Outline of the chronicle of the Himeji and Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camps

1914

July 28: World War I broke out.
August 23: Japan declared war on Germany.
November 7: The German base at Qingdao fell.
November 11: The establishment of prisoner of war camps was announced to Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Himeji, Matsuyama, Marugame, Fukuoka and Kumamoto.
November 20: About 300 prisoners arrived in Himeji from Hiroshima by train.
November 25: A post exchange opened at the Himeji Prisoner of War Camp.
November 26: Himeji City Mayor Hori paid a visit to three prisoner of war camps to express his sympathy.
December 1: Prisoners were allowed to make excursions and they climbed Himeji Castle.
December 2: The establishment of prisoner of war camps was announced in Oita City, Tokushima City and Shizuoka City, which meant that 12 cities hosted the camps.
December 25: A Christmas celebration was held at the camps.

1915

January 4: Prisoners went on an excursion to Dainichikawahara, Ichikawa. At around this time, prisoners’ job description surveys started being conducted.
March 19: An incident of violence among prisoners occurred in the camp at Semba-Hontokuji Temple.
April 6: Prisoners went on an excursion to the banks of the Yumesaki River.
June 3: A prisoner transfer order was issued and construction of a camp started at Aonogahara on June 10.
June 7: Prisoners went on an excursion to Mt. Hiromine.
September: Prisoners started the work of leveling the ground of the Johoku Drill Ground.
September 15: Notification against humiliation and inconvenience of prisoners was issued by Mayor Ono.
September 20: Prisoners moved from Himeji Station by train to transfer to the Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camp.
September 21: The Himeji Prisoner of War Camp was closed down.
September 25: Ninety prisoners were transferred from the Fukuoka Prisoner of War Camp to the Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camp.
October: Thirteen 13 prisoners from Istria, Trieste and Dalmatia were transferred to the Marugame Prisoner of War Camp.

1916

March 31: Bruno Pinski, a prisoner of Italian origin, submitted drawings of bombs.
November: Seventy-four prisoners were transferred from the Fukuoka Prisoner of War Camp.

1917

October 29: The Spanish Minister to Japan, who represented Austria-Hungary, visited the Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camp.

1918

March: Considering the high cost of mending and repairing military boots due to the surge in prices, geta replaced them.
May: Six prisoners worked at Heitaro Izumi’s factory for designing engines and manufacturing pumps for seven hours a day.
March: The sales operation of the post exchange was changed from a dealer’s contracted sales to commission sales by four committee members selected from among the prisoners.
July 10: A large fight broke out among the prisoners.
July: A baker’s oven was installed, after which the prisoners started baking their own bread.
July: Representatives of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement visited the Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camp.
August 2: Twenty of the prisoners interned at the Kurume Prisoner of War Camp were transferred to the Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camp.
November 6: Prisoners visited the Saho Shrine.
November 9: It was decided that an exhibition of works produced by prisoners would be postponed due to influenza.
November 11: The Armistice Treaty of World War I was signed.
December 14: An exhibition of works produced by prisoners was held (until Dec. 19).

1919

February 19: Influenza raged within the camp and 32 prisoners fell victim. Some army surgeons and nurses also became ill.
March 30: A charity concert was held at the camp.
May: A friendship soccer game was played with the team from the Himeji Teachers’ College.
May: Viktor Klobucar produced an oil painting of a farm in the barley harvest season.
July 13: A friendship soccer game was played with the team from Ono Junior High School.
December 5: Yugoslav prisoners, including Klobucar, set out for home.
December 27: A total of 222 prisoners boarded the Kifuku Maru at Kobe to return to their home country.

1920

January 23: Seven prisoners left for Qingdao and another seven left to work at a domestic factory.
January 26: The last 123 prisoners were released.
January 27: The last prisoners returned to their mother country on the Hudson from Kobe or left to become police officers in the Dutch Indies (the current Indonesia).
February 29: The Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camp was closed down.