Japanese identity badge, Zentsuji Prisoner of War Camp : Lieutenant W H Larkin, Lark Force

An oval shaped bamboo badge worn by Lieutenant Larkin whilst a prisoner of war in Zentsuji camp in Japan. On the front top-half of the badge, two Japanese characters are engraved with black ink. Two horizontal, parallel lines engraved with red ink run below the Japanese characters and the number '176' is engraved with black ink underneath. On the reverse is written in pencil, '1925, Larkin, AMF'. A hole has been drilled in the top of the badge, indicating that it was likely worn around the neck with string.

This identity badge was worn by Lieutenant William Henry Larkin while interned at Zentsuji prisoner of war camp on the island of Shikoku, Japan during the Second World War.

The two Japanese kanji characters above the double red horizontal lines represent the following :

'Zentsuji' and 'Head Office' or 'Headquarters'

Lieutenant Larkin, an engineer serving with Lark Force, was interned at Zentsuji, after being captured by Japanese forces near Rabaul, New Britain on January 1942. Larkin was born in Kew, Victoria in 1920 and served in the Militia prior to the outbreak of hostilities in 1939.

At this time Larkin was a member of 34 Fortress Company and in 1940 he volunteered for overseas service with Lark Force, being commissioned as Lieutenant and disembarking for Rabaul in April 1941. Lark Force, like other bird forces in Ambon (Gull Force) and Timor (Sparrow Force), was charged with defending Allied interests in the islands north of Australia and also to provide early warning of Japanese movements there.

When the Japanese invaded New Britain, Lark Force was overwhelmed and the officers, Larkin included, were captured on 28 January 1942 and eventually transported to Zentsuji prisoner of war camp in Japan on 19 July 1942.

Here, the Australians were joined by a large contingent of Americans, as well as soldiers and some civilians of British, Dutch, New Zealand and Fijian origin.

According to his Japanese capture card Larkin in April 1945 was temporarily moved to Hiroshima and then returned to Zentsuji. On 29 June 1945, the camp was split up into its various nationalities and transported to other camps throughout Japan, with Larkin again going to Hiroshima.

Many of the Australians from Rabaul were sent to Sendai on the island of Honshu, though they were liberated just a few weeks later in September 1945.

Larkin was repatriated to Australia shortly after, officially leaving the Army in November 1945, though remaining on the Officers' Reserve list.