| List of Deceased POWs |
List of Deceased POWs
During World War II, about 36,000 POWs were transported to the Japanese Mainland, and they were quartered in 130 POW Camps within the country, and forced to labor under extremely severe conditions. Thus by the end of the war, about 3,500 POWs had died from starvation, diseases, accidents, and mistreatment. In addition, some of them were killed by air raid of their friendly aircraft and the A bombs.
We have endeavored to carry out researches, and prepared the lists of when, where and how they met their death. The lists consist of 2 parts. One list classifies those 3,500 POWs by the Camps where they were quartered, and another list is about those 1,700 POWs who have been buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Yokohama.
We sincerely wish to express our profound sympathy for those victims who grievously lost their lives during the war, and at the same time, it is also our genuine wish that those lists would be of help to their bereaved families, friends, especially to those who have little or no knowledge about what had become of their loved ones.
Also, these lists contain invaluable historical materials showing how the POWs were treated during their captivity. By looking at the "causes of death" column, you will be able to vividly sense the miserable circumstances in which they died. From the unit they belonged to, the place and date of death, together with the cause of death, you will be able to trace the personal history of each individual who struggled with the bitters of life. Although we are well aware that such matters are related to each individual's privacy, we have given more consideration to the value of these matters as historical materials rather than the privacy of each individual concerned, and we shall actively make such matters available to the public. We sincerely hope that by looking at these lists, many people will better be acquainted with what that war was, and will do their best to prevent a recurrence of such tragedies in the past.
These lists have been composed of the GHQ/SCAP's "Roster of Deceased Allied POWs in Japan Proper," available in the National Diet Library of Japan as the base, and the supplementary data have been added from other sources and information. The major titles of the materials and the names of those who provided us with valuable information are listed below to acknowledge their kind cooperation.
GHQ/SCAP Records / The Register of the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Yokohama / Mizumaki Memorial / Mitsushima Memorial / Anthony Walsh / Grant McLachlan / James Erickson / Len Harrop / Neil MacPherson / Oryoku Maru Online / Roger Mansell / Teun Heijstek / Ted Darcy / Wes Injerd.
The information provided in each column is strictly based on the materials we have obtained. It is, therefore, considered that some causes of death may not always coincide with the facts. Furthermore, some of the original information was not legible enough, and we were unable to list it accurately. We must admit that these lists still leave much to be desired. If you could provide us with the correct information, we would revise the lists accordingly. We solicit those who may have detailed information on those people who appear in these lists to contact us at their earliest convenience. We would be happy to make reference to the information provided.
Copyright:
All rights reserved. No part of these lists may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the POW Research Network Japan.
