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New Militaria Book: Militaria from the Pacific War


JFP54
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I would like to introduce my new book, Militaria From the Pacific War; Discovering Their Stories. If you would like to take a closer look, please follow the links to Amazon or Ebay. My thanks go out to those of you from the Forum who contributed artifacts and images to this project. They were a great help.

 

Jim Pollard

 

https://www.amazon.com/Militaria-Pacific-War-Discovering-Stories/dp/0692769218/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476556132&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=miitaria+from+the+pacific+war+discovering+theri+stories

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Militaria-From-the-Pacific-War-Discovering-Their-Stories-WWII-/191980487095?hash=item2cb2edc1b7:g:P1kAAOSwCGVX6RyU

 

 

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Thanks for the question Sundance.

 

Each chapter began with the discovery of a piece of militaria that was attributed to a named vet who brought it back from the war. The story behind the piece of militaria, however, was unknown. My job was to research the story, following one clue to the next, until the story unfolded. Some stories took a year or two to put together. To get the story, I first located the vet or his family and then conducted interviews - some in person, others by mail, others by email. I also hired a researcher at the National Archives to do some digging. For the Japanese pieces I worked with a translator in Japan. It was quite a research project. I even had the Smithsonian involved briefly in regard to a closet full of Iwo Jima combat footage that I discovered in Georgia. A DVD of the 40-minute reel comes with each book. So, yes, all the artifacts in each chapter relate directly to what is being told in that chapter.

I

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Thanks Sundance, I appreciate it.

 

From time to time, things that peripherally relate to several of the stories in my book still drift in.

 

Just last week I was contacted by Keith Bettany of Australia. His father, Des Bettany, spent the war as a POW at Changi Prison where he did numerous watercolor and pencil sketches. No doubt wondering if he would survive the war, Des handed all of his sketches away to other inmates. Keith has a website dedicated to his father and is constantly on the hunt for his fathers Changi art, which pops up all around the world from time to time.

 

One of Des Bettany's fellow inmates was Cleon Stewart of the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment, also known as the "Texas Lost Battalion." Stewart's first person narrative is the subject of the second story in my book. Stewart's black market activities at Changi were partly responsible for the creation of the character Sam King in James Clavell's novel King Rat. The famous novel, which is set at Changi Prison was later made into a movie by the same name - I highly recommend it. Clavell was himself a POW at Changi, and later wrote the novel "Shogun."

 

Anyway, during my research I contacted Keith Bettany and asked permission to use one of his father's Changi watercolor sketches as an illustration in Stewart's story. He agreed. Attached is a newly discovered watercolor that Keith's father did while working on the "Death Railroad." He sent me this image last week and I thought you all might enjoy seeing it.

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The story behind a Japanese helmet that Coast Guard photographer Merrill Allen brought back from the war was one of the easiest for me to discover. It began when I acquired the helmet from fellow collector and militaria dealer Jeremy Severn, who spotted the helmet on Ebay several years back. Jeremy was able to provide me with Ebay seller David Allen's last known address. I contacted David, had him confirm the authenticity of the helmet, and conducted a lengthy interview. At the end of the interview David mentioned that he thought he might have several reels of his father's Iwo Jima film footage. He said that the film was taken before and during the battle, and that the reels were stashed away in a closet. The film had become so brittle that it could no longer be viewed. Long story short, David located the film and I offered to have it digitally re-mastered as one of the projects for the book. Allen's film contains never before seen footage (except by a few in Stanton, Nebraska) of the flag on top of Mount Suribachi, making the film historically significant. In the before and after restoration comparison shots you can see how much detail was recovered. A DVD of Allen's 40 minute reel is included with each book.

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It's looking better and better. The DVD is a great bonus. It's tough to find those Japanese helmets and you seem to have at least 2 in the book.

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Kurt Barickman

ALL;

 

This is a great book and the author Jim is a very good friend whose Father served on Tarawa with the Second Regiment of the Second Marine Division. Several of my Tarawa groups are in Jim's book. Very well done and the documentation is absolutely perfect; you won't find a better job of an author doing his homework and research. I can't say enough good things and you will enjoy this book.

 

Kurt

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Your welcome - I'm anxious to get a look at it. I try to pick up Japanese/Pacific items when I can but they are few and far between (and, but for well worn Type 99 and 38 rifles and Type 30 bayo's, are getting pricy - helmets for instance). My Dad brought back a couple of swords, a pistol, a flag and some odds and ends. I must not have showed enough interest when I was younger as he sold off all but the flag while I was away at school. But I have the flag. Since he passed away in '05 I've gotten much more interested. That seems to be to way it goes - a day late and a dollar short.

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I received the book today. It's a good looking book. I've only had a chance to skim through it but it looks more in depth than I had expected. I watched the DVD and I'd say that alone was worth a good part of the very reasonable price. I look forward to getting into the book.

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Sundance; glad it arrived (book-rate shipping takes awhile).

Had some good news today. The Pritzker Museum of Military History (on Michigan Avenue in Chicago) has added my book to their library. I had to fill out a release today.

 

http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/explore/library/online-catalog/search#q=Militaria%20from%20the%20Pacific%20war&i=1&c=20&o=0&t=&a=&y=&v=0

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  • 2 months later...

JFP54, I'm reading through your book a little at a time. It's really enjoyable. Great bits of history. The stories really bring the war home. Can't imagine the research that you put into it. Anyone, especially Pacific theater fans, will love it. Thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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