The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru

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.

March saw the UK première and general release of Fang Li's documentary film "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru".

Cinemas across the UK are continuing to screen "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru" the next dates are listed below

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.