Red Lion Man Present at Tojo Suicide Attempt
It’s amazing where York County people turn up.
As I posted earlier, a friend gave me some original copies of Red Lion Echoes, a small paper meant for the service people from the Red Lion area during World War II to keep them up to date on local happenings. The men and women who received the paper would write back to let everyone know what they were doing overseas.
Click here for pervious Echoes post.
Below is an excerpt of a letter from Captain C. William Trout to his parents in Red Lion. Captain Trout was serving in Japan, just after Japanese surrender, with the 441st Counter Intelligence Corps.
“We had quite an experience yesterday. Tojo shot himself when General MacArthur ordered C.I.C. to pick him up. We spent about 3 hours in him home and had quite a time with newspaper men and camera men. Tojo was brought here to camp in 1st Cavalry Ambulance and was living at last report.
His home was very simple–I understand his mansion was destroyed by bombs. If you see pictures in paper taken between 4:30 and 7:30 P.M. Sept. 11th in his home, I was there. We gave his plasma for shock and the transfusions later. By his side he had five sabers and on his blouse, about six rows of ribbons. He had taken his blouse off before shooting himself.”
Hideki Tojo was the political and military of Japan during World War II. He survived the suicide attack. He was tried for his war crimes by the Allies and executed by hanging in 1948.
The photo above was published in the Red Lion Echoes to accompany the story.
