Jan van Doorne

Dutch Marine (Died 7 March 1945)
Four ship sinkings survivor

Naruo Main

Jan van Doorne was born on the 14th of February 1918. After finishing his high school, he went to the Dutch Marine Corps on his 18th, in 1936, to start his military career.

He received his military training in Rotterdam, before he went to Indonesia (the former Dutch East-Indies). [As a Marine] He was a sailor and later a corporal on the light cruiser HMS De Ruyter. He also was a hornblower (Bugler).

Around 1939 he came back on shore leave to Holland. When the war broke out in Europe in 1940, Jan was back in Indonesia and with the war starting in Asia in 1942, he was on board on the De Ruyter.

This De Ruyter was sunk on the 28th of February 1942 during the battle for the Java Sea. Jan survived and was probably picked out of the sea by the Japanese. Somewhere in 1943 Jan was transported to Thailand (Camp no. 2B). He was on the Hofuku Maru from Singapore [thanks to Jim Erickson] on and was aboard when it was sunk off Luzon on 21 Sept 44 with the loss of about 950 of the 1200 men aboard. Along with other survivors, he was brought to Manila and Bilibid Prison.

On 15 December, 1944, he boarded the Oryoku Maru, eventually arriving in Taiwan on the 8th of January 1945 as a result of the bombing of the Brazil Maru. He was temporarily sent to Taiwan (Camp No 3B Heito), Formosa.

According to Roger Mansell's website, Jan was one of the survivors of the tragic Oryoku-Enoura-Brazil debacle, so this was the second time he survived a sinking ship. [Appears on page 29 of the Oryoku loading roster]

On the 11th of February 1945 he was finally transported via the Enoshima Maru to a camp near Osaka, the Naruo dispatch camp (No. 8D). Here he probably was too sick to work and he was in the medical barracks. Jan died as a result of beri beri and malnutrition on the 7th march 1945, at the age of 27, less than a month after his birthday. Two other Americans died here as well, Pvt Loyd R Killion and Pvt Jack L McMillin. According to the Dutch military papers, Jan had the POW-number 9956 (uncertain in which camp).

In 1982, four years before my birth, my mother made contact with Jan W. van DOORN, who stayed together with Jan van DOORNE (my grandmothers brother) until his death. Because of their little name difference, they always stayed together, according to Jan van DOORN. After doing some recent research, I found out that Jan van DOORN unfortunately passed away.

I would like to get contact with EVERYBODY who could still remember Jan van Doorne. He must have been a remarkable figure because of his height 6.6 feet (2 meters). At the Naruo camp, there must have been only a few Dutchmen. I would also like to get contact with people who recognize this story and were probably in the same camps.

[Above written by a relative of van Doorne. Please contact us if you have any information and we will forward that on.]


POW Individual Record Card:
Translation by SASAMOTO Taeko of the Japan POW Research Network

<Front>
Camp: Java, 15th August 1942 (Maybe the date is the time he was interned in Java #4 Branch Camp)
Nationality: Dutch
Place of Capture: Java
No.: Java #4 Branch Camp--2311, Thai #2 Branch Camp--7992?, Osaka #8 Dispatched Camp--9956
Date of Capture: 9th March 1942
Occupation: Student

<Back>
He was transfered to Thai #2 Branch Camp in 1943 (The date is not written)
He embarked on a ship (The name is not written, but maybe Oryoku Maru) and left for Taiwan on 13th December 1944. (It's not written where he left from, but maybe Manila) [His name appears on the Oryoku loading roster]
He was temporally interned in Taiwan #3 Branch Camp on 8th January 1945.
He was transfered to Osaka #8 Dispatched Camp from Taiwan, arriving 11th Feb 1945
He died from acute pneumonia at 4:00 a.m. on 6th March 1945.
There is no reference about the Bilibid Prison and the four ship sinking.