Balalae Island mass graves

The Balalae Island mass graves was a war crime committed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II against British prisoners of war. The mass graves were discovered by Australian investigators after the end of the war.

Balalae Island mass graves
Part of World War II
LocationBalalae Island
Date30 June 1943
TargetBritish POWs
Attack type
Massacre, forced labor, Mass grave, Human shield
Deaths600
PerpetratorsImperial Japanese Army

Background

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In October 1942, 600 British prisoners of war who were taken prisoner after the fall of Singapore, along with their commander Lieutenant Colonel John Bassett, were loaded onto a ship and were told that they were being transported to a prison camp in Japan. They arrived on Balalae Island in late November 1942.[1]

Forced Labour

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The prisoners were forced to build a runway for the Japanese that is still in use today. Approximately 100 of the prisoners died from overworking, exhaustion and tropical diseases, but a great number of prisoners were killed by an allied air raid on the island which killed 300. However, the Japanese used the prisoner's camp has a human shield against the air raids.[2]

Massacre

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On 30 June 1943, after completing the runway, the remaining prisoners were executed en masse and thrown into mass graves. Many of them were either bayoneted or decapitated.[3] Amongst the prisoners killed was the English cricketer Norman Bowell.[4]

Discovery of the mass graves

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The mass graves were discovered after the war by Australian investigators in November 1945.[5] They exhumed the remains of over 400 bodies from the mass graves.[6] They also found two sets of broken rosary beads, both of which were missing their crucifixes.[7] Japanese authorities denied the war crime and claimed that the prisoners were lost at sea when their transport was torpedoed.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "The Sad Story of Balalae Island | Tony Wheeler's Travels". Tony Wheeler's Travels |. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  2. ^ "Balalae island, a tragic story of loss during WW2 – WW2Wrecks.com". Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  3. ^ "Balalae Island Gunners | COFEPOW". www.cofepow.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  4. ^ McCrery, Nigel (2011). The Coming Storm: Test and First-Class Cricketers Killed in World War Two. Vol. 2. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1526706980.
  5. ^ "Balalae: aeronautical relics of the World War II in an airfield with a macabre past". Exploring | Counting Stars. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  6. ^ "The Sad Story of Balalae Island | Tony Wheeler's Travels". Tony Wheeler's Travels |. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  7. ^ "Rosary beads from Allied soldiers' mass grave : Ballale Island". www.awm.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  8. ^ "Roll of Honour". Retrieved 2009-09-18.