Paddy Murphy (Liverpudlian)
Paddy Murphy (1895–1973) was the adopted name of Kanso Yoshida, a second cousin by marriage of Japanese Emperor Hirohito, who lived in England most of his life—specifically in Liverpool from 1938.[1][2][3]
Murphy was born in Japan with the name Kanso Yoshida. He was a second cousin of Princess Chichibu[4] (who had herself been born in England)[5] who in turn was a sister-in-law of Hirohito.[4] He came to England in 1912,[6] but why he left Japan is unknown. Yoshida was a ship's fireman and "donkeyman" by trade. He began using the name Paddy Murphy when he realized that his Japanese name was causing him to be passed over for assignment to ships.[4]
Murphy served in the British merchant navy[7] during both world wars. During World War I, he was on the ship Huntstrick when it was torpedoed off Gibraltar and sank. He was badly wounded in the attack, and was left with a large scar on his face. His ship was bombed twice during World War II but he was not injured.[4]
With a "barmaid" he fathered a daughter, who in turn had a son. The son did not know that Murphy was his grandfather until later life, though he saw Murphy frequently and understood that he "had a soft spot" for him.[4]
Murphy became a naturalized British citizen in 1940; he therefore was not interned by British authorities as an enemy alien when war broke out between Britain and Japan in 1941.[4] According to a 1985 account, "there were no reports that he suffered insult or inconvenience" during the war because of his ancestry (the account adding, "of course, those were more tolerant times");[1] but a reminiscence by his English grandson says that he was frequently insulted and treated roughly because of his Japanese origin.[4]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Spiegl, Fritz (4 July 1985). "Endpiece". The Listener. p. 43.
- ↑ Spiegl, Fritz (1986). The Joy of Words: 'A Bedside Book for English Lovers'. Elm Tree Books. pp. 156–7. ISBN 978-0-241-11877-1. Search this book on
- ↑ "Hirohito's city cousin dies, 78". Liverpool Echo. July 19, 1973.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Connections: Liverpool Global Gateway. Capsica Ltd. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-904099-08-6. Search this book on
- ↑ Princess Chichibu Setsuko (1996). The Silver Drum: A Japanese Imperial Memoir. Global Oriental. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-86034-004-8. Search this book on
- ↑ "...By Any Other Name". Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. August 29, 1973. p. 42.
- ↑ Belchem, John (2007). Irish, Catholic and Scouse: The History of the Liverpool-Irish, 1800-1939. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-84631-107-9. Search this book on
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