Japanese paybook : Mitsuo Hamano, 237 Regiment, 41st Division, Imperial Japanese Army

A collection of items taken from a dead Japanese soldier. They are: 1. A small, ten-paged Japanese paybook with a green grain pattern cover with "Soldier's paybook" stamped in black in Japanese script. The inside pages are preprinted and some have been filled out in ink. The owner has been identified as Mitsuo Hamano, whose divisional code is 35 64 - the 237th Regiment of the 41st Division, which was raised in Mito, Japan. Entries for pay appear in four groupings: January to May 1943; June to September 1943; October to December 1943 and January February 1944. However, the last entry was paid in December 1943. Place names are Penang, Palembang, Java and Burma. 2. An Australian 'War Souvenir' form filled out in pencil, naming the claimant as Lt Allen, GS; Unit as 110 Aust Bde Wksp; and the articles as 'One badge and rank one Jap Pay book one Jap postal savings book, two postcards four photographs water bottles. The form has been stamped in purple ink 'No 12 / WAR SOUVENIR / NOT REQUIRED BY / GENERAL STAFF (INTELLIGENCE) / GSO III (INT) 6 AUST DIV'. 3. A heavily worn and rubbed 107 x 147 mm photo of a Japanese Army Second Lieutenant; 4. A collection of nine postcards (five full colour; four plain 'Military Mail' and one black and white illustrated one) with their original paper covers. 5. Five Japanese yen banknotes (1 Sen, 50 Sen, 2 x 1 Yen and a 5 Yen) and three Japanese Oceania invasion notes (one shilling, ten shillings and one pound).

A collection of personal items, (including paybook, photographs, invasion currency and postcards) recovered by 438611 Lieutenant Graham Stuart Allen, 110 Australian Brigade Workshops in New Guinea in early 1944 from a dead Japanese soldier he discovered and buried. Translation of the entries in the small, ten-paged Soldier's Paybook identifies the owner as Mitsuo Hamano, whose divisional code is 35 64 - the 237th Regiment of the 41st Division, which was raised in Mito, Japan. Hamano's paybook entries appear in four groupings: January to May 1943; June to September 1943; October to December 1943 and January February 1944. However, the last entry was paid in December 1943, suggesting Hamano may have died in late 1943. Allen submitted the material, as required, to General Staff Intelligence, 6 Australian Division for assessment but nothing of value appears to have been garnered from the items and the collection was returned to him.