2023 was the 26th anniversary of the recognition of the former Japanese prisoner of war camps on Taiwan during World War II. 1997 was the beginning of the effort to uncover the story of those camps and to make sure that the men who were interned in them had their story told and were not forgotten. in the past 26 years a lot had happened and now the story of the former Taiwan POW Camps and the men who interned in them is no longer unknown.
The following is a list of events and achievements to that end over the past twenty-six years:
(Note - Memorials erected by the Society are highlighted in bold italicized text.)
TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF RESEARCHING, REMEMBERING AND HONOURING THE TAIWAN PRISONERS OF WAR
1996
Nov. - The Kinkaseki Prisoner of War Camp is mentioned at the Remembrance Day Service. The Director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Hugh Stephens, conceives an idea to hold a memorial service for the men of Kinkaseki and talks to Michael Hurst at the Canadian Society who takes on the project with the CST’s assistance.
1997
Jan. - Michael Hurst forms the Kinkaseki Memorial Committee to organize a memorial service for the men of Kinkaseki and to let local people know about the infamous Kinkaseki POW Camp.
May - The memorial service for the men of Kinkaseki takes place on May 16 with the showing of the film “A War Story”. Former POW Jack Edwards is in attendance and assists in leading a tour to Kinkaseki Camp on May 18.
- Location of the former Kukutsu Camp is found.
Jun. - A meeting of the committee is held and it is decided to build a formal memorial for the Kinkaseki and Taiwan POWs at Jinguashi.
Oct/Nov. - The memorial is constructed
Nov. - The Taiwan POW Memorial is dedicated at Jinguashi on November 23 with three former POWs present. News of the memorial spreads to the UK, Canada, USA and Australia.
1998
Jan. - The project to find the former Taiwan POW survivors and locate the sites of all the POW camps on the island is initiated by Michael Hurst.
- The location of the former Karenko Camp is discovered.
Mar. - POW information plaques at Jinguashi are completed and installed.
Jul. - Launch of the original Kinkaseki POW Camp Memorial website, enlarged in 1999 to the current "Never Forgotten" site.
Oct. - The location of the former Taichu Camp is found south of Taichung.
Nov. - The first annual Remembrance Week event is held with five former POWs in attendance. Three former Taichu POWs return to that camp for a visit after 56 years.
1999
Mar. - The wall and landscaping project at the Jinguashi POW memorial is completed.
Apr. - The original Kinkaseki Committee closes down - its work is done.
May - The Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society is launched to continue the work started by Hurst and the Kinkaseki Memorial Committee.
- The Commonwealth Remembrance Committee is also formed to assist the Society with the annual Remembrance Day Services.
Jul. - The first ever Kinkaseki POW Reunion is held in the UK and Michael and Tina Hurst attend.
Sep. - Discovery of the former Heito Camp.
Nov. - The second Remembrance Week is held with four former Taiwan POWs present.
- The Kukutsu POW Memorial is dedicated with three former POWs in attendance.
2000
Jun. - Discovery of Taihoku Camp # 5.
Sep. - The locations of the Shirakawa and Toroku Camps are uncovered.
Oct. - Verification of the site of Taihoku Camp # 6.
Nov. - Third annual Remembrance Week takes place with eleven former POWs and eighteen family members and friends in attendance. This figure includes three POWs and nine family members and friends from the first Royal British Legion tour to Taiwan.
- The Taichu POW Memorial is dedicated with three former POWs from that camp, eight other POWs and eighteen family members present.
2001
Jan. - The site of the Takao Camp is discovered at Kaohsiung Harbour.
Aug. - The Inrin and Inrin Temporary Camps are located.
Nov. - The fourth Remembrance Week brings five POWs and fifteen family members to Taiwan.
2002
Feb. - The Society director is invited to participate in the 60th anniversary of the surrender commemoration event in Singapore.
Jun. - The site of Tamazato Camp is discovered and explored.
Aug. - The location of the Churon Evacuation Camp is verified.
Oct. - HRH Prince Charles presents the MBE to Michael Hurst for his work with the POWs at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.
- The location of the Taiwan POW Memorial Tree at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, Staffs., UK is confirmed.
Nov. - 60th anniversary of Singapore surrender year draws four POWs and ten family members back to Taiwan for the fifth annual Remembrance Week Event.
2003
Apr. - The Taiwan POW Memorial Tree is dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum in the UK.
Sep. - Toroku POW Camp is explored more thoroughly.
Nov. - One POW and two family members return to Taiwan for the sixth annual Remembrance Week.
2004
May - Re-dedication of the Kukutsu POW Memorial following its relocation.
Oct. - Location of the Oka Camp is finally thought to be confirmed after a 5-year search.
Nov. - Seventh annual Remembrance Week sees seven former POWs and twelve family members return to Taiwan.
- Dedication of the Heito POW Memorial with six POWs present.
2005
Jan. - 60th Anniversary of the bombing of the hellship Enoura Maru in Kaohsiung Harbour. A memorial service is conducted at Kaohsiung Harbour. One former American POW who survived the bombing returns to Taiwan for the event.
Feb. - The American Institute in Taiwan presents the 'Liaison Affairs Medal' to Society Director Michael Hurst in recognition of and gratitude for his services to the former American POWs who were held in Taiwan and their surviving family members.
Mar. - Trip to Kyushu, Japan to find and research the camps where Taiwan POWs went after leaving camps in Taiwan in 1945.
Jun. - Memorial service to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the execution of 14 American flyers is held at the Taipei Prison. The brother of one of the executed airmen and his two sons from the USA attend the event.
Aug. - 60th Anniversary End of WWII Taiwan POW Exhibition & the launch of the TPCMS 60th Anniversary Commemorative Stamp Sheet at the National Armed Forces Museum, Taipei.
Sep. - 60th Anniversary of the end of WWII and the evacuation of the POWs from Keelung Harbour. Five former crewmembers of the Royal Navy evacuation ships which took part, return for the memorial service held by the Society.
Nov. - Three POWs and fourteen family members are present at the eighth annual Remembrance Week event.
- Dedication of the Taiwan Prisoner of War Memorial Park.
2006
Jan. - Dedication of the Taiwan Hellships Memorial at Chijin Beach, Kaohsiung.
Nov. - No POWs were in attendance for our ninth Remembrance Week, but five family members took part.
- Dedication of the Eternal Flame of Peace and Remembrance at the POW Memorial Park, Jinguashi.
2007
Apr. - Trip to Tokyo and Yokohama Japan to find and research the camps where Taiwan POWs went after leaving camps in Taiwan in 1942.
May - Trip to Shenyang (Mukden, Manchuria) China to visit the former Mukden POW Camp. Many of the senior officers from Karenko and Shirakawa camps finished the war there.
Nov. - One former POW and sixteen family members return for the 10th anniversary event.
- Dedication of the Taiwan POW Memorial Tree at the POW Memorial Park, Jinguashi.
2008
Aug. - The first ever FEPOW Day event is held in Taiwan at the Spot Theatre in Taipei.
Sep. - Michael Hurst attended the Taiwan POW Reunion at Newcastle in the UK.
- Internment of ashes & memorial service for George Harrison - organized and sponsored by the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society, is held at Crawley, Sussex. UK. A FEPOW Memorial Bench erected by the Society in honour of George and Alfred J. Foster, both local Crawley POWs, and all the men of the 5th Field Reg't. R.A., is dedicated.
Oct. - Return trip to Shenyang and Liao Yuan, China to study and explore the camp sites where Taiwan POWs went in 1944 - 45, and to assist the Chinese gov't. in preserving the sites and building museums there.
Nov. - One POW and his two family members take part in the 11th Remembrance Week event.
2009
May - Dedication of the War & Peace Park and Museum at Chijin Beach Kaohsiung Harbour where the Taiwan Hellships Memorial is located.
Jun. - Dedication of the Toroku POW Memorial at Douliou.
- Dedication of the American Airmen’s Plaque on the former Taipei Prison Wall, in honour of the American airmen held - and those executed, in the former Taihoku Prison in 1944-45.
Jul. - Discovery of the Maruyama Evacuation Camp location in Taipei.
Aug. - The second Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei.
Sep. - Michael Hurst attended the second Taiwan POW Reunion held at Newcastle in the UK.
Nov. - Six POWs and sixteen family members take part in the 12th Remembrance Week event.
2010
Apr. - All the graves of the former Taiwan POWs are photographed at the Sai Wan War Cemetery in Hong Kong.
Aug. - The third Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei.
Sep. - The third consecutive Taiwan POW Reunion is held at Newcastle in the UK.
Nov. - Thirteen family members take part in the 13th Remembrance Week event. No POWs were present this year.
2011
May - Completion of the construction of Phase II of the Taiwan POW Memorial Park.
- Dedication of the Taiwan Hellships Display at the War & Peace Park Museum, Kaohsiung.
- First US Memorial Day celebration takes place at the old Taipei Prison Wall.
Aug. - The fourth Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei.
- Project to place a memorial stone at the Punchbowl War Cemetery in Hawaii for the POWs killed in the
bombing of the 'hellship' Enoura Maru in Kaohsiung Harbour is initiated.
Sep. - The fourth consecutive Taiwan POW Reunion is held at Newcastle in the UK.
- Completion of construction of the Taihoku Camp 6 POW Memorial.
Oct. - Launch of the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society’s new updated website.
Nov. - One POW and thirteen family members take part in the 14th Remembrance Week event.
- Dedication of Taihoku Camp 6 POW Memorial at the Ministry of National Defense Headquarters in Taipei.
- Dedication of Phase II of the Taiwan POW Memorial Park, the POW Memorial Wall, granite POW Map and “Mates” Sculpture at Jinguashi.
2012
Aug. - The fifth Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei.
Sep. - The fifth consecutive Taiwan POW Reunion is held at Newcastle in the UK.
Nov. - Four POW family members take part in the 15th Remembrance Week event celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the building and dedication of the Kinkaseki / Taiwan POW Memorial.
- Dedication of the Karenko POW Camp Memorial at the site of the Military Police base in Hualien.
Dec. - Society Director Michael Hurst is awarded the Taiwan Veterans Memorial Medal by the Taiwanese Veterans Association.
2013
Feb. - R.O.C. Minister of Defense, Gen. Kao Hua-Chu, presents the ROC Ministry of National Defense Badge of Honour to Michael Hurst for his work with the POWs, at a ceremony at MND Headquarters.
Aug. - The sixth Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei.
- Completion of construction of the Shirakawa POW Camp Memorial.
Nov. - Seven POW family members take part in the 16th Remembrance Week event.
- Dedication of the Shirakawa POW Camp Memorial in the village of Nei-Jiao, November 11th.
2014
Aug. - The seventh Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei.
- Largest turnout to date to see the films "The Railway Man" and "Enemy My Friend".
Nov. - Fourteen family members and one former POW take part in the 17th Remembrance Week event.
- Re-dedication of the rebuilt Taiwan Hellships Memorial at Chijin War and Peace Park, Kaohsiung.
2015
Jun. - 70th Anniversary Commemoration at the former Taipei Prison wall in honour of the American airmen who were held in the Taihoku Prison in 1944-45 - and those who were needlessly murdered there on June 19, 1945.
Aug. - The eighth Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei. The films "Unbroken" and "The Real Louis Zamperini Story" were shown.
Nov. - Installation of the Memorial Bench in front of the Taiwan POW Memorial Wall in the POW Park in Jinguashi.
- Nine overseas guests including one former POW take part in the 18th Remembrance Week event.
2016
Aug. - The ninth Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei. The films “The Great Raid” and “The Ghosts of Bataan” were shown.
Nov. - Six POW family members take part in the 19th Remembrance Week event.
2017
Apr. - The renovation of the Taichu POW Memorial is completed.
Aug. - The tenth Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei with a record crowd of over 50 in attendance. The film “A War Story” was shown again. It was this film that helped to start the work of telling the Taiwan POWs’ story back in 1997. It was followed by “Kinkaseki Then and Now” which was made in 1998.
Nov. - Eight POW family members take part in the 20th Anniversary Remembrance Week event.
- The renovated Taichu POW Memorial is dedicated on November 13th.
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2018
Jun. - The Enoura Maru Hellship Memorial is finally finished. It was a joint effort with the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society - a project that took seven years to complete.
Jul. - 20th Anniversary of the launch of the original Kinkaseki POW Camp Memorial website.
Aug. - The eleventh Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei with another record crowd in attendance. The film “Paradise Road” was shown.
- The Enoura Maru Hellship Memorial is dedicated at the National Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu Hawaii on August 15th – VJ Day.
Nov. - One POW family member takes part in the 21st Anniversary Remembrance Week event.
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2019
May - 20th Anniversary of the launch of the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society’s new website “NEVER FORGOTTEN”.
Aug. - The twelfth Taiwan FEPOW Day event is held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei with over 30 in attendance. The film “To End All Wars” was shown.
Oct. - Major renovation of the Gold Museum in Jinguashi completed and the Society’s POW exhibit greatly enlarged, now the best ever.
Nov. - Two POW family members take part in the 22nd Remembrance Week event.
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2020 - 75th Anniversary of the End of World War II
Jun. - 75th Anniversary Commemoration at the former Taipei Prison wall in honour of the American airmen who were held in the Taihoku Prison in 1944-45, and those who were needlessly murdered there on June 19th 1945. 60 people attended the event which included a visit inside the Chunghwa Telecom compound to the actual execution site.
Aug. - The thirteenth Taiwan FEPOW Day event was held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei on VJ Day - Saturday the 15th, with over 60 in attendance. A symposium featuring the topics - “The Allied Bombing of Taiwan” and “The Story of the Taiwan POWs” was held in the afternoon. In the evening, the 75th Anniversary of VJ Day was celebrated and the film “Empire of the Sun” was shown. Another wonderful event as Taiwan was not affected so much by the covid virus.
Nov. - No POW family members were able to take part in the ‘75th Anniversary of the End of World War II’ 23rd Remembrance Day event due to the worldwide Corona Virus. It was still an outstanding success with over 150 locals present.
- The long awaited book on the story of the Taiwan POWs titled “NEVER FORGOTTEN” is completed on November 11th - the result of 24 years of research, POW interviews and exploration, and which took more than three years to finish.
Dec. - Launch of the book “NEVER FORGOTTEN” by Society director Michael Hurst.
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2021
Jun. - Commemoration at the former Taipei Prison wall in honour of the American airmen who were held in the Taihoku Prison in 1944-45, and those who were needlessly murdered there on June 19th 1945. Only 10 people attended the event due to covid restrictions, but the ceremony was a success.
Aug. - The fourteenth Taiwan FEPOW Day event was held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei on VJ Day - Saturday the 14th, with the showing of the movie 'They Were Expendable'. Almost 30 friends and supporters were in attendance, it was another wonderful event despite the terrible virus.
Nov. - No POW family members were able to take part in the 24th Remembrance Day event due to the worldwide Corona Virus. It was still an outstanding success with over 120 locals present.
Dec. - Sales of the book ‘Never Forgotten’ have done very well with copies having gone out all over the world. Finally the world is learning the little-known story of the former Taiwan prisoners of war in WW II.
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2022
Jun. - On June 19th another commemoration took place at the former Taipei Prison wall in honour of the American airmen who were held in the Taihoku Prison in 1944-45, and those who were needlessly murdered there on June 19th 1945. More than 30 people were in attendance and the ceremony was a success.
Aug. - The fifteenth annual Taiwan FEPOW Day event was held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei on Saturday August 13th, with almost 30 in attendance. The movie 'Merrry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' was shown. It was another wonderful and informative event as well as a great time of fellowship for our FEPOW family.
Nov. - The 25th Remembrance Day event to be held on the site of the former Kinkaseki POW Camp was an outstanding success with over 150 locals present. Due to covid no overseas guests could be present, but now that covid is under control and restrictions for overseas visitors has been lifted, it will be possible for guests to return as they did prior to the outbreak of that terrible pandemic.
Dec. - Following the excellent reception of the English edition of ‘Never Forgotten’, the Chinese edition of the book is now in the process of being published and this will offer an opportunity for Taiwanese and also Chinese readers worldwide to know more about what took place in Taiwan during World War II.
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2023
Jun. - On June 18th, the annual commemoration service took place at the former Taipei Prison wall in honour of the American airmen who were held in the Taihoku Prison in 1944-45, and those who were needlessly murdered there on June 19th 1945. More than 30 people were in attendance for the ceremony.
Aug. - The sixteenth annual Taiwan FEPOW Day event was held at the Spot Theatre in Taipei on Saturday August 12th, with almost 40 in attendance. The movies 'The Railway Man' and 'Enemy My Friend' were shown. It was another wonderful and informative event and a great time of fellowship for our FEPOW family.
Nov. - The 26th Remembrance Week event took place once again from November 8th to the 15th. On the 12th, the annual Remembrance Day service on the site of the former Kinkaseki POW Camp was an outstanding success with over 150 present. Now post-covid, overseas guests could attend, and there were four POW family members from the UK joining us this year.
- A dedication ceremony took place on the site of the former Heito POW Camp in Pingtung for the newly relocated Heito POW Memorial following the renovation of the former military base as the Pingtung County Government Animal Rescue Shelter. An exhibition hall, built to tell the story of the Ai-Liao camp, prominently features a display on the former Heito POW Camp and the society was pleased to assist with the creation of the display. Now more people in Taiwan can learn about the POW camps as they visit the new centre.
Dec. - The Chinese edition of the book is now in the process of being published and hopefully will be released sometime in mid-2024.