Hi, I may be posting this in the wrong place - apologies if this is so. My Gt Grandfather (Bombardier James Albert William Macdonald, 982792, 12 Bty., 6 H.A.A. Regt., Royal Artillery) was a POW in Japan during WW2. He did unfortunately die out there in the Fukuoka Camp (not sure which number?) and his grave is in Yokohama War Cemetery in Japan. I recently stumbled across a website which said that 106 British dog tags were found buried under (or possibly near) the Osaka Castle. My Great Grandfathers was among them. The authors of the website did not know what had happened with them or where they are now located. I am hoping that someone may be able to point me in the right direction to find out more. Any help will be greatly appriciated.
Welcome to the forum, Vicki. It's fine to post this question here, though I can't promise that this is something we would know about. Have you tried the Far East Prisoner of War Association - or is that just too obvious?! http://www.fepow.org.uk/ Adrian
G'day Vicki and welcome. The ID tags are an amazing find and the story behind their burial will be fascinating.
Hi Vicki_A I know it's more than 3 years ago that you asked for information about the Dog Tags that were found near a Castle in Osaka, but have you by any chance found any information? I have a friend who won an MC in WW2 who's brother died in Fukuoka prison camp, his Dog Tag was also found at the Castle! His grave is in Yokohama War Cemetery. My friend would dearly love to know more about his brother's last days and the reason the Tags were found so far away?
Dear Vicki_A, I know it is quite some time since you posted your message but I have had a book published about your Gt-Gt Grandfather`s Regiment 6 HAA Regt and have him down in the roll of honour as dieing in Hiroshima No 8 camp. Most who died out there were cremated and their ashes added to three large urns rather than individual graves. My book covers all three Batteries and their complete movements from mobilisation in 1939 to BEF ,Dunkirk and eventual Far East capture. He was captured in either Sumatra or Java( most likely Java) and eventually shipped to Japan. I suspect from the date of death he may well have been on the Singapore Maru Hellship and died shortly after landing in Japan as a result of the appalling conditions. The book also contins the total roll call of 495 names and some 731 survivors from the Far East camps. It has 328 pages and many photographs not seen before. If you would like to know a lot more then I can be contacted on Patwalker37srpen@aol.com
