The Cowra community has been invited to discover more about the lives of Japanese people buried in the Japanese War Cemetery using a recently completed database.
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The community is invited to attend an information session on the Cowra Japanese War Cemetery Database at Cowra Library on Monday, August 5 at 2pm as part of the 75th Anniversary of the Breakout Commemorations 2019.
Cowra Librarian Caroline Eisenhauer said the Embassy of Japan commissioned the database project over the past three years and the website became available in May this year.
"The database provides individual information on 524 graves in the Cowra Japanese War Cemetery." she said.
"Those buried in the cemetery were Japanese prisoners of war and civilian internees who died in Australia during the Pacific War.
"The information includes names, birth places, occupations, military ranks and units. In addition, reasons for internment, dates of capture, places of capture as well as movement histories, causes of death and burial histories, are included," she said.
The Cowra cemetery has also been strongly associated with the Cowra breakout.
About 230 soldiers who died in the Breakout are also buried in the cemetery.
Many families of Japanese soldiers who died as POWs do not know where their loved ones were buried, and it is hoped the database will provide people with the opportunity to find their relatives.
Please book your place for the information session by calling the Library on 6340 2180 or book online through Eventbrite.com.
What do you think? Have your say on the new database
