POW: Asano Cement Works
A group of 100 POWs who had arrived with Frank Murray at Hakodate, Hokkaido in June 1943 were separated off and sent to work at the Asano Cement Works in Kamiiso. Among Frank's possessions was a booklet containing a handwritten account of the treament of those POWs. The author is unknown, perhaps because of fear of punishment if the account had been discovered. The booklet details life in the camp and at the cement works. It also includes a description of the improved conditions introduced by Lt. Col. Emoto when he was High Commandant for a year; these reforms are likely to have saved many lives at Kamiiso, as they did at other camps.
Original document
Transcript of original document
A more detailed account of the conditions endured by the POWs at Kamiiso is contained in Chapter 14 of the book, "Parade of the Dead”, by John Bumgarner of the US Army Medical Corps . The POWs were eventually transferred to Nisi Ashibetsu (Raijo) camp in June 1945 where Frank Murray was the Officer Commanding. Their details are listed in the Nominal Roll maintained by Frank. One of the POWs who was imprisoned at Kamiiso was Gwilym Rowlands who took the group photos at Nisi Ashibetsu (Raijo) after liberation.