LiMMA : Preserving the Memory of the Lisbon Maru
On 2nd October 1942 the Lisbon Maru was sunk with the Loss of 828 British Prisoners of War
The sinking of the Lisbon Maru was a largely forgotten and unrecorded incident until recently.
The Lisbon Maru was a Japanese freighter, which was used to transport prisoners of war in the Far East and one of many vessels, which came to be known as the "hell ships".
Following the Fall of Hong Kong in December 1941, many service personnel were taken prisoner. The Lisbon Maru sailed from Hong Kong en route to Shanghai and Japan, transporting the POWs to provide labour for the Japanese war effort.
There was nothing to identify the Lisbon Maru as carrying POWs and sadly she was torpedoed. The events which followed being one of many tragic episodes of the war in the Far East.
The histories of Hong Kong and World War II form the backdrop to the Lisbon Maru story.
The stories and records from the battle for Hong Kong, the treatment of Far East prisoners of war, US submarine pacific operations, the selfless act of the Chinese fishermen each have their own stories, but all are inextricably linked to the sinking of Lisbon Maru.
There are many aspects to these stories and many people working hard to make sure that all those on the Lisbon Maru are not forgotten. Over time we hope to bring these stories together.
The Lisbon Maru Memorial Association (LiMMA)
LiMMA was set-up to faciliate bringing the history of events leading up to and following the sinking of the Lisbon Maru to present and future generations and to arrange an annual gathering of remembrance at the Lisbon Maru Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum.
We need as much help as possible, so if you haven't become a member of LiMMA yet, please take a few moments to do so. You don't have to be a relative to join, just have an interest in the history.
Thank you to everyone who has shared photos and stories of your loved ones who were aboard the Lisbon Maru. Your contributions help keep their memories alive. Please also take a moment to fill out the Personal Information Sheet for your loved ones, so their stories can be recorded and shared.
Both the Membership Form and Personal Information Sheet can be found on our Join LiMMA page.
Thank you all for your continued support.
VJ Day Commemorations
August 15th 2025
The Royal British Legion will be holding two events at the National Memorial Arboretum; one during the day and one in the evening. The midday service will be in partnership with the UK Government, Remembering VJ Day: 80 Years On. LiMMA has been offered 10 places for members, on a first come, first served basis. Please apply by 23rd June to limmauk@gmail.com with your Title, First Name, Surname and Email Address.
August 16th 2025
A special commemorative Service of Remembrance will be held at 2.00pm on 16th August at Lichfield Cathedral. Please contact Chris Wills, COFEPOW National Event Co-ordinator by email to chriswills5071@gmail.com
August 17th 2025
A short service will also be held on 17th August at the FEPOW Memorial Buiding and Grove at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire. Again please contact Chris Wills.
August 30th 2025
The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (Volunteers) Association will be holding an informal remembrance service to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day at their memorial, which is in the Far East section of the National Memorial Arboretum not very far from the Lisbon Maru Memorial. The Regiment fought bravely in the Battle for Hong Kong and a number of members of the Regiment were on the Lisbon Maru.
Lisbon Maru in Parliament
On 15th May 2025 Kirsteen Sullivan MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow raised the tragedy of the Lisbon Maru sinking in response to a letter from LiMMA member Gerry Borge. She said:
"My constituent Gerry Borge shared with me the story of his father's and uncle's service with the Royal Scots in the Far East during World War Two. Next Tuesday, a memorial will be unveiled in the Zhoushan islands to commemorate the death of over 800 allied servicemen who were captive on the sunken freighter Lisbon Maru, and hundreds of survivors rescued by Chinese fishermen who braved the seas. Gerry will be in attendance, representing his family members who survived. Will the Leader of the House make a statement on remembering those who perished in the tragedy, and the bravery of the rescuers?". The speech can be seen on parliamentlive.tv.
How you can help
In the run up to VJ day we would like as many people as possible to write to their MP. Please ask your MP to raise the issue of whether a National Day of Commemoration will be held similar to that for VE Day, so that those individuals who were still fighting or held as POWs in the Far East, such as the men on the Lisbon Maru, are not forgotten.
Remembrance Sunday
November 9th 2025
Lisbon Maru relatives and descendants have been invited to attend the National Remembrance Parade at the Cenotaph in London on Sunday 9th November 2025.
We have a limited number of spaces available for LiMMA members. This will be an annual invitation and, as an association, we will endeavour to make this event available to as many members as we can in the future.
This year we will be allocating spaces on the parade by means of a ballot. If you would like to be included in this ballot, please send your application to limmauk@gmail.com.
Applications will close on 5th September and the successful members will be contacted by 10th September with joining information. Please note that, in the first instance, direct family descendants of the Lisbon Maru POWs will be given precedence for places.
It is also hoped that we can secure a plot in the memorial garden where we will be able to plant memorial crosses to remember our relatives.
Lisbon Maru Memorial Service
October 2nd 2025
Every year on October 2nd, the Lisbon Maru Memorial Association (LiMMA) organises a Service of Remembrance for the POWs aboard the Lisbon Maru.
This year's service will begin promptly at 12:00pm on Thursday, 2nd October 2025, at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Alrewas near Lichfield, Staffordshire. We will gather in front of the Lisbon Maru Memorial for a simple, respectful ceremony lasting approximately one hour.
The annual gathering is an important opportunity to honour and remember those we lost and to connect with others, who share this heritage. Everyone is welcome and we sincerely hope you can join us.
Anthony Jones, Chairman, Lisbon Maru Memorial Association
The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru
Showing across the UK
Cinemas across the UK are continuing to screen "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru." If you haven't seen the film yet, it is well worth a watch and please pass this on to all those you believe might be interested in seeing the film.
How you can you help in your local area
The aim is now to focus on community cinema leading up to VJ Day in August. A key organisation is Cinema for All, an association with hundreds of members which supports film societies and community cinemas across the UK.
If you are interested in helping to get the film screened in a community cinema near you please visit this link:
https://mycommunitycinema.org.uk/find-a-cinema/
Enter your postcode and find your nearest community cinema. You can then propose the film and if they are interested, you can share with them a link to the booking form:
https://us3.list-manage.com/survey?u=33fa1e2bfd775a341fcd076ab&id=b2c8c5500e.
Lisbon Maru Memorial Award
During our visit to Dongji in June 2024, as a group we thought it would be a nice idea to set up a "living memorial" for the Lisbon Maru.
It was proposed by Kath Birch that we offer a Lisbon Maru Memorial Award to a student in Zhoushan and have a sister trophy at Kaths own school St Damien's in Ashton Under Lyne.
With thanks to Kent Shum and Kath, we exchanged awards and in May of 2025 during our visit to Dongji after the unveiling of the monument, myself and my son were honoured to present the award to a Chinese student Zhu Yunqian who is studying History at Zhejiang Ocean University.
On June 25th 2025 the same award was presented at St Damien's to a year 7 student for History.
As you will see from the actual award, it has been donated on behalf of all families and relatives of those on board.
This annual award will be presented in the UK and China, preserving the memory of our relatives and also continuing our friendship across thousands of miles.
Dongji Memorial Unveiling
20th May 2025
The Chinese Memorial, located on Qingbang Island, Dongji Town, Zhoushan, East China is dedicated to the Chinese fishermen who saved the lives of hundreds of POWs during the Lisbon Maru incident.
The memorial was unveiled on Tuesday 20th May 2025. Anthony Jones, our Chairman, was present along with several other members to represent the Lisbon Maru Memorial Association (LiMMA). We see this as a significant event towards the recognition all involved deserve.