| Place | Asia: Japan, Hiroshima |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL/21011.010 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Heraldry |
| Maker |
Pauls |
| Place made | Australia: Northern Territory, Darwin |
| Date made | August 1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 British Commonwealth Occupation Force, 1946-1952 (Japan) |
| Source credit to | This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government. |
Melted piece of milk bottle, atomic blast Hiroshima: Elsie May Rayner
Description
The base of a melted turquoise glass milk bottle. The inscription on the base of the bottle reads “THE PROPERTY OF/ PAULS/ A61150/ (NT) PTY LTD/ DARWIN’. Pauls was a popular dairy company in Australia at the time.
History / Summary
This piece of glass was owned by Elsie May Rayner. The damage was caused by the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945. The temperature of the blast, which reached up to 6,000 degrees Celsius, melting the glass.
In the Allied occupation which followed the Second World War, Australians served as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) from February 1946 until the treaty in 1951 to assist with the demilitarisation and democratisation of Japan. Australian forces worked within the Hiroshima prefecture and day trips to the site were a common occurrence. With no understanding of the dangers of radiation in the area, Australians collected or purchased damaged items from the site as souvenirs to take home.
NF463879 Private Elsie Rayner had served in the Australian Women’s Army Service during the Second World War and was discharged in November 1945, so did not serve in Japan and it appears she was given this item by someone who served with BCOF. Or she, or someone she knew, travelled to Japan post war.