Australia-Japan Research Project

Australia–Japan Research Project at the Australian War Memorial
Australian and Japanese attitudes to the war
Relic list

Accession Number Object Type Name/Title Description

RELAWM31562 Badge Japanese Officer's cap badge : Japanese midget submarine Standard Imperial Japanese Navy officer's peaked cap cloth badge with salt water immersion damage. The gold anchor usually found centrally mounted is missing; and the gilded brass wreath decoration, as well as the surmounting silver cherry blossom are coated in verdigris.

RELAWM28026 Helmet Submariner's helmet : Lieutenant K Chuma, Imperial Japanese Navy Leather flying helmet with a fold-down brim secured by a single snap fastener. The helmet has a leather chinstrap with a leather covered steel buckle. At the ears are holes for the insertion of communication equipment. The holes are covered by leather flaps, secured by snap fasteners. Above the brow is a leather adjustment strap, secured at the rear of the helmet by a small steel buckle. The strap is located by two large and two small retaining loops. The crown of the helmet is lined with brown velveteen fabric, and has three fabric labels stitched inside it. One of these is a makers' label which reads 'NAGATA & CO. KOJIMACHI, TOKYO'. The other two give size details and date of manufacture, (October 1940) and the owner's name 'Chuma'. A typed manilla tag which was attached to the helmet at time of donation read: 'PROPERTY FOUND IN THE SUBMARINE RAISED FROM THE HARBOUR BED AT TAYLOR BAY, NEAR BRADLEYS HEAD, SYDNEY, ON 5th JUNE, 1942, CONSISTING OF LEATHER CAP WITH THE NAME OF THE SUB-LIEUTENANT ON LABEL STITCHED TO LINING. N.D. JAMES. Inspector of Police.'

REL/00635 Heraldry Lemonade bottle recovered from Japanese midget submarine, Sydney Harbour Bottle made of pale green glass, with a series of raised Japanese characters around the base.

REL/01954 Heraldry Souvenir brass square : Japanese Midget Submarine Piece of copper 25mm square with a Japanese character impressed on either side. The meaning of the Japanese characters is impossible to clarify out of context. One side is slightly distorted, indicating that it has been cut from a larger piece A hole has been drilled through one corner to facilitate attaching the label. Label states "A guaranteed souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine sunk in Sydney Harbour- Sunday 31st May 1942. Proceeds to RAN Relief Fund and King George's Fund for Sailors". The label bears the price of one shilling (1/-), written in pencil.

REL/21193.009 Heraldry Souvenir : Small lead model Japanese midget submarine Small lead model Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. They measure 11.5 cm in length and feature the wording, `MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB, SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR, MAY 31, 1942'.

REL/21193.010 Heraldry Souvenir : Small lead model Japanese midget submarine Small lead model Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. They measure 11.5 cm in length and feature the wording, `MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB, SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR, MAY 31, 1942'. These models along with many other small souvenirs from the submarines were sold to raise funds for the RAN Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors.

REL/21193.011 Heraldry Souvenir : Small lead model Japanese midget submarine Small lead model Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. They measure 11.5 cm in length and feature the wording, `MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB, SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR, MAY 31, 1942'.

REL/21193.012 Heraldry Souvenir : Small lead model Japanese midget submarine Small lead model Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. They measure 11.5 cm in length and feature the wording, `MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB, SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR, MAY 31, 1942'.

REL/21644.001 Heraldry Midget Submarine Metal Relic Souvenir (Japan) Small L-shaped piece of metal from one of the midget submarines that was sunk in Sydney Harbour Sunday May 31st 1942. The metal has a hole drilled through it at its widest end, and Japanese characters stamped into it. Metal is copper and probably part of one of the battery conections. Tied through the hole is a manilla certificate of authenticity which has been torn in half. Printed in blue, the text reads: 'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.'

REL30501 Heraldry Souvenir piece of brass pipe : Japanese Midget Submarine, Sydney Habour, 1942 Souvenir piece of brass tubing approximately 10 mm in diameter, displaying saw cuts at each end. A manilla card label has been tied to the souvenir with a loop of string and reads 'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.' Written in ink on one corner of the label is "6d".

REL30502 Heraldry Souvenir piece of electrical cable : Japanese Midget Submarine, Sydney Habour, 1942 Souvenir length of copper electrical cable, insulated on the outside with orange herringbone weave cotton fabric, cut from one of the Japanese midget submarines sunk in Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942, together with an atttached certificate of authentication. The manilla cardboard certificate is printed in blue and reads: 'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.'

REL31553 Heraldry Souvenir piece of copper pipe : Japanese Midget Submarine, Sydney Habour, 1942 Small souvenir piece of copper pipe cut from one of the Japanese midget submarines sunk in Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942, together with a certificate of authentication. The manilla cardboard certificate is printed in blue and reads :'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.'

REL34922 Heraldry Saki cup found in Japanese midget submarine Small green ceramic saki cup.

REL36462 Heraldry Souvenir model of a Japanese midget submarine Small lead model of a Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. It features the wording, 'MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB.' on one side, and 'SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR MAY 31 1942' on the other.

RC04919 Leaflet Mamesensuikan [Midget submarine]. A propaganda leaflet produced by the Far Eastern Liaison Office (FELO) during the Second World War. This leaflet is written in Japanese and was distributed to Sydney. It is accompanied by an English translation of the text noting that the leaflet is intended to indirectly attack the tendency of the Japanese towards committing atrocities. It reports that the two Japanese submariners who committed suicide in their midget submarine after the attack on Sydney Harbour were honoured by a Navy funeral in Australia and their ashes were sent to their families in Japan. The leaflet also mentions that the British Navy also lost its midget submarines and crew after the successful attack on the German battleship Tirpitz. The description of these events is followed by Japanese and Chinese poems about the uselessness of war and the importance of happiness and peace.

REL36379 Maritime Vessel or Watercraft Souvenir fitting : Japanese midget submarine Souvenir metal fitting taken from one of the Japanese midget submarines sunk in Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942. The fitting comprises a threaded steel tubular body with a hexagonal brass bolt attached. Both pieces were originally painted red, and areas of paint remain on each. Attached to the fitting with twine is a certificate of authentication. The manila cardboard label is printed in blue and reads: 'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.' The facsimile signature of Rear Admiral Gerard Charles Muirhead-Gould DSC, RN and his title 'Rear-Admiral in Charge, Sydney' are also reproduced on the label.

RELAWM30104.012 Maritime Vessel or Watercraft Hatch cover : Japanese midget submarine type 'A' Gloss black, circular access hatch cover with three locking steel latches and a central locking mechanism. The outer steel skin is damaged and dented, the hand hold for closing the hatch has been bent and flattened and the weld holding the single hinge to the submarine hull has broken away.

REL/22033.001 Personal Equipment Watch from Japanese midget submarine No 21, Sydney Harbour, May 1942 Japanese naval issue pocket watch with a nickel case and ring, brass winder, white enamel dial with black numerals, separate second dial at bottom (graduated one to sixty), stop watch dial at top (graduated one to thirty), hour and minute hands, and a second sweep. The three hands are tipped with white radio active paint. The inside of the case is impressed 'SKS NICKEL 129978'. The outside of the case bears impressed Japanese characters which translate 'Luminous second watch, Type 1, naval' and the serial number ' No 1514'. A brown cotton sword knot for a senior naval non-commissioned officer or a junior officer, with two tassels, is attached to the top of the watch.

REL36019 Personal Equipment Japanese Himitsu-Bako puzzle box found in Midget Submarine : R Judge, Garden Island Japanese inlaid rectangular wooden puzzle or secret box, featuring an interwoven geometric Yosegi pattern on all four sides and on the face of the hidden drawer; a traditional coloured inlaid scene of Mount Fuji with boat and house on the sliding cover; and a pink rose and bird design on the base and on the sliding lid of the hidden drawer, all using veneer wood. The lid is removed by sliding the top half of the proper right side panel, which releases it. This reveals a box, half the depth of the whole. Pulling up the proper left side panel reveals a sliding drawer fitted with sliding lid nestled in the lower half of the box. The drawer face is equipped with a small round orange celluloid handle.

PR89/172 Records Garden Island Naval Dockyard (Captured Japanese Midget Submarine) TWO REPORTS, INCLUDING THE MANUSCRIPT NOTES, PREPARED FOR, AND AT, HMA NAVAL YARD GARDEN ISLAND, ON THE CAPTURED JAPANESE MIDGET SUBMARINE. THE FIRST REPORT DEALS MOSTLY WITH ELECTRICAL AND PROPULSION MATTERS WHILE THE SECOND REPORT DETAILS THE BATTERIES USED IN THE SUBMARINE.

REL/15547 Uniform Japanese Navy submariner's seaboot : C Dyer, Wood Coffill and Company Brown leather right foot pull-on sea boot of sewn construction with a folded-down shaft, rounded roper-style toes and stacked leather heel nailed to the body with six nails. The boot is fitted with a moulded vulcanised rubber sole and heel incorporating a treadplate pattern, with the maker's name moulded into the sole. The interior is lined in a grey green cotton drill; one side is stamped with a small panel in Japanese bearing the boot size (size 10). The other side has a portion of an owner's name in ink. This reads 'Fuji -- ri', with the middle character difficult to read. The maker's cloth tag, in red over black, is sewn adjacent to this name. A small 59mm x 22mm leather pocket containing a lead weight is sewn into each side of the boot fold-down. The leather bears some evidence of normal wear, with some tear damage, but overall appears to be of relatively new issue.

Printed on 12/22/2024 11:16:55 PM

Accession Number	Object Type	Name/Title	Description
RELAWM31562	Badge	Japanese Officer's cap badge : Japanese midget submarine	Standard Imperial Japanese Navy officer's peaked cap cloth badge with salt water immersion damage. The gold anchor usually found centrally mounted is missing; and the gilded brass wreath decoration, as well as the surmounting silver cherry blossom are coated in verdigris.
RELAWM28026	Helmet	Submariner's helmet : Lieutenant K Chuma, Imperial Japanese Navy	Leather flying helmet with a fold-down brim secured by a single snap fastener. The helmet has a leather chinstrap with a leather covered steel buckle. At the ears are holes for the insertion of communication equipment. The holes are covered by leather flaps, secured by snap fasteners. Above the brow is a leather adjustment strap, secured at the rear of the helmet by a small steel buckle. The strap is located by two large and two small retaining loops. The crown of the helmet is lined with brown velveteen fabric, and has three fabric labels stitched inside it. One of these is a makers' label which reads 'NAGATA & CO. KOJIMACHI, TOKYO'. The other two give size details and date of manufacture, (October 1940) and the owner's name 'Chuma'. A typed manilla tag which was attached to the helmet at time of donation read: 'PROPERTY FOUND IN THE SUBMARINE RAISED FROM THE HARBOUR BED AT TAYLOR BAY, NEAR BRADLEYS HEAD, SYDNEY, ON 5th JUNE, 1942, CONSISTING OF LEATHER CAP WITH THE NAME OF THE SUB-LIEUTENANT ON LABEL STITCHED TO LINING. N.D. JAMES. Inspector of Police.'
REL/00635	Heraldry	Lemonade bottle recovered from Japanese midget submarine, Sydney Harbour	Bottle made of pale green glass, with a series of raised Japanese characters around the base.
REL/01954	Heraldry	Souvenir brass square : Japanese Midget Submarine	Piece of copper 25mm square with a Japanese character impressed on either side. The meaning of the Japanese characters is impossible to clarify out of context. One side is slightly distorted, indicating that it has been cut from a larger piece A hole has been drilled through one corner to facilitate attaching the label. Label states "A guaranteed souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine sunk in Sydney Harbour- Sunday 31st May 1942. Proceeds to RAN Relief Fund and King George's Fund for Sailors". The label bears the price of one shilling (1/-), written in pencil.
REL/21193.009	Heraldry	Souvenir : Small lead model Japanese midget submarine	Small lead model Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. They measure 11.5 cm in length and feature the wording, `MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB, SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR, MAY 31, 1942'.
REL/21193.010	Heraldry	Souvenir : Small lead model Japanese midget submarine	Small lead model Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. They measure 11.5 cm in length and feature the wording, `MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB, SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR, MAY 31, 1942'. These models along with many other small souvenirs from the submarines were sold to raise funds for the RAN Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors.
REL/21193.011	Heraldry	Souvenir : Small lead model Japanese midget submarine	Small lead model Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. They measure 11.5 cm in length and feature the wording, `MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB, SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR, MAY 31, 1942'.
REL/21193.012	Heraldry	Souvenir : Small lead model Japanese midget submarine	Small lead model Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. They measure 11.5 cm in length and feature the wording, `MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB, SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR, MAY 31, 1942'.
REL/21644.001	Heraldry	Midget Submarine Metal Relic Souvenir (Japan)	Small L-shaped piece of metal from one of the midget submarines that was sunk in Sydney Harbour Sunday May 31st 1942. The metal has a hole drilled through it at its widest end, and Japanese characters stamped into it. Metal is copper and probably part of one of the battery conections. Tied through the hole is a manilla certificate of authenticity which has been torn in half. Printed in blue, the text reads: 'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.'
REL30501	Heraldry	Souvenir piece of brass pipe : Japanese Midget Submarine, Sydney Habour, 1942	Souvenir piece of brass tubing approximately 10 mm in diameter, displaying saw cuts at each end. A manilla card label has been tied to the souvenir with a loop of string and reads 'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.' Written in ink on one corner of the label is "6d".
REL30502	Heraldry	Souvenir piece of electrical cable : Japanese Midget Submarine, Sydney Habour, 1942	Souvenir length of copper electrical cable, insulated on the outside with orange herringbone weave cotton fabric, cut from one of the Japanese midget submarines sunk in Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942, together with an atttached certificate of authentication. The manilla cardboard certificate is printed in blue and reads: 'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.'
REL31553	Heraldry	Souvenir piece of copper pipe : Japanese Midget Submarine, Sydney Habour, 1942	Small souvenir piece of copper pipe cut from one of the Japanese midget submarines sunk in Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942, together with a certificate of authentication. The manilla cardboard certificate is printed in blue and reads :'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.'
REL34922	Heraldry	Saki cup found in Japanese midget submarine	Small green ceramic saki cup.
REL36462	Heraldry	Souvenir model of a Japanese midget submarine	Small lead model of a Japanese midget submarine made from the ballast of the two submarines sunk during the raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. It features the wording, 'MADE FROM BALLAST JAP MIDGET SUB.' on one side, and 'SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR MAY 31 1942' on the other.
RC04919	Leaflet	Mamesensuikan [Midget submarine].	A propaganda leaflet produced by the Far Eastern Liaison Office (FELO) during the Second World War. This leaflet is written in Japanese and was distributed to Sydney. It is accompanied by an English translation of the text noting that the leaflet is intended to indirectly attack the tendency of the Japanese towards committing atrocities. It reports that the two Japanese submariners who committed suicide in their midget submarine after the attack on Sydney Harbour were honoured by a Navy funeral in Australia and their ashes were sent to their families in Japan. The leaflet also mentions that the British Navy also lost its midget submarines and crew after the successful attack on the German battleship Tirpitz. The description of these events is followed by Japanese and Chinese poems about the uselessness of war and the importance of happiness and peace.
REL36379	Maritime Vessel or Watercraft	Souvenir fitting : Japanese midget submarine	Souvenir metal fitting taken from one of the Japanese midget submarines sunk in Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942. The fitting comprises a threaded steel tubular body with a hexagonal brass bolt attached. Both pieces were originally painted red, and areas of paint remain on each. Attached to the fitting with twine is a certificate of authentication. The manila cardboard label is printed in blue and reads: 'A Guaranteed Souvenir from the Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk in Sydney Harbour, Sunday, May 31st, 1942. Proceeds to R.A.N. Relief Fund and King George's Fund For Sailors. July 30, 1942.' The facsimile signature of Rear Admiral Gerard Charles Muirhead-Gould DSC, RN and his title 'Rear-Admiral in Charge, Sydney' are also reproduced on the label.
RELAWM30104.012	Maritime Vessel or Watercraft	Hatch cover : Japanese midget submarine type 'A'	Gloss black, circular access hatch cover with three locking steel latches and a central locking mechanism. The outer steel skin is damaged and dented, the hand hold for closing the hatch has been bent and flattened and the weld holding the single hinge to the submarine hull has broken away.
REL/22033.001	Personal Equipment	Watch from Japanese midget submarine No 21, Sydney Harbour, May 1942	Japanese naval issue pocket watch with a nickel case and ring, brass winder, white enamel dial with black numerals, separate second dial at bottom (graduated one to sixty), stop watch dial at top (graduated one to thirty), hour and minute hands, and a second sweep. The three hands are tipped with white radio active paint. The inside of the case is impressed 'SKS NICKEL 129978'. The outside of the case bears impressed Japanese characters which translate 'Luminous second watch, Type 1, naval' and the serial number ' No 1514'. A brown cotton sword knot for a senior naval non-commissioned officer or a junior officer, with two tassels, is attached to the top of the watch.
REL36019	Personal Equipment	Japanese Himitsu-Bako puzzle box found in Midget Submarine : R Judge, Garden Island	Japanese inlaid rectangular wooden puzzle or secret box, featuring an interwoven geometric Yosegi pattern on all four sides and on the face of the hidden drawer; a traditional coloured inlaid scene of Mount Fuji with boat and house on the sliding cover; and a pink rose and bird design on the base and on the sliding lid of the hidden drawer, all using veneer wood. The lid is removed by sliding the top half of the proper right side panel, which releases it. This reveals a box, half the depth of the whole. Pulling up the proper left side panel reveals a sliding drawer fitted with sliding lid nestled in the lower half of the box. The drawer face is equipped with a small round orange celluloid handle.
PR89/172	Records	Garden Island Naval Dockyard (Captured Japanese Midget Submarine)	TWO REPORTS, INCLUDING THE MANUSCRIPT NOTES, PREPARED FOR, AND AT, HMA NAVAL YARD GARDEN ISLAND, ON THE CAPTURED JAPANESE MIDGET SUBMARINE. THE FIRST REPORT DEALS MOSTLY WITH ELECTRICAL AND PROPULSION MATTERS WHILE THE SECOND REPORT DETAILS THE BATTERIES USED IN THE SUBMARINE.
REL/15547	Uniform	Japanese Navy submariner's seaboot : C Dyer, Wood Coffill and Company	Brown leather right foot pull-on sea boot of sewn construction with a folded-down shaft, rounded roper-style toes and stacked leather heel nailed to the body with six nails. The boot is fitted with a moulded vulcanised rubber sole and heel incorporating a treadplate pattern, with the maker's name moulded into the sole. The interior is lined in a grey green cotton drill; one side is stamped with a small panel in Japanese bearing the boot size (size 10). The other side has a portion of an owner's name in ink. This reads 'Fuji -- ri', with the middle character difficult to read. The maker's cloth tag, in red over black, is sewn adjacent to this name. A small 59mm x 22mm leather pocket containing a lead weight is sewn into each side of the boot fold-down. The leather bears some evidence of normal wear, with some tear damage, but overall appears to be of relatively new issue.