Fukuoka 17
Fukuoka #17 - Omuta, Branch Prisoner of War Camp was a
History
The camp was opened on 7 August 1943 with 500 Americans arriving on the hellship Clyde Maru from the Philippines. It was gradually populated to about 1,757[2] by American and Allied prisoners of war of mixed nationalities, mostly Australian, American, British and Dutch. The British, Dutch and Australians were survivors of the Burma Railway construction in Thailand (Siam). The last group to arrive were all Australians, in June 1945; they had formerly been held in the Fukuoka 13-D Oita POW camp. There were also Norwegians, Czechs, Portuguese, Saudi Arabians, Canadian, British Indian, British West Indian, Malayan, Chinese, and British Guianan POWs, as well as civilians.
The site was originally the labourers' quarters built by the Mitsui Coal Mining Company owned by the Baron Mitsui. The camp was gradually expanded with further buildings constructed over the years.
Description
The camp measured 200 yards by 1000 yards and was surrounded by a 12 feet high wooden fence fixed with heavy gauge wire. There were 33 barracks, all one story buildings 120' x 16' with ten rooms to a barracks. Officers were billeted three or four per room measuring 9' x 10', with four to six enlisted men accommodated in rooms of same size. There was no heating whatsoever, which was a serious problem in the winter months as the men were living on starvation diets.[3]
There were two meals served each day, usually one cup of rice and some radish soup. Protein was rarely provided.
The camp commandant was Asao Fukuhara, who was executed after the war for war crimes. The camp doctor was an unidentified Japanese surgeon who forced men to work even when critically ill.
Baron Mitsui's company leased the POWs from the Japanese Army, who received payment from the Company of about 20
Baron Mitsui liked to visit the camp and seemed to enjoy seeing the POWs. He sometimes provided costumes so that the POWs could put on musicals that he and the guards would watch. When the war ended, he invited camp officers to dinner with his wife.
The camp was liberated on 2 September 1945, by which time most of the POWs were in a desperate state of health. Many were suffering from severe
References
- ^ "Fukuoka POW Camp #17 Omuta Japan".
- ^ Hewlett, Dr. Thomas H. (December 1978). Dai ju nana bunsho (Camp #17) nightmare revisited. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
- ^ a b Gibbs, John M. (July 31, 1946). Gibbs Report. Retrieved July 13, 2008. The Gibbs reports were prepared post-war based upon assorted prisoner affidavits.