Lost at Sea: Found at Fukushima

On a calm, tropical afternoon in the South Atlantic Oceanin April 1942, a British tramp steamer, the SS Willesden,was shelled, torpedoed and sunk by a German raider, theKMS Thor. The Willesden was carrying 47 officers andcrew, and a cargo of vital war supplies destined forBritain’s 8th Army in North Africa. Five of Willesden’screw were killed in the attack. Among the survivors wasSecond Mate David Millar, who – along with his crewmen -was rescued by the Germans and internedon a succession of prison ships, before being handed overto the Japanese. Badly wounded, David spent the rest ofthe war as a POW in a camp at Fukushima, north of Tokyo.The Thor was also responsible for sinking two othersteamers, the SS Kirkpool and SS Nankin. Their survivors,who included 38 women and children, were dispatched tothe same POW camp. What is remarkable about this story,apart from its inherent drama, is that these civilianPOWs – numbering more than 130 in all – were officiallylisted as `Missing at Sea’: their presence in the campremained a closely guarded secret. This meant that it wasmany months – in some cases, years – before the fog ofmystery surrounding their disappearance lifted, andfamily and friends knew whether their loved ones weredead or alive. Lost at Sea – Found at Fukushima tells thelittle-known story of these survivors. It is a tale ofhonour between enemy naval commanders; of suffering,courage and endurance, as months of imprisonment turnedto years; and of the powerful relationships that formwhen people are forced together in life-threateningcircumstances. Greatly enhancing the poignancy of thisstory is the fact that David Millar was the author’sfather. 120215