Even when the war ended, things were still somewhat dangerous in POW camps but some guards were good to the prisoners.
Trying to Keep Up with the War while in POW Camp
News about the progress of the war was hard to get by in POW camps but it still seeped in from time to time.
The Shinegawa POW Hospital
As Mr. Ewing recounts the conditions he and the other sick men lived in, we understand more about Japanese war prisons.
Surviving Tuberculosis as a POW
Mr Ewing explains how he contracted tuberculosis while being held in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and survived thanks to a comrade’s homemade contraption.
The Japanese Guards in Tokyo
Mr. Ewing describes the guards in the slave labour camps in Tokyo and tells a story about the only time he received extraordinary punishment.
Slave Labour in Japan
Mr. Ewing gives a vivid account of life as a slave labourer in Japan during the Second World War.
Hiroshima
Mr Sperry talks about what it was like going to Hiroshima a few weeks after the Atomic Bomb was dropped.
“Send all Prisoners of war to the Beach”
Mr. Yeadon describes being liberated from Japan by the American Navy, and shipping home.
The Houses Were Going up Like Small Tornadoes
Mr. Yeadon describes the impact of American bombing raids on Yokohama and Tokyo.
So Many Prisoners Died of Malnutrition
Mr. Yeadon mourns the loss of a friend who died of malnutrition and describes a later pilgrimage to Yokohama cemetery.
They Used our Fuel for the Japanese to Have a hot Bath
Mr. Yeadon discusses the inadequate food, heat and clothing in the camp.
They Kicked me, and Booted me With Rifle Butts
Mr. Yeadon briefly describes his early work on the docks, being severely beaten for stealing a pair of work gloves and being redeployed to the kitchen staff after a serious illness.