REMEMBERING . . . 70 YEARS AGO

THE SURRENDER OF CORREGIDOR - MAY 6TH, 1942

Map of Japanese assault on Corregidor, May 5, 1942

Battery Way mortar today - it was the last battery firing on May 5th               Surrender at Malinta Tunnel May 6th

Following the surrender of Bataan on April 9^th, the Japanese forces turned their attention to the island fortress of Corregidor. They began shelling “The Rock” as Corregidor was commonly called in those days, by day and by night. The men on the island were completely cut off from the world and as food and ammunition dwindled, it was only a matter of time until the island would be forced to surrender to the Japanese.

However the brave defenders held on as long as they could with many killed and wounded, but on May 5^th the Japanese made a successful landing on the island and completely over-powered the weakened American forces. On May 6^th General Wainwright issued the surrender order to save his men and stop the bloodshed. With the surrender the allied forces were rounded up and held for a time in an area near the beach on the south side of the island called the 92^nd Garage Area.

POWs assembled at the 92nd Garage Area - awaiting transfer to Manila and Cabantuan POW Camp

Subsequently they were transported across the bay to Manila where they endured a humiliating forced march through the streets of the city in front of the Filipino people. After this they were moved to Cabanatuan POW Camp where many later died. This was to be the beginning of more than three years of suffering as they were used for slave labour in the Philippines and also for the many which were later transported by hellship to Taiwan, Japan and Manchuria. Let us never forget those brave men!

POW MEMORIAL SCULPTURE - "MATES"

On November 13th 2011 at a ceremony held in the Taiwan Prisoner of War Memorial Park in Jinguashi, a life-size bronze sculpture of two prisoners of war struggling to help each other survive was unveiled. The sculpture, designed by Society Director Michael Hurst and sculpted by Mr. Wu Jung Fu of Miaoli, is entitled - “Mates”.

“If a man didn’t have a mate, he usually didn’t survive”. The POWs have told us that you had to have a mate and most did. Mates were often in the same work detail and shared the same thread-bare huts, often sleeping next to each other. A mate would watch out for you on the job, helping you lift a heavy load or move a big boulder. A mate would share his water with you and perhaps even his food. If you were sick he would look after you because he knew if he got sick you would look after him. There was a special bond between mates as they did their best to survive and overcome the brutality of their captors. When freedom finally came, they rejoiced together, wept together and returned home together.

The sculpture also depicts one of the POWs holding a "chunkel" which was a common tool used in many aspects of rural life and work in Taiwan then - and it is still used today. It could be used for farming, clearing land, planting crops and harvesting. It could be used in construction - excavating building sites, roads and also in mining operations.

The significance of the “chunkel” to the prisoners – the chunkel was used as a tool for slave labour in all of the 14 Taiwan POW camps. For example at Jinguashi – down the mine, Taichu – excavating the flood diversion channel in the river bed, at Heito clearing vast areas of old river valley for the planting of sugar cane. It was used at Taihoku Camp 6 in Tachih by the POWs building the artificial lake and victory park for the Japanese, as well as for farming and growing vegetables for the Japanese. It had a similar use at Karenko Camp in Hualien and at Shirakawa where the senior officers were made to toil at farming and cultivating crops which were mostly used to feed the Japanese army. It was used in the other camps at Inrin and Toroku for farming, as well as at Oka Camp for clearing land and at Kukutsu to plant sweet potatoes and peanuts on an abandoned tea plantation. The chunkel is a symbol of the slavery and the suffering of the allied POWs in every camp on Taiwan, and it is fitting that it should be included in our sculpture – thus representing all of the Taiwan POW Camps.

The Sculptor - We would like to acknowledge the sculptor Mr. Wu Jung-fu and his wife for the wonderful job they did in helping us to create a life-like image of these two POWs suffering, and yet struggling together as mates to help one another survive. Sadly only a couple of months after the sculpture was completed and installed, Mr. Wu suffered a fatal construction accident and so could not be with us to unveil the statue on the dedication day. Let us remember Mr. Wu in our thoughts and his family in our prayers. This sculpture will be his living legacy.

The purpose of the sculpture is to compliment the beautiful memorial wall in the park by showing people now - and in future generations, an image of the POWs, so they may better envision the suffering and sacrifice endured by those men to bring us the freedom that we enjoy today - " Lest We Forget! "

(Left) The Mates gaze out over a new Kinkaseki

(Above)  A dreary, rainy, typical Kinkaseki day reflects a time gone by.

REMEMBRANCE WEEK 2012

This year’s Remembrance Week Event will take place from  November 7 – 14, 2012 with the Remembrance Day service being held on Sunday November 11th at Kinkaseki.

As usual, we will have visits to the former POW camp sites complete with memorial services, local sightseeing tours, our special FEPOW banquet and of course the Remembrance Day service in the Taiwan POW Memorial Park on the site of the former Kinkaseki POW Camp in Jinguashi.

This year is the 15^th anniversary of the building and dedication of the Taiwan POW Memorial at Jinguashi and we hope that many will come out and join us for this momentous occasion.

We invite and encourage former POWs, their family members and all friends and supporters to be with us this year. More information will be forthcoming later in the year. For more information on this and our other events please contact us.