Job Discussion Forums

[scot47]

I have met some strange ones in this business of Teaching English. How about this one though ?He was born in Hammersmith, London. He served out of ideological conviction in Germany with both Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler and the British Free Corps. During his service on the Eastern Front he is reported to have taken place in executions of civilians. After his arrest by the British in 1945 he was tried for treason and sentenced to death in London in 1946 but had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment. Left prison in 1953. Later settled in Tokyo, became a Buddhist and made his living teaching EFL.

Did anyone come across this man ?

(Source of this was Sean Murphy, 'Letting The Side Down')

[scot47]

No one came across him ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Haller_Cooper

[rxk22]

Big history nerd here, and I had no idea. That makes him in the top 10 for weirdos in Japan.

Guy was friggin lucky, survived the Eastern Front, a death sentence, and then a life sentence.

[Cool Teacher]

Sorry, I never met him he died thrity years ago when I was about six or seven or eitght so I would never know him.

[RustyShackleford]

If they weren't full of so many trolling schmucks, I'd say try one of the mainstay Japan expat forums. However, all truth being told, you'd have better luck creating a blog entry on wordpress, laying all the research you've done on him and maybe in a few months time you'll get a handful of recollections from people.

Seems like a very...interesting case, to be sure.

[steki47]

Most of the links I read did not have much info on his time in Japan. "He is believed to have traveled to Japan" and the like. No mention of his becoming a Buddhist or teaching English. The BBC states he moved to Australia later in life.

Interesting historical tidbit.