WW2 NEW ZEALAND GROUP TO ABLE SEAMAN WILLIAM HOLLAND WHO WAS MURDERED BY THE JAPANESE

Murdered by the Japanese Group to Able Seaman William Holland.

Murdered by Japanese P.O.W. Group of 5 to Able Seaman William Holland, New Zealand Shipping Company's Motor Vessel "Hauraki".

1939/45 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal and New Zealand War Service Medal unnamed as issued. New Zealand Memorial Cross GVI in presentation case the reverse correctly impressed W Holland Merchant Navy.

A scarce NZ Merchant Navy Memorial Cross group with copy research. An article about William Holland and his demise appeared in Medal News dated April 2015 pages 33-34 and contains a photo of him.

William Holland was born in Bethnal Green, London 13th September 1902, he first went to sea in October 1919 as a Deck Boy, on the outbreak of the Second World War he was an Able Seaman aboard the New Zealand Shipping Company’s Motor Vessel Hauraki. On the night of 12th July 1942 Hauraki, unarmed, was sailing alone bound for the Middle East from Freemantle, Australia carrying was supplies, she was intercepted and boarded in the Indian Ocean by the Aikoku and Hokoku Maru, Japanese Armed Merchant Raiders. Captain A W Creese and his crew were taken to Singapore and interned in Changi Prison. Some crew members including Able Seamen and Engineers were held on board under guard and were forced to sail the ship to Japan, William Holland was one of the Able Seamen. During the voyage bottles with notes were thrown overboard at night detailing the ship’s course and speed, in the hope they would be picked up by Allied warships. Much sabotage was also done to the ship, by the time it arrived at Yokohama the engines had almost ceased, and the ships plans and spares thrown overboard, it was to be a year before the ship was seaworthy again. Once in Japan the crew were sent to the Shingawa Work Camp, attached to the Yokohama shipyards, where the treatment of POW’s was bad including forces labour, poor food, beatings, and few medicines. William Holland became ill with Tuberculosis, about this time the Work camp became the Shinagawa POW Hospital Camp, this was the main Hospital camp for the Tokyo area which was administered by the Japanese but run by Allied POW Doctors and Orderlies. In March 1945 Captain (Doctor) Hisakichi Tokuda, Japanese Army Medical Corps assumed total control and took over the treatment of patients. Doctor Tokuda was incompetent and believed he could cure Tuberculosis by injecting intravenously Soya Bean Milk. William Holland was admitted to the Hospital at the end of 1944 and was confined to Barracks No 5 with various (wrong) diagnoses by Dr Tokuda, discharged in September 1944, he was re-admitted in April 1945 with multiple medical problems. On around 9th July 1945 against his consent injected intravenously with 20 mls of Soya Bean Milk into a vein (Contains vitamin B and administered orally to treat Beri Beri). The result was Holland started to convulse lasting six hours then went into a coma and died at 0200 hours on 10th July 1945 (recorded officially as 12th July the date varies slightly). Doctor Tokuda was responsible for other POW’s deaths, he was tried for war crimes in Yokohama, Japan, by the US Authorities, his trial commencing on 8th September 1947 lasting to 2nd January 1948. Found guilty of violating the Laws and Customs of War, carrying out medical experiments on POW’s etc. Found guilty he was sentenced to death by hanging but died in captivity before the sentence could be carried out. The case of William Holland included in the trial transcript with evidence on his particular case by witnesses.

William Holland was 45 years old, the son of Edward James Holland and his wife Caroline of Bethnal Green, London and now rests in an identified grave in the
Yokohama War Cemetery, Japan.

Code: 50869