Hajime Toyoshima

Flight Petty Officer Third Class was a Japanese airman in World War II. His A6M Zero was the first of that type to be recovered relatively intact on Allied territory (after those recovered after the attack on Pearl Harbor) when he crash landed on Melville Island, Northern Territory, Australia.

Toyoshima was the first Japanese prisoner of war to be captured in Australia. In August 1944, while a POW in rural New South Wales, Toyoshima was one of the instigators of the Cowra breakout, sounding a bugle to signal the commencement of the escape, and died during the fight.

Early life Hajime Toyoshima was born on March 29, 1920 (alternatively March 20, 1919 ) and had a brother named Tadao. Little else is known of Toyoshima's early life His Zero, tail code BII-124, was launched from Hiryū which contributed 18 B5Ns, 18 D3As, and nine Zeros to the attack, which were joined by squadrons from the other carriers.

After an hour over Darwin, and while returning, he ran out of fuel due to bullet damage to his fuel tank, and crash-landed on Melville Island suffering superficial facial injuries.

On February 24, he was taken prisoner by local Tiwi islander Matthias Ulungura. becoming the first Japanese combatant to be captured in Australian territorial jurisdiction. His plane was found a few days after that, and was extensively studied (with the surviving wreck now preserved in the Darwin Aviation Museum ). It was not connected to Toyoshima, since he told his captors he was a gunner from a bomber not involved in the raid From the outset of captivity, he actively sought to learn English, both from soldiers, local internees, and friendly guards. A guard he befriended probably gave him an army bugle, made by Boosey and Hawkes Ltd of London, to practice with. Later, as many more Japanese POWs arrived, tensions increased due to overcrowding and power shifted towards the army and Toyoshima became a deputy leader.

In August 1944, after being informed of a mass prisoner transfer, Toyoshima signaled the start of the mass escape with a bugle call. Soon, many of the compound's buildings were alight and 1,100 prisoners were charging the fences and guard towers. In the chaos, he died (recorded as "Gun shot wound to chest and self-inflicted wound" to his throat) alongside 230 other Japanese in the breakout and his identity as a Zero pilot was not discovered until the 1960s.

He was buried as his alias, Tadao Minami, in the Japanese Cemetery at Cowra, the only official Japanese war grave outside Japan. His bugle was donated to the Australian War Memorial by the camp commander, Major Edward Timms, in 1978.