Taiwan played a significant role in the story of the hellships in World War II. Being a Japanese colony and secure base, it served as a haven for many hellships en route to Japan, as well as a prime destination for POWs being used as slave labour here for the Japanese war effort.
Following the memorial service held in January 2005 by the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society to commemorate the bombing of the hellship Enoura Maru in Kaohsiung Harbour, it was suggested that a memorial be built in Taiwan to remember the men who were transported on the hellships that came to the Taiwan ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung, and those who suffered and died on them.
During that year the Society kept in contact with the City of Kaohsiung in an effort to encourage the continuation of the project. Early in November 2005 a location for the memorial was decided upon and preparations began in earnest. The Society provided advice and ideas, as well as the design and the inscription for the memorial.
The memorial has been built within the boundaries of the new “War and Peace Park”, a project of the Council of Cultural Affairs of the Taiwan National Government, and is located at Chijin Beach, Kaohsiung Harbour. The location is especially significant as the park lies just across the road from the site of the former mass grave where the men who died on the Enoura Maru were first buried. Later their remains were exhumed and re-interred in the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
Construction work began in late December and the memorial was completed on January 21st 2006 - just in time for the visit of the group that came to Taiwan following the dedication of the WWII Hellships Memorial at Subic Bay in the Philippines.
Following the wonderful and very successful Hellships Memorial Tour in the Philippines, Society director Michael Hurst returned to Taiwan with five guests from the Philippine tour to take part in a special two-day program jointly organized by the POW Society and the City of Kaohsiung Cultural Affairs Bureau, and especially to dedicate the Taiwan Hellships Memorial.
The group, including Duane Heisinger - whose father died when the Enoura Maru was bombed, and his wife Judith, and Bill Cahill – whose father-in-law was on the Enoura Maru and survived but later died on the Brazil Maru just as that ship reached Japan, were the special guests on this segment of the tour. The group arrived in Kaohsiung on Wednesday January 25th.
On the morning of January 26th a special ceremony was held on the dock at Kaohsiung Harbour to remember the POWs who suffered and died on the hellship Enoura Maru. Following this the group toured the harbour by boat to view the place where the Brazil Maru had been docked and where the Enoura Maru was moored when it was bombed. A wreath was laid on the water on that spot and this was followed by a prayer and a moment’s silence.
Boat trip to the site of the Enoura Maru bombing and the laying of a memorial wreath
After returning to the dock the group went for lunch at a local seafood restaurant for a time of fellowship, and after lunch the group visited the site of the former mass grave where those who died on the Enoura and Brazil Marus were first buried. Poppy crosses were 'planted' in the sandy soil and a short prayer and a moment of silence were observed.
At 2:00pm the dedication of the Taiwan Hellships Memorial took place. Following an opening lament on the bagpipes by Piper George Boyle, master of ceremonies Jerome Keating of the POW Society welcomed everyone and Director Michael Hurst shared the history of the Taiwan hellships and the memorial with those present. Following this, messages were brought by Director-General Wang Chih-Cheng of the City of Kaohsiung Cultural Affairs Bureau, representatives of the US and British Governments and the ROC Veterans Affairs Department. Duane Heisinger spoke on behalf of the former POWs and their families, and then the poem “Dare We Forget” was read by Orville Humfleet, the Commander of the local VFW Post.
Following a short message and a prayer of remembrance and dedication by Rev. Randy Hsia, floral wreaths were laid on the newly built memorial. The very moving ceremony concluded with the playing of Last Post, a moment’s silence and the Reveille, and then the reciting of the “Ode of Remembrance” by everyone present.
The Taiwan Hellships Memorial - decicated to the memory of all those who suffered on the hellships.
The Society wishes to thank Director-General Wang, Section Chief Hsieh and especially Ms. Grace Lu of the Kaohsiung Cultural Affairs Bureau for their care and concern for the building of the memorial and the wonderful effort they put forth in arranging the boat trip on the harbour and the venue and facilities for the dedication ceremony.
Since Taiwan played such a key role in the saga of the hellships, it is only fitting that a memorial should be built here. It is intended that the Taiwan Hellships Memorial will compliment the one at Subic Bay; to draw more attention to the story of the hellships and the men who suffered and died on them - so that they will “never be forgotten”.