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These are the Allied military personnel (and a civilian or two) who had the misfortune to
be captured by the Japanese garrison at Rabaul, on New Britain Island.
Those who survived are shown in boldface. I use the term "murdered"
instead of "executed" because the latter suggests that the deaths
were lawful. Some of those marked "fate unknown" may have been sent
to Japan, and there survived.
FO Anderson RAAF - murdered
Sgt John Barron USAAF - murdered
Lt Andrew Borders USN - murdered
Bromley RAAF - murdered
Michael Cassera USAAF - murdered
1/Lt. Carl Clifford Clemens - died following bombing
Lt John Cox USAAF - murdered
FO F A D Diercks RAAF - murdered
* T/Sgt James E. Etheridge USAAF - to Japan; survived
Lt John Fitzgerald USMC - died of disease & neglect
Lt Bill Hanks USAAF - died of disease & neglect
Corp A R Hocking RAAF - murdered
Pvt Kelly USN - to Japan; survived
Maj Frederick Koebig USAAF - murdered
Corp A H Lanagan RAAF - fate unknown
Maj Romulus Marr USAAF - murdered
Massey USAAF - murdered
LAC E J McDonald RAAF - murdered
Sgt Romulus Mull USAAF - murdered
FO A L Norman RAAF - murdered
Sgt Escoe Palmer USAAF - survived
Lt Alphones Quinones USAAF - survived
S/Sgt Edward Michael Slipkas USAAF? - died of wounds
* M/Sgt Clarence G. Surrett USAAF - to Japan; survived
Lt Harold Tuck USMC - died of disease & neglect
Walsh RAAF - murdered
Ens William Wells USN - fate unknown
Frederick Woolley RAAF - murdered
NotesThe basic list is from Henry Sakaida, The Siege of Rabaul (Phalanx 1996, Voyageur Press 1997), and is based largely on research by Jose Holguin, one of the survivors of Rabaul. Since updated with the kind help of readers of this page, mostly recently Roger Mansell of the Center for Research: Allied PWs Under the Japanese.Arbuckle, Boyington, Stacy, and three others were flown to Japan at the instigation of a Hawaiian-born interpreter, Chikaki ("Edward") Honda, who realized that his only hope of survival was to get back to Japan, and persuaded his superiors that the captives had military information of value. (See Bruce Gamble, Black Sheep One.) Stacy sent a postcard to Boyington's mother from Zentsuzi prison camp, using a childhood nickname she would recognize: "Deeds okay." The information on Durand came from Chris Marks. Heichel, Rucks, Surrett, Etheridge, Mangett, Vetter, Fritz, and Kurisko survived the crash of the B-17 "Reckless Mountain Boy" 7 May 1943 on New Ireland. Mangett and Vetter were badly injured and were separated from the others, not to be seen again; in 1946 Vetter's ring was mailed to his family by a former Japanese guard. Sgt Surrett believed that Fritz and Kurisko died on a prison ship taking them to Japan. (Material supplied by his daughter, Ellen Surrett.) Osborne was reported killed in an Allied bombing raid. However, survivor McMurria told his family that "[Osborne] and another prisoner were handcuffed and blindfolded and led away from the camp on or around 10 April, 1944. He was never seen again, the other prisoners heard gunfire shortly after their departure from the camp." (Email from his grand-niece, Olivia Dobbins.) Harlan Pease was sent from Australia to the Philippines to fly Douglas MacArthur to safety. As the story is told, MacArthur looked at the boyish lieutenant, then at his battered B-17, and he radioed for a grown-up pilot and three servicable aircraft, which were sent. Pease was shot down over Rabaul in August 1942. He won the Medal of Honor, and Pease Air Force Base in Newington NH was named for him. I had no idea when I first posted this list that it would strike so close to home. Chikowsky or Czichowsky also bailed out of Pease's a/c; the others apparently were killed in the crash. Frank Sciara: "My Brother Sgt. Charles Sciara was shot down by a Japanese Zero on January 14th. 1944. His Pilot Lt. Bill Ramsey died in the crash. Some how, no one seems to know, my brother survived and was captured. Lt. Tuck and Corp. McCleaf, two names that appeared on the Prisoners of Rabaul list were shot down the same day." |
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