ARTICLES & STORIES

THE HISTORY OF HEITO CAMP AND THE POW MEMORIAL

    The story of the former Heito POW Camp following its closure in March 1945 is a long and interesting one, leading us to where we are today in preserving the story of the camp and the memory of those who have occupied the site for more than 80 years.

     In the late 1930’s, a work camp was constructed of crude bamboo huts on the broad, treeless, dry plain near the present-day city of Pingtung to house mainly Chinese political prisoners of war who had been brought to Taiwan after capture on the...

THE TAIHOKU CAMP #6 PRISONER OF WAR MEMORIAL DEDICATION CEREMONY

     On Friday November 11th 2011 - exactly 69 years after the first POWs arrived at Taihoku Camp # 6 from Singapore on the hellship England Maru, a memorial was dedicated  to the men of No. 6 Camp by the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society and the ROC Ministry of National Defense. Taihoku Camp 6 was the main POW camp in the capital area, and one of the principal camps in Taiwan, and the Society is very thankful to the Ministry and Minister Kao, Hua-Chu for their help in getting this long overdue memorial...

THE KINKASEKI COPPER MINE

     Taken from an Allied intelligence report on POW Camps and conditions on Formosa compiled in October 1945. . .

     "The Kinkaseki Copper Mine had the largest output of copper in the Japanese Empire. It was a commercial enterprise, although run along military lines - with the foremen and staff wearing insignia denoting seniority or rank. The main mine head was situated one mile from the Kinkaseki Prisoner-of-War Camp.

     Although mining conditions universally are severe, it is to be emphasized that few can equal the hazards of this mine....

THE KINKASEKI MEMORIAL DEDICATION

     On Sunday November 23rd 1997, the final chapter in the story of Kinkaseki was written, as over 150 friends and supporters gathered in the park that now stands on the site of the former POW camp, to dedicate the memorial to the more than 1,000 Kinkaseki Prisoners of War and those who were held in all the other prisoner of war camps on Taiwan. The weather was appropriate - slightly cloudy, but bright; a lovely fall day in Taiwan.

     Present with us for the dedication ceremony were three former Kinkaseki POWs -...

TOROKU POW CAMP MEMORIAL DEDICATED

     After five years in the works, a memorial to honour the American and British POWs who were held in the Toroku POW Camp from November 1944 to April 1945 was dedicated on Saturday June 6th 2009. The memorial is located inside the grounds of Gou-Ba Elementary School in the village of Gou-Ba - a suburb of Douliou City in South-Central Taiwan.

     Until 2003, two of the former old Japanese school buildings which the POWs inhabited still stood on the grounds – they were thought to be the last remaining POW buildings...