Japanese Kinshi brand cigarette box, Zentsuji Prisoner of War Camp : Lieutenant W H Larkin, Lark Force

Small rectangular shaped green coloured Japanese cigarette box made from light cardboard. The front of the box features a bird in flight below two Japanese written characters and below the bird are various floral designs which includes three cherry blossums. The sides of the box feature written Japanese characters in green as does the back of the box.

This cigarette box is part of the collection of items of Lieutenant William Henry Larkin, an engineer who served with Lark Force and was interned at Zentsuji prisoner of war camp, after being captured by Japanese forces near Rabaul, New Britain in January 1942.

The translation of the older Japanese kanji characters is 'Kinshi'. This brand before the start of the Pacific War was known as 'Golden bat' and was written in English and Japanese. 'Golden bat' was a famous company in Japan which had started in 1905. The change in names was because of the rising anti-western stance by the totalitarian Japanese military government. The price indicated on the box is 10 sen (1 sen = 0.01 yen) for 10 cigarettes.

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 in April 1945 Larkin 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.