| Hiroshima POW Camp #5-B Innoshima |
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| Location:
HIROSHIMA-ken, MITSUKI-gun, INNOSHIMA [Mitsunosho-machi] Satellite Area Map - Located on an island on the Inland Sea, 45 miles east-southeast of Hiroshima History: (Courtesy of Barnes diary extract) 27 Nov 1942: Established as (Fukuoka) YAHATA Provisional POW CAMP MUKAIJIMA Branch Camp- 100 British POWs from Java- led by Squadron Leader (Major) Eric William "Ricay" Wright Jan 1943: Renamed FUKUOKA POW CAMP, INNOSHIMA Branch Camp 23 Jan 1943: Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Force detail plus 3 Americans arrive 1 Mar 1943: Renamed Fukuoka #12-B 14 Jul 1943: Jurisdictional control transferred to ZENTSUJI POW CAMP 2-B (Hiroshima Command) 10 Dec 1943: Sqn Ldr "Ricay" Wright departs for Zentsuji; WP/O H.A.Pritchard assumes command of POWs (See Bonnes diary notes) 13 April 1945: Established as "Zentsuji sub-camp 2-D", renamed 5-B in August 1945 13 March 1945: Camp heavily strafed by carrier planes. At least 10 Japanese killed; French ship "Le Comte de Lille" very damaged. 28 Jul 1945: Docks heavily strafed; 2 POWS wounded by shrapnel 28 Aug 1945: American B-29 crew arrive that were shot down 8 August; Lt W. Ross, Flt Officer McNeish and medical officer. 30 August 1945: First food drop kills 5 Japanese per Corporal Bonnes Diary [British; diary at IWM File P463] Sept 1945: Rescue effected Links: FEPOW Description of Innoshima Summary of war crime trial: Munehiro, Genichi Summary of war crime trial: Nomoto, Akira (Camp CO) Japanese Reconciliation Site: contains pics of released POWS - worth reviewing Books: The Emperor's Guest by John Fletcher-Cooke (2013) |
Labor: Shipyard building of ships and related labor Hell Ship: Dai Nichi Maru for first group of British from Singapore (ex Yoshida Maru from Java); mixed for Americans and Commonwealth soldiers from Hong Kong Report of Camp Conditions - Gibbs Report (AWM War Crime Files) Rescue Rosters: (Source: NARA RG 407 Box 102 and Box 103) Group I - RAF men from Java Group II - men from Hong Kong Americans: 2 American Military [S1c Melvin C. Wilkerson, USN; Pvt JamesWoodrow Babb, USMC Sumay, Guam], and one American civilian, Frank Perry, CPNAP Wake Island Original rosters (PDF) Roster Aug. 15, 1945 (RG 389 Box 2070) Deceased: See PDF file ceated by Japan POW Research Network Rosters for all Hiroshima camps (PDF) Hedley Allen Bonnes, CORP, RAF; Diary & affidavit, IWM, File: P463- Diary indicting major events and movements; early deaths in camp; notes strafing of camp by American carrier planes. Mentions American aviators shot down 8 August 1945 who passed through camp en route Hir-04B-Mukaijima. Notes names:1st Lt W. Ross; F/O McNeish plus an unnamed medical officer. Photographs:
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