大象传媒

During The Second World War, two generations of my family (my Great Grandparents, Great Aunts and my Grandparents) were captured and interned in a Japanese prisoner of war camp at Stanley, Hong Kong.

In 1996, as a grandchild of ex POW's, I was invited to join the Pacific Venture on a trip to Japan to experience different aspects of Japanese life. The trip was sponsored by the Japanese government and aimed at enhancing mutual Anglo-Japanese understanding and friendship.

It had never really hit me how much ordinary Japanese people had also suffered until I visited Hiroshima. After walking through the Museum, Atomic Dome and Peace Memorial Park, I felt numbed by the horrific images I had seen. Equally, I felt in awe of the people of Hiroshima. An elderly couple had stood quietly at the Memorial and bowed with tears in their eyes. I felt quite uncomfortable standing there, but they both turned and smiled at me; there was no animosity. That single moment has remained with me and helped me to realise the responsibility we have as individuals to respect the past enough to have a constructive influence on our future. I have taught many students from Hiroshima, and they have been the most positive people I have ever met; mindful of the importance of Peace.

During my trip to Japan, I spent 3 days with a home stay family in a town called Numazu Shizuoka. My home stay family treated me with incredible kindness and hospitality; I learnt a lot from them. It was also there that I first met a Japanese lady who had helped to organise the home stays. This summer, nearly 10 years later, when working as an English teacher for foreign students in Somerset, I met her again. She and her husband had brought a group of young Japanese students to our school from Japan - and it happened to be me who met their coach. Once we got talking we soon realised that we had met before and couldn't belive the coincidence of our meeting again years later in another country by accident. We are now hoping to work together in Japan in the near future.

Before visiting Japan, I viewed the Japanese as a rather alien people who had once been unjust and treated my Grandparents' generation with unimaginable cruelty. I had never thought of them as the cultured, spiritual and generous people that I would come to call my friends. I cannot imagine how they must have viewed us. It has taught me the importance of reconcilliation and friendship - something that is far easier for my privileged generation to achieve.

My Grandfather has now passed away, but my Grandmother is happy that sonething good has come out of something so terrible. I hope, as part of a generation fortunate by the sacrifices and suffering of our Grandparents, I can honour them in some way by keeping the memories of their experiences alive; to learn the value of mutual friendships and understanding between our two countries. Lest We Forget.

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