Day 1: Cowra (Japanese War Cemetery)

At 1.50 am on the clear moonlit night of August 5, 1944, the largest Prisoner of War breakout in modern military history occurred at Cowra. More than 1000 Japanese prisoners launched a mass ‘suicide attack’ on their guards, Australian soldiers of the 22nd Garrison. To the Japanese, the disgrace of capture could finally be overcome by dying in armed battle.

Armed with crude weapons, four groups each of approximately 300 Japanese threw themselves on to barbed wire fences and into the firing line of Vickers machine guns. Protected only by baseball mitts, blankets, and coats and using their comrades as a human bridge to cross the tangled barbed wire, more than 350 Japanese clawed their way to freedom.

All escapees were captured during the following week. A total of 107 POWs were wounded, 234 prisoners died along with 5 Australian soldiers.

JAPANESE WAR CEMETERY

Established in 1964, this is the only Japanese War Cemetery to be retained in Australia. There are 523 graves at the Japanese War Cemetery, containing the remains of the 231 Japanese soldiers who were killed in the 1944 Cowra Breakout and all Japanese Nationals who died on Australian soil during World War II.

Prior to 1964, the Japanese Cemetery had been cared for in an informal way by members of the Cowra RSL Sub-Branch, who kept the lawns mowed and the weeds in check.

This was done as a mark of respect for the fallen soldiers at a time when there were mixed feelings concerning the Japanese.

It is now designated as an official Japanese war cemetery and those buried here numbered over 500 including those who died of other causes during internment and those who died elsewhere (for example during the Darwin bombing).

I noticed the number of graves have lessened over the years, possibly due to repatriation by their families.

AUSTRALIAN WAR CEMETERY

The Cowra War Cemetery is the resting place for four of the Australian Soldiers killed in the Cowra Breakout, as well as other service personnel from Cowra who lost their lives in training or from illness. The Cemetery is beautifully maintained and considered a showpiece for modern military cemeteries.

The Australian War Cemetery and the Japanese War Cemetery are maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission through the Australian Government’s Department of Veterans Affairs.

Over 200 Japanese prisoners died whilst attempting the Cowra Breakout in August 1944 have been buried here and members of the RSL maintained the cemeteries post war as a sign of respect which touched the Japanese people.

SAKURA AVENUE

In 1988, as a bicentennial project, Cowra Shire Council planted 1988 cherry blossom trees between the Cowra War Cemetery, the site of the Prisoner Of War Camp, and the Japanese Gardens as a sign of peace and reconciliation with the Japanese people.

A highlight of spring for locals and visitors alike is a drive from the Cowra Japanese Garden up Sakura Avenue, or Avenue of Cherry Trees. Brilliant blossoms line the way along the Avenue, which links the Japanese Garden with the site of the POW Camp, and continues on to the Australian and Japanese War Cemeteries. Each tree is sponsored by Japanese businesses and citizens as well as Australian school children.