A plaque commemorating American soldiers who died in the atomic bombing is located at the former Chugoku Military Police Headquarters where American POWs were held. The plaque was created by Shigeaki Mori, atomic bomb survivor and historian. It prays for the peaceful repose of 10 POW victims of the atomic bombing, including six soldiers aboard the Lonesome Lady.

On July 28, 1945, US B-24 bombers Lonesome Lady, Taloa, and other carrier-based aircraft attacked Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture. The Japanese battleship Haruna shot down planes with anti-aircraft fire and Lonesome Lady eventually crashed in Ikachi, Kuga of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The pilot in command, Lt. Cartwright, and other crew members were captured as POWs and taken to the Chugoku Military Police Headquarters for interrogation. Later, three US soldiers, including Lt. Cartwright, were transferred to the Tokyo Military Police Headquarters. The rest of the soldiers who remained at the Chugoku Military Police Headquarters all perished in the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945.

Shigeaki Mori began his investigation into American POWs in Hiroshima in the mid-1970s and continued to correspond with bereaved family members of the POWs, including US B-24 bomber Lonesome Lady pilot Lt. Cartwright. On July 29, 1998, he registered memorial portraits of the deceased POWs at an atomic bombing commemoration facility on behalf of their bereaved families and erected a memorial plaque at the location where the American POWs were held.

Information

Plaque Commemorating American Soldiers Who Died in the Atomic Bombing

• Address

  12-8 Moto-machi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima

• Access

  3-minute walk from Kamiya-cho Higashi streetcar station

• MAP

  [map]

  Tap the name of the facility on Google Map and tap "View on Google Maps" to launch the application.