Information
William Rose
After Sergeant William Rose was captured in
long years. First he was taken to one of the
most brutal camps in Japan near Mitsushima
to build a dam. William was then sent to
Kanose camp to stoke furnaces. This hard
were badly treated.
‘ln 1945 it was the furthest thing from my
thoughts that l would ever have any contact
with Japan again.’ Years later William’s
second son Graham married Takako from
Japan who convinced William to go back.
In 1999 he and his son Malcolm visited  
the site of Mitsushima camp which is now
a school. This visit changed Willlam’s life.
HU_091748; S5 imperial War 28 © imperial War Museum
March 1942, he was a prisoner of war for four
work was more difficult because the prisoners
William Hos  



information
illiam Rose
William’s first son aloolm was orn in May 1942.
William did not know this until May 1944 when this letter
osted in October 1943, finally reached him in the camp
He wrote; ‘I felt like a real Dad at last. l longed fora photo
of him. l wanted to know all about him. l felt on such
a high that l started telling the lads how much they had
to live for. l think the whole camp knew l had a son
l couldn’t keep that news to myself.’
e wrote notes on the back for a religious talk he gave
to his fellow prisoners of war to help keep their spirits up
RoseWC 013186 5; RoseWC 013186 6 © imperial War Museum