Atomic bomb witness opens display

The exhibition features survivors' memories

A war veteran who witnessed both atomic bombs dropped on Japan in World War II will open a display of survivors' stories in North Yorkshire later.

Akira Okada, 81, is one of the few people to have lived through the 1945 bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

He was a 19-year-old Japanese Imperial Navy cadet when the bombings happened.

Mr Okada will unveil the display at the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, which aims to ensure the after effects of the bombs are not forgotten.

Mr Okada was on the deck of his one man submarine in Hiroshima Bay waiting to dock on August 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the city, killing 120,000 people.

He was immediately ordered south heading for Nagasaki, where three days later, the same thing happened, killing a further 80,000 people.

Created by the Confederation of A and H Bomb Sufferers Organisation based in Tokyo, the display has been arranged by the Peace Museum at Bradford.

Ian Reed, director of Yorkshire Air Museum, said: "It is a stunning exhibition and we are grateful for Akira for travelling to England for this event.

"History cannot be un-invented and it is important, especially for post-war generations, to see and understand the consequences of war, the reasons for it and the effects on both sides."