FUKUOKA sub Camp 22 HONAMI, HIYUSHU ISLAND, JAPAN

FUKUOKA No.  22 Hyushu Island, Japan

(SUMITOMO KOGYO TADAKUMA TANKO)
FUKUOKA-ken, KAHO-gun, HONAMI-mura, TADAKUMA

This camp is 30 miles south west of Moji and 40 miles east of Fukuoka and 5 miles southeast of the City of Iizuka near to the town of Aokuma.

The prison compound was 300′ x 400′ surrounded by a 12′ high wood fence.

Australian Capt. Moore was senior MO followed by Australian Capt. Flynn, Australian  Dr. Versol was head camp physician, and an American Medical Corpsmen by the name of Rogers was assistant to Dr. Versol. The senior ranking American officer was Capt. C.M. Smith, U.S. Navy Medical Corps.

In addition 34 of 110 POW survivors who had been placed in the military hospital at Moji after being rescued from Hell Ship Oryoku Maru, and the succeeding Hell Ship starting with 1619 American prisoners of war from the Philippines on 13 Dec. 1944, 19 American Military Officers, one American Navy Officer, one American Marine Corps Officer and eight enlisted men of the American army and Navy were sent to Fukuoka #22 on 22 Feb. 1945 and 14 March 1945.

Five POWs of this detail of 34 men remained in Moji because of their physical condition. 29 of these prisoners left Fukuoka #22 on 26 April 1945 for Mukden Manchuria, and remained there until they were liberated by the Russians on 17 Aug. 1945.

This camp was first occupied in Jan. 1943 by 104 Australian POWs, one Dutch and one American. When the American POWs left this location for Mukden the total prisoner personnel was 130 including the departing prisoners.

Having arrived MojI on ‘Awa’ Maru from Singapore, two 2/4th men were sent in a small work party from Omuta to Fukuoka No. 22 Honami.   There were approx. 108 Australians mostly from NSW and Victoria.  A well known West Australian from HMAS ‘Perth’ Fred SKEELS was also at No. 22 as well as several other Perth survivors from WA.

There was no mention of beatings and other forms of cruelty.

ACCOMMODATION:  The following buildings constituted a part of the housing facilities:

(1) Six barracks 15′ x 75′ sub-divided into five sections each about 15′ x 15′ each section had sliding windows along the entire back. Double door openings onto a board walk were in the front. There was a 30′ space between each row of barracks.

(2) Covered board walks about 10′ wide were in front of each row of barracks leading to all other buildings in the compound.

(3) Basket-making workhouse communicating with bath house also housed the camp barber shop.

(4) There were two air raid shelters 30’x10′ covered with 4′ of dirt. All of the above buildings were of frame construction with tile roofs and wood floors except the bathroom and that had a tile floor. The buildings were electrically lit. POWs were bedded on mats placed on floors, about ten prisoners to each room.

FOOD:  Basic daily ration was:

mine workers 705 grams of rice;

maintenance personnel 500 grams;

hospital patients 400 grams.

Evening meal usually contained a small amount of thin watery vegetable soup and, about once a week, a little fish. Quality of the rice and soup was good. The fish occasionally had reached an advanced stage of decomposition. While the quality of the food was generally good, the quantity was entirely inadequate. The prisoners were hungry continually and could not build up their weight, which was under 100 pounds per man.

WORK:   None of the American prisoners were able to work in the coal mines due to their health.  That work was performed by the Australian prisoners. The American officers able to walk did administrative work and gardening six hours per day. The coal mines were operated on two shifts of 12 hours each. Each prisoner was required to perform a certain task each day – namely to mine a given number of cars. It was a hard job, especially on inadequate rations, under dangerous working conditions, with no safety measures. There was no elevator in the mines and the prisoners were made to walk down and up 382 steps each day.

MESS HALL:   separate frame building 24′ x 60′ with tile roof and concrete floor contained four long tables for the enlisted men and three smaller tables for officers. Identical mess was prepared for all prisoners. The prisoners able to walk had their meals in the mess hall. Food for bedridden prisoners was taken to them by Japanese ward attendants. The kitchen, which communicated with the mess hall occupied space at the end of the mess hall. It was equipped with cooking cauldrons. A storeroom adjoined the kitchen. Australian prisoners did the cooking under Japanese supervision.

LATRINES:  There were three concrete deck latrines 15’x15′ straddle type adjacent to and communicating with the barracks by the covered board walks described in the preceding paragraph. Concrete pits were under the floor. Also there was a small latrine back of the hospital, 10′ x l0′. Each latrine contained a urinal about 12′ x 6′. No complaint of overflowing.

BATHING:  The facilities were in a separate building. In it were two concrete vats 15′ x 15′, plenty of hot water and a smaller hot water vat for washing clothing. Concrete floor and frame building. About ten prisoners at a time would sit in the baths under the voluntary watch care of the Australian workers. Each prisoner was allowed one bath per week. The Australian prisoners, by reason of the debilitated condition of the American prisoners, washed their clothing for them and also deloused their garments.

MEDICAL FACILITIES:   Hospital building was piped for steam heat but was pronounced to be cold.

It was a frame structure 24′ x 50′, total bed capacity 25 patients. The beds were placed together which meant that three or four patients were occupying a space equivalent to one bed. Medical care was administered by a Japanese doctor and attendant assisted by a Dutch doctor. Capt. Smith, U.S. Navy medical officer, later on assisted in looking after the sick. All medicine was under control of the Japanese doctor. Adequate Red Cross medicines and medical supplies were in the camp but as usual they were doled out inadequately to meet the real needs of the patients.

Again reference is made to the kind ministrations of the Australians who performed the most menial services for the American prisoners.

The hospital patients were bedded on mattresses about 2” thick placed on platforms made of wood. The Japanese doctor would visit the hospital about twice weekly and usually would remain all day. He would call at the convalescent ward once weekly.

SUPPLIES: (1) The Red Cross had provided food parcels, medicines and medical supplies but, as usual, these articles had been stored in the camp storehouse upon the claim of the commandant that they would be held for an emergency. That foreseeable emergency was anticipated air raids. 125 Red Cross parcels, both food and medicine were received during April 1945 none of which had been made available when the detail of 20 prisoners left the camp on 25 April 1945 for Mukden, Manchuria.

The Australian prisoners divided with the Americans some of their allotments from the British Red Cross.

(2) Japanese Issue: The special detail of 16 prisoners reaching Fukuoka #22 in Feb. 1945 were given an overcoat, green Japanese military uniform, underwear, shoes, towels and blankets. The remaining 13 prisoners of this special detail reaching #22 in March 1945, received no clothing. This detail was given five cigarettes per man per week.

MAIL: (1) Incoming: None. (2) Outgoing: None.

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES: Brief religious services were held weekly by Australian and American Chaplains. Special services were held in the hospital and the mine workers were afforded the opportunity of attending religious services which had been arranged for them.

TREATMENT:   In comparison with other Japanese camps in which the Americans had been prisoners, the treatment was good, except the prisoners suffered from lack of heat and inadequate food. During air raids, which were becoming more and more frequent, the guards were confused as to the safest thing to do. Some of the guards opened wide the windows. Others would order the windows to be closed and the shades pulled down. At night there were opposite actions in regard to lights, some guards would let them stay on, others would not. Eating and smoking were not allowed during raids. The air raid shelters belied their name, they were traps, and all prisoners who could walk were made to go there and stand for hours in the cold. Thoughtfully the camp commandant suggested to the Sr. American officer that a memorial service in memory of the late President of the United States be arranged. The service was arranged and conducted by the camp Chaplain.

Camp morale was said to be good because POWs had access to up-to-date news of the war.

(Above Information is from ‘POW Camps in Japan & Japanese controlled areas as taken from Reports of Interned US POWs Liason & Research Branch American POW Information Bureau’ by JOHN M. GIBBS31 July 1946)

WX7757 Hugo Clarence WELLS and  WX8822 Henry James ‘Harry’ COOPER.  Both men survived, were recovered and returned home.

Below:  Wells

Above:  Harry Cooper

The total number of Australians at No. 22 was 108.  Three Australians died and one Dutch.VX

Also at No. 22 was Chaplain Capt. William Irving FLEMING VX39448 who remained at Konkhan 55km Hospital Camp, Burma with 2/4th Staff Sergeant WX7504 Desmond Bruce CHAPMAN following his second amputation for an extensive tropical ulcer on his leg.  Sadly Chapman died Sept 1943.

Below: Tadakuma mine area

Below:  Main Gate No 22 Sept 1945

Group portrait of Japanese personnel on the staff of Prisoner of War Camp No. 22. The photograph was obtained from TX8286 Private Johnson, 2/29th Infantry Battalion.