An Unusual Voyage For The Wahine

[Dave Homewood]

This is something a bit different in the history of the ill fated Wahine troopship/ferry.

"SAFE CONDUCT”

VOYAGE BY WAHINE

EXCHANGE OF NATIONALS

(By Telegram.—press Association) WELLINGTON. Friday

For the first time, except for hospital ships, a vessel on the New Zealand register has been employed as a “safe conduct” ship. This was the Wahine, which returned to New Zealand recently after transporting certain Japanese nationals to Australia, said the deputy-Prime Minister, the Hon. W. Nash, today.

Agreement was reached shortly after the outbreak of war in the Pacific for the reciprocal exchange of British, Allied and Japanese nationals who wished to return to their own countries. The first exchange, which included six New Zealanders, was effected at Lorenco Marques, Portuguese East Africa, in August, 1942. The only Japanese national from New Zealand who participated in this movement was the former Chancellor of the Japanese Consulate-General in Wellington.

Mr Nash said there was a prospect that negotiations for a second exchange would be satisfactorily settled, and in anticipation of that event arrangements were made by the Government for the movement from New Zealand to Australia of Japanese nationals detained here who wished to return to their own country. Those people would wait in the Commonwealth until such time as the exchange was definitely settled, when together with other compatriots of theirs in Australia they would be transported on another vessel with “safe conduct” to the agreed exchange port.

Markings on the Ship
The Wahine, which was employed for the movement across the Tasman, was specially marked with the Union Jack on either side, with the word “protected’ in large letters painted above the flag. The national colours were painted fore and aft on the decks and on the sides of the ship.

The date when the vessel would leave, her course and speed had been notified beforehand to Japan, which together with other enemy governments had given “safe conduct” for the journey. The vessel was lit at night, and this was one occasion when the crew was able to travel in comfort.

It was hoped, concluded Mr Nash, that the exchange would not long be delayed and that New Zealand would soon be able to welcome back some of the New Zealand nationals who were now in territories under Japanese control.

WAIKATO TIMES,  4 DECEMBER 1943

[Dave Homewood]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSS_Wahine

[emron]

Postscript:

As a result of these transfers, Australia became the central point for Japanese civilian internees from across our region. However the anticipated second exchange of nationals from both sides never happened and all these Japanese ones remained in detention in Australia for the rest of the war. Many were not repatriated until 1946.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for that follow up.

[davidd]

Not to forget the disastrous attempt by United Airlines to convey 22 interned Japanese civilians (5 listed as housewives, 10 infants of both sexes, and 7 adult males - 4 clerks, 2 directors, and 1 fisherman), and three Thai students, from New Zealand to Australia in early August 1943 aboard a C-87 Liberator Express, plus a civilian American crew of 5. The captain was reputed to have accumulated some 17,000 flying hours by this time. Three of the crew were killed, along with all three Thai nationals, plus 3 of the Japanese housewives, 4 of the infants, plus 2 of the adult males, a total death toll of 15. One of the Japanese survived, seriously injured, until dying on the 19th August. This incident must have created some anguish, for all sorts of reasons, in the USA, Australia and NZ, quite apart from relatives of the passengers, and also worries about the continuing welfare of Allied prisoners and internees in Japanese camps throughout Asia.

All the above information extracted from Errol Martyn's "By Such Deeds, Vol Two : Fates", pages 358/359.

David D