Talk: The Forgotten War 1914-18

During World War I, there was vicious and devastating fighting in the sea off the coast of Wales. On October 4 1918, one month before the armistice, the Hirano Maru, a Japanese vessel, was torpedoed by the German U boat, UB91. Of the 320 Japanese sailors on board, only 29 survived.

In this talk, David James will explain about the warfare in Welsh waters and the sinking of the Hirano Maru. He will then discuss his efforts to restore the memorial in Angle, Pembrokeshire, which is dedicated to the Japanese sailors who lost their lives. The new memorial will be unveiled in Angle on October 4th 2018, one hundred years after the sinking of the Hirano Maru. David will also talk about the gingko tree which was sent by the Japanese Marshal Admiral Hehachiro Togo, who lived in Pembroke Dock for two years while his ship, the Hiei of 1877, was being built. The gingko tree is still growing in Pembrokeshire and cuttings will be sent to Tokyo and planted in a Place of Honour. He will explain how the stories of the Hirano Maru and the Hehachiro Togo’s gingko tree have become intertwined.

Free but booking is essential at http://dajf.org.uk/event/the-forgotten-war-1914-18