Person:Eric Baxter (1)

Malayan Massacre During the second world war, the withdrawal of British forces from north Malaya aloong the west coast into Johore Baru was committed the most horrific massacre by the Japanese ever recorded. The withdrawal into Johore meant the abandonment of Selangor, Negri Sembilan and the ancient colony of Mallaca, Between the 19th and 20th January 1942, 3rd Indian corps retreated through the Australian lines. Gordon Bennetts Australian 22nd Brigade plus remnants of the British Brigade and 2nd battalion the Loyals who were fighting a rear guard action. They had sustained a large number of casualties and were ordered to fall back onto the village of Parit Sulong. more than 300 Australian, Indian and British wounded were left to fend for themselves. The Japanese over run the village on the morning of the 22nd January 1942. All 300 were either killed in battle or massacred. The MOD have never revealed the names of those massacred by the Japanese on that day and their names were included with 26,000 others who had no known grave. But now it can be revealed that the following were the victims. In many instances it has not been possible to obtain the addresses of next of kin of British soldiers murdered. However the names and service numbers of each are given after the following true story of how they died.

Arthur Lane

Taken from Authenticated War Crimes Documentation

COMMENT

This investigation will continue as many others are involved in this major atrocity. J.G. Godwin (Capt.)investigating Officer 2nd Aust.War Crimes Section 22 July 1949

File 151 G Weekly Investigation Report: 21 September 1949

151H OPERATION PARIT SULONG

168 I Completed the interrogation of former Captain Shoichi Nonaka who held the position of personal aide to the GOC Konoe Division, Lieutenant-General Takuma Nichimura at the time of the Malayan Campaign. Nonaka admitted to have been a member of the convoy (HQ Konoe Division) that stopped at Pant Sulong in the late afternoon of 22 January 1942. According to Nonaka he and Lt-Gen. Nishimura were travelling in the same vehicle and upon stopping at Pant Sulong he, Nishimura and the Chief of Staff, Colonel lmai, and other HQ officers alighted from their respective vehicles and walked over towards some buildings on the right-hand side of the main road. About half-way there the said party was met by a junior officer (a 2nd lieutenant, name unknown) who reported directly to Lt Gen. Nishimura. Nonaka states he is unable to recall the full details of this officer's report; however, he does remember him saying that a great number of prisoners had been taken during the battle for Parit Sulong and that most of them were confined in a large wooden building which he pointed out.

After finishing his report this said officer led the GOC and accompanying officers towards the building identified. On arrival at the building Nonaka noticed about six or seven wounded Australian soldiers in various postures near the steps leading up to a wide verandah.then He also recalls seeing the bodies of many dead Australian soldiers scattered about at diffemt places in front of this building Among the dead were some Indian soldiers..(2) Nonaka then recounted how he, Lt-Gen. Nishimura, Colonel Imai and the officer-in-charge of the prisoners climbed onto the verandah and peered through one of the building's two open doors at the mass of wounded POWs confined therein. After this short inspection had been made, the said party retraced their steps and rejoined the other HQ officers in front of the building. Nonaka stated that Lt Gen. Nishimura turned and gave him the following oral order.

(3) instruct the officer-in-charge of the prisoners to execute (Shobun Seyo) all the prisoners by firing squad. Kill them all.' No sooner had Nonaka acknowledged this order than the Chief of Staff. Colonel lmai gave him the following additional order.

(4) 'The bodies of the prisoners are to he cremated on completion of the execution and all traces of their disposal obliterated.' Nonaka confesses to having relayed these two orders to the officer concerned, following which and whilst walking back towards the parked vehicles. Lt Gen. Nishimura directly ordered S/O Supply Major Eisaku Morioka to remain behind and supervise everything. Former Colonel Kamejiro Imai has previously been requested for interrogation; (However, the Japanese authories have officially reported this former senior officer as having died from sickness in Siberia on 22 March 1947). Thus and despite our request for official Soviet verification, of which none has been forthcoming, further inquiries to the Soviet authorities reveal the following.

(5) Colonel Kaniejiro Imai had never been listed as a prisoner of war of the Soviet Union. His alleged captivity and death by sickness is completely unknown. This investigation officer discounts quite frankly the truthfulness or veracity of the notification received from 'Japanese Army Records', and is more inclined to believe the Soviet authorities as an inipartial source of honest in formation.

Observation : At most times and whenever a Class A war criminal is finally identified, particularly if formerly a powerful and influential senior officer, we invariably encounter subtle obstruction to their apprehension by means of deviousness and duplicity. for a variety of dubious circumstances too numerous to mention. the coincidences of major war criminals effectively disappearing is no accident. when such vanishing acts are unaccountably but officially confirmed without investigation by Japanese authorities is tempted to suggest the word, collusion. It is hard to avoid being cynical. This charade happens too often with regard to officially sanctioned Japanese fabrications. The second part of this priority investigation should shortly he concluded and entered into Official Weekly Reports as quickly as possible have only to add my disappointment that the powers that be (Legal and Prosecution Division) do not propose to proced with a fresh prosecution against Lt Gen. Nishiniura. a most evil man. Perhaps the sheer horror of what ordered against defenceless and wounded Australian prisoners. particularly the large number, would shock the world.

JGG/BEJ. REPORT OF INVESTIGATING OFFICER (Capt. J.G. Godwin)

File 151 G Massacre of Prisoners of War. PARIT SULONG I )

Captain Godwin interrogated former Major Fukashi Hinokunia who had a grim story to tell and which was recounted to him in full detail over a meal by Staff Officer: Supply, Major Eisaku Mono who related, Major Morioka who was detailed by the GOC to remain at Parit Sulong and supervise the mass execution. This is what happened

(2) 'One hour before dark, the prisoners were ordered to make their way to an assembly point at the rear of a row of damaged shops. Those who were unable to walk were carried by the walking wounded, while others, also walking wounded were made to carry the bodies of their dead comrades who were laying in the dust. The pretext used to entice the Indian and Australian prisoners to drag themselves to what was in the designated execution site, was that medical treatment, and food. Concealed within the rear rooms of damaged shops, three squads of executioners waited behind tripod mounted heavy machine-guns.

When all of the prisoners had arrived at the assembly point and were either sitting or laying prone, depending on the seriousness of their wounds, the machine-guns began their wicked thumping chatter of death. Such concentrated machine-gun fire cut swathes of carnage from three different points, enfilading the closely grouped prisoners. chopping flesh and limbs to pieces. When cries of pain and shock were silenced, so were the machine-guns. Morioka mentioned to Hinokunia that seven prisoners had to be bayoneted despite the concentrated gun-fire. They had still showed signs of life. Funeral pyres were quickly expedited per the simple method of collapsing six abandoned shops with mortars and hand grenades. following which 161 bodies were carried in an endless stream to the timber dry debris and placed in piles where the engulfing flames would consume most efficiently. A considerable amount of paraffin obtained from a captured lorries forty gallon drums and some sixty gallons of gasoline, were then splashed and spilled over and around the corpses. To ensure total incineration, tyres and demolition material from the walls and verandahs of the collapsed buildings. were also heaped onto the quite large pyres.

At 8 pm, according to Major Hinokuma and as related by Major Morioka. he. Morioka, gave the signal for everyone to stand well clear. Then a flaming torch was thrown. The demolished buildings erupted with a whooshing cataclysmic roar. In the event four adjacent dwellings and nine shops burned to the ground before midnight. As told to Flinokuma by Morioka, the stench of roasting flesh permeated the warm night air until the small hours of the morning when the fierce flames had reduced to mere flickers above piles of grey white ash. But even then, radiated heat Irom concealed red hot embers could be felt twenty yards away. Without any doubt, the mass cremation. I ike the execution, was an outstanding example of efficiency. Morioka told Hinokuma it was 4 am before he snatched a few hours sleep. He awoke at a little after lOam and ste; outside into the hot morning sunlight he stared across ati the shops had stood. Nothing remained except scattered mounds of grey ash little more than two feet high. Clearly incineration had been total. After enjoying a good breakfast and self-satisfied at the report he would be able to give the Chief of Staff of HQ Konoe Division, now temporarily quartered at Batu Pahat, he left Parit Sulong at about midday and was driven south to rejoin HQ Konoe Divison.' This interrogation will continue as a high priority.

AFTER A GREAT DEAL OF RESEARCH THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED AS THE VICTIMS..............Baxter Eric J NX6903 2/15 Fd RA 23 New Sth Wales

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Debt of Honour Register.