Mystery of WWII Japanese flag solved

It would be easy to assume handwriting scrawled across Hedland RSL’s World War II Japanese flag is a call to arms or battle cry.

Having kept the World War II memento in storage for years, RSL secretary Robyn Middleton recently framed the flag and put it on display at the club’s new South Hedland social rooms.

Yet when a former Digger attending April’s Anzac Day social meet asked what its writing meant, nobody knew.

The former soldier then offered to check with his Japanese buddy.

“He took a photo and sent it away and got word back within a couple of days that it was a prayer for peace,” RSL Port Hedland secretary Robyn Middleton said.

“We had all assumed it was a battle flag with the signatures of the airmen as they went off to fight, so it is very pleasing to know it is not (an aggressive message but is) … calming and looking to the future rather than looking backwards.”

Yet the flag’s peaceful message was not the only discovery RSL members made.

“A few days after that, the second follow-up (we received from his Japanese friend) was that (we were displaying) the flag … upside down,” she said.

“We did apologise for that but there are no Japanese-speaking people that come here, so it is hard to know which is up and which is down.”

Ms Middleton said the club also did not know where the flag had come from or who brought it back to Australia and would welcome any information community members might have about it.