Reunion via war nursing connection

A gift by wounded Japanese prisoners of war to a New Zealand nurse more than six decades ago has led to an emotional journey to Japan for a Dunedin couple and a surprise meeting with a former soldier.

The gift - a picture of a Japanese woman in traditional kimono - was carved from the bottom of a hospital bed end by Japanese prisoners of war and presented to Sister Dorothy Aldrich in 1943.

The POWs were recovering from bullet wounds following a riot at the Featherston camp on February 25, 1943, which left 31 Japanese dead and 74 wounded.

Seventeen died later from their wounds.

The wounded men - captured during the Battle of Guadalcanal - were taken to Wellington Hospital where Miss Aldrich was the nursing sister in charge of their ward.

"The prisoners' behaviour was calm, but they appeared suspicious of the care and attention they were receiving," Wendy Davies, the Dunedin-based niece of Miss Aldrich, said.

In an effort to reassure the prisoners her intentions were genuine, the nurse showed them some possessions which belonged to her grandfather Arthur Aldrich, who went to Japan in 1872 to set up the country's first railway system.

Included in those items was an invitation to attend the Emperor's birthday party, and the Order of the Rising Sun medal with several other decorations.

Mr Aldrich, who became friends with the emperor, was the first foreigner to receive the order and was later appointed first trade consul to New Zealand.

Her grandfather's exploits won over the patients and a "more relaxed atmosphere prevailed", Mrs Davies said.

To mark their appreciation for her care, the prisoners painted a wooden carving from a bed head, inscribed on the back "To Sister Dorothy Aldrich with the compliments from all of the Japan Empire soldiers hospitalised in Wellington May 1943".

Miss Aldrich died in 1983 and left her niece the carving and the story - which remained private until now.

Mrs Davies' husband Alan was playing tennis at the Masters Games in Dunedin in February last year and befriended some Japanese tennis players.

When the Japanese players returned in January, the Davies invited them to their house for supper and showed the carving to the visitors, who "got very excited", he said.

Returning to Japan, the group spoke about their find to a newspaper, which prompted four Japanese high school pupils to contact the Davies and invite them to tell their story at their school last month.

Mr Davies said he told the story of the carving at the school assembly, and at its conclusion, Ryohei Sugiyama (89) - a former Featherston prisoner tracked down by the students - presented a bouquet of flowers to the couple and told them of his "fond memories of Dorothy".

While ill health prevented former prisoner Mizuno Mamoru (90) from attending the ceremony, he was represented by his son.

In an emotionally charged letter read aloud at the assembly, Mr Mamoru confirmed he was the soldier who presented the carving to Miss Aldrich.

"I was taken good care of by Sister Aldrich. I always admired her. If it were not for her, I would not be here now.

"I am back in Japan now, and along with other ex-Japanese soldiers, who have the same feeling of gratitude toward her, had been planning to invite her to Japan since 1977...

"I have had a good happy life since my return to Japan, thanks to Sister Aldrich, who taught me the importance of staying alive."

The couple said the carving was a treasured possession and they had yet to decide its future.

"Who would have thought that listening to my aunt tell this story to me as a child would have led to all this, and it has given us a story to tell to our own children," Mrs Davies said.

hamish.mcneilly@odt.co.nz