 30 minutes, took some photos and then made our way back.

Journey home

On the way home we stopped by Sofala, which is one of the oldest surviving gold-rush town in Australia. Sofala is a village located approximately 250 km north-west of Sydney, NSW. Sofala came about as a direct result of the goldrush which had been spurred on when Edward Hargraves discovered gold at Summerhill Creek on 12 February 1851. 

This day was a wonderful opportunity to see the life my grandfather grew up in, here the stories and see all the fields he ventured. Driving home, I was mesmorised by the beautiful sunset, setting in the mountains and country side. I can see now why the Army was a big adventure for my grandfather. Growing up in the country, living 3 hours walk outside Bathurst, the Army provided him an opportunity to see the world. I am blessed to have my grandfather here today. My dad quoted as he came to the same realisation "A young farm boy from Bathurst, to flying pigeons on the emperor’s palace in Japan".