FEPOW (FAR EAST PRISONER OF WAR) DAY 2026

     On Saturday August 15TH - the 85th Anniversary year of the start of WWII in Asia, the Society once again hosted FEPOW (FAR EAST PRISONER OF WAR) DAY -  a day to remember and honour all of the Allied POWs (military and civilian) held in Taiwan and across Asia by the Japanese in WWII.

     This was the 19th year that it has been celebrated in Taiwan. The event was held in the SPOT THEATRE - 18, Zhongshan North Road Sec. 2 (台北市中山北路二段18號) in downtown Taipei.

     As in previous years, there was a display of WWII POW and military artifacts; a short memorial service to remember the POWs was held, and then the movie “THEY WERE EXPENDABLE” was shown. 

     More than 30 people attended the event, including a number of first-time newcomers that we now add to our growing FEPOW family. Thanks to all our friends and supporters in Taiwan and we are looking forward to another good turnout next year. 

     Those who suffered so much as POWs and those who died, should never be forgotten!

THE TRAGEDY AFTER VJ DAY 

Excerpt from the book 'NEVER FORGOTTEN' . . .

     With the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the allied forces getting closer to Japan every week, and the entry of the Russians into the war against Japan on August 9th, Emperor Hirohito finally decided to sue for peace. He faced intense opposition from most of the military leaders who wanted to continue the fight. An attempted revolt by them was put down on the evening of August 14th.

     World War II finally came to an end as the people of Japan listened to a radio broadcast from their ‘supposed divine' emperor telling them that they must "endure the unendurable and suffer what is insufferable" - he never actually mentioned the word "surrender" though!  

Hirohito’s Surrender Recording at the NHK Museum, Tokyo.

     The speech - which lasted only four minutes, was made on a phonograph record and broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15th 1945. It was the first time that many of the Japanese people had ever heard their emperor's voice (albeit from a recording). It made no direct reference to the surrender of Japan; instead it just stated that “the government had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration fully”.

     With the surrender of the Japanese forces on August 15th 1945, over 100,000 allied servicemen were freed as prisoners of war. However release did not come that quickly or easily for most of the men in the camps scattered all over the ‘Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere’.

     In Taiwan, as in many other places, the POWs were not even told of the surrender or their impending freedom for several days - in some cases for almost ten days after the event. When they were told, they rejoiced, they wept, and they mourned the loss of former friends and mates who were not sharing their newly won freedom.

     As soon as the Japanese surrendered, preparations were begun to locate all of the prisoner of war camps in the Far East and drop much-needed food, medicines and supplies to the men still being held in them. The task of recovering the POWs was handled by the organisation known as R.A.P.W.I. - ‘Recovery of Allied Prisoners of War and Internees’.

     However, General Douglas MacArthur - who had been appointed as the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) to make arrangements for the surrender of Japan, issued immediate orders that:

“Documents of surrender in theatres other than his own might only be signed after his had been signed, and that no re-occupation, landing or relief by military forces might be made anywhere in Asia until after the formal signing of the surrender documents in Tokyo”.

     Because of this, and to quote the official US Army records: “Thus the relief and liberation of the prisoners of war was delayed for more than a fortnight.”

     British Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Supreme Allied Commander Southeast Asia, disagreed with MacArthur and protested against his policy. He believed that it would mean condemning many sick and starving prisoners to death. Hence operations for the recovery of the prisoners in Southeast Asia immediately got underway when aircraft dropped leaflets over all the known camps in that vast area, with the objective of spreading the news of the Japanese surrender to the camps and to the prisoners themselves. Then the delivery of relief troops and supplies began, and before the actual military landing in Malaya took place on September 5th, some 120 relief personnel had been flown into known prison camps and 950 tons of relief supplies had been delivered - saving many lives!

     MacArthur's insistence that no other surrenders be accepted or landings and relief operations take place until after the main surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay, definitely prolonged the suffering of the prisoners of war and internees, particularly in Japan and parts of China. His attitude is hard to understand given the emphasis he supposedly put on the importance of rescuing the POWs in the Philippines and Japan.

     So, as a result of MacArthur’s vanity and ego which were reflected in his orders, only the camps in Taiwan and a few camps in China and the Tokyo area were initially relieved, while many of the other camps in Japan were not even located until mid-September, and most were not evacuated until after that. This resulted in the unnecessary deaths of quite a number of POWs - including some in Taiwan, due to these delays.

     In addition to that blunder, the delaying of any action by allied forces in taking over Japanese held areas between August 15th and the signing of the treaty in Tokyo Bay, gave the Japanese the perfect opportunity - and the necessary time, to destroy many of their wartime records, including those of the POW camps, their medical experimentation facilities and, in some cases, even to kill POWs remaining under their care  before the Allies finally arrived. Thus, MacArthur can be held directly responsible for the continuing deaths of allied POWs from starvation, disease and ill-treatment after the Japanese surrender on August 15th - a tragedy indeed!

     Fortunately however, the location of the POW camps in Taiwan was known and, right away on August 28th, some of the first POW air supply drops were made on the camps there by B-29s of the 20th Air Force flying from Saipan.

(L) Planes lined up on the runways at Saipan ready to deliver the POW relief supplies.                                

(R) With ‘PW SUPPLIES’ painted on their wings, the planes head for their targets.

To be continued . . .  

MAY WE NEVER FORGET !

SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING EVENTS . . .

Please try to join with us in honouring and remembering those who gave us our freedom at the following events: 

REMEMBRANCE WEEK & REMEMBRANCE DAY:  Our 29th annual Remembrance Week event will take place from NOVEMBER 4th - 11th with Remembrance Day on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH. Overseas families of the former POWs and all interested are invited to participate in a week of visits to the former Taiwan camps, memorial services, local sightseeing and a very special Remembrance Day service held in the former Kinkaseki POW Camp on SUNDAY NOVEMBER 8th.

Assistance in planning your visit is available and for more information please email the Society at www.powtaiwan.org. We hope to see many guests in November. Local announcements for Remembrance Day service will be forthcoming.

Please be sure to mark your calendar and datebooks for these important events.

SPRING-SUMMER 2026 NEWSLETTER NOW AVAILABLE . . .  

The Society's Spring-Summer 2026 newsletter "Never Forgotten" is up on our website now.

Click here for the direct link to the page. It is also available from the link on the 'homepage' below in the "What's New on the Website" section.

You can also access the newsletter - and all of our previous ones, by looking in the 'Society Section' of our website and clicking on the Spring-Summer 2026 Newsletter in the newsletters box.

We hope you are having a good year and thank you for your continued interest and support for our work of remembering the Taiwan Prisoners of War. Have a safe and happy summer.

'NEVER FORGOTTEN' - THE TAIWAN POWS' STORY. . . 

    We are happy to announce that with the 2nd printing of  'Never Forgotten. . . The story of the Japanese Prisoner of War Camps in Taiwan during World War II', by Society director, Michael Hurst MBE, the book is once more available for purchase by ordering directly from the POW Society.

     This is the only book ever written that provides the complete, little-known story of all the Taiwan Prisoner of War camps and the men who were interned in them. Whether for POW family members, historians or others, you will find this a fascinating book.

Description: Softcover Book: 23.5 cm x 16.5 cm (9 1/2 x 6 1/2 inch) format, with cover photo featuring the sculpture of the two POWs in the Taiwan Prisoner of War Memorial Park in Jinguashi, Taiwan. The book contains 620 pages of text and is lavishly illustrated with 850 photos, POW artwork and ephemera (many in colour). Printed on high-quality glossy paper, they visually enhance this epic saga making its 32 chapters and appendices come alive for the reader.

Summary: This highly researched history of the little-known Japanese POW camps on Taiwan in World War II features the accounts of former Taiwan prisoners of war through numerous interviews, the collection of materials supplied by them and their families, and thousands of hours spent poring over their diaries and letters, as well as other material from war records, regimental diaries and archives. It is their story, told in their words from what they have shared with the author, and that which was discovered during 24 years of research. This is a must read for anyone interested in the history of World War II and the prisoners of war in the Far East.

For those wishing to purchase a copy, two easy methods of payment are possible. Check out 'THE BOOK'  page for further information and details for payment. Once we receive payment, the book will be shipped within 1 – 2 days, and included with every book is a complimentary set of bookmarks.

Thinking about buying the book - want to see what others who have purchased it said about it? For more details, and to read the comments and reviews, kindly click on 'THE BOOK' page in the menu on the left and scroll down to read the reviews. 

Those wanting a book can contact the Society from overseas - and also locally in Taiwan, by email to order a copy. Thank you for helping to honour those men who suffered and died for our freedom, and for helping to keep their story and memory alive!

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  Effective July 1st, due to new tariffs and taxes imposed by the US and EU, it is no longer possible to ship books to those countries. Earlier this year, the restrictions on shipping goods to the US valued at less than US$100.00 were lifted, but now Trump has re-imposed new ones, thus inhibiting the shipping of small items and now also including books - which were previously exempt. It is unfortunate that the EU has also followed suit. Books may still be shipped to UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and all Asian countries. If / when there are any changes in these policies we will keep you informed.

2026 - A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT TAIWAN TO REMEMBER AND HONOUR A LOVED ONE!

GOOD NEWS: Our POW camp tours program is in full swing and we are getting many requests for camp tours. We invite the families of former POWs, military historians, researchers and anyone interested, to contact us regarding setting up a possible tour.

     We highly recommend that persons wishing to visit Taiwan do so during our annual Remembrance Week Event which is held every year in mid-November in the week around Remembrance Day. At that time we organize visits to the camps and arrange memorial services. Participants will be able to fellowship with other family members in a common purpose of honouring and remembering their loved ones. Also, the costs per person are usually less when we have a number of guests attending the event as they are divided equally among the participants. Applications for the 2026 Remembrance Week event - which will be held from November 4th to 11th inclusive are now open. Please contact us early to ensure you have a part in this exciting program.

     If November is not convenient, then visitors may come at pretty well any time throughout the year - subject to the availability of the Society director to host the tour. This needs to be worked out well in advance by contacting the Society and giving proposed dates of the desired visit.

     We invite anyone who is interested in a tour to consult the 'POW CAMP TOURS' page in the website menu and we look forward to hearing from you.

     "Taking a pilgrimage is important for a variety of reasons. For those who lost family and loved ones on the battlefields or in prison camps, or for those who had family veterans who returned, a pilgrimage is a way to shorten the distance between home and the site of their conflict. For people who only connect with the battlefields and prison camps through history books, visiting these sites is an opportunity to more fully understand the sacrifices that were made by many for the freedom that we continue to enjoy today".

     Here is a comment noted from one couple who took part in our program... "“My wife and I were taken around the camps by the POW Society. It was an incredibly emotional trip. We planned to be there on Remembrance Sunday and the ceremonies they had were incredible. We met a whole group of other people whose family members had been prisoners of war like my father and now we meet up regularly.”

     More reviews of our guests' experiences can be found at the end of the 'POW CAMP TOURS' page.

80 YEARS LATER - THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR II AND JAPAN TODAY. . .

     The following is a collection of articles and comments regarding the postwar position of the Japanese government and also those of the various allied governments in the aftermath of World War II. Some of these facts will be shocking to readers, but they are included here so that all may know of the corruption and collaboration that has gone on in the 80 years since the end of the world’s greatest conflict.  For example . . . 

* The United States granted immunity to Emperor Hirohito and Prince Asaka - who ordered the Rape of Nanking and also the massacre of doctors, nurses and patients in the hospitals in Hong Kong. Evidence shows that General Douglas MacArthur and his senior aides and Japanese high court officials schemed to fix testimony at the Tokyo War Crimes Trials so as not to implicate Hirohito and other members of the Imperial Family.

* MacArthur also managed to have Generals Homma and Yamashita captured and brought to mock trials very soon after the Japanese surrendered - even before the war crimes trials were properly set up and convened . . .

CLICK HERE to read the full story from the Articles and Stories section.

AMERICA'S DOUBLE STANDARD EXPOSED

U.S. deports 95-year-old who was a Nazi concentration camp guard

Excerpts from an article by LI COHEN / CBS NEWS

      A 95-year-old man who was a Nazi concentration camp guard during WWII was deported from the U.S. to Germany in 2021. Friedrich Karl Berger, who lived in Tennessee, was deported "for participating in Nazi-sponsored acts of persecution" while serving at a concentration camp in 1945, the Justice Department said.

     A 2020 trial by the Department of Justice found that Berger served the Nazi regime at a Neuengamme sub-camp near Meppen, Germany, during the Holocaust. Many of the prisoners who were Jewish, Russian, Dutch and Polish, were held at the camp in the winter of 1945. "The conditions were "atrocious", as the prisoners were forced to labor outdoors "to the point of exhaustion and death," the DOJ said. On the day that the camp was evacuated, there were 1,773 imprisoned at the camp. 

     Berger worked at the camp until the Nazis evacuated it in March 1945, at which time the prisoners were forced to go on a death march to the main Neuengamme camp. "The two-week transfer was made in inhumane conditions", according to the DOJ, "and 70 people who were imprisoned died in the process". 

     Berger is the 70th person identified as a Nazi persecutor to be removed from the U.S., according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). 

     Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tae Johnson said the department "will never cease to pursue those who persecute others." "This case exemplifies the steadfast dedication of both ICE and the Department of Justice to pursue justice and to hunt relentlessly for those who participated in one of history's greatest atrocities," Johnson said, "no matter how long it takes."

Ed. Now this begs the question, "WHAT ABOUT THE JAPANESE WHO COMMITTED SIMILAR OR WORSE ATROCITIES AGAINST AMERICANS AND THEIR ALLIES IN ASIA IN WORLD WAR II ?" 

     Why over all these many decades since World War II, has the US Department of Justice never "pursued those Japanese who persecuted others, or hunted relentlessly those who participated in another of history's greatest atrocities in Asia, no matter how long it took."? There is definitely a double standard being applied here.

     The war crimes trials held all across Asia after World War II were terribly flawed and lacking, and there is doubtless a huge difference and a double standard in the attitude of the US and the other Allied nations today regarding their belief in justice and their efforts to also right the many wrongs and atrocities committed against POWs and civilians in Asia in World War II. America and those other nations should hang their heads in shame for not properly ensuring that real "justice for all" - as their constitutions state, was done.

     In thousands of cases justice was never served for those who were tortured, starved, beaten and murdered in the "Asian Holocaust". It seems that it is too late for that to happen now, given the current world situation, but that doesn't mean that America and its Allies won't go down in history as glossing over some of the worst atrocities of all time.      LEST WE FORGET!

A WORD FROM A VETERAN FOR OUR TROUBLED TIMES . . .

     Here is a word to America - and to us all, from a WWII veteran – very fitting and timely for these days in which we live, and in which so many are suffering and dying from racism, anarchy and tyranny.

      Lt. Sr. Grade S., TOM MORRIS, USNR, a member of Torpedo Bombing Squadron VB-80 on the USS Ticonderoga,  served in the South Pacific – and had this to say about those troubled times and his wartime duty:

     “I think all of us, all of the United States, were almost to a man united during those years - and everybody in the country, was dedicated to one thing, and that was defeating our enemies: Germany and Japan. So all of us were just doing what we knew we had to do. We were all in the same boat.”

     Tom was one - a part of the ‘Greatest Generation’, who loved and fought for his country and did everything he could to protect her and make sure she stayed strong, united and FREE. May we never forget their example or their sacrifice!

     In WWII when our countries were threatened and attacked by enemies, everyone knuckled down, sacrificed and worked together for everyone's good and that of their country. It seems that spirit no longer exists in so many of our countries today. We have become so selfish in our hearts and lives that we no longer care for others or stand together for what is right to defeat these enemies of our nations.

     What a shame that so many millions in America as well as in Canada, the UK, the EU and other freedom-loving countries, couldn’t embody that same spirit today, and all pull together as we fight to defeat the tyranny and the threats of war in Asia and Europe and the domestic mess our countries are in today. May God grant us the strength and the courage and the unity we need in these dire times.

If we are united, there is no way that we can lose.  If we continue to be divided, there is no way that we can win!

Information on obtaining a POW's war records

British Service Records

     Service Records do not contain a wealth of detailed information, but they do establish the basic facts and dates of a serviceman's history and therefore they could be useful for any research. Records can be issued only to the Serviceman concerned, their widow, or their next of kin if both are deceased. They can only be issued to other parties with the written consent of the appropriate aforementioned persons, and if the serviceman is deceased then the Ministry of Defence will require proof of death. A full copy of the record can be requested, but original documents, discharge papers or books cannot be replaced. The MoD will also provide extracts from service records.

     When applying you should include as much of the following information as you are aware of: the serviceman's full name, date of birth, service number, rank at discharge, dates of service and, for Army only, the most recent Regiment or Corps with which you know the serviceman to be associated. A charge of approximately £20 may be made (the serviceman or widow are exempt from any charge), if applicable a Declaration of Kinship form will be sent to you and upon receiving that, and any other information that is required, they will start a search which can take up to two years  to complete and send out.

HOWEVER before rushing to do all that, one should be aware that the war records contain little or no details of the man's time as a FEPOW. After  looking at a large number of POW service records obtained by the families of the FEPOWs in over 20 years of research, they are consistent in what they contain. This is usually only three lines stated as follows -

1. Reported missing - date - usually 15.2.42

2. Prisoner of war in Japanese hands - date - usually in the case of most captured in Singapore, it is 15.2.42

3. POW released by Allied forces in the Far East - usually 'date not known'

Here is a copy of the typical war record issued to FEPOW families and relatives -

     So you can see from this that the only points mentioned are those stated above. So you may as well save the £20 and the long response waiting time and use the resources of reliable researchers to learn more about your POW relative and what they experienced in World War II. We are here to help you, and there is no charge for our services. We do this in honour and remembrance of those who gave so much for our freedom..

POW WEBSITE PHOTOS - MORE WANTED

     Over the past 28 years we have gathered photos of more than 800 former Taiwan prisoners of war and have added them to our listing of the 4,370 men who were interned in the various camps in Taiwan. Now, in addition to listing the POW’s name, rank, regiment and the camps where he was interned, a photo of the man has been added to that listing where available. Also, if the man died as a POW in Taiwan we have included a copy of his grave photo from the Honour Roll. We hope this new format will help these men to be remembered more personally with the addition of their photos, as this is what our site is really all about.

     We are still looking for more photos of the former Taiwan POWs - hopefully in uniform taken around wartime, but photos taken later after the war are acceptable too. We invite you to contact us and share photos of your Taiwan POW relative to add to our collection which will help us to further ensure that they are not forgotten.

If the photos are seen, then the men who are in the photographs are remembered.

Our Honour Roll consists of the names of all the men who died while POWs resident in camps on Taiwan during World War II.

Click to view Honour Roll