Sendai #1-B POW Camp
Yumoto, Fukushima

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Location:
Sendai #1-B (Joban Tanko), Fukushima-ken, Iwaki-gun, Yumoto-machi
Satellite map
Area map
Aerial (Oct. 1946; courtesy of Japan Map Archives; see also aerial below)


Timeline:
15 Apr 1943
Established as Tokyo #6-B
18 Apr 1943:
145 Dutch arrive
1 Aug 1943 Renamed Tokyo #4-D
12/13 Aug 1944:
252 British and one American arrive
14 Apr 1945 Jurisdictional control transferred from Tokyo Camp #4-D to Sendai POW Area Command. Established as Sendai #1-B
13 May 1945: 198 Canadians (ex Tok #3 Tsurumi) and two Americans arrive
4 Sep 1945: per Capt. Bartlett, B-29 crashes while dropping food to the camp; total loss of 14. (Location not verified, see MACR report.)
9 Sep 1945: Rescue effected

NOTE re Sendai Camp Group (per Japan POW Network):
The Sendai Camp Group was established on April 14, 1945 in accordance with the establishment of the Tohoku (Northeastern Japan) Army District and controlled the branch camps in the Tohoku area. Some branch camps that used to belong to either Tokyo POW Camp Group or Hakodate POW Camp Group were transferred to its jurisdiction.
The Camp Group Commander was Lt/Col. Riichi Kitahara.
Main Camp
Established at 58 Dobashi-dori, Sendai City on April 14, 1945. It was moved to Kurosawajiri-cho, Waka-gun (current Kitakami City), Iwate Prefecture in July 1945. It held no POWs as it housed only the administration office.


SCAP Report:

Report on camp by
2nd Lt Kocher

Photographs:

sendai #1-332608

Sendai #1 2nd aerial

Sendai #1 - 1947
Aerial 1947


Crematory 1945
(Note the symbol on the oven doors is the Buddhist "manji" 卍 , not the German swastika.)

More pictures of Sendai
Labor:
Prisoners enslaved for the Joban Coal (Tanko) Company. Canadians came from Tok-03D Tsurumi. The camp burned 9 Apr 1945 and the men finally departed for Joban Coal on 12 May (Don Penny RCCS and Capt Reid diaries per Burke Penny).

Hell Ships:
Group of 252 (British) arrived August 1944 on the Hakushika Maru from Singapore via Manila, Taiwan and Moji. Included British Driver Leonard C. Matthews (Matthews Diary - Messages dropped by relief supply planes)

Rosters:
Total = 567 (232 British, 198 Canadian, 135 Dutch, 2 American)
Liberation roster with NOK (RG 389 Box 2071) - Canadian, US, Dutch, British
Additional data located in RG 407 Box 11 and Box 12.

Other rosters:
Dutch
Canadians [fully cross checked]- arrived late spring or summer 1945
British
Roster Aug. 15, 1945 (RG 389 Box 2070)

Death Roster - prepared by POW Network of Japan. First British name is Fallowfield, Alfred Edward, 4th Bn, Royal Norfolks.
Patients - Death roster (RG 389 Box 2070)

Sendai, Hakodate, Tokyo patient rosters (RG 407 Box 167)
Folder 3: List of Patients: Sendai Main Camp, Omi Honshu Island Camp 13-B, Hakodate and Tokyo Main Camp. 1943-1944. Includes American, British, Canadian, Australian, Dutch, New Zealander, Norwegian, Italian, Chinese, Hong Kong and unknown (possibly Estonian) military and civilian patients.
Folder 4: Hospital Roster - Tokyo Group - Omori Camp, including Yokaichi Sub-Camp. May and July, 1945. Includes American, Dutch and British patients.
Folder 5: List of Patients: Sendai Branch Camp #1, Hakodate, Tokyo Main Camp. Duplicates of some rosters in Folder 3. Includes American, British, Canadian, Australian, Dutch, New Zealander, Norwegian, Italian, Chinese, Hong Kong and unknown military and civilian patients.
Folder 6: Particulars of patients and staff - Morioka Army Hospital, Sendai POW Camp. Contains duplicates of Folder 3. Includes U.S., British, Australian, New Zealander, Canadian, Norwegian and Dutch patients.
Folder 7: Hospital Roster - Sendai POW Camp, Morioka Army Hospital. Duplicates of some rosters in Folder 3. Includes American, British, Canadian, Australian, Dutch and New Zealander patients.
Folder 8: List of patients - Sendai POW Camp. Includes American, British, Australian, New Zealander, Canadian, Norwegian and Dutch patients.

Rosters for all Sendai camps:
Sendai camps (RG 407 Box 111)
Camps 1 to 11
Canadian officers, other ranks, sub-officers, NCOs, privates and civilians;
British officers, other ranks, civilians, soldiers, air force, warrant officers II, staff sergeants, sergeants, corporals, lance corporals and privates;
American officers, other ranks, civilians and soldiers;
Dutch officers, other ranks, NCOs, soldaten, matrozen, civilians, sergeants and privates;
Portuguese other ranks; Ireland; Norwegian other ranks; Czechoslovakia; Rumania; Poland; Belgium; Denmark; France;
Australian NCOs, soldiers, other ranks, civilians, air force, officers, warrant officers II, sergeants and privates;
New Zealand civilians
Sendai camps 1-B to 11-B (RG 407 Box 111)
Canadian officers and other ranks; American officers, other ranks and civilians; Dutch officers, other ranks and civilians; British officers, other ranks and civilians; Portugal; Norway; Czechoslovakia; Rumania; Belgium; Denmark; France; and Australian officers and other ranks


Deaths
Recovery team report - page 8 listing of camp deaths (not cross-checked). Report prepared by 2nd Lt John W. Kocher, Recovery Team #64, Commanding.


Japanese Staff:

Included in
2nd Lt Kocher Report, Recovery Team #64.