Medals for Japanese POWs.

Discussion in 'War Against Japan' started by John baxter, Jun 13, 2019.

  1. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    Hello,
    Can anyone tell me what medals POWs received in WW2.
    My uncle was stationed in Hong Kong at the time of the Japanese invasion in 1941. He was taken prisoner on the 25th of December 1941 and sent to Sham sui Po POW camp in Hong Kong. He was later transferred to Japan in 1943 and sent to Osaka and then to the Oeyama POW camp until liberation in Sept 1945... I have two main questions:
    1. What medals would he have received after the war?
    2. How were the POWs sent home (which route) and did the Americas arrange all that as it was them who liberated them...
    Thank you.
    Regards.
    John
     
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  2. Woodcarver9

    Woodcarver9 Member

    What was your uncles name John?
     
  3. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    His name was Charles Bennett and he was with the 22nd Fortress Company, Royal Engineers. Service number 2134543.
     
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  4. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    As a minimum your uncle would have been entitled to the 1939-45 Star, the Pacific Star and the War Medal. Osaka and Oeyama POW Camps are the same - merely a name change by the Japanese.
    He is listed here:
    Hong Kong War Diary

    upload_2019-6-13_18-25-3.png
    and on the liberation roster for Oeyama
    Osaka POW Camp #3B, Oeyama
    upload_2019-6-13_18-29-3.png

    Repatriations are difficult to find. You may care to take time combing through the passenger lists here (scroll to bottom of page) and you may be lucky. Many FEPOWs went via Manila then USA or Canada but there were other routes.
    Special Files

    Tim
     
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  5. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    Thankyou Tim for the help and advice. I have his POW index card but it is mainly in Chinese i think... Is it worth me putting it up here for possible translation? Screenshot_20190612-233904_Gmail.jpg Screenshot_20190612-233847_Gmail.jpg
     
  6. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    John,

    As Tim has just posted, a minimum entitlement would be the 1939-45 Star, the Pacific Star and the War Medal. See below. The other medal he might be entitled to depending on the qualifying criteria would be the Defence Medal, I'm assuming that he was not a recipient of any gallantry awards.

    PS. Charles' POW index card is written in Japanese Kanji characters and judging by the dates shown refers mostly to his various movements.

    POW minimum.jpg Defence Medal.jpg
     
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  7. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Mainly in Japanese - just in case you ask someone to translate it

    TD
     
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  8. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    Thankyou for that... I was hoping to find out the date he left Hong Kong for Japan and the ship he was on.. Also which Osaka camp he first went to and what date... I have this memory of him being in Osaka 1 then 12 then 3... I think he was hospitalised in one of them.. I was hoping to get the right dates for each camp...
     
  9. Woodcarver9

    Woodcarver9 Member

    John, I can narrow your search down a little (regarding the repatriation ship)
    He wasn’t on the USS Admiral Hughes, Joseph Dickman, Gosper, Hugh Rodnan, Howze, Striker, Yarmouth or Tryon.

    I’d try the Empress of Australia.
     
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  10. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    Thankyou for that information guys.. Its much appriciated...
     
  11. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    Thanks for that.. I have got my head around the dates but not what they mean... lol.. Thanks again...
     
  12. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    Hello Guys,
    I have found my Charles Bennett from your lists.. Thanks very much for Sharing them.
    He was on HMS Implacable.. sailing from Manila on the 25th of September 1945... heading to the UK via San Francisco...

    Just a couple more questions:
    How would he have got to Manila from the camp.. (by ship I presume) and would that ship be on those records?
    Also when he went back to UK via San Francisco did the ship sail through Panama or were they embarked in the US and sent by train to the East coast to pick up another ship there?
    Thanks again for this help.
    Regards,
    John
     
  13. Woodcarver9

    Woodcarver9 Member

    John,

    I can only tell you that my grandad Went across Canada by train to Nova Scotia and then sailed the Atlantic on the Ile De France and recieved a shit welcome when he got home!
     
  14. Woodcarver9

    Woodcarver9 Member

    These are the medals my grandad recieved
     

    Attached Files:

  15. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    I don't see why they should have got a bad reception when they got home... They had done more than their bit and suffered a lot for it... I know in Hong Kong they put up a stiff defence of the Island against overwhelming odds... The place was never defendable... It wasn't many years later when I was stationed there but that's another story... lol. I noticed the HMS Implacable was an Aircraft Carrier so I guess it would more than likely disembark them in the US if she wanted to stay in the Pacific... Thanks again...
    Regards,
    John
     
  16. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    My late uncle was a Stoker on HMS Implacable -

    Wikipedia says -

    “She arrived at Sydney on 24 August, and had her hangars refitted to accommodate Allied PoWs and soldiers for repatriation. Having left her air group behind to maximize the numbers of passengers she could carry, the ship arrived at Manila on 25 September, where she loaded over 2,000 American and Canadian PoWs. She dropped off the Americans at Pearl Harbor on 5 October and continued on to deliver her Canadian passengers at Vancouver six days later. Opened for public tours, Implacable remained for a week before sailing to Hong Kong to pick up several hundred PoWs and continued onwards to Manila to load 2,114 more passengers. She delivered them to Balikpapan, Borneo for transhipment to Britain. In their place the carrier embarked 2,126 men of the 7th Australian Division, and their equipment, to return to Australia. She arrived at Sydney on 17 November and sailed on 8 December to load more returning troops from Papua New Guinea. Arriving back at Sydney before Christmas, the ship had her additional bunks, etc., removed to return her to operational status.[33]

    I notice Wikipedia makes no mention of U.K. POW or their disembarkation in US.

    As San Francisco is on the US west coast there was no need to sail through the Panama Canal. U.K. POW would cross US by train for onward journey home.

    Not doubting what you say but I think it would’ve been more usual to disembark U.K. POW in Canada.

    Steve
     
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  17. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    I think you will find he was only in one camp. Osaka 12B, Oeyama, Osaka 3B were all the same camp.The Japanese were continually altering camp names. Look at the link to Osaka that I posted in #4 where it says first POWs arrived 2 Sep 43 from Hong Kong.
    Repatriation. FEPOWs went via both USA and Canada west coasts and then by train to east coasts. Some who went to USA went by train to Canada. Some went via Australia and then came home by sea all the way. All very difficult, if not impossible, to establish the route an individual took.

    Tim
     
  18. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    Hi Tim,
    Here is another version from a guy who was on the Implacable...
    It kind of contradicts the paperwork with Manila on...
    What do you think? 20190613_203522.jpg
     
  19. John baxter

    John baxter Member

    I totally agree with what you say. I am just looking at the ships manifest.. 20190613_202227.jpg Screenshot_20190613-194408_Drive.jpg
     
  20. Woodcarver9

    Woodcarver9 Member

    John,

    I’m assuming that you already have this but it confirms what Tim says RE: the camp
     

    Attached Files:

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