Bombings helped bring end to WW2
The 72nd anniversary of the dropping of two atomic bombs in Japan, and the subsequent end of the Second World War is approaching.
Even though the war in Europe had ended in May 1945, the war in the Pacific continued, led by the United States, which had declared war on Japan the day after Japan bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, thus joining the other Allied Nations in the Second World War.
The war in the Pacific culminated when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan at Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and at Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, killing approximately 200,000 people.
Like many at the time, my father Harry Culley’s reaction to the dropping of the atomic bombs was one of shock and horror at the loss of life and destruction it caused. Here is an excerpt from one of his letters which appears in my book Love in the Air: Second World War Letters, written after my discovery of the 609 letters that my parents sent to each other during the war. The book includes selections from their letters, historical background, scenes inspired by the letters and photos.
Bournemouth, Aug. 9, 13, 1945 [excerpts] Dearest Helen, The papers are full of the new invention, the atom bomb and the damage it did to the city of Hiroshima. I can’t see any argument to justify using it to kill 100,000 civilians, can you? It’s just one step further to the end of civilization as we know it as far as I can see. But I hope I’m wrong. I’d like a few years of peace with you darling before we all get blown off the earth!
Well darling, I suppose it’s just a matter of hours until there will be peace on earth again for the first time in eight years. It doesn’t seem natural to know that there isn’t a fight going on in some part of the world.
Aug. 15, 1945 VJ Day 2 p.m. - The war is over at last! It seems almost unbelievable to me that factories won’t be making shells and guns any more and that men will all be going home at last instead of setting out for battle fronts all over the world.
Smitty came in and just then an American dance band came marching down the street playing “The Caissons go Rolling Along”, so sleep was out of the question and I got up and we went down to the Square. There must have been at least a thousand people there around a big bon fire built in the middle and the dance band was up on the roof of a bus station going to it and giving out with plenty of jazz. It was really an American celebration all the way. They had conga lines all over the place and a baton twirler like I’ve never seen before. We hung around until about 2 a.m. and then came home to bed.
There’s no one more anxious to use my uniform for a door mat than I am. My shirts were all in ribbons almost and Mrs. Forster [his landlady] has just done a fine job of patching them. The uniform is really a wreck too and is every colour except blue.
You can close your eyes when I kiss you sweetheart but you won’t have to open them to make sure I’m still there. I’ll be there all right, just as close as you want me. All my love angel, Harry
Love in the Air: Second World War Letters is available in the Peterborough Public Library, at Chapters Peterborough in the biography section, at www.friesenpress. com, and on Amazon, in e-book, softcover and hardcover formats. For more information, please visit www.joanneculley.com.
Outdoor Art @ the Miskwaa
Daniel Marlatt, a member of the Kawartha Artists’ Gallery and Studio, is hosting an outdoor exhibit showcasing Southern Ontario artists at his three-acre property located by the historic Miskwaa Ziibi River in Trent Lakes, running from now until September 22.
The outdoor exhibit is available for viewing on days when the weather is fine. He is looking to add five more artists for August, who can hang up to five pieces of any size. For more information, please visit Marlatt’s Facebook page “Outdoor Art at the Miskwaa.”