Souvenirs sent home to his sweetheart meant trouble for one Australian soldier in the months before the Japanese surrender during World War II, as revealed in court martial records held by the National Archives.

The instrument of surrender of Japanese forces in New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, Bougainville and adjacent Islands was signed at Rabaul on 6 September 1945.

Conflict between Allied and Japanese forces was waged in treacherous conditions in the mountains and jungles of New Guinea and Bougainville from 1942 to 1945. Towards the end, Japanese forces were demoralised and suffering from lack of food and supplies.

Allied Forces used all available means to persuade Japanese forces to surrender in the months prior to September. Printed leaflets, with an Allied Forces message, were loaded into 25-pounder shells and fired towards Japanese positions.

The message on one side was intended for Allied soldiers to ensure correct treatment of the enemy. Written in English, it read, ‘The bearer has ceased resistance. Treat him well in accordance with international law. Take him to the nearest Commanding Officer.’

On the other side of the leaflet was a message in Japanese, aimed at reassuring enemy soldiers that they would be treated with respect. A translation of the message reads:

To all soldiers of the Japanese Army – We need not explain the situation. Any further bloodshed is useless. We wish to treat you kindly. There is no shame in coming to our lines and receiving emergency medical treatment under the Geneva Convention. You will be taken to join the several hundred Japanese soldiers already accommodated in Australia.

Photographs showing Japanese soldiers in good health and receiving water from Australian army personnel illustrated this message.

This surrender leaflet is one of two on a file in the National Archives’ collection which have survived due to the actions of a court-martialled Australian soldier. The leaflet was recently rediscovered amongst the records of the Attorney-General’s Department.

Treasures of a ‘bower-bird’

In August 1945, an Australian soldier with the 4th Australian Field Regiment (Jungle Division) in Bougainville was court-martialled for having prejudiced ‘good order and military discipline’ by including a Japanese note book, two propaganda leaflets (the surrender leaflets), six official maps, three intelligence summaries, a patrol report and a prisoner of war report in a parcel destined for Australia.

A month earlier, the soldier had prepared to visit his fiancée in Victoria while on leave. He bundled up various souvenirs he had gathered over the previous 18 months while on active service in New Guinea and Bougainville. To lighten his load, he made three parcels with these souvenirs and other documents and books, wrapped them in brown paper and addressed them to his sweetheart. He posted them after checking with his senior officer.

However, his souvenirs were subject to wartime censorship rules that disallowed any restricted material being sent through the post in case it fell into enemy hands. Army regulations also prohibited disclosure of the contents of army document to civilians. The soldier was duly reprimanded, charged and held in detention for 29 days until trial.

The soldier pleaded guilty at the court martial, which was held in the field on 21 August 1945. He had kept two of the surrender leaflets distributed by his regiment as well as maps and copies of reports from past activities and conflicts. As the Japanese retreated, records, personal belongings and equipment were dumped, and it was common practice for Allied soldiers to souvenir scavenged items. This was how the Japanese notebook came to be in the soldier’s possession.

His defending officer referred to him as a ‘bower-bird’ who liked to collect ‘momentos’. He argued that the documents no longer posed a security risk and suggested leniency.

On 21 August 1945, the soldier was sentenced to ‘field punishment for ninety days and to forfeit all ordinary pay for a period of ninety days.’ The next day, Lieutenant-General SC Savige, Commander of the 2nd Australian Corps (AIF), ordered that the soldier’s punishment be commuted to a fine of five pounds.

Most of the wartime souvenirs which had caused so much trouble for the soldier remained as evidence on his court martial file. This file and thousands of other court martial files were later transferred to the custody of the National Archives, where the treasures of this ‘bower-bird’ can now be shared.

This story was originally published in the National Archives magazine Memento, Issue 34, January 2008.