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Frank Clements

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Release and homecoming

The dropping of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 marked the end of the war with Japan. 190 members of the camp had died by the time of the surrender, with 154 perishing in the last six months of the war.

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Clements remembers being released from the POW camp. (RNM)

To read a transcript of this oral history follow the link

The Japanese sent the POWs to a hospital in Makassar at the end of the war. They boarded HMS Maidstone and sailed to Australia after the signing of the peace treaty.

Clements spent a fortnight in Australia at a naval barracks recuperating from his ordeal. He was able to send a message back to his wife in England whilst there in order to let her know that he was still alive.

His wife had waited for him throughout the war despite the letters she had received. Many former POWs were not so fortunate and returned home to find that their wives had remarried in their absence.

Letter written by Clements to his wife on release from POW camp

Letter written by Clements to his wife on release from POW camp (RNM)

Clements sailed for South Africa along with around another 200 former prisoners. He then sailed on to Great Britain from there and finally returned home in December 1945. He remained on leave in England until his release from naval service in April 1946.

Frank Clements later stated about his time as a prisoner of war that 'I suppose basically you could only sort of hope, hope that the end would come, and you would be safe enough to be about.'