Japan and the Great Kanto Earthquake
Yokohama, after the Great Kanto Earthquake, 1923
Frank, Honor, and their only surviving daughter, Patricia, had been living in Yokohama, Japan, for almost six years when their family life was shattered by the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923. They only just escaped with their lives, although their home and all their possessions, save for one tiny Imari vase, were lost. However, it is fortunate that Frank had sent back to his parents in Western Australia photographs and documents which have enabled this part of the story to be pieced together.
The documents include Frank’s eye-witness account of the event, as well as Honor’s own account printed in a Western Australia newspaper in late 1923. Their daughter. Patricia. also wrote up some memories in letters in later life.
The earthquake, a huge event in the family’s lives and one that greatly contributed to Frank’s decision to buy a farm in Africa, was also a world event of major significance, marking profound changes in Japan’s trajectory.
Siberia report
Eye witness account
House of Dodwell book
Death of Old Yokohama
The Vase
Frank’s photographs
