Charles Cousens
Charles Hughes Cousens | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Poona, India |
| Died | May 9, 1964 (aged 60) |
| Occupation(s) | Radio announcer, television host, military officer |
| Years active | 1930s–1960 |
| Known for | Radio broadcasts on 2GB and Channel 7; propaganda broadcasts on Radio Tokyo during WWII; first Australian charged under Treason Act 1351 |
Charles Hughes Cousens (26 August 1903 – 9 May 1964) was an Australian figure known for his work as a radio announcer, television host, and military officer.
Cousens became well-known through his broadcasts on Sydney’s 2GB and Channel 7. Nevertheless, he is chiefly remembered for delivering radio propaganda on Radio Tokyo under the direction of the Imperial Japanese Army while he was a prisoner of war during World War II, which led to allegations of high treason.
In 1946, he was the first Australian to face charges under the Treason Act 1351. Though formally committed to trial in August 1946, the case was dismissed by December of that year. Despite the dropped charges, his military commission was revoked in January 1947.
Throughout, Cousens maintained that his involvement in propaganda broadcasts was compelled by threats of torture and execution from the Japanese captors. His wartime activities and subsequent legal proceedings have continued to provoke discussion and scrutiny within Australian media and judicial contexts.
Early life
Born in Poona, India, Cousens received his education at Wellington College in Crowthorne, England. He later attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, receiving his commission in 1924.
His initial military assignment placed him with the 2nd battalion of the Sherwood Foresters stationed in India, where he served on the North-West Frontier Province. He resigned from military service in 1927 and moved to Sydney, Australia.
Life in Australia
Upon settling in Australia, Cousens worked as a wharfie and pursued amateur boxing before transitioning into newspaper advertising. His broadcasting career began at Sydney’s radio station 2GB, where his distinctive voice and engaging presence secured him hosting duties on programs such as the educational Radio Newspaper of the Air and various anti-communist shows.
In 1933, he took part in a special Armistice Day broadcast on 2GB as one of the station’s "soldier announcers," sharing firsthand war stories. Cousens remained with 2GB until 1940, shortly after the outbreak of World War II.
World War II
At the start of World War II, Cousens was commissioned as a captain in the Second Australian Imperial Force and assigned to the 2/19th Battalion. He was stationed in Malaya when Japan entered the conflict in 1941.
After suffering burns during the demolition of a village, he rejoined his unit on Singapore Island. His leadership qualities led to a temporary promotion to major in February 1942. Soon thereafter, he was taken prisoner during the Fall of Singapore and interned at Changi Prison.
When his background as a broadcaster became known, Cousens was transferred from a Burma prison camp to Japan. There, he scripted propaganda material and presented shortwave broadcasts for Radio Tokyo, as well as training Japanese announcers fluent in English. He contributed to the propaganda series The Zero Hour and is said to have worked with American-Japanese broadcaster Iva Toguri to subtly weaken the impact of these broadcasts.
Australian officials verified that Cousens’ voice was indeed heard live on Radio Tokyo transmissions. Both his wife Winifred and Harold Gordon Horner, manager at 2GB, asserted that Cousens’ involvement was coerced. After receiving correspondence from him in July 1945, Winifred reaffirmed that he was not participating voluntarily. In this letter, Cousens commended the spirit of Australian prisoners and expressed admiration for their endurance.
Prosecution
Following Japan's surrender, General Douglas MacArthur ordered the arrest of Cousens, who was subsequently transported back to Australia aboard a British aircraft carrier. In November 1945, the Australian Army discreetly moved him from Brisbane to Sydney. Upon his arrival, despite prior assurances, his wife was initially refused entry, underscoring the confidential nature of his detention.
Cousens was admitted to Yaralla Military Hospital under strict custody for treatment of a heart condition attributed to starvation. He was later placed under less restrictive custody at Mosman, where family visits were permitted. In May 1946, after review by the Commonwealth Crown Law Department, his case was referred to New South Wales Minister for Justice Reg Downing.
He was charged with high treason under the Treason Act 1351, and a magistrate’s inquiry commenced in August 1946. Although he was committed to face trial, the New South Wales attorney-general Clarrie Martin dropped the charges in November 1946. Cousens expressed appreciation for this outcome and acknowledged support from radio station 2GB, signaling intentions to resume his broadcasting career there.
Military authorities intended to conduct a court martial but delayed it pending the inquiry’s conclusion. Ultimately, in January 1947, Cousens was stripped of his military commission. He returned to civilian status and lost the right to officially use his rank, though he could still refer to himself as "ex-Major Cousens."
Cousens maintained that his propaganda broadcasts were made under duress by the Japanese and asserted that they were frequently undermined with subtle misinformation advantageous to Allied forces. Reports suggest he and fellow broadcaster Toguri employed coded language to ridicule their captors.
In April 1947, despite losing his commission, members of the 2nd/19th battalion selected Cousens to lead them in Sydney’s Anzac Day parade; he wore a rosemary sprig and an Ex-Serviceman badge instead of official service ribbons.
By August 1949, Cousens testified on behalf of Toguri before she was sentenced to ten years for treasonous broadcasts. In June 1950, he refuted claims made by Japanese Major Hiroshi Itsui that he had been honored at a farewell party following executions of Australian soldiers during war crimes trials.
Later career
In February 1947, Cousens returned to radio station 2GB, hosting programs such as Quality Corner and Reflections in a Wine Glass. He also emceed a Carols by Candlelight event at North Sydney Oval in December 1949.
In April 1950, Cousens advocated before the Federal Conciliation Commissioner for a new industrial award covering announcers and actors. He left 2GB in August 1953 to work with a Sydney-based business firm but made a comeback in 1955 hosting shows including Melody on Wheels, Shopping Service, and Musical Magazine.
In November 1957, Cousens transitioned into television as a newsreader for ATN-7, presenting news and weather segments. By 1959, he hosted the Commonwealth Bank Hour of Music, broadcast on ATN-7 in Sydney and on GTV-9 in Melbourne, featuring leading Australian musicians and orchestras.
Cousens departed from ATN-7 in April 1960.
Personal life and death
On 20 May 1929, Cousens wed Dorothy May Allen, who worked in advertising, at St John's Anglican Church located in Darlinghurst. The couple had one daughter before their marriage ended in divorce. Subsequently, on 23 December 1938, he married Winifred Grace James (née Dettman), a divorcee, in Sydney; together they had one son.
At the time of Cousens' passing, his stepdaughter Judy-Ann Everingham—Winifred's daughter—was employed as a television presenter with ABC TV Sydney, where she hosted Woman's World and served as an anchor for special programming.
Cousens passed away on 9 May 1964 due to a heart attack. His funeral took place on 12 May 1964 at Northern Suburbs Crematorium, following a memorial service held at Allan Walsh Pty Ltd in Chatswood.
See also
Further reading
- Chapman, Ivan (1990). Tokyo Calling: The Charles Cousens Case. Sydney, NSW, Australia. Hale & Ironmonger. ISBN 0868063673