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Sub-Lieutenant Frederick Hockley (born 1923) was an English Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot who was shot down over Japan while taking part in the last combat mission flown by British aircraft in the Second World War. Nine hours after Emperor Hirohito announced the unconditional surrender of Japan, on 15 Aug 1945, Hockley was secretly executed by soldiers from the Imperial Japanese Army. The two officers who instigated the killing were convicted of war crimes and hanged in Hong Kong in 1947.
Hockey was an Officer in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve flying Seafires of 24 Wing with the Fleet Air Arm on H.M.S. Indefatigable. On the 15 Aug 1945 he took off from the aircraft carrier with six other members of 24 Wing to protect 10 Fairey Firefly and Grumman Avenger fighter bombers attacking airfields in the Tokyo Bay area of Japan. With the bad weather conditions over the first airfield they were looking for another target when attacked by 12 Mitsubishi Zero fighters but were able to shoot seven of them down frightening the others off, it was then noticed that Hockley was missing.
Hockley, whose wireless was not working, had been shot down but had managed to parachute out of his stricken aircraft safely. Landed uninjured in the village of Higashimura where he was captured by Nakamura Kiyozo, an air raid warden who turned him over to the local civil defence unit. The commander there handed him over to the 426th Infantry Regiment.
While the Japanese soldiers were waiting for the Emperor's speech of surrender. After listening to the emperor announcing that the war is over, Colonel Tamura Teiichi commanding officer of 426 Regiment, called the headquarters of the 147th Division to find out what to do with Sub-Lieutenant Hockley. He was supposed to be sent to Division headquarters for interrogation. Major Hirano Noboru, the divisional chief of staff gave the order to “dispose of”. Colonel Tamura thought about querying the order but decided not to. He telephoned the local unit to inform Captain Fujino Masazo, that Hockley must be killed, "Do it in the dark so that no one can see it," he added.
Capt. Fujino was taken aback "I was very much surprised," Fujino said. "In the past, the division had never issued such an unkind order. I decided there was no other way but to send the prisoner to Colonel Tamura." Fujino told Sergeant Major Hitomi Tadao to move the prisoner to regimental headquarters, where another officer ordered him to take six soldiers equipped with shovels and pickaxes up into the mountains to dig a grave. Hockley, with his hands tied, was later led up to the mountain grave. It was about 9pm, nine hours after the emperor had officially declared the war over. "Fujino made the prisoner stand with his back to the hole,” Hitomi said. Sub-Lieutenant Hockley was blindfolded with his hands tied lightly in front. So was executed.
The details of Hockley's fate would never have been known had not Col Tamura panicked and, fearing that wild animals might find the body, ordered it to be exhumed and cremated. When American occupation forces heard of it, Tamura attempted to persuade Fujino to lie about what had happened. But he refused. Tamura, Hirano and Fujino were handed over to the British, accused of a war crime.
The trial, was held in Hong Kong in May and June of 1947. The military prosecutor was a young British Army officer, Murray Ormsby.
Ormsby say: "We hanged Tamura and Hirano on the 16th September 1947, but Fujino, who was completely honest about what had happened, was given 15 years' imprisonment".-
Hockey was an Officer in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve flying Seafires of 24 Wing with the Fleet Air Arm on H.M.S. Indefatigable. On the 15 Aug 1945 he took off from the aircraft carrier with six other members of 24 Wing to protect 10 Fairey Firefly and Grumman Avenger fighter bombers attacking airfields in the Tokyo Bay area of Japan. With the bad weather conditions over the first airfield they were looking for another target when attacked by 12 Mitsubishi Zero fighters but were able to shoot seven of them down frightening the others off, it was then noticed that Hockley was missing.
Hockley, whose wireless was not working, had been shot down but had managed to parachute out of his stricken aircraft safely. Landed uninjured in the village of Higashimura where he was captured by Nakamura Kiyozo, an air raid warden who turned him over to the local civil defence unit. The commander there handed him over to the 426th Infantry Regiment.
While the Japanese soldiers were waiting for the Emperor's speech of surrender. After listening to the emperor announcing that the war is over, Colonel Tamura Teiichi commanding officer of 426 Regiment, called the headquarters of the 147th Division to find out what to do with Sub-Lieutenant Hockley. He was supposed to be sent to Division headquarters for interrogation. Major Hirano Noboru, the divisional chief of staff gave the order to “dispose of”. Colonel Tamura thought about querying the order but decided not to. He telephoned the local unit to inform Captain Fujino Masazo, that Hockley must be killed, "Do it in the dark so that no one can see it," he added.
Capt. Fujino was taken aback "I was very much surprised," Fujino said. "In the past, the division had never issued such an unkind order. I decided there was no other way but to send the prisoner to Colonel Tamura." Fujino told Sergeant Major Hitomi Tadao to move the prisoner to regimental headquarters, where another officer ordered him to take six soldiers equipped with shovels and pickaxes up into the mountains to dig a grave. Hockley, with his hands tied, was later led up to the mountain grave. It was about 9pm, nine hours after the emperor had officially declared the war over. "Fujino made the prisoner stand with his back to the hole,” Hitomi said. Sub-Lieutenant Hockley was blindfolded with his hands tied lightly in front. So was executed.
The details of Hockley's fate would never have been known had not Col Tamura panicked and, fearing that wild animals might find the body, ordered it to be exhumed and cremated. When American occupation forces heard of it, Tamura attempted to persuade Fujino to lie about what had happened. But he refused. Tamura, Hirano and Fujino were handed over to the British, accused of a war crime.
The trial, was held in Hong Kong in May and June of 1947. The military prosecutor was a young British Army officer, Murray Ormsby.
Ormsby say: "We hanged Tamura and Hirano on the 16th September 1947, but Fujino, who was completely honest about what had happened, was given 15 years' imprisonment".-
From
littleportsociety.org.uk
dirkdeklein.net
