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Saitama Civilian Internment Camps
From Vatican City,
Despatch No. 197,
June 11, 1943
Subject: Visits of Apostolic Delegate to
Camps Urawa and Sumire, Japan.
May 29, 1943
No. 66087
Apostolic Delegate visited the camps of Urawa, for men, and Sumire,
for women, where he talked with the internees and distributed gifts.
At
Sumire, there were 80 Nuns of different religious institutions and some
30 women, mainly Protestant missionaries, teachers, etc.
At Urawa there were about 40 Priests and about 20 laymen.
The
delegate states that according to what he heard and saw on his visits,
and also according to what he heard in talks with delegates from the
Protecting Power, the Japanese authorities are doing everything
possible for the civilians in these camps. In general the internees
seem to be in good physical condition and are satisfied with the way
they are being treated.
Delegate plans shortly to begin a
series of visits to prisoner of war camps in the vicinity of Tokyo and
Kobe. Already games and books have been sent to the different camps
where they were distributed by the authorities in charge.
aif .- 7/24/43
#2 Urawa
March 18, 1943
The
camp is located northwest of Tokyo. It was opened October 5, 1942. It
is housed in one building with several bedrooms, three rooms for the
sick and a large dining room and living room, also there are reading
rooms and a chapel. The bathroom is Japanese style, kitchen is well
equipped and food well prepared but insufficient. Cash relief from the
Protecting Power has been allowed. Internees are allowed to buy milk,
bread and butter from the outside. The only heat is a charcoal fire in
the reading room. Several protests have been made on insufficient food
and lack of heat. Visitors allowed but only Japanese can be spoken.
Internees are well treated.
Po.A./JPS/GD
Japan
URAWA CIVIL
INTERNMENT CAMP
Visited on January 28, 1944
by MMr. M. Pestalozzi and H.C. Angst
| MAIL ADDRESS: |
Urawa-shi, Kamikizaki, 563
Saitama Prefecture. |
| OPENED: |
October 1, 1942. |
|
| CAPACITY: |
70 |
|
| STRENGTH ON DAY OF VISIT: |
56 - All males, whereof : |
|
British
American
Canadian
Greek
Belgian
Dutch
|
11
3
30
7
3
2 |
|
Total . . . . . |
56 |
| whereof: |
Missionaries
Teachers
Businessmen
Journalist
Seamen
Occupation unknown |
34 (whereof 30 Canadians)
8
5
1
7 (all Greeks)
1 |
| ORIGIN: |
37 from Sumire Camp
26 from Sendai Camp
3 from Miyoshi Camp
which camps have been closed since.
|
| AGE: |
Minimum 31; Maximum 78 |
| INTERNEES' REPRESENTATIVE: |
Leopold Marescaux, British,
called camp secretary, assisted by 5 leaders, each representing 1 of 5
remaining nationality groups. |
| DESCRIPTION OF CAMP: |
Isolated location in outskirts
of Urawa City, healthy, fertile farm region.
Former Catholic Mission School. |
| TOTAL CAMP AREA: |
3,300 sq. meters |
|
| BUILDING AREA: |
990 sq. meters |
|
| ENCLOSURE: |
Low bamboo fence |
|
| BUILDING: |
Two-storied, approximately 8
years old structure of wood and plaster with tiled roof. |
| LIGHT: |
Sufficient day and electric
light. |
| HEATING: |
None. |
|
| VENTILATION & DRAINAGE: |
Satisfactory. |
|
| WATER SUPPLY: |
By power pump from well within
camp. |
| DORMITORIES: |
Accommodating from 1 to maximum
4 men; rather crowded; lack of closet space and shelves evident. |
| FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT: |
Available. |
|
| BEDDING: |
Internees
have beds with bedding partly brought along, partly supplied by camp
authorities. Number of blankets and quilts apparently sufficient. |
| INTERPRETER: |
Not required as internees
proficient in Japanese; therefore, no language difficulties.
Orders given in Japanese. |
[page 3 missing]
I. LOCATION
(Prepared by Rev. Paul S. Mayer)
Name
and exact location of camp with description of distinguishing features
or surroundings (so as to be identifiable from the air):
Number of internees broken down by sexes, nationality, race, age groups.
Name.
The
Saitama Prefecture Internment Camp was established on
October 5, 1942.
On that day thirty-six men were transferred in two buses from the
Sumire Camp, located at Denenchofu, Setagaya Ku, Tokyo. The new camp
was called Saitama Ken Yokuryujo in Japanese or Saitama Prefecture
internment camp. Ordinarily, however, it was spoken of as the Urawa
Camp.
Location.
The camp is located
in the northeastern part of Urawa, a city of approximately 50,000
people, situated in Saitama Prefecture about fifteen miles from Tokyo
station. Urawa lies on the main railroad line between Tokyo and all
points north, as well as on the fast electric line, connecting the
cities of Omiya, Tokyo and Yokohama. The camp is situated about twenty
minutes' walk in a northeasterly direction from the Kita Urawa (North
Urawa) Station on the electric line. The address of the camp is
Saitama Ken Yokuryujo
Tenshu Kokyokai
Kamizaki cho, Urawa shi
Saitama Ken.
The
site of the camp is a new section of the city of Urawa, laid out only a
few years ago. The number of houses in the vicinity of the camp is
comparatively small. Immediately back of the camp are fertile fields
stretching for several miles, but on the whole the surrounding land is
covered with magnificent fine trees of various species. The camp site
is off from any main thoroughfare and the number of passersby is very
small. The nearest houses are about one hundred feet distant. There are
no factories nor any kind of military establishments in the vicinity of
the camp.
Internees - Number.
The
Saitama Camp is for men only. As already stated, thirty-six men were
brought to the camp on October 5, 1942. On December 17 of the same
year, twenty-four men arrived from the camp in Sendai and on the
following day three more came from the Miyoshi
camp near Hiroshima.
Further additions were made as follows in the first half of 1943:
Mr. Claude A. Buss, U.S.A. Government official, Manila
Father Edwin Ronan, Chaplain U.S. Army, Philippines
Father Groote, Dutch Roman Catholic priest
The total number of men in the camp was therefore 66.
Classification of Internees
Breaking this number up into various categories, the following
classifications will help to give a clearer picture of the group.
| Nationality |
Professions |
| Canadians |
36 |
Priests & Brothers |
42 |
| British |
11 |
Protestant Missionaries |
2 |
| Americans |
7 |
Teachers |
7 |
| Greeks |
7 |
Business |
5 |
| Belgians |
3 |
Seamen (Greeks) |
7 |
| Dutch |
2 |
Engineers |
1 |
|
|
Doctors |
1 |
|
|
Government Official |
1 |
|
66 |
|
66 |
| Age Groups |
|
|
|
| 20-29 years of age |
|
2 |
|
| 30-39 |
|
21 |
|
| 40-49 |
|
27 |
|
| 50-59 |
|
11 |
|
| 60-69 |
|
3 |
|
| 70-79 |
|
2 |
|
|
|
66 |
|
| Names of Internees. |
|
|
|
| Canadians (36) |
|
|
|
|
Father Pierre Bissonette |
|
|
|
Father Marien Bonin |
|
|
|
Father Roch Carpentier |
|
|
|
Father Ernest Casgrain |
|
|
|
Father Pierre Baptiste Charbonneau |
|
|
|
Father Michel Charrette |
|
|
|
Brother Reginald Cloutier |
|
|
|
Father Romeo Cormier |
|
|
|
Father Marc Cote |
|
|
|
Brother Barthelemy Couture |
|
|
|
Father Bertrand Derouin |
|
|
|
Father Philippe Deslauriers |
|
|
|
Father Jean Marie Dionne |
|
|
|
Father Dominique Doyon |
|
|
|
Father Alphonse Forget |
|
|
|
Father Edmond Gagnon |
|
|
|
Brother Courad Gelinas |
|
|
|
Father Gabriel Groleau |
|
|
|
Father Ubald Guertin |
|
|
|
Father Hyacinthe Hebert |
|
|
|
Father Antoine Lamarre |
|
|
|
Brother Bertrand Landry |
|
|
|
Father Henri Lauglois |
|
|
|
Father Benoit Larose |
|
|
|
Father Louis Lebel |
|
|
|
Father Ambroise Leblanc |
|
|
|
Brother Fernand Lemay |
|
|
|
Father Raymond Martineau |
|
|
|
Father Berchmans Prevost |
|
|
|
Father Hyacinthe Reid |
|
|
|
Father Laurent Ruel |
|
|
|
Father Maxime Shiller |
|
|
|
Father Bernard Tarte |
|
|
|
Father Emilien Tetreault |
|
|
|
Father Bernard Traham |
|
|
|
Father Martin Veillet |
|
|
| British (11) |
|
|
|
|
Ivan C. Bell - teacher |
|
|
|
Alexander Ross Catto - Business Man |
|
|
|
Harry Goodridge - Business Man |
|
|
|
C. G. Graham - teacher |
|
|
|
John Graham - Business Man |
|
|
|
Herbert Hughes - Engineer |
|
|
|
Trevor Johnes - teacher |
|
|
|
William Lupton - Doctor |
|
|
|
Leo Marescaux - teacher |
|
|
|
Ernest Pickering - teacher |
|
|
|
James Sargeant - teacher |
|
|
| American (7) |
|
|
|
|
William Cesling - Missionary |
|
|
|
Claude A. Buss - Government Official |
|
|
|
Charles Dreher - Business Man |
|
|
|
Rowland R. Harker - Teacher |
|
|
|
Paul S. Mayer - Missionary |
|
|
|
Edwin Ronan - Roman Catholic Priest |
|
|
|
Harry Stillman - Business Man |
|
|
| Belgians (3) |
|
|
|
|
Father Eylenbosch |
|
|
|
Father Ernest Gooseur |
|
|
|
Father Jule Van Overmeeren |
|
|
| Dutch (2) |
|
|
|
|
Father Joseph T. Cools |
|
|
|
Father Groot |
|
|
| Greeks (7) |
|
|
|
|
Mr. Danalis - Sea Captain |
|
|
|
Mr. Hajikakis - Seaman |
|
|
|
Mr. Papadias - Seaman |
|
|
|
Mr. Papazoglos - Seaman |
|
|
|
Mr. Spataris - Sea Captain |
|
|
|
Mr. Satrazanides - Seaman |
|
|
|
Mr. Yanulatos - Seaman |
|
|
| Evacuees: |
|
|
|
| Of the 66 men, 10 were
evacuated on September 13, 1943. Of this number, 4 were citizens of the
United States and 6 of Canada. |
|
Americans |
Canadians |
|
|
William Cesling |
Marien Bonin |
|
|
Claude A. Buss |
Ernest Casgrain |
|
|
Rowland R. Harker |
Reginald Cloutier |
|
|
Paul S. Mayer |
Marc Cote |
|
|
|
Barthelemy Couture |
|
|
|
Emilien Tetreault |
|
II. DESCRIPTION
(Prepared by Rev. Paul S. Mayer)
Description of premises: (Photographs if possible)
Kind
of buildings (e.g. barracks, abandoned factories, school or college
buildings); estimate of square and cubic feet per internee; lighting
and heating facilities (hours when available); kind and amount of
bedding provided. Beds and nets.
Site.
This
site on which the camp stands comprises 3000 tsubo (one tsubo equals 6
by 6 ft) or approximately three acres. It is enclosed entirely by a
hedge. No barbed wire is used at any place. The plot is a perfectly
level piece of ground, containing over 100 pine trees. A considerable
part has been cleared, providing space for gardens.
Building.
The
building in which the internees are lodged is a church and monastery
belonging to the Franciscan Order of the Catholic Church. The building
is a two story wooden structure in the shape of the letter T with the
crosspiece extending from east to west on the southern side. A corridor
runs through the center of the building from south to north. The roof
is tile.
Lower Floor.
On the first
floor the right side of the corridor as you enter the building are the
offices and sleeping quarters of the police, a store room, a recreation
room and the police dining room. On the left are sleeping quarters for
police, the chapel, a reception room, the dining room and the kitchen.
Upper Floor.
On
the second floor to right are eleven rooms for the men and small
toilet. To the left are a reading room (later used to accommodate
internees), a small toilet, a kitchenette, a smaller reading room and
12 rooms for men.
Additional Space.
More
than half way down the corridor on the right side of both floors a
covered passageway leads to additional rooms. On the first floor this
additional space consists of toilets for the police, two bath rooms and
a boiler room. The second floor is not as extensive as the first. Here
are found a wash room, toilets and bath room. The bathroom however can
not be used for taking baths and serves as a store room.
Men's Rooms.
The rooms in which the men are accommodated are of four different
sizes, all on the upper floor.
13 rooms, 7 by 15 feet, 2 men each
4 rooms, slightly larger, 3 men each
5 rooms, again slightly larger, 4 men each
2 rooms, again slightly larger, 5 men each
Two
of the men for health reasons were given one each of the small rooms
for themselves. When the number of men increased, the larger reading
room was used to accommodate four men and the dining room was made to
serve the double purpose of eating and reading. In the smaller rooms
each man had about 50 sq. ft. of space. In the rooms where the larger
number of men is accommodated, the space in square feet per man is less
than
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