Pacific Wrecks - Featherston POW Camp, North Island, New Zealand

Missing In Action (MIA)

Prisoners Of War (POW)

Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)

Chronology

Featherston POW Camp North Island New Zealand

Location
Featherston POW Camp was located at Featherston in the South Wairarapa District, Wellington Region of the North island of New Zealand. Located to the southwest is Wellington.

Wartime History
During the Pacific War, Featherston POW Camp was established at this location to detain Japanese Prisoners Of War (POW) detained in the South Pacific. Prisoners were assigned to work details in the area.

During February 1943, tensions in the Featherston camp in New Zealand increased when a large contingent of prisoners captured after naval battles in Iron Bottom Sound north of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Among the prisoners, several Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) junior officers from Furutaka led other harliners in the camp plus other more moderate prisoners in a strike over labor conditions.

Featherston Riot
On February 25, 1943, Lt(jg) Adachi Totaro led a sit down protest opposing work detail. Frightened New Zealand guards opened fire on the protesters and one of the Japanese officers was shot by the camp’s deputy commander, Lieutenant Malcolm. In response, a melee broke out with 240 rebellious prisoners rioting. When it ended, one New Zealand soldier was killed: Private Walter Allan Pelvin, 496685 and several others were wounded. 48 Japanese POWs were killed and many wounded.

Aftermath
The Japanese government protested the “massacre” of unarmed nationals at Featherston – without directly referring to them as “prisoners of war” – the New Zealand court of inquiry cleared the camp authorities of any blame, though it did feel the “extreme action of Lieutenant Malcolm” was the immediate act of provocation. Adachi Toshio survived, was repatriated to Japan where he was to become a minister and visited Featherston in 1986 on a missions of remembrance and goodwill.

References
The Featherston Chronicles tells the story of the riot.
CWGC - Walter Allan Pelvin

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Last Updated
October 23, 2019

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