Welcome to the Veterans UK website - Free Veterans Helpline 0800 169 22 77

Veterans Issues

Veterans Health
General Interest
Homelessness
Remembrance
Veterans Programme
Miscellaneous

Far Eastern Prisoners of War (FEPOW)

Eligibility to claim
There are six categories of person who are entitled to make a claim to the ex-gratia payment. These are:

1. a surviving former member of HM Armed Forces who was held as a Japanese prisoner of war in the Far East during the second World War;
2. a surviving former service personnel who received payments under Article 16 of the 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan in 1951 under the auspices of the British Government. These were certain members of the then colonial forces, Indian Army and Burmese Armed Forces;
3. a surviving former member of the Colonial Forces who was held as a Japanese prisoner of war, was British at the time of internment and who can show that they lived in the UK for at least 20 years between 1 January 1945 and 7 November 2000.
4. a surviving member of the Merchant Navy who was imprisoned by the Japanese in the Far East during the Second World War. For the purposes of this scheme, a member of the Merchant Navy is a person who has been employed, or engaged as, or for service as, a mariner in a British ship:
5. a surviving civilian who was British and interned by the Japanese in the Far East during the Second World War and who can demonstrate a close link to the United Kingdom. A close link to the UK is shown by satisfying the new residency criteria, based on at least 20 years residence in the UK between 1 January 1945 and 7 November 2000, or the criteria of the UK’s 1950’s compensation scheme.
6. the surviving widow or widower of a deceased person who would otherwise have been entitled under category a), b), c) d) or e) above, providing that they were still married at the time of death.

Please request the following claim form:

WPA 0009C Ex FEPOW or Merchant Seamen imprisoned by the Japanese or a Civilian Internee
WPA 0009W SURVIVING SPOUSE of an Ex FEPOW or Merchant Seamen imprisoned by the Japanese or a Civilian Internee Civilian Internees or their surviving spouses

by clicking here 

Top of page