HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1970-10-22, Page 22OA GQDERicii-sIONA +-S AR, litURSDAY,,ocroBit 22,1.970
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BY G. MacLEOD F1OSS with sufficient alacrity tO the
rising sun. Compassionately the
It is 25 years since Colonel author remarks that the archaic
Laurens van der Post was a w nature a of the forces which
prisoner in Japanese hands in
Java; .one••many thousandsof
British anti Dutch collected by
the Japanese from the several
area in their occupation in
South East Asia. It is only now
that he has written this most
important book,. "The Night of
the New Moon" in which he
describes the events of the last
three months of his captivity.
Colonel van der Post is South
African born and already well
known for his eloquent use of
the English language in books
such as "Voyage to the
Interior", "The Lost World of
the Kalahari" and a novel -"The
Hunter and the Whale."
Before capture he had
completed two secret missions •
for General Wave, the ,first to
Ethiopia and the Other to South
East Asia. The reason for the
great importance of this book is
that for long enough the clerics,
the Left-wing intellectuals and
. many others of the same ilk,
have striven to graft on to the
Western Powers a feeling of guilt
for the carnage effected by the
bomb at Hiroshima. At a time
when these persons have been
trying to get the West to
apologise to -the world' at large;
_to don sackcloth and ashes for
sssarz,sindefinite'period of -penance,
Colonel van der Post supplies
new light on the event; light
which amounts to complete
• exculpation. As he now reveals,
the -'bomb was regarded by the
Japanese as a sign from God; as
such it satisfied Japanese
`honour;' so that they accepted
surrender without which
countless allied prisoners would
have been massacred, while the
Japanese troops would also have
sustained further' losses. 'His
account also reveals some
differences in national
characteristics which are of
much interest. men; a provision without which
* * * few would have survived. But
Like •most other prisoners, the assistance of the Chinese did
Colonel van der Post • 'was not stop there. They notified the
subjected to an orientation
course which, the Japanese gave
to . all their prisoners, which.
included bayonet practice with
live prisoners; the witnessing of
innumerable executions of
persons of all races and
nationalities, not solely by
decapitation, but by such a
variety of methods, that. it .
became of some significance that
none was 'ever • killed by'
shooting. The alleged reason for
theseexecutions, was. invariably
obscure, though in many cases it
was excused as having been
caused by "showing a spirit of
wilfulness," or failing to bow
invade the Japanese spirit black
out- the light of 20th Century
civilisation
t� the point that
they become the puppets' of an
immense impersonal force which
prevents them from realising,
what they do. ("Father! Forgive
them for they know not what
they do!")
Colonel van der Post was
second in command ° to the
senior British officer in the
prison camp, Wing Commander
W. T. 11. Nichols. Between them
they decided that what would
annoy the Japanese most would
be failure to make any
impression on. the spirit of the
British prisoners. In consequence
the British refused any form of
co-operation with their captors.
• The Dutch, on the others hand,
decided they' would do best for
themselves if they co-operated
with the Japanese. (It. is
impossible not to compare the
attitude adopted on this
occasion with that depicted in
the movie "The Bridge on the
River Kwai, where the colonel
decided he would cooperate in
order to occupy his men • and
prevent their mental
deterioration. In the result he
co-operated to the extent of
showing his captors what a
superlative job -they .could -turn
'in in the shape -Of the° bridge. °Ian
the movie the sudden softening
of the Japanese commander was
not activated by the dropping of
the bomb. Colonel van der Post's
diagnosis seems more realistic.)
It was this determined
non -co-operation of the spirit
which caused another brutal
incident. A number of Chinese
who were not incarcerated, and
were loyal to the' British,
befriended Colonel van der Post
by, supplying him with gold
guilders with which to purchase
additional provisions for his
Colonel that one Kim, a Korean
Christian, who was nominally
working for the Japanese'
Intelligence, was a double -agent
and that he would report to
Colonel van der Post from,time
to time, what the Japanese High
Command was planning.
A few weeks after the
-surrender of the Germans in May
1945,Jihi communicated that, a
series of orders had reached
Field Marshal Terauchi, • the
Commander -in -Chief South . East
Asia, which, could affect the
survival of all the. prisoners.
Terauchi, an aristocrat of the
oldest Japanese military .school,
The Night of th�neVimooti.
utterly rejected, any thoughtof. shttered. Maguire tottering and indicate the cataclysm which.have the Emperor send his own
defeat .or of peace by dazed was then set .upon by had befallen Japan at a place brother t� persuade him, tcr play.
negotiation. On receipt. of these' Mori's fists and jackbooted feet . called Hiroshima. Next morning his part in the surrender. Even so
Orders he made it clear to his until he was finally pushed back there was no trace of anything the Japanese in the camp
subordinates throughout* his vast into the line in a state of new in the attitudes of the continued to behave as though
command, that they would be profound : shock. Each officer Japanese. But the foubwing they had never. heard • of
expected to Of
Kari-kiri in down the line was called. out -in ,night the prisoners got a full Hiroshima and it is possible they
the event of Japanese defeat. turn and beaten -up with pieces• --message; . not just .from Delhi, had not yet been informed. .
This sounded to Nichols and van of the chair, fists and boots,
der Post like a prescription for with Kasayama joining in too
the massacre. of all prisoners in with more kicks. It seemed
Japanese hands.'
probable that soon, the rest of
In June 1945 all the Prisoner the guard'" of Koreans would
of War camps on the Java coast follow suit and for the first time
were moved on to the central a machine gun. was • being
plateau of Bandoeng1 into such tnounted . at the gates. (The
cramped quarters that the men many ho saw the "Bridge on
could • hardly move. Then, a the Rive Kwai" will be able to
i r Trim saw. the create for themselves a icture
fortni h ate , re p
actualsatleit for the massacre to of this brutal display.)
be effected as soon as the final Soon it was van der Post's
Allied assault opened. The turn to be beaten -up. He
prisoners had already been- recounts, how a strange calm
organised into ' weaponle§s settled on him, almost as though
preparation for the expected he had become another person.
final battle within the prison As a result, when he received the
walls, so that when .a sudden final kick, saw the machine gun
- order came for all the senior out of the corner of his eye, he
Dutch and British officers to also heard a voice telling him:
parade, van der Post felt sure _ :"Go back and present yourself
this was the prelude to the blood . to Mori for another beating."
bath. _ Mori was already in position to
This fear was allayed only attack the next victim, when he
when it became clear that suddenly found himself
Warrant Officer Mori was taking confronted by the same man he
the parade, the reputed reason had just beaten -up. He raised his
for which lay in the fact that cudgel, then arrested its forward
when asked for the names of movement as though he had seen
but from - Perth and San Suddenly° van der Post, was
Francisco, which gave a. clear called . to appear before, the
picture of what had happened at Camp Commander, a call so
Hiroshima and a pleasantly unusual, since he was not the
warm feeling, engaged the pitif senior officer, that he warned his
van der Post's stomach. . own. next in line that if he, did
He became . certain this not return he should d alert
catacylsm would make ' the Nichols and the Dutch Colonel
Japanese 'feel they could now to prepare for thel final battle.
withdraw from the war without But when he reached the . room
dishonour It would 'strike them to his amazement the Japanese
as something superhattiral and General bowed to him. Glasses
they could not help seeing it was were filled and ,the first was
an acct of God, rather/hen an act offered to ,van der -Post. The
of Man; •a Divine • intimation General said: "I drink sincerely
which they must obey in allits to your victory." van. der Post
implications., But rumours went relates how he heard him "as a u
through the camp that Terauchi voice' speaking ' into his ear
was rejecting his own Emperor through a receiver at the end of
and his stand was sufficient to a long trunk line of time and
history "
Consumers'
*a,
�tlf...
news andviews in
•
-
by or ?
or.
Consumers' Association of Canada
men who could assist in the local a ghost. in fact this action
This is somewhat of ' a
Munitions industry, they replied completely broke upthe round -up of information that is
they. had none qualified in such accelerating passion .and _anger available • for. the .asking by
_skills,. It was.. -a lie • :and.: thea. which had --imprisoneds, him writing .Consumers' Association
Japanese knew it was a lie. The while he glared. at • this of Canada, 100 Gloucester
British were .guilty of "wrong unexpected turn,,,, of events. Street Ottawa 4.
thinking:" It was another Finally he walked'"way, with • '
example : of the importance . Kasayama at his heels. The Association frequently
attached by the Japanese to A few days later the prisoners' ' reprints buying guides. .that .."are
__
inner values, rather than outer secret radio packed -up. Pilot published in its ' bi-monthly
ones; the spiritual rather than Officer Donaldson cooly said: "I magazine, Canadian Consumer.
the physical. can get all the parts you need These are made available' to the
Mori had summoned the from the Camp 'Commander's public, free' in single copies only.
parade in a state of great rage, radiogram" and he proceeded to They deal with many subjects,
determined no doubt, to correct .do just that, exchanging the all pretty basic and useful.
this manifestation of evil, posing good parts he took for the faultyOne of considerable current
himself as the instrument of ones. Armed with these, a gifted interest is a guide on buyigg
righteousness. The officers .had radio expert,.a New Zealander, ipment for the young hockey
'accequ
embled in such a hurry that who had previously miniaturised player in you theme. Ask for:
there was no time to form a their set into its final midget "Hockey,equipment reprint."
proper line, thus it came about form, proceeded to make the set
that the first man on the line ° operative again. Others now available . are:
was Wing Commander Micky Colonel van der Post used to Automatic Clothes Dryers;
Maguire, (still in the Royal Air get up long before roll -call when Automatic Dishwashers; Baby's
Force today, knighted• and an _ he would watch -the moon needs; Carpets and rugs; Credit
Air Marshal). He had. played no _which, "in that sky before dawn costs money; Don't make a
part in the false return but that was clear as crystal water before move! (about household
did not spare him. He was called rain; almost as magical -as it -musing); Freezers and. freezer
out and stood' to attention • appeared in Japan." It seemed to
food plans;• Stereos; Stoves;
bef M - h t ether• . idle• cidence that the Washers.
ore ori. w o, to with
him no coin
his Korean 'side -kick, screamed moon ,should be in the last phase
at him In the way the Japanese ' of its death when the end for the ° It is important that you say
did when all their emotions were Japanese was so close. • which leaflet you need (and the
most deeply engaged. , Though • , It was night again when the Association asks 'that you don't
Mori kept fingering his sword, it New Zealander tugged.at van der
.was the wooden chair which Post's feet saying he had got in
Kasayama, his satellite, had on the end of a message from
brought out for him, which Mori ° New Delhi which was so phrased
used as a weapon. He brought it 'as to indicate an event of
crashing down on the head of tremendous importance. There
tall emaciated Maguire, sothat it was .nothing else in the report to
•
That same night the prisoners
were `requested,' not ordered, to
muster for departure by train to
the port of Batavia. As the
Colonel watched the long slow
procession of men marching into
the night, he looked up to see
the • rising moon; .the moon,
which symb,Qlised so ,much- of
the spirit of .unfailing renewal of
all men and all living things,
seemed ' suddenly to send
another great light over the rim
of his war -darkened memory, ,
flooding his heart "with a bright
feeling of continuity; restoring
him to - the stream of life that
had . ever been and ever could,
be.,
If the ultimate object of war
is to change the resolution of the
enemy nation, then Japan foufld'
the salvation of her honour in
the bomb.. Who has the
prescience to discover
honourable ground for
disengagement in Vietnam?
(The Night of the New Moon. by
Laurens van_ der Post. Hogarth
Press, 25/—)
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-Goderich
1970 TAXES.
TOWN OF GODERICH
2ND INSTALLMENT DUE OCTOBER 30TH
Payable at any local chartered bank or Victoria &
Grey Trust Co.
Present your tax bill when making payment.
Interest at the rate of 12% per r ennum added to
overdue installments.
M. H. MacKAY
Acting Treasurer
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Furthermore, our slim new Personal Directory'
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May we send you a complimentary copy?,
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MOM
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