Keijo - Korea ***
Keijo – Korea ***
KOREA – FREE FROM JAPANESE TYRANNY 15 AUGUST 1945
You can read 1942 transport ship ‘Fukai’ Maru’s journey to Korea
Keijo Camp, Seoul, was the main camp for the whole of Korea. It was situated on a flat fertile plain, some thirty meteres above sea level, near Keijo-Fu, which was the capital of the province Chosen Korea.
The men were housed in a disused silk factory in long wooden huts each eighty feet long and thirty five feet wide each with a low shelf on which they were expected to sleep on. Each man having an allocated space approximately six feet long and half a foot wide in which he had his bedding and kit, eating utensils etc.
Commands were given in Japanese and the men spent six weeks learning Japanese military drill. The first working party did not go out until 27 October.
The men were issued with five blankets.
Apart from providing sight seeing opportunities for the local population Keijo did not appear to have any pressing labour tasks for the POWs. They performed some tasks for local contractors such as shifting good as railway stations and military warehouses, excavating roads and railway embankments, working at Mikuni factory, unpicking knots in straw ropes and sometimes repairing Japanese military uniforms.
(Mikuni a Japanese company producing automative products.)
Jack Taylor WX4986 was sent from Singapore to Keijo onboard ‘Fukai’ Maru in 1942 arrived Keijo and began working at the blast furnace 25 Oct 1942 through to 13 Oct 1943. (he was then moved to Konan warehouse from 14 Oct 1943 to 21 Sept 1945.)
The men were split into squads of about thirty-five men. They were employed in making improvements, and loading and unloading at the railway at Jinsen.
http://www.far-eastern-heroes.org.uk/Richard_Swarbricks_War/html/konan_camp_-_korea.htm
The men at Keijo did not undertake excessive work – however there were the usual spiteful guards always willing to deal out unnecessary brutality, in particular face slapping. Please read
Below: Is the 1913 Tourist Map of Chosen showing the railway network
The following is from Mansell.
