- Contributed by听
- tenacious
- People in story:听
- John Atwood
- Location of story:听
- Japan
- Background to story:听
- Royal Navy
- Article ID:听
- A2009701
- Contributed on:听
- 10 November 2003
On September 1st 1945, after being at sea for 57 days, the destroyer on which I was serving,HMS Tenacious, came to anchor in Tokyo Bay about a mile away from the U.S.battleship Missouri on which the surrender of the Japanese was signed the next day.
Shortly afterwards, we were sent to Hammamatsu to bring back Allied prisoners of war from a large camp there.On arrival, we took on board more than a hundred ex-prisoners of war- all with close clipped hair and new American clothing. We were all truly shocked at their pitiful condition.They had been ill treated and starved by their captors.They were overjoyed to see us. We returned to Tokyo Bay at full speed and took our passengers through the cheering Fleet- a truly very emotional occasion for them and ourselves! They were taken to a hospital ship waiting for them at Yokohama.
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