The original Taiwan Hellships Memorial - dedicated in January 2006 - in honour and remembrance of all those who suffered on the hellships in Taiwan waters .
The Taiwan Hellships Memorial was erected in early January 2006 and dedicated on the 26th of that month. It was built to honour all the prisoners of war who suffered and those who died on the terrible hellships in Taiwan waters while being transported by the Japanese to places of enslavement.
Taiwan was a Japanese colony and a secure base and port of call for many of the hellships en route from Singapore and the Philippines to Japan. More than 30,000 POWs went in and out of the ports of Takao (Kaohsiung) and Keelung from 1942 - 1945. Over 4,350 of those POWs stayed in Taiwan to slave for the Emperor and many later left from here on ships to go to Japan and Manchuria.
The memorial is located on Chijin Island which forms the outer rim of Kaohsiung Harbour and is located in the 'War and Peace Memorial Park' next to the sea. It is situated right across the road from the former mass grave of the men who died when the hellship Enoura Maru was bombed in Takao Harbour on January 9th 1945.
In May 2011 a special display telling the story of the hellships was opened in the Taiwan Veterans' Museum located in the 'War and Peace Park'. The exhibit - in English and Chinese, told the story of the hellships and in particular, those that transported POWs to and from Taiwan and the hardships the men suffered.
Photo of the hellships wall display in the museum erected in 2011 to tell the story of the Taiwan hellships.
The Taiwan Hellships Memorial and the display are meant to compliment the 'World War II Hellships Memorial' and Museum located at Subic Bay in the Philippines which was also dedicated in January 2006. It is our hope that many people will learn the story of these ships and the terrible conditions the POWs suffered on them. Many former POWs have said that the time they spent on these ships was the worst time they had as POWs, diminishing even the Bataan Death March or the slavery on the Thai-Burma Railway and the mine at Kinkaseki.
In 2012, following several years of severe coastal erosion at the park which threatened to wash the memorials into the sea, the hellships memorial had to be dismantled and the green marble plaques were put in storage for safekeeping. In 2014 the park was renovated and the plaques were reset into a secure stone wall located well away from the seashore. The men are also remembered on a portion of the large sculpture in the centre of the park.
The new rebuilt memorial was dedicated on November 11th 2014 with a number of the family members and friends of the FEPOWs present for the occasion. May we never forget their suffering and sacrifice for our freedom!
The new Taiwan Hellships Memorial in the War and Peace Park, Chijin Island, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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The Taiwan Hellships Memorial is located in the War and Peace Memorial Park on Chijin Island. The location of the memorial park is north of Chijin Windmill Park ( 旗津風車公園北邊 ) at No. 990, Chijin 3rd Rd. ( 旗津三路990號 ). Everyone is invited and welcome to visit the memorial and museum.