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1. Taiwan P.O.W. Camps Memorial Society
Launch Letter
May 1999
Dear friends,
For the past two years there has been an effort here in Taiwan to recognize the sufferings of former Commonwealth and Allied prisoners of war at the hands of the Japanese during World War II.
This project came about as a result of information coming to light in late 1996 about the notorious POW camp at Chinguashi, Taiwan, formerly known as Kinkaseki. A committee was formed to organize a memorial service in May of 1997 and to oversee the construction of a memorial to the POWs of Kinkaseki and other places in Taiwan. The Kinkaseki POW Memorial was officially dedicated on November 23, 1997.
The memorial project was finally completed in the spring of this year with the erection of several information plaques about the POW camp on the site, and a low wall along one side of the memorial.
It was also the objective of the committee to make sure that the ex-POWs were informed of the memorial and of the fact that they and their comrades had not been forgotten. During the past year a worldwide search for the surviving POWs of Kinkaseki was undertaken, with the result that more than 140 living survivors and immediate next-of-kin were located.
Since the job the Kinkaseki Memorial Committee was formed to do has been completed, the committee has recently been stood down, but the ongoing job of locating survivors and also identifying the other camps in Taiwan remains.
To this end we would like to announce the formation of a new society to carry on the work begun by the Kinkaseki Memorial Committee. This new organization is called the "TAIWAN POW CAMPS MEMORIAL SOCIETY", and like the Kinkaseki Committee, is made up of representatives of the Commonwealth and Allied community here in Taiwan.
The aims and objectives of the TAIWAN POW CAMPS MEMORIAL SOCIETY are:
to continue the search for survivors of the Taiwan POW camps from 1942 - 45
to search for the locations of the former Japanese POW camps on the island of Taiwan
to ensure that the survivors of these POW camps know that they and their comrades are not forgotten
to participate with the Commonwealth and Allied community each year in a memorial service for the Taiwan POWs at Kinkaseki
to help educate the people of Taiwan in a little-known part of their history
to provide information to scholars, researchers, museums and POW groups on the Taiwan POWs' story
The TAIWAN POW CAMPS MEMORIAL SOCIETY will continue to send newsletters to all those formerly interested and associated with the Kinkaseki Memorial project, and it is our hope that we will have the continued support of the Commonwealth and Allied community here in Taiwan. We would appreciate help from anyone who might have information about surviving POWs or the former POW camps on Taiwan.
Sincerely,
Michael Hurst
Director
© 1999 Taiwan PoW Camps Memorial Society
http://www.powtaiwan.org
society@powtaiwan.org |
2. The Challenge For Michael Hurst
NEW ORGANIZATION FACES GREAT CHALLENGES...
The newly formed TAIWAN POW CAMPS MEMORIAL SOCIETY faces a great many challenges as it begins to try to fulfill its mandate to locate the former POW camps on Taiwan and to remember the men who suffered in them at the hands of their cruel Japanese captors.
The first obstacle is a lack of detailed information about the POW camps on Taiwan and many other places in the Far East. After the war ended in 1945 there was a deliberate attempt by the Allied powers at that time to just be over and done with the war and as a result information was hastily and often inaccurately gathered.
There was little real attempt to pursue the Japanese war criminals who had perpetrated such heinous crimes against humanity - not only toward the POWs, but against the civilian population as well. Much was “swept under the rug” in favour of bringing the war to a swift close and also to ensure Japan’s alliance with the Allies against the upcoming communist threat in Asia. Many western diplomats at the time felt that Japan had suffered enough and so shouldn’t be made to endure any more. With this carelessness, a great deal of misinformation was gathered and much of the true story omitted, so that today it is difficult to trace the records of the POW camps and what took place in them.
Another large factor contributing to the dilemma is that Taiwan has changed so much in the past 55 years, to the point where there are very few landmarks recognisable now from that earlier period.
However, with a lot of careful and painstaking research it is possible to locate the remains of the former POW camps here. To date four others beside Kinkaseki have been located and work is underway by the society to track down the remainder. In the months to come we hope to bring you updated information as new discoveries are made... |
3. ...And the reward
 | Michael Hurst receiving his M.B.E. from Prince Charles
Michael Hurst, the Director of the TAIWAN P.O.W. CAMPS MEMORIAL SOCIETY has done wonders in his spare time and was justly rewarded for his efforts at Buckingham Palace with the M.B.E. |
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4. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
 | The Last known photo of Dick Fawcett before embarking for Singapore
DEBT OF HONOUR REGISTER
In Memory of
RICHARD FAWCETT
Corporal
4444571
9th Bn., Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
who died on
Monday 4 December 1944. Age 40.
Additional Information: Son of William and Hannah Fawcett; husband of Hannah Fawcett, of Great Lumley, County Durham.
Cemetery: SAI WAN WAR CEMETERY China, (including Hong Kong).
Grave or Reference Panel Number: V. N. 10.
Location: Sai Wan War Cemetery is in the north-east of the island of Hong Kong, in the Chai Wan area, about 11 kilometres from the centre of Victoria. At the entrance to the cemetery on Cape Collinson Road stands the memorial to those who died in Hong Kong and have no known grave. From it the cemetery slopes down towards the sea. The original magnificent view towards the main land is now blocked by high rise buildings. The easiest way to reach the cemetery is by the mass transit railway (MTR) Hong Kong line to Chai Wan Terminus. From the Terminus one can either walk up to the cemetery following Chai Wan Road to the roundabout, turning west into Wan Tsui Road, then south east up Lin Shing Road which leads to Cape Collinson Road. The CWGC road direction sign is fixed to a wall facing down Lin Shing Road. The Cape Collinson area has many cemeteries. Walking up this narrow one way traffic road, one will pass the Catholic Cemetery situated on the hillside to the left of the road, and the Hong Kong Military Cemetery on the right. Sai Wan War Cemetery is about half way up Cape Collinson Road and faces the Muslim and Buddhist cemeteries. One can also get a taxi from Chai Wan Terminus and follow the same route. Alternatively one can board a public light bus, Route No. 16M, which runs from Chai Wan MTR Terminus to Stanley where the CWGC has another cemetery (Stanley Military Cemetery). En route to Stanley the minibus will pass Sai Wan War Cemetery, stopping only on request.
Historical Information: The island of Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 following a brief but intense period of fighting. Most of those buried in this cemetery were killed at this time, or died later as internees or prisoners of war during the Japanese occupation. The remains of those who died as prisoners in Formosa (now Taiwan) were brought to Hong Kong for burial at Sai Wan in 1946. There are now 1,528 Commonwealth casualties of the Second World War buried or commemorated at Sai Wan War Cemetery. 444 of the burials are unidentified. In addition, there are special memorials to 16 Second World War casualties buried in Kowloon (Ho Man Tin) No 3 Muslim Cemetery, whose graves were lost. There are also 77 war graves of other nationalities from this period, the majority of them Dutch. The cemetery also contains special memorials to 12 First World War casualties buried in Kowloon (Ta Sek Ku) Mohammedan Cemetery, whose graves have since been lost. At the entrance to the cemetery stands the SAI WAN MEMORIAL bearing the names of more than 2,000 Commonwealth servicemen who died in the Battle of Hong Kong or subsequently in captivity and who have no known grave. Additional panels to the memorial form the SAI WAN CREMATION MEMORIAL, bearing the names of 144 Second World War casualties whose remains were cremated in accordance with their faith, and the SAI WAN (CHINA) MEMORIAL, commemorating 72 casualties of both wars whose graves in mainland China could not be maintained. Both the cemetery and memorial were designed by Colin St Clair Oakes.
Display Record of Commemoration
©2000-2002 The Commonwealth War Graves Commission. All Rights Reserved. |
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5. Certificate In Memorium
 | Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery, Hong Kong
In Memory of
Corporal RICHARD FAWCETT
4444571, 9th Bn., Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
who died age 40
on 04 December 1944
Corporal FAWCETT, Son of William and Hannah Fawcett; husband of Hannah Fawcett, of Middlesbrough, Yorkshire.
Remembered with honour
SAI WAN WAR CEMETERY
Commemorated in perpetuity by
the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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6. Kranji War Cemetery
 | The gates to Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore
On October 7th 2004 we travelled to Singapore to stay with our son Jason and his family for a three week holiday. Jason is a mining engineer and has worked in Singapore for the past five years. (Previously he worked in Thailand and before that Taiwan)
While there I paid a visit to Kranji War Cemetery and walked around the immaculate grounds.
I found that not all of my father's comrades had been captured and transported into slavery. Some had been killed in the battle leading up to the surrender. Sad to say, they were the lucky ones. |
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7. Tranquil Kranji
 | | Another view of the cemetery |
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8. Comrades in death
 | The graves of Fusilier F.Lundy and Sergeant W.Murray
In Memory of
Fusilier FREDERICK LUNDY
4273283, 9th Bn., Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
who died age 21 on 15 February 1942
Remembered with honour
KRANJI WAR CEMETERY
In Memory of
Serjeant WILLIAM MURRAY
4273884, 9th Bn., Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
who died age 32 between 15 February 1942 and 18 February 1942
Remembered with honour
KRANJI WAR CEMETERY
Commemorated in perpetuity by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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9. Not Forgotten
 | Where bodies were unidentified or not found, their names went on the wall
I looked up the names of all these Fusiliers on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and add these details with home town (where known)in brackets:
4275565 Gordon Hine age 27 died 24/2/1944
4268899 James Hogg 33, died 12/9/44
4273651 Herbert Hunter 24 died 12/9/44 (Morpeth)
4278712 Samuel Knowles 27 died 12/9/44
6210474 Sidney Newton 25 died 12/9/44 (Harton, South Shields)
4273937 John William Nutman 26 died 15/2/42 (Ashington, Northumberland)
4275293 James Elliott Poll 25 died 12/9/44 (Newsham, Blyth, Northumberland)
4276545 Joseph Reed 27 died 29/6/43 (Newcastle, Northumberland)
4274031 Richard Rice 23 died 12/9/44 (Choppington, Northumberland)
4272832 Ronald Routledge 27 died 15/2/42 (Forest Hall, Northumberland)
4274096 Joseph Henry Ryan 22 died 5/2/42 (Easington, Northumberland)
4273854 Noah Stone 25 died 12/9/44 (Boulmer, Northumberland)
4279387 Charles Stewart Wilcox Sweeting 24 died 12/9/44
4278291 Arthur William Thompson 31 died 3/8/43 (Bedlington, Northumberland)
4273893 William Wait 21 died 15/2/42 (Norham, Northumberland)
4264668 Henry Willcox 36 died 15/2/42 (Old Trafford, Manchester)
Remembered with honour
Kranji War cemetery
Rest In Peace |
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