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World War II Civilian
Prisoners of War
During
World War II, almost 150,000 Allied civilians were held in prison camps
throughout the areas of East Asia occupied by
the Japanese. This included a swath from New
Guinea, to the Philippines,
Indonesia, Burma, Malaya, and China. In addition, some
civilians were held in Military POW camps because the Japanese perceived that
they held some connection with an Allied military force, such as being a
reservist or a member of a self-defense force. Almost 100 camps held
Civilian prisoners throughout the region of Japanese occupation.
Official
government statistics show that 14,000 American civilians were among these
prisoners, with 7,300 held in the Philippines,
3,300 in China, and the rest
scattered throughout the Pacific
Islands and other Asian
locations. Of these, a total of 11% either died in captivity or
disappeared. Another 2,000 Americans who were captured by the Japanese
were returned home in prisoner exchanges that occurred in 1942 and 1943.
The Bay
Area Civilian Ex-Prisoners of War (BACEPOW) organization is dedicated to
supporting and telling the story of all of these people who were captives of
the Japanese. Though the organization was founded in the San Francisco area, its membership is now
nation-wide, with members in several other countries. We welcome those
who were civilian and military prisoners, their
families and friends, and those who are interested in the history of the prison
camps in East Asia. Our primary focus is
on the prison camps in the Philippines,
where most of our ex-POW members spent more than 3 years under the inhumane
treatment of the Japanese occupying forces.
Contact BACEPOW
Contact Sascha Jansen
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