The Ient Family: Family History

By Hell-Ship to Japan

Wilfred Batty POW - by his son, Adrian Batty

Wilf and many other POWs embarked on a Japanese freighter, the Yoseda Maru, on 21October 1942. They had no idea where they were going or what the future held for them. The POWs were under-nourished, underweight, suffering from many ailments including dysentery, and wearing tropical clothing. The Yoseda Maru sailed to Singapore where the POWs were herded onto another aging freighter, the Dai Nichi Maru, later to be nicknamed one of the 'Hell-ships'.

The POWs were held in holds in deplorable conditions having to sit and sleep on the wet iron ore being carried in the hold, along with rats and insects. Toilets were wooden structures on deck accessible only by climbing one steep ladder out of the hold. The weather was atrocious for much of the journey and though initially the Dai Nichi Maru was in a convoy, after breaking down it ended up on its own. American submarines were active in the area and it was later discovered some hell-ships had been sunk, when the Japanese had secured the POWs in the holds, in one case shooting the POWs as they tried to save themselves! The ship initially sailed to Saigon and many POWs were to die in the disgusting conditions. The first deaths were honored by the Japanese (a dead POW was given more respect than a live one), but as the numbers grew the ceremonies stopped. Many POWs were now too ill to even climb the ladder to visit the toilets, adding even more to the miserable conditions.

The Dai Nichi Maru finally sailed into Shimoseki, Japan, 25 November 1942, in a snowstorm. It was the Japanese winter and the POWs were ill prepared for it. On disembarking, the POWs were given an embarrassing medical including having to lower their trousers in front of many civilians to have a glass rod inserted in their anus! Wilf was then transported by train to Onomichi and by ferry to the inland island of Innoshima and finally to a shipyard at Habu, an inland dock. This was to be Wilf's home for the next 3 years.

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