Japanese Hell Ships - POW Deaths

[spidge]

[q

uote=Blackblue]As spidge points out a large number of allied POWs did die on such ships....unfortunately in many cases when a ship was sunk it was often taken as an oppurtunity to cover up the previous murder of POWs on land. Apparently there was a phenomenal amount of POWs on the Montevideo Maru. Similar to the old story about witnesses to a crime...all five hundred of them....being in the toilet when the crime was committed.

Rgds

Tim D

[/quote]

So, 60 years on, with the sinking of Montevideo Maru, by a friendly Submarine ( of course, Lieutenant Commander Wright in Sturgeon, had no way of knowing the ship he lined up in his periscope carried Australian Prisoners of War, enroute to slave labour in Japan ) about 610 Australian soldiers and 130 civilians perished. It was Australia's worst Maritime Loss, almost twice as many died that night on that 1st. of July 1942, as did in ten years of war in Viet Nam.

[Belville]

Originally Posted by Arthur

Hi,
If it will help anyone, I do have the P.O.W. British Army 1939-45 & Naval & Air Forces of Gt. Britain and the Empire 1939-45 Registers should anyone need a look up!

Regards
Arthur

Do you have any information on Lt. Stanley Rhodes Armitage, 7th Coastal Regt., R.A.? He died in Singapore (see below) on 14th September, 1943 (and therefore as a prisoner, not in action) and is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial.

I am puzzled as to why he has no grave. The CWGC leaflet on the Singapore cemeteries and memorials suggests that, if he died in captivity, there should be a grave. The date of death does not fit with one of the "death ships" being sunk.

Belville

P.S. I have now found that he died in a camp near Kanburi (Kanchanaburi). Some of the burial grounds along the line could not be identified after the war, which must be why he has no known grave. Belville

[geoff501]

First hand account of the rescue of some Australian and British prisoners on 15th Sept 1944 after Rakuyo Maru was sunk:

Link


And details of USS Pampanito 3rd War Patrol:

USS Pampanito - The Third War Patrol


Cryptanalysis, the "double edged sword":

USS Pampanito - ECM Mark II

[izzy]

gunner 1123013 john wiliam gardner 118 field regt royal artillery was being transported to japan when he was killed in the sinking of the rakuyo maru on12th sept 1944 he is commemorated on the singapore memorial would he be on any data bases so that ican confirm this?

[geoff501]

Originally Posted by izzy

gunner 1123013 john wiliam gardner 118 field regt royal artillery was being transported to japan when he was killed in the sinking of the rakuyo maru on12th sept 1944 he is commemorated on the singapore memorial would he be on any data bases so that ican confirm this?

On CWGC database:

CWGC :: Casualty Details

[Warlord]

With all due respect to modern day Japan and its people, what were the Nips thinking back then??!!

Bushido is about honor and discipline, not wholesale slaughter and war crimes all over the place, both against POWs and civilians.

[izzy]

geoff thanks for your reply but i was thinking more of a p.o.w list of people on the ship

[geoff501]

Originally Posted by izzy

geoff thanks for your reply but i was thinking more of a p.o.w list of people on the ship

post #7 would seem to answer your question.

[izzy]

geoff sorry about the delay in getting back to you i could'nt find him at first butthen i was looking under the wrong ship thanks again

[kingoROBBO]

Originally Posted by Arthur

Hi,
If it will help anyone, I do have the P.O.W. British Army 1939-45 & Naval & Air Forces of Gt. Britain and the Empire 1939-45 Registers should anyone need a look up!
Regards
Arthur

hi Arthur
what do the registers show? my uncle Trevor Roberts Private in the 27 Coy RAMC was taken Pow 25/12/1941 Hong Kong would the registers show when he came home??

he later died in 1948

Robbo