Reuniting Families Broken Apart by WWII

Benjamin Ireland, an assistant professor of French at TCU, sheds light on a little-known WWII tragedy and reunites families in the process.
More than 1,000 Japanese migrant workers had come to New Caledonia to work in the nickel mines. Fearing they were enemy spies, Henri Sautot, governor of the French territory, sent a fateful telegram on Dec. 8, 1941. In it, he directed New Caledonia’s French authorities to arrest all of the Japanese people on the island.
Government officials deported more than 1,000 men to Australia, where they lived in concentration camps until 1946.
Left behind, the Indigenous wives of the Japanese laborers struggled to make ends meet.
Read more endeavors.tcu.edu

[@RayPublicHealth]

This is a beautiful video! Complements the article perfectly. Thank you Dr. Ireland. Highlights the importance of archives and historians and the dedication of individual researchers. How wonderful that you were able to put the pieces together for Aimé while he was still alive to hear the rest of his story.

[@Anne-CecileFuchs]

This is absolutely fascinating. You truly are an exceptional person!