Japanese-pow Home Page

Japanese-pow Home Page

Updated: June 17, 2009 (Added Memorial Day photos from the Manila American Cemetery. See 3rd item below.)

Dedication:
This web site is dedicated to (1) the MEMORY of those who were Prisoners of War of the Japanese during World War II and who died while they were POWs, and (2) the HONOR of those who were Prisoners of War of the Japanese during World War II and survived those terrible times. They suffered such unbelievably difficult conditions and inhumane treatment by their Japanese captors it is a wonder that any survived.

Purpose:
The purpose of this web site is to assist the many descendants who want to learn more about their relative that was a POW of the Japanese. We hope that all of these descendants will document the details and pass this information on to future generations of their families so they may know and understand this horrible tragedy.

Memorial Day Photos:
Click on Photos to see a group of photos taken in the beautiful Manila American Cemetery on May 25, 2009.

ADBC Convention // Descendants Group Plans:
The last ADBC Convention was held at the "Omni San Antonio Hotel At The Colonnade" in San Antonio, TX on May 26-30, 2009. Over 500 people attended this convention. It was a very happy occasion because so many people were there to share memories, and at the same time, it was a very sad occasion because everybody realized this was the "end of the road" for the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor as a formal organization.
Beginning next year, annual conventions will be held by the "Descendants Group, an Auxiliary of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor" with all former POWs, their families and widows invited (actually "urged") to attend. The 2010 convention will be held at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, NV on April 6-10, 2010. Click DG-2010 for more information. All interested persons please read the next item below. We need your support.

Descendants Group is now a formal organization:
The group that has been informally known for several years as the "Descendants Group" has been organized formally as the "Descendants Group, an Auxiliary of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor". Click here - DG - to read more information and to find out how to join this very important group.

Viewing Satellite Images of POW Camps and Related Sites:
If you would like to view satellite images of locations of Japanese POW Camps and some related sites just like the TV News shows a view moving around the world and then zooming in on a location, click this link - POW Sites.

Hellships Memorial Information:
The Hellships Memorial (located at Olongapo on the shores of Subic Bay, Luzon) was dedicated on January 22, 2006. This beautiful memorial honors all Prisoners of War that were transported by the Japanese on ships that became collectively known as the "Hellships". Thus, the memorial honors ALL POWs of ALL nations that were transported on these ships - both those that died during transport and those that survived the horrors of the "Hellships".
The work that was completed prior to the dedication ceremony is considered as Phase I of the project. For information about Phase I as well as Phase II and maintenance of the memorial to assure that it remains beautiful in the future, visit the Hellships Memorial web site at:
http://www.hellshipsmemorial.org/ (Note: As of June 4, 2009 this site was temporarily unavailable - it is scheduled to be available again prior to July 10, 2009). See photographs of the memorial and of the dedication ceremony. Also, find out how to contribute to the Hellships Memorial Fund so that you can be a factor in the success of this memorial.

Search Aids:
There are many ways to search for information concerning POWs of the Japanese. The following links lead to additional pages of this web site that provide information to assist in your search.
    List of Books and other printed matter
    Internet Sites
    POW Rosters
    Research Facilities
    Japanese-pow Listserv
    Recommended Search Techniques

Hellship Information and Photographs:
Click the following link for Hellship Information and Photographs: Hellships. Outstanding paintings of some of the Hellships were added to this link on December 5, 2003 and on January 4, 2004.

POW Photos:
The purpose of this page is to show photographs that may assist descendants that are searching for information about their relative that was a POW of the Japanese. If you have a photograph that could be helpful to others, send it to the site author by using the link in the last item on this page (attach a good quality scan of the photo). Be sure to include a suggested caption that includes all known identification of POWs in the photo as well as the date and location. If you do not have exact information, tell what you do know about the photo. To see items that have been posted, click here: POW PHOTOS

Lists of POW Camps, Hellship Voyages and Alias Names for Hellships:
These lists are made available primarily for members of the Japanese-pow Listserv; however, all persons are welcome to view the lists. Code numbers in the left column of the List of POW Camps and the List of Hellship Voyages are reference numbers that explain numerical abbreviations on the "roster" that is sent to members of the Japanese-pow Listserv. To view a list, click on a link below.
    List of POW Camps
    List of Hellship Voyages
    List of Alias Names for Hellships

Memorial Pages:
Click the following link for a list of memorial sites that have been prepared by Descendants in honor of a relative that was a POW of the Japanese during World War II: Memorials

FEPOW Day (New Project):
Michael Hurst, who lives on Taiwan and runs the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society web site (http://www.powtaiwan.org/), informed us about a new proposal for an FEPOW Day to be celebrated on August 15th of each year and requesting our support. For information about this project, go to http://www.fepow-day.org:80/index.htm. As you will see, the site says that it has "been set up to promote August 15th as a day of remembrance
for all those who were held as Japanese Prisoners of War during World War II, whatever nationality, colour or religion, whether service personnel,
civilian or romusha." The main web site of the FEPOW Community is ustp://www.fepow-community.org.uk/.

Comments and Suggestions:
Please send whatever comments and suggestions you may have for the improvement of this web site to the author (John B. Lewis). To send an e-mail, click on Contact the author.