TRUTH
in the NUMBERS . . .
A recent article in
a UK FEPOW publication once again talked about the number of
Kinkaseki survivors, but unfortunately the figures quoted were
again incorrect.
I am often asked by former Kinkaseki POWs, their families and
other interested people, if I know the exact number who survived
and I have to say that I don’t. No-one can be absolutely
sure what the exact number was.
It has often been stated that of the original 524 (should be
523) men who first went into Kinkaseki in November 1942, that
only either 40 or 64 came out at the end, and that only five
are alive today. From the contacts that we have made over the
past five years there are currently 36 still living from that
original group – that we know of for sure, and there could
still be more that we haven’t found yet.
Over the past five years I have personally come in contact with
another 14 men who were in that original group and who are no
longer with us, having passed away since we started our research,
so that brings the total of recent living survivors to 50 from
the original group of 523 men.
In addition to this, there were about 50 men from that first
group who left Kinkaseki in February 1945 and went to Japan
where they finished out the war, and most of those men survived.
Then there were the 115 men, also from this first group, who
made up part of the contingent of men who went to the Kukutsu
“jungle” Camp when the Kinkaseki Camp was closed
in May 1945, and only two died there leaving 113, so one can
easily see that the oft-quoted figures in the article are incorrect.
As to the number of men who survived out of the 1135 in total
who went into Kinkaseki, no-one can ever really be sure. According
to the official camp records verified by Major Crossley, there
were 87 deaths and recorded burials in the camp itself, another
two men died at Kukutsu, three died on the return trip to Taihoku
and a further three were killed by a food-drop from allied planes
while awaiting evacuation in the Taihoku Churon Camp, bringing
the known total of actual Kinkaseki deaths to 95.
There were also many men who were sent out from Kinkaseki at
various times in the “thin man” parties, as they
were too sick and weak to work down the mine any longer, and
many of these men died in other camps on Taiwan as a direct
result of their time at Kinkaseki, but the exact number is unknown.
Some died not long after the war ended and some soon after they
had returned home – again as a direct result of their
time spent at Kinkaseki and the other camps on Taiwan. It is
impossible to really know for sure, but taking into consideration
the number of graves of Taiwan POWs at Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery
in Hong Kong and the other records that we have, I feel that
it can be estimated that approximately half of the men who went
to Kinkaseki at one time or another may have died prematurely
from causes related to their experiences as POWs on Taiwan.
I hope this helps to clarify the numbers and set the record
as correct as is humanly possible. What is more important is
that all of the Kinkaseki men are remembered!
"It
is not necessary to embellish on the stories of the
Far East Prisoner of War Camps or the men who were interned
in them - the story is unbelievable enough as it us!
- from a FEPOW |
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| Taiwan POWs
to be Remembered with a Memorial Tree at the National Arboretum.
. .
During
our recent visit to the UK, we were fortunate to be taken
by former Taiwan POW Stan Vickerstaff to the National Arboretum
at Alrewas, Staffordshire.
While there I noticed the trees planted on behalf of many
branches of the British Armed Forces and other worthwhile
organizations. I was especially impressed with the wonderful
displays erected along the south side by the Far East Prisoner
of War Associations.
As I stood there with Tina and Stan, a thought came over me.
“ There are wonderful memorials to the men who slaved
on the Thai-Burma Railway, the Sumatra Railway, and the Children
and Families of Far East POWs (COFEPOW), but there is nothing
to commemorate the Taiwan POWs.” Right then and there
I said to Stan – we must have a tree for the Taiwan
POWS! Stan completely concurred with me on this.
I found a spot right up at the front alongside the memorial
stone to the Thai-Burma Railway POWs where there was no tree
and decided to apply for this place for a tree to remember
the Taiwan POWs.
Upon returning home to Taiwan I contacted David Childs the
director of the Arboretum regarding the planting of the Taiwan
POW tree. David was most helpful, and on November 25 we were
granted permission for the tree to be placed on the spot that
I requested.
I have requested that a red maple tree be planted to honour
the Taiwan POWs. Not only because I am from Canada and the
maple is our national emblem, but also because maple trees
are to be found in every country that had POWs on Taiwan –
including Taiwan itself! I also asked for a “red”
maple to remind us all of the blood that was shed for our
freedom by the Taiwan POWs.
The tree will be planted in December and a plaque with the
following words will be placed in front of it –
"In
Memory of the Taiwan Prisoners of War - those who died and
those who returned"
Donated by the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society
Later
I hope to be able to have a small memorial stone carved from
Taiwan marble – similar to the various Taiwan POW memorial
stones that we have erected, and personally place it at the
base of the tree at a dedication service sometime in the future.
I am so pleased that we can further help to remember the Taiwan
POWs in this way.
Standing on the
spot where the Taiwan POW tree is to be planted
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