Fukuoka
POW Camp #23 Keisen (Hirayama) |
Fukuoka 23 Branch Camp (MEIJI KOGYO HIRAYAMA KOGYO-SHO) FUKUOKA-ken, KAHO-gun, KEISEN-machi Satellite map Aerial (Apr. 1947; courtesy of Japan Map Archives) Timeline: 4 Aug 1944: Camp opened and established as Branch #23 Sept 1945: Rescue effected Photographs: Photographs of coal mine by Japanese Kyushu Mine History Society. Excellent images. Postcard from Wesley Wood Wilson - Front - Back (courtesy of Dee La Garde): "My father was
captured on Corregidor. His story is a bit unusual as he was
a USN sailor on shore duty stationed on the USS Mary-Anne.
The boat was a pleasure craft that was taken by the USN. My
father was a USN signalman and it was his duty along with three other
sailors to keep the pass between Corregidor and Bataan clear of
mines. Of course that did not go well [May 10, 1942 telegram declaring Wilson missing]. He was
shipped to Bilibid and then transferred to Cabanatuan. On 5
August 1944 his hellship, Nissyo Maru, landed in Japan. He
was interned in Keisen #23. I recently found the scrapbook my
grandmother kept. It has his original letters, the message
from USN that he was missing and again that he was a POW.
There are 3 Red Cross postcards from Daddy while he was a POW."
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Labor: POWS used as slaves at Hirayama coal mine by Meiji Mining Company. Meiji Mining Report 1945-11-13 Hell Ship: POW's arrived approximate 5 Aug 1944 from the Nissyo Maru. Camp opened specifically for POW labor. Twenty Wake Island civilians were transferred here at same time from other camps in Japan. Rosters: Total = 194 POWs All Americans- 6 Officers, 168 Enlisted and 20 Civilians; 5 deaths Original roster FUK-23 Rosters 1946-02-16 Death Certificates - Jacks, James; Bender, George; Huskell, Jannese; Fichtenmeyer (Huitittin Meyer), Fred; Steck, Rudolph (original documents) Japanese Staff: Ando, Tetsuo - Medical Orderly- tried for war crimes. Sentenced to 5 years hard labor. Odeishi, Shigemaru, Medical Orderly - tried for war crimes at Fukuoka POW Camp 23. Sentenced to 10 years hard labor. The Harry V. Johnson Story - Johnson was with the 27th Pursuit Sqdn on Bataan. Article courtesy of The Heritage of Vermilion County, Illinois, Autumn 1982. |