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This program is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. It contains mature adult themes. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome to Forbidden Fruit, the Forbidden History podcast extra. In our last episode, we heard the fascinating story of the sunken ships of Chuuk Lagoon, the result of a brutal aerial attack by the U.S. on a Japanese naval fleet.
In this episode, we're going to find out more about the Hokimaru, formerly named the MV Haraki, one of the first ships to sink during Operation Hailstone in 1944. The ship, however, has a grave history. This is The Prisoners of the Hokimaru.
The MV Hauraki was built by William Denny and Brothers at Dumbarton in Scotland and launched on 28 November 1921. Owned by the Union Steamship Corporation of New Zealand, the MV Hauraki is a diesel-powered cargo ship. Used in the Trans-Pacific cargo trade, the Hauraki mostly travels between Sydney or Melbourne to Fiji, where sugar is collected.
This is then taken up to Vancouver, Canada. The ship returns with timber and general cargo. But then, World War II begins. And in 1940, the Hauraki is requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport. The ship, under the command of Captain A.W. Crease, and staffed mostly by New Zealand and Australian crew, is used on wartime special services.
Two years later, on July 4th, 1942, the ship departs Fremantle, Australia for Colombo, Sri Lanka, known at the time as Ceylon, laden with war supplies for the Middle East. On board, Captain A.W. Kreese is joined by more than 50 crew members. It's 10:00 p.m. on the night of July 12th, 1942, and just off the coast of Sri Lanka,
Alarm bells aboard the ship begin to blare. Shots fire across the bow. Crew rush out of the cabin and are blinded by bright beams of light. They're the searchlights of two armed merchant cruisers, the Aikokumaru and the Hokokumaru. The Haraki has been intercepted by the Imperial Japanese Navy. At this point, still unsure of what has seized them, the crew are told to stop the ship.
They're not aware of their onboard hijackers just yet, but they are ready to scuttle the ship at a moment's notice, should they receive orders from the bridge that it might be an enemy ship. After a long wait, a junior crew member is sent up to the deck to check, returning almost immediately with armed members of the Japanese Navy at his back. The crew are rounded up and ordered on deck. Things aren't looking good.
Captain A.W. Kreese and the chief engineer are questioned by the Japanese, but no argument they put forward can alter their fate. Their captors instruct them to steer the vessel to their chosen port. The course is set for Penang, Malaysia. The crew intentionally make almost a dozen stops throughout their 10-day journey, trying to make the trip as slow as possible in case any of their allied navy may be around.
Along the way, they deliberately drop various items from the ship overboard. First, they ditch their firearms. Then life rings and bottles are thrown over with messages detailing their course. Their attempts, however, would be in vain. But, despite not being rescued, they successfully undermine their captors.
An officer finds 12 bags of secret ally mail, which he manages to destroy across two nights without his guards taking notice. The crew also throw overboard all the ship's tools, spare parts, and engine plans, and allow the engines to fall into disrepair, even dumping diesel into the lubricating oil tanks in the hope that it would make the vessel useless by the time they reach Penang.
Their efforts of sabotage are so effective that by the time the Hauraki finally arrives in Japan much later, the ship is in such ruin, it would take 18 months of refitting to return her to service. The ship arrives in Penang on July 22nd, where Captain A.W. Kreese and a few other crew members are taken ashore for questioning.
Upon return, they tell the remainder of the crew that they were threatened. Everyone is now on guard. Departing from Penang, they proceed to a Singapore naval base situated in Sabawong at the northern tip of Singapore. It is here that the second and third officers, along with over 30 other crewmen, are told to pack up and go to one of the most notorious Japanese prisoner of war camps.
Changi, 19 men are retained as crew to take the prized ship up to Japan, and a few days later, they set off. The Hauraki, which has now been renamed the Hoki Maru, slowly makes her way up to Tokyo.
On the way, she stops in Ho Chi Minh City, then called Saigon, Taiwan, as well as Moji and Osaka in Japan, before finally reaching Tokyo on January 13th, 1943. It has now been six months since the ship was seized by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
In those six months, the original crew have ensured she has very little to offer on arrival, due to them continuously and purposefully disposing anything of value. It's now the 15th of January, and the remaining 19 crew members are loaded onto a truck and dispatched to Yokohama, about 20 miles away. They are driven through densely populated areas, Japanese bystanders staring at them as they go by.
They arrive at D1 Prisoner of War camp. After being searched and taken through the rules and penalties, they're allotted their pew to sleep on. The weather is bitterly cold. There's mud everywhere, and the camp's hospital is overflowing with ill prisoners. At night, the sound of coughing is horrific. There is no medicine, or much of anything for that matter.
Fortunately, the crew had stolen supplies from the ship's medical kit. They passed these on to the prison's doctor. Even despite this, for the first few months of their time at D1, there is a death every other day, sometimes more. The crew members are sent to work each day at the Mitsubishi shipyard. They wake up at 5:00 AM and line up for roll call before beginning the two-mile march to work.
As prisoners, they're forbidden to speak to the Japanese workmen at the shipyard, or very heavy penalties will be assigned. Some are caught doing so, and on arrival back at camp, upwards of 10 guards take turns punishing the unfortunate prisoner. The treatment of the prisoners is awful, with something as miniscule as asking to get your boots repaired leading to a heavy beating.
To make matters worse, on return to camp, there's an evening roll call. It begins at 7:30 p.m. and often goes on until midnight. Only after are they allowed to eat and sleep. The freezing cold, the torturous lack of rest, and long hours grind away at their mental resilience as well as their physical health.
Pneumonia, malaria, dysentery, beriberi, and gastric flu are just a few of the illnesses that prisoners catch. And the crew members of the Hauraki are not immune. And just six weeks after their arrival, motor mechanic Lewis Hughes dies from pneumonia and tuberculosis. Two other crew members would also later die at Yokohama.
As terrible diseases riddle the camp, general conditions continue to be horrific. In winter, the temperatures go as low as 0 degrees Fahrenheit or -18 Celsius, and there are major issues with lice and bugs in the summertime. Fleas and mosquitoes come in clouds, eating prisoners alive. It seems there is no chance of refuge, let alone escape.
After 12 months, American planes start to appear, with Japanese alerts becoming so frequent it is difficult to keep count of them. From the camp, prisoners witness 50 square miles of Tokyo burning from aerial attacks. They see American B-29 planes being shot down nearby. As things become too dangerous in Yokohama, the prisoners are moved.
After a 32-hour train journey, they arrive at Comanche on the 14th of May, 1945. Their new job is in the steelworks, and the camp conditions are no better. But food has increased ever so slightly. In June, more observation planes begin to appear, and in August, the American fleet heavily shells the camp. Just another collateral in the pursuit of victory.
The ground trembles and the camp is hit, going up in flames. Prisoners dash out blindly, many receiving severe burns and dying soon after. The camp is destroyed, left in ashes. The prisoners sleep amongst the ruins. Another crewman from the Haraki dies from burns a few hours after the fire.
Three days later, the prisoners finally receive medical attention. Many are in a bad way. They move to join a camp 12 miles up the valley to a place called Ohashi. It is here that they meet Canadian prisoners who coincidentally traveled on a fellow Union Steamship Corporation vessel named MV Awatea from Vancouver to Hong Kong.
Near the end of August 1945, small seaborne planes fly over the camp, dropping a few cigarettes and a note saying to keep cheerful. The prisoners weep with joy. The war is almost over. From then on, every second day, B-29 planes fly over and drop food, clothing, boots, and medical supplies. Things are looking up.
Throughout September, the prisoners are evacuated from Japan by an American Red Cross ship and transferred to a British hospital ship. The remaining crew members of the MV Horaki travel to Manila and then onwards home to Australia and New Zealand. They are finally free. Over 140,000 prisoners were captured and sent to Japanese prisoner of war camps during World War II.
One in three died from disease, starvation, work, and punishments. Many of their stories are likely to be similar to those of the prisoners of the Hoki Maru.
This is an audio production by Like A Shot Entertainment. Presented by Bridget Lappin. Executive Producers Danny O'Brien and Henry Scott. Story Producer Maddie Bowers. Assistant Producer Alice Tudor. Thank you for listening.
Hello, I'm Violet Manners and welcome to Hidden Heritage, the podcast that brings you inside Great Britain's favourite destinations. From the same team that brought you the number one history podcast, Duchess, Hidden Heritage will uncover the fascinating stories behind the UK's brightest, shining hidden gems.
You'll hear from top experts in British heritage, including custodians, historians, artisans, experts, and even the craftsmen and restorers who've worked on some of the most celebrated historic buildings.
We will share the untold and unique stories that celebrate UK heritage, from landmarks to architecture, artefacts to myths and legends. Hidden Heritage will highlight a side of British history you have never seen before. I'm your host, Violet Manners, and founder of HeritageX, and I invite you all to join us on this exciting journey. This is Hidden Heritage. You can find Hidden Heritage wherever you listen to your podcasts.