Featherstone Prisoner of War Camp. Featherstone. New Zealand. - WWII Prisoner of War Camps on Waymarking.com

Featherston was the site of New Zealand's largest military training camp during the First World War, housing 7500 men, before being dismantled after the war. It was re-established in 1942 to house 800 Japanese prisoners of war.

During the Second World War in September 1942, at the request of the US military, an internment camp for Japanese army prisoners of war was established at Featherston, near Wellington. By 1943 the camp held about 800 Japanese, mostly captured in the South Pacific. While many accepted their situation, some refused to work, and in February 1943 they went on strike. This sparked a riot and a tragic incident where armed guards opened fire on the prisoners, killing 31 instantly; 17 died later.

A military court of enquiry exonerated New Zealand, but acknowledged the fundamental psychological and racial differences between captor and captive, and the lack of a common language. The Japanese government did not accept the court’s decision.

The tragedy remains a testimony to cultural misunderstanding. Today, a plaque commemorates the site with a 17th-century haiku:

Behold the summer grass
All that remains
Of the dreams of warriors.

The Featherstone Heritage museum houses a collection of photo's and documents reflecting life at the Featherston Military Training Camp (c1916-1924) and the Japanese Prisoner of War Camp (c1942-1946) which was built on the same site as the Training camp.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/23/2016 waiiti20 visited it 09/01/2011 Punga and Paua visited it

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