Nagasaki: The Forgotten Prisoners

Join John Willis as he unveils the forgotten story of the Allied prisoners of war who survived the devastating Nagasaki nuclear bomb.

At 11.02am on 9 August 1945, the world’s most powerful atomic bomb exploded over the Japanese port of Nagasaki. The city was flattened and more than 70,000 Japanese were killed.

Unbeknown to the crew of the US Army Air Forces planes carrying the bomb, hundreds of Allied prisoners were at work on the ground below. Already, these prisoners had experienced nearly four years of malnutrition, disease and harsh labour. Now, they were to witness one of the most significant events in modern history.

In this insightful talk, John Willis will be highlighting one of the greatest survival stories of the Second World War. Using unpublished and rarely seen notes, interviews and memoirs, he will reveal the experiences of these survivors and demonstrate how their stories paint a picture of defeat, endurance and, ultimately, resilience against all odds.