Timeline of Events
8th December 1941: The Imperial Japanese Forces invade the British colony of Hong Kong.
25th December 1941: The colony surrenders to the Japanese and the fighting men are distributed to different prisoner of war camps around Hong Kong.
18th September 1942: Lieutenant Colonel Henry William Moncreiff Stewart, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Middlesex regiment is transferred from Argyle Street prisoner of war camp to Shamshuipo prisoner of war camp with orders to select 2,000 fit men to be drafted to Japan.[1]
25th September 1942: Over 1,800 Prisoners of War boarded the Lisbon Maru. During the next two days many sick men are taken off the ship.
27th September 1942: The Lisbon Maru sets sail from Hong Kong. 1,816 Prisoners of War are aboard. The prisoners were distributed in three holds of the ship.
1st October 1942: The Lisbon Maru is torpedoed by the American submarine USS Grouper.
2nd October 1942: Lieutenant Colonel Stewart orders a breakout of the holds and the Lisbon Maru sinks.
828 men lost their lives between the 25th of September and the 5th of October.
2nd October to 5th October 1942: The Japanese round up the survivors and transport them to the dockyards at Woosung, Shanghai China; 3 men escaped.
49 men were left at Shanghai, too sick to travel.
6th October 1942: 936 men boarded the Shinsei Maru (Washington Maru) and set sail for Japan.
5 men are recorded as dying on the Shinsei Maru.[2]
10th October 1942: 931 men reached Moji, Japan.
216 Men are recorded as dying in captivity in Japan.
16 men are recorded as dying in captivity in Shanghai.
10 men are recorded as dying in plane crashes en route to Manila after liberation.
One man is known to have died in September 1945 after liberation.[3]
Out of the 1,816 men who boarded the Lisbon Maru at least 1,076 definitely did not make it home.
[1] At this time, the prisoners didn’t know where their destination would be.
[2] So far as is known; the number may have been more.
[3] Based on records available at the time of writing.
Information provided by Steve Denton
25th December 1941: The colony surrenders to the Japanese and the fighting men are distributed to different prisoner of war camps around Hong Kong.
18th September 1942: Lieutenant Colonel Henry William Moncreiff Stewart, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Middlesex regiment is transferred from Argyle Street prisoner of war camp to Shamshuipo prisoner of war camp with orders to select 2,000 fit men to be drafted to Japan.[1]
25th September 1942: Over 1,800 Prisoners of War boarded the Lisbon Maru. During the next two days many sick men are taken off the ship.
27th September 1942: The Lisbon Maru sets sail from Hong Kong. 1,816 Prisoners of War are aboard. The prisoners were distributed in three holds of the ship.
1st October 1942: The Lisbon Maru is torpedoed by the American submarine USS Grouper.
2nd October 1942: Lieutenant Colonel Stewart orders a breakout of the holds and the Lisbon Maru sinks.
828 men lost their lives between the 25th of September and the 5th of October.
2nd October to 5th October 1942: The Japanese round up the survivors and transport them to the dockyards at Woosung, Shanghai China; 3 men escaped.
49 men were left at Shanghai, too sick to travel.
6th October 1942: 936 men boarded the Shinsei Maru (Washington Maru) and set sail for Japan.
5 men are recorded as dying on the Shinsei Maru.[2]
10th October 1942: 931 men reached Moji, Japan.
216 Men are recorded as dying in captivity in Japan.
16 men are recorded as dying in captivity in Shanghai.
10 men are recorded as dying in plane crashes en route to Manila after liberation.
One man is known to have died in September 1945 after liberation.[3]
Out of the 1,816 men who boarded the Lisbon Maru at least 1,076 definitely did not make it home.
[1] At this time, the prisoners didn’t know where their destination would be.
[2] So far as is known; the number may have been more.
[3] Based on records available at the time of writing.
Information provided by Steve Denton
