Hiroshima POW Camp #8-B Motoyama, Yamaguchi

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Hiroshima #8-B MOTOYAMA YAMAGUCHI-ken, ONODA-shi 26 Nov 1942: Established as YAHATA Provisional POW CAMP UBE Branch? MOTOYAMA Detached Camp. 1 Jan 1943: Renamed FUKUOKA POW CAMP UBE Branch? Camp MOTOYAMA Detached Camp 1 Mar 1943: Renamed Fukuoka 8-B 1 Dec 1943: Renamed Fukuoka 3-D Jul 1944: Moved, new location unknown 14 Apr 1945: Jurisdictional control transferred to HIROSHIMA POW CAMP 6-D Aug 1945: Renamed Hiroshima 8B Sep 1945: Rescue effected Aerial (1947; courtesy of Japan Map Archives) Satellite location Aerial map - relative position to Ohama and Okinoyama camps Relief map - relation to other camps Camp Report: Extract of the Lt Rogers Investigation Report of Dec 1945. Short summary of camp history. Charles Baker Maltby affidavit - British POW, captured in Batavia; mentions deaths of Roberts and Haykin BBC "People's War" story by British POW Gunner Neil Millar Reid, 77th AA (H) 241 Battery (NOTE: Reid actually arrived at Moji Port and then taken up the strait to nearby Motoyama.)

Labor: Coal mine (Ube Kosan Motoyama Coal Mining Company) Hellship: Primary hellship was the Singapore Maru. (see below) Known History: Based upon the books by Meg Parkes, the story of her father Atholl Duncan: Approximately 200 British were transported from Java on the "Singapore Maru" via Singapore, Formosa and Moji, arriving in the camp on 28 Nov 1942. 60 men died on the way and 350 were left on the Moji docks, most dying in the Moji hospital within the next month. By 18 Dec 1942, six more died in this camp. The men on this ship were spread over camps in Ube, Motoyama, Ohama and Higashi Misome. Known dead include Frow, Barnley and Hunt. Rosters: Partial British roster based upon photographs in NARA. Full Camp Roster (xls) file - contains Brits, Dutch & Yanks, additional information and deceased Original rosters Roster Aug. 15, 1945 (RG 389 Box 2070) Death lists for Hiroshima camps

Photographs: Motoyama mining camp Individual POW photos (click image for PDF) Name list (TXT) Japanese guards Cookhouse staff photo taken in 1945 at Motoyama - courtesy of Jayne Leadbeater, whose grandfather, Joseph Briggs Leadbeater, can be seen in the middle row, far right: "He was a lovely man, died when I was only 3 or 4 (over 30 years ago), but I can remember climbing up on his bed and he would read to my sister and I stories he had written and share his sweets. He didn't talk much about the war so we know very little. My eyes are very much wide open to the experiences he must have gone through. I am so pleased I found your site. Thank you for sharing your information." Photos courtesy of Robert Gray, son of David Mason Gray: David Mason Gray in uniform (12th Batty 6HAA Rgt, Royal Artillery) - Gray and army buddies Camp buildings: