and rave at us, and the interpreter Midorikawa then ordered us to lift our shirts and bare our stomachs. Two pokers were placed in the fire to become red hot. He then ordered Captain Stratford and our three Mothers to be brought to the office immediately. When they arrived Nimoto started a tirade against us boys, and also castigated the Mothers for allowing their children to do such a wicked crime, and said that the Mothers would each have to make a circle brand with the red hot poker around our navels.
My Mother pointed out quietly but firmly to Nimoto but with a feeling of absolute venom,
“ I am sorry that this small accident took place, but these small kids had already been under tremendous stress having undergone shellfire at sea surviving in open lifeboats, and Graham had been picked up out of the water after an hour in the middle of the ocean at night, and that allowances must be made for trivial offences.”
But Nimoto was implacable and would not budge. He seized the poker and then handed it to Mrs Guy who was in tears and she was told to commence carrying out his orders, which she point blank refused to do. At this point Captain Stratford very quietly and firmly told the Commandant and the Interpreter who had been enjoying the torment and egging him on, that if any child was touched or in any way harmed, the two of them would be reported to the War Crimes tribunal after the War and they could face the most serious punishment with possible execution for attacking and molesting children which in the West was considered a Capital Crime.
Until then Midorikawa had thought the whole episode very amusing, but with Captain Stratford’s quiet threat of a post war Court action, his countenance immediately changed and his laughter stopped, and he spoke quietly and gravely to the Commandant who then after a harangue picked up a poker and singed each of our hair in turn, despite or more likely trying to cause more terror for us as a final “coup de grace”. The smell of burning hair for years afterwards would bring back harsh memories of this incident and remind me of what a close shave we three had undergone No words can ever describe the fear and panic of us three, and whatever else happened in that camp our friendship was for ever sealed by that episode of the red hot poker, which came so very close to being implemented had it not been for the cool threat and strong action by our Captain against two ignorant bullies that had become a slur on their historic nation, and who only just finally realised at the last minute that they too would suffer the severest punishment themselves. Fifty years later as I recount the tale from our notes at the time I still shake with fear but give thanks that none of my children or grandchildren have ever had to undergo such a crisis and such an ordeal at so tender an age, and that they have been brought up in a quiet peacetime environment, and a childhood far distant from any echoes of War. But the incident served to reinforce my intense loathing of bullies whoever they may be and whoever they may try to humiliate! Nimoto The Commandant, and Sato his Head Guard or assistant and the Interpreter were all sentenced for War Crimes in 1947 and given 5 years, which following pretrial detention was reduced to 3years and 4 months!!