The archives

THINK ABOUT IT. . . .

by Michael Hurst  MBE

Over the past number of years as I have gone about my daily routine of life, I have often been suddenly jolted by reality as I compared what I was doing at that very moment to how it must have been for the POWs here on Taiwan those many years ago.

For example, one Monday morning I woke up, not feeling “all that well” - most likely having a touch of the flu. My body ached from fever and I felt listless and tired. I didn’t feel like getting up and going...

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE NUMBERS IN SINGAPORE !

Recently, I watched a historical documentary on the Pacific War. The show was produced by a reputable filmaker and was shown on a prominent channel.

Not far into the film they highlighted the Battle for Singapore and I was shocked at what I heard. Once again, as so many times before, the statement was made that the British “lost” Singapore to a Japanese force that numbered one third that of the British forces defending the island fortress. I was outraged that after all this time and with so much accurate information available, such a blatant mistake...

FORGOTTEN NATION . . . FORGOTTEN HEROES - A South African Remembers

By Mark Wilkie – with introduction from Michael Hurst  MBE

Among the more than 4300 allied prisoners of war held on Taiwan during World War II there were three South Africans. Lambert  Rees, Lieutenant, Royal Engineers; William Reid, Sapper, Royal Engineers and John M. Henderson, Private, Royal Army Service Corps were all attached to the British Army and took part in the battles for Malaya and Singapore. After capture by the Japanese they were brought to Taiwan on the hellship England Maru in August 1942 with General Percival’s group, and while he and the other senior...

FURTHER JAPANESE ATROCITIES ON TAIWAN DURING WW II COME TO LIGHT. . .

In a letter received in the autumn of 2000, we learned of further atrocities committed against prisoners of war on Taiwan by the Japanese in the closing days of the war. We received a letter from Mr. Charles D. Parker of Florida, USA asking for assistance in finding more information on his brother who had been executed by the Japanese in Taihoku in June 1945. This was the first time we had heard anything about other POWs being executed. To our knowledge there were only the two POWs who had tried to escape from the Taichu...

THE STORY OF THE BOMBING OF THE ENOURA MARU

Address given at the Memorial Service for the men who suffered and died on the hellship Enoura Maru at KaohsiungTaiwan - January 9, 1945

by Michael Hurst MBE, Director, Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society

Thank you all for coming here today to join with the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society in this important service of remembrance. I would like to pay tribute to the more than 300 brave men who died - right here in this harbor, 60 years ago today - on January 9 th 1945, by telling you a little of the story...