Help with Japanese POW Card

[Slvdw3609]

Im looking for help deciphering the Japanese writting on this POW Card. This card belongs to my father in law that has passed away. I found it be accident and am interested in what it says. I would appreciate anything that would help.

 

[mdchachi]

Place of capture 爪哇 (Java Indonesia)
Other information: Sep 10, 1933 (date he entered the military maybe)
Oct 15-Dec 6, 1945 - maybe place and time period he was held.

Hopefully @Majestic will pop in to add in the rest.

 

[Slvdw3609]

Place of capture 爪哇 (Java Indonesia)
Other information: Sep 10, 1933 (date he entered the military maybe)
Oct 15-Dec 6, 1945 - maybe place and time period he was held.

Hopefully @Majestic will pop in to add in the rest.

Thank so much for your help. Everything we receive, is so valuable to us.

 

[Majestic]

On the top half of the card, there isn't much there in Japanese that isn't already in English, or that can't be intuited. The character in the "nationallity" column says 蘭, which means Holland/Netherlands. Place of capture is Java, as mdchachi says. Occupation is listed as "sawmill manager/chief"

The bottom half lists the date he was handed over to the POW camp from the Japanese military police 1943, September 18? (can't read the day). And the the line under that says he was transferred to a POW camp in Malaysia (馬来) on 1944, May 14th.

Then, the two bottom lines say that he was (I think) removed from the POW cap on October 15th (1945), and handed over to the Allies at Bakanbru (probably Pekanbaru) on December 6th 1945.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

My Japanese friends took me to a WWII prisoner of war camp near Fukuoka. There were only about 3 small buildings so I don't think it could have held many prisoners. The thing that struck me odd was a 25 foot high pile of dirt there. My friends explained the prisoners were kept busy moving all the dirt by hand in buckets to different locations inside the camp walls to keep them busy.

 

[Slvdw3609]

On the top half of the card, there isn't much there in Japanese that isn't already in English, or that can't be intuited. The character in the "nationallity" column says 蘭, which means Holland/Netherlands. Place of capture is Java, as mdchachi says. Occupation is listed as "sawmill manager/chief"

The bottom half lists the date he was handed over to the POW camp from the Japanese military police 1943, September 18? (can't read the day). And the the line under that says he was transferred to a POW camp in Malaysia (馬来) on 1944, May 14th.

Then, the two bottom lines say that he was (I think) removed from the POW cap on October 15th (1945), and handed over to the Allies at Bakanbru (probably Pekanbaru) on December 6th 1945.

I cant thank you enough. This information is invaluable. Like so many, he never talked about his experiences. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

 

[mdchachi]

Other information: Sep 10, 1933

I didn't see the 1 in front of the 8. So this was Sep 10, 1943. (Zooming way in I think it's the 10th not 18th.)

Anyway it seems he spent over two years in captivity. Did you even know he was a POW?

 

[Slvdw3609]

Yes the family knew. Emile suffered from illnesses while interned that stayed with him his whole life. Apparently he never discussed his experience as is the case with a lot of POW's and by all indications, the family never asked either. I found his card through an ancestry site. I have also found copies of original Japanese documents where he was moved 5 times to different camps which was common.