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As I said before our stay here was to be approximately three months but at the end of April our hopes were dashed when we were told that we were staying here until October 17th.

Several of out capital ships have been here including the battle ships 鈥淒uke of York鈥� and 鈥淎nson鈥� and the Aircraft Carrier 鈥淕lory鈥� The Commander in Chief British Pacific Fleet came up on the 鈥淒uke of York鈥� he also paid a second visit early in May on the Cruiser 鈥淪wiftsure鈥�, it was then that he inspected a guard of honour of Australian Army. It was his last tour of inspection before giving up the position of C in C.B.P.F.

An R.N. Barracks is being built ashore, what a dump to be put ashore in I thought R.N.B Portsmouth was bad enough but I鈥檇 prefer that to R.N.B Kure.

The bombed sites are rapidly being built upon by the Japs, and the black-market is rife, 20YEN being the fixed price for a packet of cigarettes or a packet of sweets. 20YEN is 6/8d sterling. Prices are terrific ashore here, for instance silk is 60YEN per yard that鈥檚 is 拢1, and a silk Kimono is anything from 800YEN upwards.

The Japs have very queer customs and one thing you never see here is Japanese walking arm and arm like we do, there is always a few feet separating a Japanese man and woman when they are out on the street. Another custom is that if a girl is engaged to a bloke and he dies or gets killed she is not supposed to marry, the same applies if she is married and her husband dies, she is not supposed to marry again.

The weather here is very unreliable, reminds me of Manchester boiling hot one day pouring with rain the next, On May the 11th we had some very good news and that was that we are leaving here of UK early in June, so things are much brighter now.

There have been several fire ashore here, one of which was very bad as it was an ammunition dump, that went up very spectacular as it happened at night, so was quite a November 5th for us, with tracer flying high into the air and now and then big flashes as heavy stuff went up, Most of the hills around here are veritable arsenals, all honeycombed and packed with store of all descriptions.

Another thing that happened whilst we have been out here which I omitted to mention owing to the act that I had no proof at the time as to whether it was true of not, and that is the strange happenings that have been going on at Hiroshima the appearing of what might be described as mirages of buildings and the like that were destroyed by the bomb. I don鈥檛 think I can do any better than quote what 鈥淣oyes Thomas鈥� the News of the World correspondent wrote about these strange occurrences this that follows is his version of it dated February 24th 1946.

鈥淎 new terror is spreading to night through devastated Hiroshima, the Japanese atom bombed city, which is being taken over by the British commonwealth force.

Because of some unexplained delayed action of the atomic rays, scenes from the life of the thronged Japanese city at the instant the explosion are now appearing as silhouettes on the barren ground. Villagers in the surrounding countryside shiver with fright when questioned about it. Many of them now refuse to enter the area and make detours of many miles to avoid it.

I first heard of 鈥淜age鈥� from high ranking British naval officers aboard the ship HMS Glenearn in near-by Kure.

The Japanese work for 鈥淜age鈥� means 鈥淭he Shadow鈥� 鈥� a dramatic but apt name for a phenomenon that would probably seem far-fetched even to the producers of a Hollywood horror film. Only after investigating the story on the spot and myself shuddering with horror 鈥� was I convinced of the truth of it.

At one place the shadow of a vanished bridge has appeared on the street which it spanned. From its size and shape it seems as if the bridge is still intact. At another point there is a shadow of a man leading bullock and wagon. It is so clearly defined that it shows details down to the dead mans peculiar Japanese boots, with their separate compartments for big toes.

Elsewhere there is the shadow on the pavement of a little Japanese girl, probably aged about 12, holding under her arm what may have been a bundle of school books. Why only these and a few other shadows should have appeared so far is a mystery. But survivors from the bomb burst, toothless now, with downy new hair just beginning to grow on their heads, live in dread of the appearance of new ones. They are dragging off the few bits of rusty tin and charred wood to make roofs for new 鈥渄ug-out鈥� homes in parts of the city site where 鈥淜age鈥� has not been seen.鈥�

That was the reporters version of the strange events going on in this Ghost city.

On the 18th May we moved from our position out in the bay and went in to tie along side the jetty where we expect to stay until the 10th June, on which date, we hope, to leave Kure for good. The weather now is very warm and most of the days there is brilliant sunshine, the dust on the roads is terrible now as the roads are getting in very poor condition owing to the very heavy traffic which is now beginning to run on them.

The hills at the back of the poet have changed immensely, on our arrival here they were all bare earth of a sandy colour but now they are well covered in vegetation of many varied hues of green, and look very cool and inviting compared with the foreground of whirling dust which is the town. Also the Japanese people themselves have changed their dress, the men are all wearing a much lighter sort of clothing, while the majority of the women are adopting European style of dress consisting of blouse and shirt, also their hair is now being dressed in European fashion.

June came in with real summer weather, boiling hot everyday, and everything was being got in readiness for going to sea as we expected to leave about the 10th.

鈥楾his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 war site by Jim Salveson of the CSV Action Desk 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio Stoke. On behalf of Elizabeth Adams and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.鈥�

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