Title
A Japanese sword that belonged to a surrendered Japanese officer, unsheathed
Year/Period
1945
Region
Singapore
Dimension
Object size: L95.7cm
Accession No.
2003-00494-001
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Ms. Pam Baker
NLB Type
Cultural artefact
When General William Slim, commander of the British 14th Army in Burma (Myanmar) landed on and re-occupied Malaysia and Singapore, he ordered the surrender of the swords of all senior Japanese officers to appropriate British commanders, in front of parades of the defeated Japanese troops. An unidentified officer surrendered this elegantly curved Japanese sword to Mr. A. H; D. Harrison, who was an interned civil servant and represented the British civil service in that symbolic ceremony.
