I agreed in principle to serve as a co-ordinator of a British organization to implement the plan, which was to run for ten years. It was recognized that those selected would need to take part in an orientation programme before visiting Japan, where the visitors would be made most welcome.

It was to be hoped that those who went on these trips should be encouraged to develop a continuing relationship between them (and their schools) and Japan afterwards. Towards that end it also was anticipated that some form of publication, perhaps an annual, might emerge. By the end of May, however, a considerable number of soundings had taken place and it was clear that there was strong support for the youth exchange programme so far as the grandchildren, their parents and the ex-prisoners themselves were concerned. It was also evident that it would be quite impossible to restrict the geographical locus of our recruitment efforts: we would seek to place children from across the length and breadth of England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Moreover, I had come to the conclusion that three places on the first trip at least should be reserved for slightly older relatives (children or grandchildren) of ex-prisoners who might serve as chaperons and aides. Not only would this ease any anxieties of the parents and grandparents of the main group but it would ensure that the FEPOW community as a whole might feel reassured by FEPOW-related adult eye-witnesses to the kind of reception accorded the children by their Japanese hosts (while the need for that may now be less acute than when we began because the programme has won very high praise from all participants, each year we still endeavour to include at least one relative of an ex-prisoner among the four adult chaperons who accompany the youngsters to Japan).

Two weeks later, we were joined by Mrs. Mary Grace Browning to continue our discussion of the new youth tours. Mrs. Browning's experience in shepherding groups of British children around Japan is second to none, and from this point onwards, Mrs. Browning and I were to take joint responsibility for running the programme.

<<<previous page<<<         >>>next page>>>

Sore Shoulders

Flying High at an Orientation Day