JAPANESE WAR CRIMES
A letter sent to the Australian parliament regarding the demise of over 1,000 Australians.
“The Montevideo Maru was a Japanese transport ship sailing from Rabaul to Japan with
a manifest of 1035 Australian prisoners-
There has been a long term suspicion that the Japanese used the opportunity of the sinking of this ship to account for victims of their illegal and barbaric executions.”
BETRAYAL, CONSPIRACY & CONTROVERSY
We are looking for evidence of how our father/grandfather/great grand father Harold Jo Ross died, after the Jap invasion of Rabaul, Territory of New Guinea January 23rd, 1942. I have the note that was addressed to my mother Marjorie Ross in Sydney from him, saying he was in a Jap. POW camp & not to worry. That was the last she heard from him.
His name was on the Montevideo Maru list, which was ostensibly taking them to Japan's coalmines... but it was sunk by the USS Sturgeon near the Phillipines enroute.
As well my Grandfather Edmund Martin Hawnt was listed; there were 1053 Australian civilians/English/"Herstein" crew/ PNGVR/ other names of men who were all "drowned" on this ship.
Cynthia Schmidt's father was beheaded in Rabaul before this ship left for Japan ... yet his name also was on the MvM list.
Please help us now to establish whether they were killed in Rabaul as well OR actually on the MvMaru, as claimed by both the Australian & Japanese Government officials.
Thanking you in advance, may God bless us all,
Janet Ross Dykgraaff.