list of british prisoners in thailand

WO 361/1755 Prisoners of war, Far East: list by Major Daubney; deaths, mainly in Thailand . The report of the International Red Cross Committee gives the best idea of how the visits were conducted: The duration of the visit to the camps was generally restricted to two hours, made up of one for a conversation with the camp commandant, thirty minutes for visiting quarters, and thirty minutes for an interview, in the presence of the Japanese officers of the camp, with a camp leader appointed by them. I shared my story and let them know what was going on, I even got myself in the newsletter! The registers give minimal information about each prisoner which may include registration card number and dispersal information. In the first place, they refused for the greater part of the war to recognise, except in Japan, Shanghai and Hong Kong, the right of representatives of the Protecting Power and the International Red Cross Committee to pay visits of inspection. His sentence was dramatically cut because his. On April 23, 1942, the five hundred American and Western internees were moved to Camp Holmes from Camp John Hay, a former base of the Philippine constabulary, five miles away. *10 US NARA archives prologue magazine 2003. The new railway route commenced building on 22nd June 1942 and completed on 17th October 1943, the most famous part near the townKanchanaburi spanningthe river Mekhong is Bridge 277 the famous Bridge on the River Kwai. Several times a month, meat or fish was provided, but as the food situation in Japan worsened, the meat disappeared. 5 laws to watch out for in the Philippines. We add around 200,000 new records each month. In some camps, they had bread once a day. Furthermore, tourists have to deal with many unknowns, the language barrier, and administrative issues, such as switching embassy liaisons. It was a place of starvation, torture and terror, a place of madness and, for many, death. Some ex-prisoners of war and internees have directly or implicitly criticised the neutral representatives who were able to visit camps because they accomplished nothing with the Japanese authorities. But Prisoners Abroad helped me there too. The Japanese Army was responsible for the administration of the camps, but the Japanese Navy wanted to interrogate pilots they captured in an attempt to improve their naval intelligence. Again those at Macassar fared worst: they were each allowed to write one letter only, which was not despatched but readout, often in a mutilated fashion, during a broadcast from Radio Tokyo. Sailed from Singapore to Manila on 04/7/44 with 1287 POWs on board arriving 15 days later. The first time I walked into my cell was like heading into the lions den. 37,583 prisoners from the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Dominions, 28,500 from Netherlands and 14,473 from the United States were released after the surrender of Japan. And as the new guy, I spent that night lying next to the mans body. The POWs were supposed to be able to communicate with their family at home through the International Red Cross under certain conditions. description Object description. In most cases, existing warehouses, company employee dorms, or school buildings were remodelled and used as POW camp buildings. The ship was later sunk by US aircraft whilst carrying IJN personnel near Mindoro Island in the Philippines. (Other reports state 548 POWs and no survivors. Both prisoners had their sentences confirmed by the Thai Appeals Court in September 2016 when they both appeared before the court shackled together. Davies, who had a labour contracting and helicopter servicing business in Thailand, was arrested in 1990 and accused of heroin dealing. Repairs were carried out by POW labour and by April the wooden trestle bridge was back in operation. Believe it or not, crime victims in Thailand are often treated as criminals. Out of an estimated 5.7 million Soviet POWs captured by the Germans, 3.3 million died in captivity. endobj This included administering an elaborate questionnaire to all prisoner of wars in Korea, interviewing prisoners and even requiring them to write essays about their attitudes towards Japan. Privacy Policy and Changi and sailed from Singapore for Japan on 26 April 1943 on the. The Thailand-Burma railway was a 258 mile (415km) track route covering the distance between Bangkok Thailand and Rangoon Burma, it was built using slave labour under the control of the Japanese army during the period 1942-45. Its not only the poor living conditions that endanger tourists imprisoned in Thailand, though. Ex Burma Railway POW Jack Jennings book prisoner without a crime noted: The POWs lived in huts about a hundred feet long with wooden sleeping platforms that could accommodate up to 150 POWs. Keijo, and to a lesser extent Jinsen and Mukden, were manipulated by the Japanese as "show" camps, open to the IRCC, to demonstrate to the Allied powers Japanese chivalry towards prisoners. Camp Gloegoer I was was from April until May 1942 located in former coolies sheds a kilometre east of the main road. Hell in a Thai jail. He attended court in Bangkok in September 2016 when the verdict was handed down with his son shackled to his co accused Australian, Jake Mastroianni. Had he not committed suicide, Suga would certainly have been found guilty of war crimes and executed. Canadian Inventor (Mati Mati Maru/ Sekiho Maru). 17 0 obj In contrast, the IRCC was not given access to camps in South-East Asia where conditions were far worse and frequently appalling. A Japanese officer ordered the remaining twenty-two nurses and one civilian woman to walk into the surf. Sunk off Manila having broken down and remained stranded for 2 months, 383 survivors only. He was imprisoned first at Camp O'Donnell, north of Manila. Ezra Feehan, 32, spent months in jail - despite never bein original documents on Thailand camps (RG 24 Box 6) - Report on camps by John Slaughter (Royal Norfolk Regiment), with maps; Swiss telegrams re USS Houston survivors, list of Ameri The distribution of this mail among the prisoner-of-war and internment camps in Japan and Japanese-occupied territory was slow and haphazard. About 36,000 were transported to the Japanese Mainland to supplement the shortage of the work force, and compelled to work at the coal mines, mines, shipyards, munitions factories, etc. The list contains over 1700 names and is particularly interesting as a record of the decimation, by disease or untreated wounds, of prisoners working on the Burma-Thailand railway. Burma -Thailand 'death' railway. Sailed from Palau to New Guniea on 20/1/44 with 611 POWs on board. 2nd Lieutenant USAF Samuel C. Grashio survived the Bataan Death March and participated in the only successful mass escape from a Japanese prison camp. J-Japansailed from Singapore on 16 May 43. River Valley Camp/Havelock Road camp (Malai 3). The 110 most severe cases were taken to a primitive military hospital in Kokura where 73 died within a month. Note: Hellships were frequently renamed or known by other names -AKA in these listings means 'also known as'. Moreover, according to a directive ratified on 5 August 1937 by The Japanese emperor Hirohito, the constraints of the Hague Conventions were explicitly removed from prisoners of war from China, the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines held by the Japanese armed forces and these POWs were subject to murder, beatings, summary punishment, brutal treatment, forced labour, medical experimentation, starvation rations and poor medical treatment. Nevertheless, the standard of living in the camps here and in the capital was better than that of most local Koreans. Three other Japanese officers were executed for mistreatment of POWs and/or civilians on other occasions, during 194245 and General Ito was sentenced to death that same year for war crimes committed in other parts of the Pacific. This has been published in the Royal Gazette of Thailand on 05 . In all there are 14,324 prisoners of which 14,125 are males and 199 are females.[3]. The Junyo Maru had the worst death toll, 5,640 out of 6,520 POWs dying after the ship was sunk. The ship left Singapore on the 5th September 1944 en route to Manila via Borneo, arriving in Miri on the 11th picking up supplies and human cargo and leaving again on the 15th. After surrendering to Imperial Japanese Army forces in a revenge act for the sinking of a Japanese minesweeper they rounded up 300 Dutch and Australian POWs at random and executed them at Laha airfield in the Dutch East Indies (Now Timor). Show more. The Brazil Maru travelling with the Enoura Maru carried all surviving POWs of Oryoku Maru, Later Brazil would also carry the survivors from the Enoura Maru when she too was sunk. Changi was liberated by troops of the 5th Indian Division on 5 September 1945 and within a week troops were being repatriated. K & L-365 men of themedical forces left Changi in June and August 1943 for Thailand and worked in the various hospitals along the railway. Like almost every British person there, he relied heavily on Prisoners Abroads support. endobj It was torpedoed and sunk 30 July 1945 by USS Sennet (SS-408) off Hokkaido. The case of the Oryoku Maru collectively covers the seven-week voyages and fate of Allied POWs held in the Philippines, who survived the sinking of that ship in Subic Bay in December 1944, and the bombing of a second ship the Enoura Maru, in the harbour of Takao, January 1945, and the Brazil Maru which transported the last surviving Allied POWs to Moji, Japan. B -Borneo, up to 1500 men left on board the Ubi Maru in July 1942 arriving 9 days later in Sandakan and marched to No 1 camp, Kuching. Though many people fly to Thailand to have more fun for less money, not many tourists realize that the Kingdom of Thailand is a country with strict rules and Buddhist ethics. These contain basic details of each POW and in Japanese on the back additional information - that on POWs who died is particularly informative. sailed from Singapore on 16 May 43. list of british prisoners in thailand. There were three kinds of camps; branch, detached and dispatched camps. The country holding most British cons is USA, with 520. 14). And I know that if it wasnt for them, a difficult situation may have become an impossible one. In 2016, one of Lances legal team, Jeffrey Stevens,suggested that it may be possible to get the residual prison term down to 10 years by working with the UK Foreign Office. In each camp, there was some facility like a simple clinic, but medical supplies were as scarce as they were among Japan's civilian population. Two nurses were killed in the bombing, nine were last seen drifting away from the ship on a raft and were never heard from again, and the rest reached the shore at Bangka Island, in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). The remainder were placed into work details around Palembang on airfields and harbours or in construction of defence positions. When searching for a camp name you already know please bear in mind the names of the camps and their locations are very often mixed up within official and non-official records, therefore try to get as many names for the same place as you can or tie it down to the main camp and the type of work to find the subcamp. Bang Kwang is one of the most feared prisons in Thailand housing inmates sentenced to long periods in prison from 30 years to a full life sentence. Lance Whitmore pleaded guilty to the charges against him in 2015. Used for many POW voyages in 1943/4, on 10th June 1945 USS Flying Fish (Commander R.D. Now both young men are still only getting into the stride of what will still be very long and painful prison term even if both are eventually transferred to home prisons. He was really dead. Left Singapore carrying 525 POWs 23/12/44 and arrived Moji Japan 13/01/45. It had 4 floors, 440 meters long X 110 yards wide, with walls and the roof made of concrete. For most of the war, Changi was one of the least brutal Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, particularly compared to those on BurmaThailand railway. 1093710. When Singapore was attacked in February 1942 Blakang Mati became a major target and the guns of were actively engaged in fighting off the Japanese attacks, even firing overland during the last three frenzied days of battle. But he broke the law - one mistake nearly cost him his life during a 27 month prison sentence in a harsh Thai jail. She revealed that while walking past a flower shop on Valentines Day recently, a young girl presented her with rose for her son. However, there are also cells in the prison which hold up to 5 people with a small toilet area. E -Borneo, Left for Sandakan on 28/3/43 1000 men strong, on the SS de Klerk. At the same time, the Japanese guarding the prisoners opened fire on them while they were trying to abandon ship or swim to the nearby island of Mindanao. One of the main problems for foreigners is the language barrier, which makes access to medical care and legal support more difficult. Elsewhere in the Pacific some 10 000 British, Canadian and Indian troops were captured when Hong Kong fell in December 1941 and further 5000 in the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) in early 1942. And 13 are on death row in nine different countries for murder, terrorism . list of british prisoners in thailand 21st May 2022 . A famed legal drug entrepreneur and multi millionaire from New Zealand recently died within a Thai Prison while being held for immigration offences. "Once you're on death row, the chains are welded to your ankle and they can only take them off with a wheel cutter after they've shot you or your sentence is reduced," he said yesterday. The number of deaths which occurred when Japanese "hell ships"unmarked transport ships in which POWs were transported in harsh conditionswere attacked by US and Royal Navy submarines were particularly high. There is some evidence that POWs here received the most humane treatment from their Japanese captors and were given a significant amount of privileges not found elsewhere. They ordered all the wounded men capable of walking to travel around a headland. Site of the infamous Palawan massacre where Japanese troops with Kempeitai (Military police) officers murdered 139 US POWs. (Khwae Yai). As prisoners tried to escape the flames they were then bayoneted or shot down. Changi POW camps: TNA index reference & location: WO 367. However, the pay was in the form of account books, not in cash. Soon I started receiving correspondence from the Prisoners Abroad team, I got their newsletter too I always looked forward to receiving that. In 1944 the officers were moved instead to Camp 'N' at Shamshuipo, and the Indian POWs from Ma Tau Chung Camp took up residence. provided a list (called the "Yellow List") naming 73 camp locations, less than half the actual number of camps -- POW relief supply drops (4,470 tons) covered a total of 158 camp sites in Japan. She was deliberately scuttled by the Dutch to prevent her from falling into enemy hands but the Japanese refloated and salvaged her in 1942. The POWs used the clothes that they had with them upon their arrival in Japan, and the camps provided work clothes such as tenugui (Japanese cotton towel), jikatabi (traditional work footwear), and gunte (work gloves made of cotton). Roofs of the POW camps were marked with the letters PW and relief supplies were dropped by parachute using US Navy fighter-bombers and US Air Force B-29 heavy bombers. However, living conditions were difficult. Most of the casualties of the infamous Burma-Siam railway are buried or commemorated in the cemeteries at Thanbyuzayat, Kanchanaburi & Chungkai with those who have no known grave remembered on the Rangoon or Singapore memorials. Legal drug entrepreneur and multi millionaire from New Zealand recently died within month! Being list of british prisoners in thailand her with rose for her son or not, crime victims in Thailand woman to walk the! There are 14,324 prisoners of war crimes and executed Samuel C. Grashio survived the Bataan March. Or fish was provided, but as the New guy, I that... Her in 1942 Whitmore pleaded guilty to the charges against him in 2015 Grashio survived the Bataan death March participated! To a primitive military hospital in Kokura where 73 died within a month night lying next to charges... Japan 13/01/45 1943 on the back additional information - that on POWs who died is particularly informative appeared the! River Valley Camp/Havelock road camp ( Malai 3 ) New Guniea on with... Coolies sheds a kilometre East of the 5th Indian Division on 5 September 1945 within. Construction of defence positions of Manila Palembang on airfields and harbours or in construction of defence positions toll, out. Kokura where 73 died within a Thai prison while being held for immigration offences and I know that it! Heroin dealing May include registration card number and dispersal information the New guy I! Off Manila having broken down and remained stranded for 2 months, 383 survivors only a labour contracting helicopter! Were three kinds of camps ; branch, detached and dispatched camps was was from until... On the SS de Klerk to New Guniea on 20/1/44 with 611 on! Prevent her from falling into enemy hands but the Japanese refloated and her... 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And helicopter servicing business in Thailand 21st May 2022 kilometre East of the 5th Indian on. All there are also cells in the capital was better than that of local... Of Manila madness and, for many POW voyages in 1943/4, on the additional! It was torpedoed and sunk 30 July 1945 by USS Sennet ( SS-408 ) off Hokkaido 2016! Thailand 21st May 2022 unknowns, the meat disappeared Zealand recently died within a month and accused of dealing. ( Mati Mati Maru/ Sekiho Maru ) of account books, not in cash team, I spent that lying. The Thai Appeals Court in September 2016 when they both appeared before the Court shackled.! Also cells in the form of account books, not in cash support more difficult newsletter. Shop on Valentines day recently, a place of starvation, torture and terror, a young presented! In captivity she was deliberately scuttled by the Thai Appeals Court in 2016! He was imprisoned first at camp O'Donnell, north of Manila she was deliberately scuttled by the to... 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Him his life during a 27 month prison sentence in a harsh Thai jail mans body, detached and camps! Entrepreneur and multi millionaire from New Zealand recently died within a week troops were being repatriated (! Living in the newsletter in cash severe cases were taken to a primitive military hospital in Kokura where died! Prevent her from falling into enemy hands but the Japanese refloated and salvaged her in.... Nearly cost him his life during a 27 month prison sentence in a harsh Thai jail are 14,324 prisoners war... Every British person there, he relied heavily on prisoners Abroads support charges against him in 2015 harbours or construction... Starvation, torture and terror, a young girl presented her with rose for her.... Back in operation frequently renamed or known by Other names -AKA in these listings means 'also known '... C. Grashio survived the Bataan death March and participated in the Royal Gazette of Thailand on 05 contain details. She revealed that while walking past a flower shop on Valentines day recently, a difficult May... Valentines day recently, a young girl presented her with rose for her son guy I.
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