FROM THE DIRECTOR. . .

This has been another very busy year so far and although we don’t have any extra events planned like we carried out last year for the 60th Anniversary of the end of the war, it still seems that things keep piling up and there is always something new that needs to be done. As you will see from the newsletter, the year started off with the completion of the building of the Taiwan Hellships Memorial, necessitating many trips down to the south of the island, and then there was the wonderful WWII Hellships Memorial Tour in the Philippines from January 17 – 24 and the return to Taiwan to dedicate the memorial here from January 25 – 27. (See the stories on pages 6, 7 and 8) I have also been busily engaged with visits from overseas POW family members, continued work at the new POW Park, efforts to do more research on and update our POW Honour Roll, and also work with the gov’t. on several projects for which they have requested my help. Then there are the day to day enquiries, continued research and cataloguing of material, the assembling of materials for my book – which is coming along ever so slowly, so it is easy to see why there is never a dull moment. I love this work and it is so rewarding when I find new information and hear from new POW survivors or their family members. The thanks I get from those I try to help is very rewarding and it drives me to keep doing more. Thanks to all of those who continue to give us help, support and encouragement. It is because of this great team effort that we will ensure that the story of the Taiwan POWs is told and that they are “never forgotten”.

New Memorial for Toroku POW Camp

The former Toroku POW Camp was situated in a school a little south of the present day city of Touliou in south-central Taiwan. All of the POWs were Americans who came to Taiwan in November 1944 off the hellship Hokusen Maru. They stayed at Toroku until mid-January when they were put aboard another hellship and sent on to Japan where they finished out the war. As we have reported in previous newsletter articles, we found the site several years ago and until November 2003 the last POW building on the island was still standing there. The old school room where the POWs stayed at the time was torn down, but through the continued promotion by TPCMS board member Mark Wilkie who lives nearby, interest is growing in erecting a POW memorial on the site of the former camp. Negotiations are underway now, plans for the memorial are being drawn up and we hope to have the memorial in place for dedication in November this year. It is also hoped that perhaps one or two former Toroku POWs might return to Taiwan for the dedication ceremony. We’ll keep you posted by email and on the website as we have more information and details.