In Cowra’s main street tears appear to weep from a wartime monument to four Australian soldiers who died in that town during the Japanese POW breakout in 1944.
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They appear from time to time to the amazement of passers-by and those viewing it.
Stains under the eyes of two of the four soldiers, whose faces are depicted, confirm that this is also happening on a regular basis.
The facade, set in a brick wall in Squire Park was unveiled in 1994 and commemorates the four Australian soldiers killed during the Japanese POW breakout, near that town, on 5 August 1944.
These were Privates Jones, Hardy and Shepherd as well as Lieutenant Doncaster.
The writer has witnessed the event on two occasions, including one when a ceremony was in progress.
When he mentioned it to those present and said for somebody to obtain a camera and take a photograph, amazingly they just smiled and pretended not to notice.
Like the fable of The Emperor’s New Clothes nobody, apparently, wants to be the first to speak up.
The tears or droplets of water may be coming from behind the monument or from the brick wall to which it is attached and permeating through cracks in the metal.
Or they may just be condensation forming and running during certain atmospheric conditions.
The fact they are coming from the eyes of two makes it even more unusual. They also vary from a single drop to slow dripping tears.
The droplets of water appear to be also coming from Private Hardy’s nose, with the moisture from the eyes of Hardy and Shepherd.
None appear from Lt. Doncaster who is depicted on the right.
Whatever they are, they complement the large wall monument and are appropriate to the setting, tragedy and sadness it represents in World War II.
# The fable of the Emperor’s New Clothes is about a very proud emperor and a mischievous tailor. Exhausted by his constant demands for the best and brightest clothes in the world the tailor made him nothing and pretended to dress him up in it. The emperor walked out to display them in front of his subjects and everybody dutifully clapped and cheered the attire. Suddenly a little boy down the back, more honest than the rest called out, “but he has no clothes on at all”.
Privates Benjamin Gower Hardy, Ralph Jones and Charles Henry Shepherd were killed in the breakout.
Lieutenant Harry Doncaster was killed when ambushed during the recapture of the prisoners.
Hardy and Jones were posthumously awarded the George Cross.Privates Hardy and Jones were subsequently awarded the George Cross.