Excerpts from the diary of Tamura Yoshikazu.

Wewak New Guinea

March 1943

When I hear birds of paradise sing, I remember cuckoos back in Japan. They live among tropical coconut trees. I don’t know what they are saying, but they make very weird cries that sound like “keukoh, kiou, keukoh, kiou.”

A mate of mine received a letter from home and he showed me a copy of a
newspaper dated the end of January. Nothing seemed to have changed at
home. It also contained an article about the front line in New Guinea. Who
could know that I am in New Guinea now?

The climate here is similar to that of mid-August in Japan. Yet, there are so many
noxious insects, and the mosquitoes in particular are a real nuisance. Since many of
us are sick and do not feel well, our fighting spirit seems to be low.

____________

May 1943

A few days ago, my friend was killed by enemy shells in this bay. However, the
bay with its white waves does not look any different. There are a few drums
floating away from boats. The landscape of the headland is as lush as before.
Boats are moored to the wharf as before. But I feel so devastated!

_______________

April 1943

From the top of the hill with its fresh green grass
I gaze towards the ocean horizon.
Across the Pacific, across the Japan Current,
From far away, a boat is coming with might and courage
With letters from our homeland.
Sitting in the shade of a coconut tree
Looking across the sky above the ocean waves
Thinking about home from New Guinea.
With the heat, it hurts to realize
How far this place is from home.

_____________

Tamura Yoshikazu was killed in battle in March 1944 at Biliau, New Guinea.