Fukuoka POW Camp #5-B
Omine (Kawasaki/Soeda)

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Fukuoka #5-B Omine
Furukawa Kogyo OMINE Kogyo-Sho, FUKUOKA-ken, TAGAWA-gun, SOEDA-machi, [Kawasaki]

Satellite map
Aerial (Mar. 1947; courtesy of Japan Map Archives)
Area map

Time Line:
22 Jan 1943:
Established as OMINE Branch Camp
1 Mar1943: Renamed 5-B
1 Dec 1943: Renamed 8-D
Aug 1945: Renamed 5-B
Sep 1945: rescue effected

Caution: Fukuoka #5 is not Hiroshima #6. Though both were called "Omine camp", Fukuoka #5 was in Fukuoka Pref. and Hiroshima #6 was in Omine-machi, Yamaguchi Pref., Honshu (near UBE). It's very easy to confuse the two camps. In Fukuoka #5, 8 British died by drinking methyl alcohol (45.09.07), 1 Australian and 12 Canadians died.


Hell Ships:
Taiko Maru; other not verifiable yet..

From the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society:
"In early March 1945 a group of British POWs entered the camp. They came from Taiwan on the hellship Taiko Maru and remained at Omine 5B until the end of the war. POW Albert William Martin, 80th Anti-Tank Reg't. R.A. (see below) was among this group of men."


Article about POW's rescue- Montreal Daily Star (no longer published)

Limited records of the camp activities can be found at the National Archives, Record Group 389 [Records of Provost Marshall General, American POW Info Bureau], Box 2123. Most comprehensive material found in Record Group 331, Box 922.
The rosters are located in Record Group 407 [Records of the Adjutant General's Office] known as "The Philippine Collection." The rosters are listed by camp name, e.g. "Fukuoka #5 Omine." These records are multiple in nature and have to be correlated for each camp. There is a roster prepared by the "Rescue Teams," one by the ranking allied commander, and one supplied by the Japanese.

Photos:
FUK-05 Omine mine aerial
fuku 5 overview
fuk-05 living quarters
fuku 5 bathtubs
fuk-05-mine or shelter entrance
fuku 5 mine entrance
fuk-05 mine entrances inside
fuk-05 mine workers
fuk-05 camp birdseye view
fuk-05 POWs with priest
fuk-05 men in dispensary01
fuk-05 men in dispensary02
fuk-05 guards
Slave Labor:
Coal mining, Furukawa Mining Company (photos of ruins). See translation of Japanese provisions for handling of POWs in this mine (employment as slaves). Source: RG 331 Box 922, transcribed by Vince Lopata, Secretary, HKVA 'C' Force Project

POW Labor, Injuries, Payment, Supervision (original documents, PDF)

Japanese staff (original, PDF) - includes a list of wanted Japanese for other camps as well; very interesting nicknames.

Rosters:
Total = 688 POWs (341 British, 152 Canadian, 130 Australian, 44 Dutch, 21 American; 21 deaths)
Canadians - See book by Palmer (below) and HKVCA page
Original rosters - includes death roster
FUK-05 Rosters 1946-02-16

Deceased:

British, Australian and Canadian as list in Japanese records- External link-pdf file
Van Allen affidavit - Canadian men who died after drinking poisoned liquor... after V-J day (Transcription courtesy of Scott Proudfit)
Original roster

Affidavits: (original archival documents)
FUK-05 Halton affidavit
FUK-05 Hitchen affidavit
FUK-05 Earl Mossman affidavit
FUK-05 Fred Rutherforth affidavit

FUK-05 Ishida, Takamiya, Kawahara case analysis
FUK-05 Satoru Matsui deposition


Sandford Garland, Royal Army Ordinance Corps - British POW captured in Java and interned in Tanjongpriok, Glodok (Batavia), Fukuoka #14 and finally at Omine #5. Short bio (courtesy of son, Robert).
“Did you talk about your experiences to anyone?”
“Not really.”
“Didn’t you want to?”
“Not really. Besides people weren’t much interested.”
Not much interested!



Books:

1220 Days in Hell by Robert C. Daniels - tracks experiences of U.S. Marine Edmond Babler. Excellent description of hell ship Noto Maru and this camp. Worth price of purchase. Sole defect is major error in his description of Palawan massacre.

Dark Side of the Sun by Michael Palmer about his grandfather, George T. Palmer, Royal Canadian Rifles - A remarkable memoir, worth twice its price just for the many illustrations and excellent reportage of the Canadian's experiences. Old website with photos of camp.

"The Last Phase" at Omine by Geoff Tyson - many sketches of camp life; rare booklet


Archival Documents:
FUK-05 Camp Report by Japanese
FUK-05 Document list Labor-Security-Death Reports
FUK-05 Map Buildings
FUK-05 Camp blueprint