Last week was the 80th anniversary of the historic occasion when nine allied nations gathered on the deck of the United States battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan, on September 2, 1945, to formally sign the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.
RNZAF Air Vice-Marshal Leonard Isitt of Christchurch signed the formal document on behalf of New Zealand.
The fountain pen he used was donated by his family in 1986, and takes pride of place in the museum.
Communications manager David King said the pen was in really good condition for its age. It was an object of exceptional significance to their collection.
“It is extraordinary to think that 80 years ago it was used to sign off the document that ended so many years of misery, and cost so many lives.”
Japanese representatives signed the document first, followed by representatives from the Allied nations.
Isitt, a former Christchurch Boys’ High student, gave an account of how it all worked.
“I was the last to sign. The procedure was to step out, salute General MacArthur, take the chair, sign both copies of the instrument – which were very large, two facing sheets about 24in x 18in, on the left the terms of surrender and on the right the signatures. After I had signed, MacArthur announced that that concluded the business and walked off, followed by Halsey, Nimitz, Sutherland and all the other signatories, and we went to Admiral Halsey’s cabin for a chat and a cup of coffee.”
The conflict was a major part of our involvement in World War 2, particularly in the Pacific.
A majority of the country’s 12,000 military personnel who died during WW2 occurred in campaigns against Japan.
The museum is marking the 80th anniversary with a new exhibition, Victory!
It features images, letters, and personal stories from VJ Day, the day Japan announced its surrender to the Allied forces.
- Entry to the museum is free, and open daily from 9.30am until 4.30pm.
