Nurses of BataanCenter for Research
 
Allied POWS Under the Japanese

Site for the detailed study of all Allied POWS of the Japanese during World War II

Check here first:
SEARCH HELPS

POW Camp List with LINKS
to camp details, rosters, and photographs


About Us and Copyright Information
The purpose of this site is to provide a primary source of documentation for all of the Allied prisoners of the Japanese during WWII. Our goal is to determine what each man's unit was at capture then record what camps he was taken to and where he was rescued. Where possible, we will provide rosters of the hell ships, and, if a man perished, where, when and how.

We freely cooperate and welcome links amongst the many dedicated researchers who join us in the great effort.

These POWs were the men sacrificed at the beginning of WWII and their service should never be forgotten.

We honor them... by remembering them...
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen."
~
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not" ~ Thomas Jefferson
~
Video: From Independence to Dependency



SITE MAP

What's New - recent site additions
Last Update: 24 May 2013
Roger Mansell Oct. 8, 1935 - Oct. 25, 2010

Roger Mansell
October 8, 1935 - October 25, 2010

Visit website dedicated to Roger Mansell
Research Collection of Roger Mansell, Concerning World War II Prisoners of War, Donated to Hoover Institution Library and Archives

See Roger Mansell in War Stories with Oliver North -- Final Justice: War Crimes Trials of WWII






"No one knows you were there unless you tell your story"
--- Roy Livingstone, ex-POW



"Listen attentively, and remember that true tales are meant to be transmitted --- to keep them to oneself is to betray them."
--- Anonymous

Special: A remarkable tribute to an airman who perished over Rangoon. Take a few moments to understand the loss of a young man to his young widow. She remarried and this is the story of how her son, Matt Poole, unveiled the story.

Roger Mansell at Internet Movie Database

WWII People's War - BBC's archive of reader-contributed POW stories


American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Museum - Located at the Brooke County Public Library in Wellsburg, WV, this museum has the largest collection of documents, photos, and maps devoted exclusively to the ADBC membership. See also Philippine Defenders Main Page.

Report on Medical Activities in the Philippines & Japan by Col. Wibb Cooper -- very good history of events prior to & during WWII, including activities at POW camps

Prisoners of War in the Philippine Islands -- Sept. 1944 Military Intelligence Division report on POW and civilian internee camps in the Philippines, with maps and photos

Ten Escape From Tojo by Cmdr. McCoy and Lt. Col. Mellnik - Original report on the escape of 10 POWs from Davao Penal Colony

Office of the Provost Marshal General Report on POWs in the Philippines -- Produced in Nov. 1945, containing much vital info on the major camps in the Philippines, including disease data; with drawings


Researching FEPOW History Group 2010 Conference with Mansell talk on video

FEPOW 2007 Research Conference- Read Summary Report

FEPOW 2006 POW Research Conference (England)- Read Summary Report.


New Web Page
:
Singapore Malay Volunteers- learn the history & Units of the Malay Volunteers- fast growing web site

Summary of Singapore & Malay States Volunteers- courtesy of Ron Bridge

Great New Web Site: The story of a young girl, Elizabeth van Kampen, taken captive by the Japanese in Java. A unique story told with pictures and passion. Worth reading.

Interesting story of a
Hollywood star who served in WWII

Student wins
essay contest- state championship- Ron Currens
Read story of his triumph!  
Picture with trophy of Ron Currens and his teacher, Mr. David Pinholster
Georgia Council for Social Studies- Web now updated with the 2007 winners.

A Soldier died today- worth reading for a few minutes.

Why China distrusts Japan

Dutch Civilian Camps
in the Netherlands East Indies- Amazing research and information (although in Dutch, translation is easy using "Bablefish") Outstanding research and information by Henk Beekhuis.

East Indies Camp Archives: Camps in the Dutch East Indies (1942-1948) - Excellent website with maps of camps

Victims of Circumstance - The story of the war in Manila and what happened to the civilian internees at Santo Tomas Internment Camp. Be sure to view the trailers and the sound recordings.

Hell Ships Memorial Fund - Subic Bay- A truly worthy cause- creating a monuments to those who perished on the Hell ships.
Hell Ships- short list of major losses based upon Michno's Death on the Hell Ships
Cruise of Death series from Nov. 8, 1945 published in the Chicago Daily News

JAVA Memorial Fund:
Worth a read and definitely worth your contribution. A rare tribute to the Allied and women men captured on Java.


Links of Merit:

Links deemed accurate for research on the POW Experience. Special section on "Myths & Lies"

Rosters: ask for file
UNIT ROSTERS
Rosters for Combat units & Ships; featuring China Marines, 60th CAC, 59th CA, Wake Marines, 59th CAC, 26th Cav, CPNAB (Civilians on Wake, Guam and the Philippines) and much more

Start your query here!!!

SEARCH HELPS
including How to Obtain Medals for POWs


Includes links to camp details, rosters, time lines, and photographs of the Far East POW and internee camps. As with all lists, a few camps may be missing but we add as they are found. Each main area commands had numerous sub-camps and dispatch camps form these main camps. Many camps were destroyed during the war and are not listed yet. We're doing the best we can...
Abbreviations used on camp reports & rosters



Upcoming POW Events & Reunions
This page maintained by the Descendants Group of the ADBC

The Tragedy of Bataan -- A must-see!
TV documentary and radio series on the fall of the Philippines and Bataan Death March. Very interesting excerpts and links.


Visit here often >>> Latest news at US-Japan Dialogue on POWs


American POWs of Japan blog site -- Lots of good information here; also see this collection of POW-related YouTube videos


Hong Kong War Diary exhibit - Photos showing POWs from Hong Kong at work sites while at Kobe #2


Victory From Within: The American Prisoner of War Experience - Keep your eyes on this site where the Andersonville National Historic Site is working on a 1,200 square foot exhibit scheduled for completion in 2011.

Recommended Books:
Recently published books and books recommended that contain valid research, sufficient facts, and dialogue to give a full understanding of the POW experience.

GUAM - Recommended books about the POWS includes reviews.
Bad Books: Books not based on factual historical accounts. Reader beware!



GUAM- The story of the attack and surrender Governor McMillan's report of actions during invasion by Japanese, 8-10 December 1941.
McMillan Interview- Formal Navy Interview, 23 Nov 1945.
Agaña Plaza - Virtual recreation of Agaña Plaza, December 1941. 5 virtual views.
Roster of all Guam personnel. [large text file]
Guam Time Line
Regular updates for deaths of POWs, misc corrections and additions. Time line for POWs from Guam, captured 10 Dec 1941.

Aerial Views of Guam - 1945
plus the USS Ozark unloads first returned POWS


The Guam "Rooster Club"

A tradition that ended, December 7, 1941.
Japan Air Raids.org - info about WWII air raids against Japan (in both English & Japanese)
B-29 Missions over Japan
Most remembered by POWs


Detail photo of damage, Kobe Bombing Photographs, Kobe, Japan, 5 March 1945


The Ralph Baggett Story
An unusual story of a man who won the Drake Relay Champions watch, only to have it taken by the Japanese. Drake University heard the story and the tale took another twist. ©Copyright 2000-2010, Roger Mansell

First Captured, Last Freed
[RECOMMENDED BOOK] The story of Ed Hale, survivor of the USS Penguin sinking on the first day of the war. Special price for ex-POWs.



Chariots of Fire- remember the movie? This was the story of the Olympic runner, Eric Liddell. He was interned by the Japanese. He died from a brain tumor 21 Feb 1945. Now, the rest of the story....
USS Houston- CA-30
Two pictures of USS Houston survivors upon repatriation.
LINK: Houston POW Site
LINK The Lost Battalion - 131st Artillery captured on Java - history & rosters
Vets Home Award
Military.com Award

To search for a person's name, use "Yahoo" (best results) or "Google". Place name in quotation marks, enter last name [comma and space] first name or initial then close quote, space, plus (+) POW. Example:
"Meeker, Walter" + POW
A second method is to eliminate the comma for those few lists that are not cross-checked. If they are on our site, it WILL show up on a Yahoo search. (Yahoo does a better job of indexing this site)

Do you have documents you would like to share or donate?

We are always more than happy to receive any type of document, digitized or otherwise -- including news clippings, photos, and memoirs -- on Allied POWs. Contact us if you do have something you'd like to share with us. We are especially interested in receiving copies which you may have received from the National Archives. Your information will be of great value to others and save them hours of emails, letters and phone calls, perhaps even a trip to the Archives -- as Roger said, "Share what you have."


***SPECIAL***
Need help to identify individual pictures of 59 men (American?) at Tokyo # 8 Hitachi (Motoyama) POW Camp.
 help!
Group #1 (1032kb)
Group #2 (998 kb)
Group #3 (995kb)



News From the Past
Newspaper and magazine articles about POWs
Latest addition - Story of Navy Nurse Marion Olds, Guam - Zentsuji - Kobe - Gripsholm
We have many articles which need to be transcribed. Can you help?


Death Railway Camps:
Names & Mileage - First accurate & complete listing of these horrific camps


The Sounds of War
The Sounds of War  includes the audios of famous wartime news broadcasts including Tokyo Rose, Churchill, CBS News, and Tojo announcing the start of war.


Japanese Order to Murder all POWS
Contains Japanese Order to murder all prisoners plus the official authorization for guards to flee and change identities, issued the day of surrender-15 Aug 1945

Text -Surrender speech of Emperor Hirohito- note the dissembling and deceptive nature of his speech. He NEVER said the word surrender to his people.

Zentsuji - Aerial view, photographs, sketches & Location Maps
Rokuroshi Camp
Description, roster, and 27 Liberation Photos. Large File
Hirohata - Aerial Photos taken from B-29 dropping food - 9 Aug 1945. Flag Raising ceremony at Hirohata.
Osaka -  Ichioka Stadium and Yokohama Stadium Hospitals.

Wake Island POWs at Zentsuji:
List of the men who arrived from Wake Island to join the Guam POWS.
Source: Courtesy of Professor Gregory Urwin, Temple University.

Unknown Camps
Photos: Can you help?

Featured Camp Pictures
Unknown Camp- Can you identify? "Northern Honshu"
Suspected to be
Wakasennin #10-B. Can anyone confirm?

POW Camps- Japan only- List #1
Alphabetical List of all POW camps in Japan as submitted by Japanese and modified by SCAP office. Some cross references. Many camps are not listed. Also indicates Japanese companies that used POWs as slaves.

Cabanatuan Burial Roster (external link) - On-going research by John Eakin


Osaka Camp List
Japanese submission to MacArthur of exact names and location of each camp under the control of the Osaka POW Camp Command. Many errors.


Reprint from Nippon Newspaper:
Former Allied POWS aid victims of train wreck

For extensive archival data on ethnic Japanese and Japanese Americans in the US, visit Wes Injerd's EO9066 website, The Preservation of a People, dealing with the evacuation and relocation of people of Japanese ancestry during WWII (assembly and relocation centers, internment camps, etc.).

Logo of American Defnders of Bataan & Corregidor
American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor




Bataan Blogspot - Robert Hudson's blog with a multitude of photos and stories (be sure to read his own story)

Defense of Bataan - much history here on the various units on Bataan

They Shall Not Grow Old... We Shall Remember Them


Updates:
1/28/13: Added data on Baumeister
1/31/13: Sendai #2 camp photos; Omori camp photos; Instone diary here and here
2/1/13: Quartermaster Corps photo at Rokuroshi; more photos added to Sendai #2 and Omori pages
2/2/13: Omine camp addition from Smyth
2/18/13: Hosokura rescue video posted (MP4)
3/5/13: Huston collection PDF's, Futatabi
3/6/13: USNHS Rescue page
4/2/13: Fukuoka #3 Yahata/Kokura affidavits, testimonies and statements
5/7/13: Transfer roster to Naoetsu added to Osaka #13 Tsumori
5/15/13: Photo PDF's and video links for Kanose and Mitsushima camps
5/24/13: Russell Ormseth page; photos of Kamiiso camp; Zentsuji camp regulations and layout; Innoshima photos; 1942 radio broadcast excerpt tribute to USMC

If you can read this, thank a teacher....
If you are reading it in English, thank a Veteran!