The story of the first Japanese prisoner of war captured on Australian soil during WWII is the showpiece of an exhibition that opens today at the Northern Territory Library in Parliament House, Darwin.
Japanese pilot Hajime Toyoshima was captured by Tiwi Islander Matthias Ullungura after his plane crash landed on Melville Island 80 years ago today.
Toyoshima’s Mitsubishi Zero aircraft from the Japanese Imperial Navy aircraft carrier Hiryu, had been damaged whilst participating in the first air raid during the Bombing of Darwin in 1942.
After finding the pilot wandering through mangroves, Mr Ullungura disarmed him and escorted his prisoner to Bathurst Island where he turned him over to Sergeant Leslie J Powell from the Royal Australian Engineers.
The airman was taken to a Prisoner of War camp in Cowra, NSW and later died during a mass breakout he helped to instigate.
The exhibition, Tiwi Heroes: World War Two Encounters, highlights the Tiwi Island people’s contribution to Australia’s defence during the Second World War.
Supported by loans from the Australian War Memorial, Point Cook Royal Australian Air Force Museum, and Tiwi Islands’ Patakijiyali Museum and Muluwurri Museum, the exhibition features stories of heroic feats by individuals in the protection of Australia from enemy attack.
Hundreds of Tiwi Island people worked on the islands and Australian mainland to support the nation’s military. Some patrolled behind enemy lines on allied submarines and others piloted Australian navy boats.
The exhibition – which combines historic objects, photographs, documents and video – was developed in close consultation with Tiwi advisers and organisations, including the Tiwi Land Council, Jilamara Arts, Munupi Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Association, Patakijiyali Museum and Muluwurri Museum.
This free exhibition will be open until 15 May 2022 at the Northern Territory Library, Parliament House, as part of the Bombing of Darwin 80th anniversary commemorative celebrations.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Chansey Paech:
“This special exhibition is an acknowledgement of the efforts of the Tiwi Islanders during WWII.
“Much of the story of what happened in the Top End and the heroics of many people was only released to the public many years after the war, including the little-publicised efforts of people living in the Tiwi Islands.
“The Tiwi Island people have an integral role in our rich WWII history and this exhibition tells their story.”
