Nakama, Fukuoka #21-B - Japan
Nakama Branch Camp (Fukuoka 21-B)
Fukuoka #21-B Nakama
Taisho Mining Company
(TAISHO KOGYO NAKAZURU TANKO)
NAKAZURU Works
FUKUOKA-ken, ONGA-gun,
NAKAMA-machi
Timeline:
15 Jun 1944: Established as Fukuoka Branch #21 at Nakama with arrival of Dutch and Australians.
21 Jun 1945: Approximately 300 British and Dutch arrive from Fukuoka #2.
Sep 1945: Rescue effected
Hell Ship:
The Dutch and Australians are known to have arrived on the Teia Maru ex Singapore ex Death Railway.
To see photographs of this mine please read (Written in Japanese only)
Established as Fukuoka No.21 Branch Camp at Nakatsuru Coal Mine in Nakama-cho (currently Nakama City), Onga-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture on June 15, 1944.
The POWs were used by Taisho Coal Mining Company. The mine had been abandoned and flooded when the POWs arrived.
588 POWs (311 Dutch, 175 Australian, 99 British and 3 American) were imprisoned at the end of the war.
5 POWs died while imprisoned.
Nakama, Japan, 1945. A group portrait of prisoners of war (POWs) at Camp 21, a coal mine about thirty miles from Nagasaki. The POWs where transferred from Fukuoka No. 2 Prisoner of War Camp, Koyagi Island and according to their health either worked in the mine or as gardeners. The miners worked night and day shifts. Among the group are known to be J. Garrioch, A. Carne, and “Happy” Day in the back row and Wrigley and “Ginger” Shawcross in the front row. The POWs were from two original groups. The first, of about 550 British, with some Australians, 500 Dutch and 100 Americans, arrived in 1942, embarking on Asama Maru at Macassar on 14 October 1942, arriving at Nagasaki 24 October 1942. The other group of 198 Australians arrived 9 September 1944 after a 70 day voyage from Singapore on Rashin Maru. (Donor J. King)
Map showing Fukuoka Camps – we acknowledge and thank Mansell website – a wonderful trove of knowledge.
WX7864 FLANAGAN, James Joseph arrived with Aramis Party to Omuta No. 17 Camp. He was moved to Fukuoka sub-camp No. 21 Nakama (date and reason unknown). Flanagan and Ken Lally were on the ship ‘Aramis’ to Japan.
Below: From Mansell Website:
‘There are two problems with this roster:
1) Ken William LALLY WX9318 – arrd ‘Aramis’ sent to Fukuoka sub-Camp No. 17 Omuta with a number of 2/4th MGB POWs. Lally d. 23/4/1945 aged 30 years suffocation, having been crushed between two coal trucks, dislocating his cervical vertebrae.
Lally’s name in included at the Yokjohama War Cemetery, Plot E Row A, Grave No. 9.
2) James Joseph FLANAGAN WX7864 arrd ‘Aramis’ to Fukuoka sub-Camp No. 17 Omuta we believe was reassigned to Fukuoka sub-camp No. 21 Nakama.
NB we have no dates for Flanagan’s arrival at No. 21
…………………..C. Mellor, Historian 2/4th MGB June 2026)’
Source: Courtesy of Wes Injerd and Neil MacPherson – Original Australian rosterDeceased:
|