Thomas David Frank Evans
Encyclopedia
Thomas David Frank Evans (1917-1996) was a British soldier during World War II
, during which he was also a Prisoner of War
of the Japanese Army. He published his memoirs in Welsh and English in the 1980s.
in Wales
. He was dispatched to the Crown Colony of Hong Kong
as a member of the British Army (Royal Army Pay Corps
) in 1941. As a result of the Battle of Hong Kong
in December 1941, he was captured by the Japanese Army and interned at the Sham Shui Po and Argyle Street POW camps in Hong Kong and later transferred to the Oeyama POW Camp, Iwataki Town, Yoza-gun, Kyoto Prefecture
where he was forced to work in the open-pit nickel mine in Kaya and the smelting factory in Iwataki together with nearly 700 POW's from countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and the USA.
The POW's were released from the camp in September 1945 after the defeat of Japan in the Pacific War and Frank Evans returned to Wales in November. Nearly ten per cent of the POW's in the Oeyama camp had died of malnutrition, hard labour and torture when the war was over.
He privately published his memoirs in Welsh in 1981 and later in English in 1985. The English version, Roll Call at Oeyama, P.O.W. Remembers, is known as one of the important accounts of POW's experience in Hong Kong and Japan. It is also quite unique as it combines his memories from World War II
and the process of post-war reconciliation between his former enemies and himself as a result of his 1984 visit to Japan.
Roll Call at Oeyama, P.O.W. Remembers is quoted in Long Night's Journey into Day by Dr. Charles G. Roland (Wilfrid Laurier University
Press, 2001) and in We shall Suffer There by Tony Banham
(Hong Kong University Press, March 2009). It is also quoted in an English language textbook in Japan for senior high school students by the Kairyudo Press and in Amerika Kokka Hangyaku-zai (A Case of Treason in the (Post-War) USA) in Japanese by Tetsuro Shimojima (Kodansha Press, Tokyo, 1993). This book deals with Tomoya Kawakita who was convicted of treason after World War II for his acts against US POW's as an interpreter at the Oeyama nickel mine.
Frank Evans visited the former Oeyama POW camp site for the first time since the end of World War II in 1984 and had a memorial for his comrades erected at the former nickel mine site with cooperation from the Town of Kaya (now a part of Town of Yosano) and Nippon Yakin Company Ltd. This visit and the 1985 visit by Mayor Takuichi Hosoi of Kaya to Aberystwyth enabled the two municipalities to establish exchange programs for their respective high school students and citizens.
Evans died in Aberystwyth
in 1996.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, during which he was also a Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
of the Japanese Army. He published his memoirs in Welsh and English in the 1980s.
Biography
Frank Evans was born in 1917 in Llanwnnen, LampeterLampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He was dispatched to the Crown Colony of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
as a member of the British Army (Royal Army Pay Corps
Royal Army Pay Corps
The Royal Army Pay Corps was a former corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992....
) in 1941. As a result of the Battle of Hong Kong
Battle of Hong Kong
The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II. It began on 8 December 1941 and ended on 25 December 1941 with Hong Kong, then a Crown colony, surrendering to the Empire of Japan.-Background:...
in December 1941, he was captured by the Japanese Army and interned at the Sham Shui Po and Argyle Street POW camps in Hong Kong and later transferred to the Oeyama POW Camp, Iwataki Town, Yoza-gun, Kyoto Prefecture
Kyoto Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Kyoto prefecture was known as Yamashiro....
where he was forced to work in the open-pit nickel mine in Kaya and the smelting factory in Iwataki together with nearly 700 POW's from countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and the USA.
The POW's were released from the camp in September 1945 after the defeat of Japan in the Pacific War and Frank Evans returned to Wales in November. Nearly ten per cent of the POW's in the Oeyama camp had died of malnutrition, hard labour and torture when the war was over.
He privately published his memoirs in Welsh in 1981 and later in English in 1985. The English version, Roll Call at Oeyama, P.O.W. Remembers, is known as one of the important accounts of POW's experience in Hong Kong and Japan. It is also quite unique as it combines his memories from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the process of post-war reconciliation between his former enemies and himself as a result of his 1984 visit to Japan.
Roll Call at Oeyama, P.O.W. Remembers is quoted in Long Night's Journey into Day by Dr. Charles G. Roland (Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
Press, 2001) and in We shall Suffer There by Tony Banham
Tony Banham
Tony Banham is founder of the Hong Kong War Diary project, which studies and documents the 1941 defence of Hong Kong, the defenders, their families, and the fates of all until liberation...
(Hong Kong University Press, March 2009). It is also quoted in an English language textbook in Japan for senior high school students by the Kairyudo Press and in Amerika Kokka Hangyaku-zai (A Case of Treason in the (Post-War) USA) in Japanese by Tetsuro Shimojima (Kodansha Press, Tokyo, 1993). This book deals with Tomoya Kawakita who was convicted of treason after World War II for his acts against US POW's as an interpreter at the Oeyama nickel mine.
Frank Evans visited the former Oeyama POW camp site for the first time since the end of World War II in 1984 and had a memorial for his comrades erected at the former nickel mine site with cooperation from the Town of Kaya (now a part of Town of Yosano) and Nippon Yakin Company Ltd. This visit and the 1985 visit by Mayor Takuichi Hosoi of Kaya to Aberystwyth enabled the two municipalities to establish exchange programs for their respective high school students and citizens.
Evans died in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
in 1996.