De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Fw: Some descriptive words, please

Date: lundi 27 juin 2005 2:48

 

Compared to Dachau, Buchenwald, Auschwitz, and so on, Weihsien was a delightful place.  When I have shown people pictures of the Weihsien inmates welcoming our liberators on August 17, 1945, my friends have remarked that it really does not appear as if we were starving.

 

However I believe that we really were very seriously undernourished nevertheless.  Some of us suffered very greatly even though we may not have been conscious of hunger pangs during the war.  I personally spent a year as a teenage patient in a "psych ward" a couple of years after the war, having to drop out of my senior year in high school.  My doctor who had great insight into these things said that I was "suffering from 'adreno-cortical starvation' which was the result of prolonged malnutrition in a Japanese concentration camp."  My troubles were far from over when I was released from the hospital and I have voluntarily returned from time to time for psychological counselling.

 

In spite of this I personally do not recall feeling "deprived" at the time of my internment.  After all, I was no different from my fellow boarding school students.  My meals and camp duties were the same as those of my contemporaries.  Bread and water for breakfast became "bread porridge" (not a Japanese euphemism but a term coined by our own inmate leaders).

 

Thin "soup" with a few sickly veggies became (on the Kitchen One Menu Board) "Hash, Mash, and Splash."

 

My fellow students and I learned by the example of our teachers who were in loco parentis to us to "make light" of our woes which might otherwise have been unbearable.

 

Those of you with a background in medicine please correct me if I am wrong but I understand that the human stomach shrinks to accommodate the scanty meals provided during times of malnourishment so that we actually do NOT suffer from severe hunger pangs.

 

In fact so unaccustomed were we to really full meals that some of my fellow students actually became "sick" initially following our liberation when they found themselves eating more than they could handle.

 

Camp Vegetation

 

The square, two sides of which were bordered by Blocks 23 and 24 were actually like quite a pleasing park.  This is thanks to the Presbyterian missionaries (including old Dr Luce, father of TIME, LIFE and FORTUNE founder Henry R Luce).  The Presbyterians majored in education - both secular and Christian. Old

Dr Luce, for example, was behind the "university movement" in China around the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries.

 

There were many species of beautiful shade trees at Weihsien.  I remember the lovely mimosa trees.  There were also many plane trees and of course locust (or

acacia) trees with their beautiful fragrant blossoms.

In the same area were delightful flower gardens thanks to a diligent Englishwoman, Mrs Jowett who probably had one of the greenest thumbs I have ever known.

 

Mrs. Jowett had many ardent young disciples, one of whom was your humble servant when aged 12 and 13.  I grew watermelons, beans, radishes, portulaca and lettuce, among other plants.

 

It's true we did suffer - but Weihsien had its many blessings and contains, by the grace of God many of my truly best boyhood memories.

 

Sincerely

 

David

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>; "Zartusa." <lportnell@juno.com>

Objet: Re: The Young Chemist

Date: lundi 27 juin 2005 17:51

 

I'm pretty certain the young chemist was Gerry Lucker, who's folks had owned the Ford agency in Tientsin. He also went on to make sugar for us from some common commodity we had on hand, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. He and Lucy Attree were married in Tientsin a year or so after our liberation.

 

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Fw: Some descriptive words, please

Date: mardi 28 juin 2005 9:58

 

 

David, my sentiments completely.!

           And I've posted some similar thoughts, before.

 

Perhaps, an interesting exercise should be undertaken for the sake of putting some old memories in their true perspective.

 

Start it by listing every major war time internment or concentration camp in the last century, while noting the conditions, treatment and everything else you care to think of, related to them.

Throw in those who have been kidnapped and held captive, terrorised with a gun to their head, blindfolded and chained to a wall for lengthy periods( no living being should have to endure), in places like Lebanon, etc....

Not forgetting the numbers that did not survived and whether they died of natural causes or not.

 

 

For those who need to go further, try this if you must.

Rate all items on a 'good' to 'bad' scale of 1 to 10 (or vice versa), then arrange your list of camps in diminishing order and see what you come up with.

 

I can't help remembering the energy we expended, whether it was working and manning the PUMPS or PLAYing in our various sports, with the running, jumping and 'tug a war' of the Empire day games, as well, AND don't forget all THAT DANCING we did, and I can't help wondering ???

 

                          How did we do all that on our empty stomachs?

 

               (Were we in a holiday camp??? sponsored by the enemy!)

 

 

 

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Some descriptive words, please

Date: mardi 28 juin 2005 10:17

 

Hello,

Go to:

http://users.skynet.be/bk217033/Weihsien/NormanCliff/history/DOCUMENTS/leftFrame.htm

I really thank Norman for giving us access to all these documents.

Historical objectivity!

I tried to read between the lines and found nowhere that Weihsien concentration camp was a horrible place to live in.

Nothing to compare with the German camps in Europe at the same time!

A+

Leopold

 

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fw:

Date: mercredi 29 juin 2005 0:40

 

For information. Joyce.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Tony & Edwina

To: Bob&Joyce Bradbury

Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 4:19 PM

Subject: Re:

 

 

This is just a quick email to let you know that unfortunately I have decided not to attend the reunion in Weihsien in August.

 

We are about to put our house on the market and Tony and I just don't know where we will be with the sale when August comes around.

 

It would have been lovely to meet everyone but just not the right time for me.  Please accept my apologies.

 

I did try to email Topica but my email was sent back because I was not on the list and I am afraid I couldn't open the registration forms etc. when sent through to me.

 

Have fun in Weihsien.

 

Regards,

Edwina

 

  ----- Original Message -----

  From: Bob&Joyce Bradbury

  To: Tony & Edwina

  Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 12:01 PM

  Subject: Re:

 

 

  That is great. I think you ought to acknowledge on WeiHsien@topica.com  that you have read details of the birth records and perhaps indicate that the date is not correct and somebody may try to sort that out. If you mention the names of people you know who were in the camp and perhaps your parents you may get interesting responses. Just send it to weihsien@topica.com  and everybody on that site will read it.Joyce

 

    ----- Original Message -----

    From: Tony & Edwina

    To: Bob&Joyce Bradbury

    Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 11:20 AM

    Subject: Re:

 

 

    Yes I did receive it but my actual date of birth is wrong.  I was born on 19th August, 1943 not September.  I don't know how much difference that will make.  If we do go it will mean that I am in Weihsien on my actual birthday!

 

    Thank you again. Edwina

 

      ----- Original Message -----

      From: Bob&Joyce Bradbury

      To: Tony & Edwina

      Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 9:32 AM

      Subject: Re:

 

 

      Edwina. Did you receive the email about details of your birth? It came through on Weihsien@topica at 6.36pm last night. I presume it is correct because it gives the birth of Edwina Ann Ross being born on 19-9-43 in WeiHsien camp. Joyce.

 

        ----- Original Message -----

        From: Tony & Edwina

        To: Bob&Joyce Bradbury

        Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 9:28 AM

        Subject: Re:

 

 

        Hello Joyce and Bob,

 

        Many thanks for all the information.  Will send my email to Sui Shude today and will then await all the details.  I then hope that Tony and I will be able to make the trip.

 

        Regards,

        Edwina

 

          ----- Original Message -----

          From: Bob&Joyce Bradbury

          To: weihsien@topica.com ; tonyandedwina@optusnet.com.au

          Sent: Monday, June 20, 2005 6:02 PM

 

          To WeiHsien Topica. I spoke on Sydney radio today about the re-union and Edwina Farr, who was born in WeiHsien camp telephoned asking for details. I have answered her call with the following. I do not know her birth name but please welcome her on tonyandedwina@optusnet.com.au   Joyce Bradbury

 

 

          Hi Edwina. Following our conversation a few minutes ago I send you the site for weihsientopica.com to enable you to find out all about the ex-inmates of the camp and a lot of details - paintings etc of the camp. Introduce yourself and I am sure someone will remember your mother etc and send you greetings. If you email Sui Shude on suishude@sohu.com  and tell him you were born there and to send you an invitation and registration form he will let you know all necessary details. As a matter of fact I will introduce you to WeiHsien topica and see what happens. Joyce Bradbury

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Opinions.

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 3:54

 

David,

Thanks for your latest which deserves a decent reply to you direct, and for that I need a free moment.

Hasty replies often end up with omissions, like failing to add previously, that when we were sent to Weihsien in '43, Japan was still all powerful and could have done as it pleased with us.    After all we were the enemy and part of WW2!

 

Even when the tide turned for Japan, and she started getting the 'hell' beaten out of her,  sustaining huge casualties both in the Pacific and Japanese mainland proper, we didn't 'cop' the back lash and still got supplied with some food and coal, to keep us going.

Realising that, I've learnt to count my blessings.  And with each passing year, any of the hardships we may have endured, seem more in significant. To me, anyway!

Cheers,        Z

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions.

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 4:30

 

  Sure we were lucky to survive the camp. Remember Armic Balianz who was brutally beaten several times in Tsingtao camp and WeiHsien camp to the extent that he was brain damaged for the rest of his life. Simply because as a Japanese speaker he would not spy for the Japanese. Also the little beggar boy in our first camp who was plucked from the street and brutally mistreated by the Jap soldiers as an example to us to behave. I do not forget the Japanese withholding food and leaving it exposed to the elements until became rotten and then releasing it to us.The same with the horse that died which was allowed to become maggot ridden before releasing it. I have nothing to thank them for. They have not even deigned to apologise to us.Joyce

 

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: weihsien memories

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 7:50

 

Hello All,   

Gosh, reading those stories from all you wonderful contributors like David, Donald, Leopold, Mary, Zandy, Ron, my sister Joyce and so many others, makes me feel guilty for just  being a looker on, so I'm going to put in my 20c worth!

I was born in '32, so was too young to attend the dances, but certainly knew of them and can remember some of the musos.

Zandy, I do remember you as the one with the falcon chicks. Joyce and I together raised a little ball of yellow fuzz to a full grown pigeon by chewing up bread and allowing it to put its beak and sometimes even its whole head into our mouth to feed. We named it "Peter" and painted the name on the underside of its outspread wing. Peter was very tame-too tame in fact- and would come when called by anybody and finished up, we believe, as someone’s meal!

Does anyone remember the cricket fights? We'd catch male crickets (3 tails-the females had 2) put two of them in a tin or jar and anger them by tickling their tails with a "tickler" made from a paspalum like weed. There were never any casualties, just a lot of aggressive posturing.

A couple of times a nanny goat found its way into our Block 2 from the Japanese quarters. We attempted to milk it without success-someone else had beaten us to it!

Well do I remember the 3 Grandon brothers-"Muscles"(Aubrey), "Suicide"(Joe) and "Oxford"(Bobby). "Muscles" I've heard used to pose on a beach in Florida and tell people he was a Native American. I believe they are all deceased.

I remember Sisters Donnatella and Blanda  well. Sister Donnatella was very pretty. Albert de Zutter, who I grew up with in Tsingtao, and I attended a reunion of the Tsingtao American School in the U.S. in 1999 and Sister Blanda, who was in her 90's, couldn't make it but sent her best wishes.

Some of those paintings of the camp came from my book of works by camp artists, including Ursula and Bobby Simmons and cartoonist Tom Nott who was one of the camp carpenters.

I've still got some of the pamphlets dropped by the B29's warning us not to overeat when we received our food supplies. They were exciting times indeed!  I've also got some of the pre and post match write-ups my Dad did for the Kitchen 1 bulletin board  of some of the softball matches e.g. The "Padres" v The Rest....remember Fr.Wendolin?

I can also remember being in the Cubs, then graduating to the Scouts in the Eagle Patrol, of which I was the flag bearer, because my mother made the flag- a red eagles head on a white background!

Finally, my most vivid memory was of being constantly hungry- not a nice feeling!!

Well, I've probably used up more than my 20c worth and like everyone else I and my dear wife, Shirley, are quite excited about attending this auspicious occasion....see you all there!

One final comment, if I may― I'm pretty sure the name of the B24 that brought the "Magnificent Seven" was "The Armoured Angel", not "The Flying Angel" and it also had a pinup girl in a bathing suit painted on its side!

          

                                  ED COOKE

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 9:56

 

Hello,

Tell me if I'm wrong?

This is a historical fact:

Go to Mr. Mansell's excellent web-site ---- click on this link:

http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/Formosa/taiwandocs.html

August 1st, 1944 --- written orders were issued to all camp Commandants giving them instructions to eliminate all their prisoners when and as they wished ---- if an uprising occurred. "If" or "If not" --- who can prove the difference when everybody is dead!

On August 17, 1945 when the Americans liberated us --- we were very happy --- but now I think that the happiest person of all must have been our Japanese Commandant.  Finally, --- I'm beginning to think that he liked us --- specially the kids! It was a marvellous opportunity for him to hand over his sword to Colonel Staiger without loosing face. What I also learned while building up my web-site is that, later on, when our Commandant was trialled by the Americans, Mr McLaren went to Japan to tell the truth and our Commandant was acquitted.

""After the war, the Japanese Commandant, Mr. Izu, along with hundreds of other senior Japanese officers, Police Chiefs and Commandants throughout Southeast Asia, was charged with war crimes. McLaren, with his innate sense of honour, could not allow Mr. Izu, who had, in some ways, done his best for the Camp, to go undefended. He and others from Weihsien travelled to Tokyo, met General Douglas MacArthur, and testified on Mr. Izu's behalf. He was acquitted.""

---

I am actually reading "Nanjing Massacre, 1937" writen by Xu Zhigeng (ISBN 0-8351-3149-1). All this is horrible.

Why do they want to rub-out this part of history from their school-books?

So many questions!!

A+

Leopold

 

----- Original Message -----

From: rod miller

To: weihsien@topica.com

Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2005 2:17 PM

Subject: Re: Opinions_Hello

 

Dear Weihsien Survivors

My name is Rod Miller and I joined your mail list earlier this year as I had read of the members of your camp that made the 2nd American exchange ship in 1943 in which I am interested.
When I joined I thought I might get the odd posting never expecting the avalanche of wonderful reminiscences that have been flowing through these pages of late.

I am only 46, have never been interned or gone hungry. I am no expert or academic just an interested party.

If I may, I would just like to add a little to your discussion on various camps and of late the politics behind the scenes. I have for the last 10 years been researching 18 Australian nurses taken from Rabaul New Britain [
New Guinea] to Yokohama Japan in July 1942. The nurses comprised Australian Government, Army and Missionary nurses and in Yokohama they had one American lady, who was captured on
Attu, added to their group. These women were treated in a very special way by the Japanese. After 10 days in the hold of a ship they were disembarked at Yokohama where they were put through a customs inspection like tourists and given a medical inspection before being put up at the Bund Hotel. I won't go in to all the details here but needless to say their conditions deteriorated markedly as the war progressed. They were beaten starved made to do heavy work and were allowed no contact with the outside world. In the 3 years 9 months that they were in Japan they had one 10 minute Red Cross visit in December 1942, but the representative never forwarded their details to Bern. They were allowed no mail or contact with the out side world of any kind until near the end of the war. They had a Japanese cook and although the foreign office was supplying food for them I'm sure most of it ended up with the families of the guards and the cook. Near the end of the war the local villagers at Totsuka were as hungry as the women. Having come from the tropics the women only had the clothes they stood up in and were always very cold. They improvised and knitted cardigans from wool made from cotton wool and anything else they could steal. Blackout curtains from the local police station became shorts', canvas from old sails and guard boxes became shirts, bed sheets dresses etc. They were always freezing and hungry.

One of the things only touched on slightly in recent mail from David Birch, was the psychological effect that your internment had on your later lives. All the Rabaul women suffered to various degrees. One was very badly affected to the point that her family gave her electro shock treatment in 1946 from which I believe she never recovered. For others it was only a minor infliction such as missing each other and feeling lonely after they returned home. One of the nurses told me candidly that on just one occasion after her return she had shop lifted a small item as it was such behavior that had kept them alive during their internment and she just couldn't resist. 

Where your camp was very lucky is that you had each other and the children. There were enough of you to organise games, dances and bake bread. Space to escape each other if necessary. The women were confined to one small area in Yokohama in the American Yatch\Rowing club, club house and were later moved to the old Totsuka TB hospital where there was slightly more room.

The Australian women, for want of a better title, were political prisoners, so I was interested the other night when I was looking at the
Norman's documents.

http://users.skynet.be/bk217033/Weihsien/NormanCliff/history/DOCUMENTS/leftFrame.htm

I wondered if you notice that most were addressed to the Secretary of State or the Special Division Department of state and wondered if you knew why they were sent there? I believe I know why but your case is a lot different to those of the Rabaul women. Which brings me to tonights posting by Nicky & Leopold:

Go to Mr. Mansell's excellent web-site ---- click on this link:
http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/Formosa/taiwandocs.html
August 1st, 1944 --- written orders were issued to all camp Commandants giving them instructions to eliminate all their prisoners when and as they wished ---- if an uprising occurred. "If" or "If not" --- who can prove the difference when everybody is dead!

This order was given, but I don't believe it was interpreted in exactly the same way by every Japanese commander. From what I have read in Norman's documents http://users.skynet.be/bk217033/Weihsien/NormanCliff/history/DOCUMENTS/Letters/1943-0501Chungking.htm
the American Government was well aware of your situation. So although you didn't know it, a lot of pressure was possibly being brought to bear on the Japanese to look after you. It was all politics. If you note the document

http://users.skynet.be/bk217033/Weihsien/NormanCliff/history/DOCUMENTS/Letters/1944-Nov1.htm

do you think that the Japanese would have let this inspection take place if they thought they were going to dispose of all of you shorty after it took place?

What I have done with the Rabaul nurses is I studied their diaries and tried to match events from the Australian archives to what they have written. What I have been able to do is see cause and effect. It maybe the same for your camp, that is if you see an inquiry being made via the archives about your camp, say by the special department to the Japanese, you may well see the effect by what you have written in your diaries. One example with the Rabaul women is an inquiry being made by the Australian Government about civilians from Rabaul then via the diaries a week later you can read of a red cross parcel and a piece of underwear being handed out two days before special visitors arrive to make an inspection of their camp. I have written a book about the Rabaul women which I I'm trying to get published for it explains their situation in some detail. But for the present it may be of interest to you to try and do the same you might find that events that occurred in Weihsien were no accident.

I hope I'm not off topic with this posting and wish you well with your reunion.

Kind Regards
Rod Miller
Sydney Australia

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 19:39

 

Leopold,

 

We must have been in one of the best Japanese internment camps in the far east.  I know that there really were some "horror camps," in places like Indonesia and Malaya, and no doubt elsewhere too.  We were truly blessed to be held in Weihsien!

 

Some months ago Norman Cliff mailed me a copy of his book, Weihsien Fifty Years Later.  In it he relates the true story you have related about Mr McLaren – at his own expense - travelling to Tokyo where he testified on behalf of our Commandant, Mr Izu, with the happy result that Mr Izu was acquitted of any war crimes, and released to live at peace.

 

And I fully agree with you Leopold that the Japanese who guarded us were genuinely fond of us children. I'm sure there were some exceptions, but mainly this was true.  A memory I will treasure to my dying day is of the kindly Japanese guard who insisted I hand over my pick-axe so that he could dig up and cultivate my little garden patch next to the camp wall over by the hospital (Block 61).

 

I'm sure that Mr Izu was MOST RELIEVED to be able to honorably hand over his sword to Major Staiger.

Apparently the Japanese official protocol, in the event of their nation losing the war, was to shoot all the prisoners before the Japanese committed suicide.

Although I'm not aware that this was actually accomplished by the Japanese in any concentration camp. But it COULD have been done!  No doubt Norman could comment on the accuracy of this.

 

Thankfully, many of us have some very happy memories of life in Weihsien where we children, for the most part, were unaware of the uglier realities of the war.

 

David

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 19:54

 

 

Leopold,

 

I was wondering what ever happened to the commandant.  Fr. Scanlan's book says he wondered at his relatively friendly behaviour toward him, and afterward learned that he was, in fact, a Catholic.  I don't know if it's true or not.  It is unfortunate that under the current relations between the Chinese and Japanese governments, it would surely be impossible to have descendants of the commandant present at the ceremony.  Too bad. 

 

Donald

 

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions_Hello

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 19:59

 

 

 

Thank you, Rod, for your contribution!

 

The fact that Weihsien was, compared to many other camps, a remarkably humane detention centre, is I think no secret at all.  We were as I have said "blessed" to have been held there.

 

Much of the credit for our well-being goes to our own inmate camp leaders - not just one or two people either. We had a truly civilised society in our camp.

Our affairs were well structured and well organized. There was always something to do - whether organized sporting events such as softball, tennis, soccer, Sports Days with running, jumping, etc. - or chores such as keeping boiler rooms operational, fetching buckets of slack coal, making coal bricks or coal balls, pumping water, etc.  And we were allowed to keep garden patches.

 

Many books have been written, and articles published, detailing the horrors of World War Two.  Thanks to our own leaders (AND to people like Mr Kosaka and Mr Izu) Temple Hill and Weihsien were civilised and well-run places of humane internment.  And the credit does NOT go in large measure to international politics.  After all, politics certainly did NOT prevent atrocities from taking place elsewhere.

 

I'm terribly sorry about what happened to those poor nurses whom you mention. How very, very tragic!

 

David

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions_Hello

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 20:06

 

 

Dear Rod,

 

Thanks for your informative posting.  May I ask what is your interest in the 2nd American exchange?  Was this the Gripsholm, on which my grandparents were sent back to the U.S.?

 

Donald Menzi

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 22:35

 

The Best Camp in the Far East was Bangkok if you consider conditions including outside catering it was small only under three hundred which had Thai Army guards and the Commandant was trained by the British Army at Sandhurst. It was also used to hide downed allied aircrew from the Japanese in the latter stages of the war.

But generally speaking the further from Tokyo the worse the Camp. Remember the Japanese had de facto taken North China in 1937.

The Japanese Camps is whole subject which one could talk/write about for hours.

Rgds

 

 

Ron Bridge

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 22:37

 

I can confirm that the execution orders were in all camps as soon as the US/ Allies landed on the Japanese Home Islands. The Operation was called Olympic is well documented in the US National Archives and the expected US/Allied casualties were in the order of 500,000 let alone how many million Japanese and that is the figure that Nagasaki and Hiroshima need to be balanced against let alone the lives of 130,830 US, 138,708 British Commonwealth Military plus  25,365 civilians held in the Far East other than the Dutch East Indies where 105,530 civilians were held.

rgds

Ron bridge.

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions.

Date: jeudi 30 juin 2005 23:30

 

Zandy -

 

Your point would be well taken if we had been guarded by the Japanese Imperial Army.  But, as you know, we were not. We were blessed by having a commandant who was a repatriated Japanese diplomat, and were guarded by Japanese consular guards, akin to the U.S. Marine Embassy Guard. That made a hell of a difference, and was why there were no reprisals taken when the tide turned against Japan. The reason we were 'supplied with some food and coal' was due to the commandant working his heinie off to find supplies for us and the guards.

 

We should never stop counting our blessings because at that time Japan was a bi-polar nation. The military were bestial; the civilians gracious and giving.

 

Before my book, "The Mushroom Years," went into its second printing, several interesting events came to light, which were covered in the Preface.  Here is a quote toward the end of it:

 

"Incredibly, the most shocking revelation did not come until late 1999, when Japan's war files were finally opened under the Freedom of Information Act, and the Author found her cover art, designed to span her years of growing up in China, had become prophetic. She learned, to her profound horror, that the primary reason the United States had hurriedly dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was that American intelligence had intercepted a directive from the Japanese high command to all prison camp commandants, ordering them to execute every military and civilian prisoner of war ― and to leave no trace!

 

"This preface would not be complete without one delightful footnote.  In early September 2001, Masters close friend and fellow historian, Dr. R. John Pritchard, called to tell her that at a recent embassy function in London he had met the Japanese Ambassador to the Court of St. James, and in discussing "The Mushroom Years" with him, found that he had been a toddler of three when his father was the camp commandant at Weihsien. Pamela felt life had just come full circle, with Japanese civilians being honored for the good they did in World War II and she gave heartfelt thanks that [the commandant] had never had to carry out the dire directive of the Japanese military high command."

 

I repeat - let's ever stop counting our blessings...!

 

Pamela Masters

 

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions.

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 0:05

 

Pamela!

 

Thanks for your excellent insights!  And I totally agree: Let us never stop counting our blessings!

 

David

 

 

De: "rod miller" <rmmiller@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions_Hello

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 0:10

 

Donald

 

 

>Thanks for your informative posting.  May I ask what is your interest in the 2nd American exchange?  Was this the Gripsholm, on which my grandparents were sent back to the U.S.?

 

Yes it was the Gripsholm. The reason for my interest in the exchanges is because the Rabaul nurses were taken to Japan specifically as pawns in the exchange process. As far as I can tell, during the opening days of the war the negotiation for the exchange process was handled by Japanese diplomats, not the military. They were trying to show how civilized they were and that they would treat western internees well hoping for reciprocating treatment for their countrymen held by the Allies.

 

If the order to murder all the prisoners was carried out in 1944 what would we have done with the large number of Japanese we held? I suggest that this may have been the question the Japanese asked themselves.

 

My research is complicated by the fact that when the exchange process was first started the American Government decided that the British would have to negotiate its own exchanges. The Japanese hadn't envisaged this and thought that they would be putting a number of Allied internees on a ship and in return they would receive the same number back.

They were smart negotiators and played one Government against the other. So it got very bureaucratic and complicated for all parties concerned.

 

Donald how were your grandparents selected to go on the exchange? Was it because of their age?

 

As for the Rabaul nurses they were victims of politics and didn't make the only British exchange in August 1942. As the war went on their value in Japan decreased and they were a burden to Japanese until 1944 when they suddenly wanted back specific men that were held in Australia. The women themselves knew nothing of the politics till I started my research.

 

  In Japanese controlled China between 1937 & 1941 Americans were neutrals.

The reason you were interned at all was probably a direct response to the internment of Japanese implemented in the United States. The special division and the state department worked hand in hand to look after the American internees in Japanese hands and negotiated the exchange process via the Swiss.

 

It was all politics.

 

Kind Regards

Rod

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions_Hello

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 1:53

 

 

Rod,

 

My grandparents were both around 70, so age was probably the factor in their selection for repatriation.

 

Donald

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Deletions from List

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 2:06

 

 

To: Weihsien List Master

 

For some reason my wife, Jane, is no longer getting emails from the group.  Can you please be sure that her email address is included in the list? It is jweprinmenzi@earthlink.net .

 

Thanks.

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions_Hello

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 2:38

 

Hello All~

Our family has often wondered what the criteria were for those "on the list" for exchange in September, 1943.  Our family of six together with aunt, uncle and three cousins were all on the list.  My parents (ages 38 and 39) offered to exchange their places with older, more infirm folk but we were told that there would be no exchanges.  We were all in relatively good health except for weight loss which was pretty common in those circumstances.  So we still do not know how the "list" was arrived at.

Maybe we will never know.  But age was not a factor.

~Dwight W. Whipple

 

De: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Opinions

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 3:55

 

The American repatriations were handled by the Special War Problems division of the US State Department.  They compiled eleven different categories of US civilians in the Far East and ranked them.  Those chosen for repatriation were done so by their position on the list, via categories they were in.

 

I have gone through thousands of documents in Japanese, US, Canadian, British, Australian, New Zealand, and Hong Kong archives. I have to say that I think people are reading too much into the "kill the prisoners" order. What everyone is probably referring to, whether they know it or not, is a document captured on Formosa (Taiwan) at a POW camp.  This is held by the US National Archives and is referred to on the Mansell website.  There is no evidence that I am aware of that the order was given to all camps, particularly civilian internee camps.  If ANYONE has such evidence that such a document was transmitted to civilian camps I would love to see it.  Yes, given the previous behavior of the Japanese, many internees fully believed they would be murdered.  But that is not the same as an Imperial Rescript or standing order to all camps throughout the Empire to kill all prisoners.

 

Haiphong Road internees were transferred to Fengtai, outside Peking, in June of 1945.  Just before the surrender, a group of guards planned on setting the building holding the internees on fire, and machine gunning the survivors as they ran out.  Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the plan was thwarted.  If there were official orders I doubt the plan would have been stopped.  Instead, some renegades among the guards decided to murder the internees and the commandant and more responsible people stopped it.

 

The decision to intern Allied citizens in China was not entirely in response to the US internment of Japanese, though it had some bearing.  I have seen documents in the Japanese archives, written before Pearl Harbor, outlining the treatment of enemy nationals, industry, properties, etc.

 

Greg

 

 

 

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Continuing opinions.

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 10:09

 

Wow!  That was a powerful bit of writing from a non-expert and non-academic!

 

At first glance, that's how it struck me, Rod.   Well done!

There is a lot more for me to digest on what you, so skilfully, had to say and I need more time to fully absorb those interesting subjects you covered, before I have anything more to say.

By the way, it's also interesting to note that you also hail from Sydney.  That now makes 4 or 5 of us, from the same area, contributing to the Topica site.

 

Leopold, it was nice being reminded again, that our camp discipline officer felt strongly enough to travel to Japan to testify favourably on Mr. Izu's behalf.

Keep up the good work,

A.(zandy) Strangman

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Opinions_Books

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 10:57

 

Hello,

There are two books to read --- absolutely ---

Pamela's new edition of "The Mushroom Years" --- and Greg's book --- "The Japanese Internment of Allied Civilians in China 1941-1945" Could we have the ISBN numbers?

Also, many thanks for all your messages and thanks Rod for joining the chat.

Learning History (the real one, with a big "H") is like breathing fresh air --- even if it hurts sometimes!

A+

Leopold.

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 17:23

 

Hello Greg -

 

I have to say I did not personally view the document regarding the execution  of all POWs, but  received the information from the Center for Internee Rights (CFIR). Interestingly, the date the directive was intercepted and decoded (by Naval Intelligence, if I recall correctly) was January 1945, and the date on the CONFIDENTIAL map of prisoner of war camps in Japanese occupied areas (pages 258-259 of The Mushroom Years) is February 1, 1945. It doesn't appear that the US wasted any time getting all the information they could on the camps, and obviously took the directive very seriously.

 

I know you were in touch with Gil Hair (Santo Tomas), CFIR's fighting tiger, who died last year. Sadly, since then, the organization appears to have disbanded, as I've received no further communication. I just tried to pull up www.expows.org and find the page cannot be shown. Possibly a google search would bring up more information if you'd like to verify the above.

 

Have a Fabulous Fourth!

 

 

 

Pamela

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Opinions_Books

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 17:35

 

Dear Leopold --

Thank you for mentioning The Mushroom Years.  The softcover is ISBN 0-9664489-2-8. The hardcover, ISBN 0-9664489-3-6. Both editions can be ordered direct on www.hendersonhouse.com. 

The sequel, Sass & Serendipity, is being released as I write. It is also a story of survival -- here in the good old US of A -- but really has no historical significance, except it's fun read. My love and I had one hellacious life!

To all you Yanks out there -- have a Fabulous Fourth!

Thanks again, Leopold -- Pamela

 

De: "rod miller" <rmmiller@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: On it goes...

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 21:55

 

  Hi Greg

 

At 11:50 AM 7/1/2005, you wrote:

>The American repatriations were handled by the Special War Problems division of the US State Department.  They compiled eleven different categories of US civilians in the Far East and ranked them.  Those chosen for repatriation were done so by their position on the list, via categories they were in.

 

How did the Special department know who was where when they compiled the eleven different categories?

Did the Japanese supply lists of internees in various camps?

 

 

>I have gone through thousands of documents in Japanese, US, Canadian, British, Australian, New Zealand, and Hong Kong archives.

 

Did you ever come across any information on the WW2 Japanese ethnic minority policy?

 

>I have to say that I think people are reading too much into the "kill the prisoners" order.  What everyone is probably referring to, whether they know it or not, is a document captured on Formosa (Taiwan) at a POW camp.  This is held by the US National Archives and is referred to on the Mansell website.  There is no evidence that I am aware of that the order was given to all camps, particularly civilian internee camps.  If ANYONE has such evidence that such a document was transmitted to civilian camps I would love to see it.  Yes, given the previous behavior of the Japanese, many internees fully believed they would be murdered.  But that is not the same as an Imperial Rescript or standing order to all camps throughout the Empire to kill all prisoners.

 

Fair enough.

 

 

>The decision to intern Allied citizens in China was not entirely in response to the US internment of Japanese, though it had some bearing.  I have seen documents in the Japanese archives, written before Pearl Harbor, outlining the treatment of enemy nationals, industry, properties, etc.

 

There is no doubt that the Japanese had planned their propaganda strategies well in advance. In Australia the Japanese were playing a propaganda game well before the war began. In 1936-37 the Oska Mainichi  produced large colourful magazines extolling the virtues of our trade. I wonder though, that because the Japanese military were so successful so early in the war, that their plans didn't changed very quickly. For instance did the Japanese plan for internee exchange before the war?

 

Regards

Rod

 

 

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Opinions

Date: vendredi 1 juillet 2005 23:23

 

THANK YOU GREG, FOR SETTING THIS MATTER STRAIGHT!

Considering the massive amount of research you have conducted into this whole matter of Second World War internment of Allied civilians I think what you have come up with is probably about as authoritative as one could hope to find!

 

De: "Sui Shude - Weifang China" <suishude@sohu.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Weihsien Celebration

Date: samedi 2 juillet 2005 6:19

 

Weihsieners Attending the Celebration of Weihsien Camp Liberation:

 

Welcome to Weifang!

 

 

----How to get to Weifang on August 16,2005:

 

Weifang People's Government will arrange buses to pick up registered participants to the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Weihsien Concentration Camp Liberation on August 16th, 2005 in Qingdao Liuting Airport, Yantai Huaqiao Hotel(Overseas Chinese Hotel), as well as Weifang Train Station, and transfer to Weifang Hotel.

 

The registration, welcome meeting and banquet will be started from 16:00 pm to 19:30 pm in Weifang Hotel on August 16th, 2005. We hope you can manage to show up in the occasion.

 

 

----Bus Pick-ups from Qingdao, Yantai and Weifang on August 16,2005:

 

Date: August 16th(TUE), 2005

 

Qingdao Liuting Airport:

From 9:00 am to 20:00 pm (Meeting Place: Airport Arrival Loby)

 

Yanyai Huaqiao Hotel(Overseas Chinese Hotel):

From 8:00 am to 9:00 am (Meeting Place: Hotel Loby)

 

Weifang Train Station:

According to your arrival train No. and time.

 

Registered guests are expected to go to the above appointed places within the appointed time to find our English-speaking Working Stuff who are supposed to hold big tags with the words "WELCOME TO WEIHSIEN CELEBRATION" on it, and they will put you on our buses to enjoy the ride to Weifang Hotel.

 

 

----How Long the Bus ride:

 

Qingdao Liuting Airport -- Weifang Hotel: about 100 minutes

Yantai Overseas Chinese Hotel -- Weifang Hotel: about 4 hours

Weifang Train Station -- Weifang Hotel: 20 minutes

 

Should you have any changes on your arriving and departure schedule, please let us know as soon as possible.

 

 

----How to Book Travel Services:

 

We have entrusted Weifang Foreign Affairs Translation Center to offer travel services before the celebration, and they have "POST-REUNION-TOURS" available for Weihsieners and families. Please check the emails of Weihsientravel@tom.com   and  Weihsientravel@sohu.com   which listed as the last item on the second page of the Invitation

 

Letter, for travel services.

 

Mr. Sui Shude,

Miss Qi Yanling,

Miss Gao Xinhui

 

Foreign & Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Weifang People's Government

Add: 99 East Shengli Street, Weifang, Shandong, P.R. China   Post Code:

261041

E-mails:

suishude@sohu.com

emailshude@yahoo.com.cn

Tel: ++86-536-8292675     Fax: ++86-536-8292675   ++86-536-8233692

Cell: (0)1390-536-9362  or  (0)1396-473-9121  or  (0)1385-361-5851

 

De: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: On it goes...

Date: dimanche 3 juillet 2005 2:54

 

How did the Special department know who was where when they compiled the eleven different categories?

Did the Japanese supply lists of internees in various camps?

 

The Japanese were notorious for not supply lists of internees.  In fact, the almost 3,000 internees in Stanley Camp, Hong Kong were a huge unknown until an escapee from the camp reached Chungking in the spring of 1942 with a list of internees written on toilet paper in very small print.

 

The Special Division, using lists compiled by consulates in the fall of 1941 of Westerners who had registered, was able to piece together some names.

There are piles and piles of raw data they used as well - I've waded through it ― supplied by people who left the Far East before war broke out, relatives in the States, and IRC inquiries and answers.  Also, the 1942 repatriates supplied a lot of information as well on those remaining.

 

Did you ever come across any information on the WW2 Japanese ethnic minority policy?

 

If you are talking about Japanese minorities, such as the Ainu, Okinawans, etc., no.

 

For instance did the Japanese plan for internee exchange before the war?

 

Not in detail.  Their policy allowed for repatriation only if there was guaranteed reciprocity.

 

I will be covering most of the above in my book, which I hope to have in print by the end of the year.

 

Greg

 

De: "rod miller" <rmmiller@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: On it goes...

Date: dimanche 3 juillet 2005 4:36

 

Greg

 

>Did you ever come across any information on the WW2 Japanese ethnic minority policy?

>

>If you are talking about Japanese minorities, such as the Ainu, Okinawans, etc., no.

 

Sorry, I should have explained it better. It was the Japanese military administration's ethnic minority policy.

I guess from your reply you don't know of it.

 

During my research I have only found one or two references to it.

 

>

>For instance did the Japanese plan for internee exchange before the war?

>

>  Not in detail.  Their policy allowed for repatriation only if there was guaranteed reciprocity.

 

I take it your only looking at the American exchanges in your book?

If the above was the Japanese policy Australia got suckered by the British as we sent 830 Japanese to have 32 Australians returned.

This was political suicide for the Australian government of the day.

I cover this in my book which is just being read by a publisher ;-)

 

>

>I will be covering most of the above in my book, which I hope to have in print by the end of the year.

 

Sounds fascinating. I look forward to its publication.

 

Kind Regards

Rod

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Cc: "Desmond Power" <despower@shawcable.com>; "John Beruldsen" <jbberuldsen@bigfoot.com.au>; "Kevin Julyan" <kevnpeg@netspeed.com.au>

Objet: Fw: Aub Grandon's sister Kate

Date: dimanche 3 juillet 2005 10:21

 

To those 'nostalgia freaks', I'm forwarding this with Des' blessings.

For those wondering who?  That's Des' brother Tony with Aub in 1950.

PS: I've had this e-mail rejected twice by the Topica site, already, even though I've reduced the picture sizes by 70%. 

I'll make one more attempt.  This time sending the 2 pics separately.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Desmond Power

To: Zandy and Jenny Strangman

Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2005 12:38 AM

Subject: Aub Grandon's sister Kate

 

 

Hello again, Zandy, I thought you might be interested in knowing that I just sent condolences to a couple in Brazil who had been caring for Kate, Aubrey's sister. Ill for several years she died last week. And she was the last surviving Grandon; Joe, Bobby and Aub all having departed the scene years ago. (Aub in 1990.)  After the war Aub and I spent a lot of time together, we were pals in Tientsin before internment so it was natural we stuck together in post war Britain. But Tony and I wouldn't sit with him in subway trains because he grew his hair down to his shoulders at a time when that was absolutely taboo. You see, he was a model for both Jacob Epstein and Henry Moore.  Kate was not in camp because she was married to Alex Skorniakoff. Alex and my brother Patrick played on the same ice hockey team in Tientsin called the Pirates, all players Russians except for my Irish brother. And they played on the 1936 interport team which licked Peking (sorry Zandy) for the Wharton Cup.

 

 

 

Desmond. 

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Cc: "Desmond Power" <despower@shawcable.com>; "John Beruldsen" <jbberuldsen@bigfoot.com.au>; "Kevin Julyan" <kevnpeg@netspeed.com.au>

Objet: Fw: Aub Grandon's sister Kate

Date: dimanche 3 juillet 2005 10:26

 

Joyce, could this be the statue you heard about?   

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Desmond Power

To: Zandy and Jenny Strangman

Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2005 12:38 AM

Subject: Aub Grandon's sister Kate

 

 

Was absolutely taboo. You see, he was a model for both Jacob Epstein and Henry Moore.  

 

Desmond. 

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Aub Grandon's sister Kate

Date: lundi 4 juillet 2005 3:23

 

I have not seen the statue before. The face is not familiar. I just knew him as we all did - Muscles Grandon.

 

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Aub Grandon's sister Kate

Date: lundi 4 juillet 2005 5:46

 

The muscular man with the long hair I now recognise as Aubrey. I also recognise Des' brother Tony so well. Joyce.

 

 

De: "Fred & Coral Dreggs" <dreggs1@bigpond.com>

À: "Ex Internees" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: avalanch of mail

Date: lundi 4 juillet 2005 6:15

 

Hello Everybody,

 

I have just returned home after an absence of 9 days and, lo and behold, there were 98 emails from the Topica site awaiting to be read. This is quite astonishing and I attribute this to the ''flurry ''generated by the approaching Weihsien reunion. Heaven knows what the cyberspace traffic will be like when guests of the Weihsien hosts return home and begin recounting their experiences/adventures etc. Actually, I really hope this will happen as, unfortunately, I am not able to attend. I will, however, savour your accounts vicariously.

 

Have fun,

 

Fred (aka Alfie)

 

De: "Fred & Coral Dreggs" <dreggs1@bigpond.com>

À: "Ex Internees" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: lundi 4 juillet 2005 8:59

 

Hi David,

 

Reading your email of 24 June 2005 to Joyce, I really have to question your calculation of the Weihsien camp's surface of the whole compound as 83,200m2. This to me is much too large. My own map of the camp which I have had for many years is on a scale of 50yds. This produces an area of around 32,000yds2 or approx. 26,000m2. If you look at the map in Norman Cliff's book ''Looking Back 50 years to Weihsien'' it is based on a scale of 100yds. and still lines up precisely with mine. So, how come your area is more than 3 times larger than ours? Something is wrong somewhere.

 

I am happy to recalculate my figures. Would you please send me the distance shown on your map, from the guard -house on the N.W. corner of the wall to the front gate. I will then extrapolate the figure to arrive at the dimensions. Meanwhile, would you please have another look at your sums.

 

As a matter of interest, the land of which my house is located is 10,000m2 ( 60m x 166m) if Weihsien is 8.3 times larger then the land would be H U G E. and in my mind this just does not seem possible.

 

I am only raising this matter as it may be misleading if wrong figures are presented at the Weihsien reunion.

 

Looking forward to hearing from you

 

Fred (aka Alfie)

 

PS In camp my family and I were domiciled in Block 6, very close to the bakery.  On Ron Bridge's list of internees, we are incorrectly shown as occupying rooms in block 1.

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: lundi 4 juillet 2005 12:07

 

Those early scales on maps were incorrect. I have some small knowledge of maps having been Vice President of the Royal Institute of Navigation and I would subscribe to the figure now being quoted.

If you consider the size of the rooms in the hut blocks those are generally agreed to be 8 foot x 12 foot and there were 12 rooms in a Block add a bit for walls and each block was 33 yards long if you use the 50yd scale they are only about 26 thus I think the Gilkey Map which started it portrayed the camp as 80% of actual size.

Another clue was the "Ball field" whilst it was too small to lay a Baseball pitch it did allow a Soft Ball for which I seem to recall the size of 30yds between bases that did not fill the Ball field which it would almost at using the "50yds" scale. I also recall that it was not large enough to accommodate a Soccer field which is 120yards and it was around 90 yards long hence the need not to use the standard penalty area and goal area but have a combined one.

Have fun in Weifang.

Rgds

Ron Bridge

Block 42/6 ( 1943)

Block 13/11 (1944-1945)

 

 

De: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: lundi 4 juillet 2005 19:06

 

One big problem is the map does not have a linear scale drawn on it.  You cannot trust the ratio (ie 1:10,000) because as the map is photocopied it is enlarged or reduced or who knows what, so an inch measurement is no longer scaleable.

 

Greg

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: On it goes...

Date: lundi 4 juillet 2005 21:15

 

 

Greg,

 

As a researcher into old war records, you might find the following excerpts from letters that my grandfather, George Wilder, wrote in 1941.  The first clearly shows that some people, at least, assumed that we would be the ones to declare war on Japan, following Great Britain's lead.       

 

August 13, 1941

 

"…We are just beginning to feel the real effects of what our country has done as the almost last move before actually fighting, that is, the freezing of credits.  For us it meant at first, that we could not draw any money from the bank.  As an added inconvenience, any American or Britisher who already had permits could buy railroad tickets to the main stations - Peking, Tientsin, Peitaiho - but he could not check any baggage.  Most of them could not get any more permits to buy tickets.  For some time we have had to take three photos and apply in person to the Japanese embassy before we could buy a ticket for anywhere.  Of course they have us absolutely in their control, and in case of war could intern us or keep us at home as they please.  They are always very polite so far, and sorry they can't allow us to go places, but say it is just the Chinese that prevent, or that the place we want to go is dangerous, and for our own good the military do not allow us to proceed.  Possibly sometimes it may be true.

 

…Mr. Pennell, editor of the P&T Times thinks that inside of a month Great Britain will declare war on Japan, (if she continues pressing south) and that in three days the US will follow suit.  He judges only by the tone of the broadcasts from the two countries.  That will mean that we are out here for the duration and no one knows what will become of mails.  Passages will go glimmering, but we are glad to be here and take what comes...."

 

======================================================

 

(The U.S. consul had been advising "non-essential" personnel to leave China at least since February 1941.  Ironic that the last warning was a day the Japanese attack.)

 

 

December 7, 1941

 

 

"…The Consul General sends us an express letter saying there is a chance to sail in a few days for any who still contemplate evacuating.  We are still unmoved and hope you do not worry too much.... "

 

 

=====================================================

 

(Wilder was writing a letter to his friend, Japanese ornithologist Baron Koruda, when he heard about Pearl Harbor.  The contrast between the warm handshake and polite treatment, and the Japanese treatment of the Chinese - not to mention prisoners of war - is striking.)

 

 

December 9, 1941

 

"…Monday morning Dec. 8th, early, before breakfast, I started a letter to him [his friend and fellow birder, Koruda] and before I had written a half dozen lines John Hayes phoned me, "We are at war with Japan.  You hang around here today as I am off to the Presbyterian compound." 

 

Soon after breakfast I was called out to see the Japanese officer and his single soldier guard.  I took them into Hayes' office and he had to look all through his knapsack for a slip of paper, which he handed me.  In large English script it said, "War has broken out between our two countries.  You are under the protection of the Imperial Japanese army, and all schools and religious organizations.  For a few days you will be required to remain in your own homes."   It was written in Chinese, too.  He asked "Understand?"  I said "Yes," and he came up and shook hands warmly...."

 

=============================

 

All the best,

 

Donald Menzi

 

 

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 3:48

 

Thanks for the interest in the camp dimensions. I must confess I am still a little confused. I wonder why! Joyce.

 

De: "Dawei Beard" <phoenix7788@hotmail.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 12:57

 

Hi Fred, Ron & Greg,

 

It's quite timely to be questioning the figure on my map which gives Weihsien CAC's total surface as having been 83,200m2. Please note that I take no responsibility for the map, which I acquired a few years ago and adopted largely because it is very neatly drawn and also is colour-coded.

That of course doesn't guarantee the accuracy of the 100 yard scale, which measures 89cm. Going by Ron Bridge's plausible calculations, estimating each block (e.g. those on either side of Tin Pan Alley) as 33 yards long, then, at 20/21mm per block as on my map, you could fit just over four block lengths into my 89mm 100 yard scale. But Ron's 33 yards a block would only fit THREE into 100 yards. So on that basis, my map's 100 yard scale, measuring 89mm, would need to be reduced by 25% to close on 67mm. I'm no cartographer, nor mathematician either (history was my star subject at school), so I await a reasonable consensus of opinion on the matter. In the meantime, we're still waiting for Sui Shude to produce a detailed map of the immediate area of Weifang city where the No 1 Middle School is located.

 

My map takes up a full A4 sheet of paper. It is precisely the same as that of Father Verhoeven's map as shown on Leopold Pander's Picture Gallery (under 'Index' on the left hand side, click Fr V's chapter), with the exception that someone has added the 100 yard scale.

 

Regarding your question, Fred, the distance from the main gate of Camp to the wall's NW corner, is 49cm. That would make it 55 yards on the basis of the current scale, but if the scale is adjusted downwards by 25%, then I calculate the distance to be 67 yards. I hope these figures are helpful  for your recalculations. Have fun!

 

Regards,

 

David Beard

 

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 19:41

 

Dawei's Calculations accord with mine. No matter how often you photocopy and each time one always distorts the size albeit slightly as long as the scale bar is on the side and you use that scale bar to measure you will come up with the same answer because the scale bar is distorted as much as the map.

It does not matter if you then print it A4, A5 or a full square metre, the relative size will be the same. I have a picture of one of the blocks and counting the bricks you come up with the same size room as we have always thought ie about 8 -9 foot wide. Then there is the Ball Field any readers in the States can confirm the size of a Baseball Diamond (I think that that is the term for the four bases) which would not fit and a Softball Diamond which would. An aside to Dawei I was cartographer ( special=sign in Navigation as well as flying) and have now ended up a historian just spent six hours researching those captured in Malaya in archive files.

Rgds to all.

Ron

PS can someone take a tape measure to Weifang and measure one of the dimensions and then we can factor the existing maps for real

 

De: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 19:56

 

If the original map had a scale, then it is applicable to the map as long as it is copied along with the map.

 

However, if there is no linear scale, but the map says something like "scale 1:1,000" then it becomes useless once it is enlarged or reduced.  On the original map, one inch would equal 1,000 inches, or 83.33 feet

 

But if that map is enlarged or reduced, and you measure an inch, you will think you are measuring 83.3 feet but you will be actually be measuring something larger or smaller.  Without knowing the exact enlargement or reduction of the original, the scale becomes useless.

 

I cannot recall without seeing them, but I believe the map originally had a verbal scale recorded, and no linear scale bar.

 

At some point, someone added a bar.  But by then, the map probably had changed dimensions.

 

The map I am using in my book was based on a copy from the Japanese National Archives.  I will have to look at the original to see what it says.

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 20:47

 

 

RE:Camp Dimensions

 

For what it's worth, Gilkey (Shantung Compound) gives the dimensions as "150 x 200 yards" and Howard Galt’s memoir says it was "about 20 acres."   These are both obviously estimates, but at least have the value of being eyewitness observations.  How do they compare with the map scales?

 

Donald

 

 

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 20:53

 

Hi~

When we came home from China in 1943 I remember my parents referring to the camp at Weihsien as being about the size of two football fields.  Maybe that was in Gilkey's book, too.  A football field is one hundred yards long and if you add the "end zones" it adds an additional ten yards at each end.  I don't know the width but presumably it is in the neighborhood of fifty yards.  Don't know if this helps.  Perhaps the Presbyterian Church has an accurate record of the size of the compound.

~Dwight W. Whipple

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: The Hubbards' camp quarters - and Ron Bridge's

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 21:06

 

 

Gladys,

 

A while ago you asked about where your parents lived in Weihsien.  George Wilder's diary says that the Wilders and Hubbards lived next to each other in Block #13, rooms 10 and 11.  You can find the location of Block #13 and also Gertrude Wilder's painting depicting rooms 10 and 11 on my web site (d.menzi.org) by clicking on the "Site Directory" then on "Weihsien" and then the "interactive map" and "Our 9 x 12 Living Quarters." 

 

Ron Bridge, one of our Topica correspondents, moved into these quarters after the Wilder's left - an amazing coincidence that we both discovered several years ago when I sent Norman Cliff a set of Gertrude Wilder's paintings and asked him if he could relate their locations to the map in his book.  I guess this implies that the Hubbards moved to another location.

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

Donald

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Baseball vs. Softball

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 21:57

 

 

A little trivia for you baseball fans:

 

 

George Wilder's diary provides a confirmation that the game that was played on the Weihsien ball field was mainly softball, not baseball, but see the entry for May 29 below.  Wilder, who had himself been a star pitcher who once wrote that he would "rather play baseball than eat," was 70 years old by then, but served as umpire for some of the Weihsien ball games.  The "Fathers" apparently had the best team in the camp.  The following is a sample of his 1943 diary entries.

 

April 9 to 15

"Softball baseball is drawing crowds.  Tientsin beat Peking (14 to 12) and Tsingtao, also winning return game in 11 innings, 10 - 7."

 

April 17

"A fine 11-inning game of softballwas won by the Fathers (Catholic) over Tientsin, 4 - 2."

 

May 29

"Peking 5, Padres 2.  Only the second defeat suffered by the Fathers.  Seven men and hard ball with special ground rules; on a full-sized diamond.  They use Japanese rubber balls and a regulation ball at times.  Lost four of the former over the wall in the last game, but got others back."

 

Aug. 7

"Three ball games - 3 p.m.,  4:30 p.m., and 6 p.m.  The Major league begins a new round on Monday.  The Saturday afternoon game -  Padres 8 - Peking Tsingtao Combined 4 - was lost by errors.  The Padres have a very fast air-tight infield, with Valerian Wendelen Schott, a great outfielder in as short stop in place of Kleine - the fastest thinker, thrower and runner in the camp, a short, stocky, good-natured padre."

 

 

Donald

 

 

 

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters - and Ron Bridge's

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 23:19

 

Just to straighten this out there was a general easing after the people left Weihsien in September 1943 and the Bridge family moved into the rooms vacated by the Hubbards after they left to catch the Gripsholm to USA via afew places.

Rgds

Ron

Bridge

 

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 23:25

 

Just to put these two in context 150 x 200 yds is 30,000 sq yards and 20 acres is 96,800 sq yards. It could be that the latter is the whole compound and the former is the internees section if you go from the hut length which measuring Gilkey's and Michell Maps is 27 yards ie 80% of what they should be this woudl give an area of 46,875 sq yards which would about accord with the total area being 20 acres.

Ron

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters - and Ron Bridge's

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 23:29

 

 

Ron,

 

A little further straightening is required because the Hubbards were not repatriated on the Gripsholm with the Wilders, so they must have moved out of their room when you moved into theirs.  Maybe they swapped with your family so that you could have the two contiguous rooms - the one vacated by the Wilders and theirs - while they moved into yours, since there were only two of them.  Do you remember your original room number?

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mardi 5 juillet 2005 23:35

 

 

Thanks, Ron,

 

So what is our final estimate of the linear dimensions of the internees' living area, i.e., N to S and E to W?  I've got a "100 yard" measure on the map I'm using and I wonder how accurate it might be.

 

By the way, the hut width that is usually quoted is 9 x 12, though that could also be an approximation.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Dusty" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <pander.nl@skynet.be>

Objet:  IRemember

Date: mercredi 6 juillet 2005 1:07

 

Leoplod,  I, of course, received your I REMEMBER notice from Mary Previte.  I am planning to be in Weihsien for the Liberation reunion.  I was Georgie Reinbrecht, now Georgie Knisely.

I REMEMBER sitting in the church for class.  We would line up in a pew, smartest at the left, and Miss Rudd would be facing us in the pew ahead.  She would quizz us on the lesson, if the one answering missed, they would go to the bottom of the line and the rest would move up - we loved it.  Especially, if Wies de Jongh or, I think Eddie Cooke, failed to answer correctly.  They were the smartest, when they went to the bottom of the line, we had a chance.  Never took them very long to get back up!!!!

 

I remember sitting on the outside wall at the baseball field, the second time paratroopers dropped.  We had put up parachutes as a backstop for the home plate.  All of a sudden, canisters started to drop where we were sitting, because they thought that was the place to aim the parachutes.  Luckily, someone figured it out before anyone was hurt and rushed to tear the parachutes down.

 

I remember standing around #1 kitchen, when Father Scanlan got out of solitary confinement for black marketing.  We all sang For He's A Jolly Good Fellow.  He had been let out after a couple of days (instead of two weeks) because he sang out loud every morning when he woke up EARLY, and he was right under the guards house.

 

I remember the teachers wrote our textbooks on one side of our small notebooks, and the left side was left clear to do our homework.

 

I remember the American Salvation Army band playing God Bless America while they brought the 1st paratroopers into camp on the men's shoulders.  The British thought they were playing God Save the King.

What excitement!

 

I remember standing on the basketball field outside a window, while people worked on one of the CIM boys who had jumped up and grabbed a hanging wire.  They tried for hours, but never brought him back.  A sad day.

 

I remember Eric Liddell (of Chariots of Fire fame) teaching us basketball on the same basketball field.  He was an amazing, patient man.  He turned us into good, competitive sportsmen - and women.

 

Thanks for your time and putting this together.  Georgie

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mercredi 6 juillet 2005 3:32

 

A number of you are quite gifted cartographically I think!  Have any of you considered the following possibility? 

 

What about taking a careful measurement of the perimeter dimensions of the old Weihsien Camp hospital (Block 61) after we arrive for the 60th Anniversary of Liberation celebration.  This could either be metric or in feet and inches.

 

Then by careful comparison with existing maps of the compound, some of which clearly show the hospital building, and a little interpolation, could we not solve the problem?

 

Dwight's mention of checking with the Presbyterian Mission, the original designers and builders of "Shantung Compound," later known as Weihsien Camp, is a good idea that had also occurred to me.

 

Dwight, as a recently retired Presbyterian minister of long standing, would you be willing to undertake this particular piece of research and share your findings with us?

 

I think the camp was much larger than just two football fields.  I can recall mention of an area of about 24 acres.  So the 20-acre area mentioned by Ron and others sounds reasonable to me.  Your family was only there for a very brief period while awaiting repatriation to the United States.  I wonder whether perhaps your father may have been honestly mistaken in his rather vague estimate of the size of the camp?

 

When we think of the size of the camp, we must also remember that a portion of the full compound which used to be occupied by the missionaries and their families was in our time appropriated for their own use by the Japanese.  This was a spacious area with a very low density of human habitation.

 

David

 

 

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mercredi 6 juillet 2005 10:12

 

I'll see if I can dig up anything from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  But don't hold your breath.  The aerial photos may help as much as anything.

~Dwight W. Whipple

 

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters

Date: mercredi 6 juillet 2005 12:09

 

There is some confusion on the Hubbards and are we talking about the same, as there were two families details and sources below: Hugh W Hubbard ( Born1887) a Protestant Priest and his wife Mrs ME (Born 1887)Missionary from the NCAS Tungchow lived in Block 10 Room 9 are listed in the Camp list of 1944 they are also listed as having been liberated in 1945 in a USArmy Signal Message at NARA where their next of kin is given as C Hubbard 200 Hillarie Circle, White Plains, New York. I believe that they stayed din the same room

 

Colin Philip Hubbard ( No known dob)Missionary and his wife Jan McDonald ( No known dob) Missionary lived in Block 13 Room 11 Their home town is given as Hollywood CA they sailed from Shanghai on 15th September 1943 ( Shanghai Times) and are then listed on the Gripsholm( New York Times List).

 

While I am about it George D Wilder ( No known dob)Missionary  and his wife Gertrude S ( No known dob)Missionary  came from Peking and lived in Block 13 Their home town is given as Oberlin OH they sailed from Shanghai on 15th September 1943 ( Shanghai Times) and are then listed on the Gripsholm( New York Times List).

 

Re your query on original Bridge Rooms

The Bridge family's original Room for four was Block 42 Room 6 and the move to Block 13 Rooms 10 and 11 was in September 1943 presumably taking the rooms vacated by the Wilders and CP Hubbards. The occupants of Block 13 Room 12 were my maternal grandparents Herbert A and Elizabeth E Fleet. Our room numbers are taken from a. the 1944 list and , the 3 inch x 4 inch white cloth patches with details on that we had to wear and which are still in my possession.

I hope that this resolves the question, knowing memories it will probably create more!!

Rgds

Ron

PS if anyone has a Date(Year) of Birth or can fill in the initials I would appreciate it

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters

Date: mercredi 6 juillet 2005 16:11

 

 

Ron,

 

Ron,

 

Thanks very much.  I didn't know that there were two Hubbards, and assumed that the Hubbard next to the Wilders was Hugh Hubbard, who was Wilder's best friend in China.  Thanks for the correction.  (Sorry about that, Gladys, but at least you can find the location on the maps.)

 

I'll get you the Wilders' dates of birth this evening. 

 

Is there any possibility of getting a photocopy of the Shanghai Times article about the Gripsholm departure?  I'd like to add it to my collection.  If you have a scanned version, could you send it as an attachment to dmenzi@earthlink.net?   

 

Thanks again,

 

Donald (Wilder) Menzi

 

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mercredi 6 juillet 2005 18:02

 

Hi Friends --

I have worked with blueprints all my life. They are a "must" for a home, a building, a boat, a rocket engine; a mission compound ... the list is endless.

Hasn't anyone thought of contacting the mission that built the original compound and its buildings back in the early 20th century, and asking them for the blueprints? Nothing of consequence is ever built without blueprints, and I'll bet they still exist somewhere in the mission archives.

Pamela Masters

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: mercredi 6 juillet 2005 21:29

 

I don't want to get into the debate about the size of the camp, but I do want to offer a little information about baseball and softball:

 

In baseball, the distance between the bases is 90 feet, or 30 yards. In softball, the distance is 60 feet, or 20 yards. I hope that helps.

 

Albert de Zutter

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>; <suishude@sohu.com>

Cc: "Donald Menzi" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>; "M and D Beard" <phoenix7788@hotmail.com>

Objet: preparations

Date: mercredi 6 juillet 2005 22:06

 

Dear Mr Shude,

I won't be in Weifang on the 17th of August but, --- I will virtually be present through this large window which is ---- my computer screen.

Go to http://www.weihsien-paintings.org  

Donald Menzi and David Beard are preparing various documents for all the persons who will be present at the 60-year-celebrations in Weifang/Weihsien.

We need your help:

- a recent map of Weifang No.2 middle class school?

- The old hospital that was part of the Weihsien Compound still exists. Could you give us the exact measurements of this building (at ground level)? This information will help us to find out the exact size of our "concentration camp" that we would like to position as accurately as possible on a map ---- . (?)

- On my web-site, I tried to introduce Weifang with all the info I could find on the Internet. Could you check? I'd gladly consider your suggestions as to making it better. The "Our Hosts" chapter is quite empty for the moment. I'd really appreciate a better picture of you and the Weifang's mayor (and others) who will be our hosts and maybe a short biography as an introduction. I know that you are preparing an exhibit about Weihsien-prison-camp-1943-1945 that will become a permanent museum, and with all the data you already have about Eric Liddell --- to remind the younger generations about your recent history of the past 80 years. Most of the documents we are preparing will be for the benefit of these new generations.

Best regards,

Leopold

 

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 4:37

 

Like Al de Zutter, I don't want to buy into the Camp size debate, but his info regarding the distance between bases must help to give us an idea of the size of the ball field. I do recall that softball was the main form of the game played, although a couple of baseball games were played......a bit of trivia-during one of these games, my father hit a home run over the left field fence.....obviously a fluke as he was really no ball player!

Al, are you or your brother John going to be at the reunion?

       Regards, Ed Cooke.

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 4:44

 

I think that's what Dwight is going to try to find out.

 

Pamela Masters <pamela@hendersonhouse.com> wrote: Hi Friends --

I have worked with blueprints all my life. They are a "must" for a home, a building, a boat, a rocket engine, a mission compound ... the list is endless.

Hasn't anyone thought of contacting the mission that built the original compound and its buildings back in the early 20th century, and asking them for the blueprints? Nothing of consequence is ever built without blueprints, and I'll bet they still exist somewhere in the mission archives.

Pamela Masters

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: preparations

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 4:49

 

Very sensible request, Leopold!

 

David

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 4:53

 

Good points, well taken, Eddie!  However, there is still a bit of a problem:  the size of the outfield!  The bases may well have been placed the standard 20 yards apart for softball (although we do not know that they were for certain); but just how far out from the baselines did the right and left fields extend - and for that matter how far from second base did the center field extend on the Weihsien Camp softball field?

 

Still your contribution is good and very valid.

 

David

 

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 5:48

 

About the date of construction of the Hospital. I am pretty sure from memory that we deciphered the year 1924 on the stone near the front door.  The inscription was deteriorating quote badly when we saw it in 1986. I think it also said "Sunnyside (or Shadyside) Hospital. I am not sure which. Joyce

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 6:47

 

 

Joyce,

 

It was "Shadyside..."  Ironically, my grandfather was hospitalized there briefly about 10 years before he was interned there.

 

Donald

 

 

 

 

De: "Raymond Moore" <raym82@hotmail.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 8:25

 

Hi Joyce,

 

Yes it was Shadyside Hospital 1924.  You will see this on my page on my

section of the Weihsien site at

http://users.skynet.be/bk217033/Weihsien/index.htm     I took a picture of the stone with the name on it.  It had been chipped away by Red Guards and was partially obliterated, but still readable.

 

Ray Moore

 

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 8:40

 

hello,

http://users.skynet.be/bk217033/Weihsien/RayM/pages/page15.htm this link should bring you directly to the picture ----

A+

Leopold

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fw: Sketch Locations

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 9:52

 

hello again,

Picture No.9

--- could be anywhere, but --- in all logic, it must have been Father Schmid's backyard! All the Fathers at that period were located in the "Italian's quarters". (Ron will be able to confirm). There is a number 2--  on the wall so it is a perimeter wall with an electrified barbed wire. Don't see any isolators though --- so the wires were not electrified after all!?? ----- I'd place that picture against the North Wall someplace between the "maingate" and the "closed gate"?

What do you say?

A+

Leopold

 

Original Message -----

From: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

To: "Donald Menzi" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>; <weihsien@topica.com>

Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 8:55 AM

Subject: Re: Sketch Locations

 

 

> hello,

> Janette found No.7

> The artist (Father Schmid) was at the crossing of MainRoad and Ludgate Hill and was looking in the direction of the Hospital  ---- downhill! Kitchen 3 is on the left. That's why Ludgate Hill is at the top of a hill. Our camp had it's ups and downs. I wonder if it is still like that today? You'll have a lot to discover!

> As for No.12, Father Hanquet told me that is was Blocks-60 and 59. Father Verhoeven represented them in "rows" --- but in fact they were not. The houses were harmoniously scattered around. --- And then he said that he wasn't too sure about it !!

> I'll forward the message to Topica --- maybe someone can help.

> A+

> Leopold

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: "Donald Menzi" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

> To: <pander.nl@skynet.be>

> Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 6:52 AM

> Subject: Sketch Locations

> > Leopold,

> >

> > Making good progress on the PP slides.  Do you think there's any way of identifying the location of Fr. Schmid's drawings # 7, 9 and 12?  Perhaps Fr. Hanquet would know.  Also, which buildings are his two sketches of - one interior, one roll-call.  Almost everything else is in place.

> >

> > I'm going to try to give you an advance "tour" before I send it out to have Chinese titles added.

> >

> > Best regards.

> > Donald

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Fw: Sketch Locations

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 16:31

 

 

Leopold,

 

I think I recall reading somewhere that the barbed wire was only electrified after the escape, when the outer outer guard towers and moat were also built - part of the general tightening of security -- like the saying, "closing the barn door after the horse has left."

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: ABCIFER

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 16:37

 

Pamela,

For info

For info

The High Court ruling today was that

1. That the birth link scheme adopted was unlawful and indirectly discriminated against those of non-British national origin. The desire of the government to limit the category of those who could claim under the scheme to persons with a close link with the United Kingdom at the time of internment was a legitimate aim. But in adopting criteria which assessed eligibility by reference to the place of birth of the applicant, a parent or grandparent the effect was markedly to reduce the Proportion of those of non-British national origin compared with those whose national origin was British. The Secretary of State has not satisfied me that these provisions were justifiable in all the circumstances.

2. IN addition I have found that the Secretary of State was in breach of his duties under s71 of the (Race Relation) Act.

 

Diana Elias now has to apply to a County Court for them to force the MoD to pay her as they have withheld the  money by an illegal Act. The MoD have been granted leave to Appeal.

My job is to get Parliament to put sufficient pressure on the MoD to accept that they have been whipped and pay up cheerfully.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman's Report is due out in the next two weeks.

Rgds

Ron

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: "Topica List" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fw: CHINA INTERNMENT CAMP

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 16:42

 

Hello former Weihsien internees.  Here is the progress I have made regarding the dimensions of the camp.  It may take some time but hopefully we will get some answers.

~Dwight W. Whipple

 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Reference User" <refdesk@history.pcusa.org>

To: "Dwight & Judy Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 5:27 AM

Subject: RE: CHINA INTERNMENT CAMP

 

 

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> -----Original Message-----

> From: Dwight & Judy Whipple [mailto:thewhipples@comcast.net]

> Sent: Wed 7/6/2005 7:24 PM

> To: Reference User

> Cc:

> Subject: CHINA INTERNMENT CAMP

>

>

> Dear Margery~

> Some of us who were interned by the Japanese during World War II in Weihsien, Shantung, China are returning for the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the camp by the Americans.  A lot of discussion has taken place on a TOPICA website and one of the questions being asked has to do with the physical dimensions of the former Presbyterian mission compound.

 Do Presbyterian records show those dimensions?  Are there maps, plot plans, blue prints, etc.?  Please let me know (I am a retired PCUSA minister) so  that I can pass this information on to other former internees that are interested.

> ~The Rev. Dr. Dwight W. Whipple

>

> Dwight & Judy Whipple

> 4728A Lakeshore Lane SE

> Olympia, WA  98513

> thewhipples@comcast.net

> Tel: 360.456.4300

>

>

 

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Draft base map for visual tour

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 17:55

 

Hi, Ed:

 

 

 

Regarding baseball (softball, really), as you may remember, while we were interned in Tsingtao, all the men playing softball were required to bat left-handed because the fence in the other direction was so close.

So when they started playing in Weihsien, many of them were confused about which side they could best use in batting. Apparently your dad made the adjustment well enough.

 

 

 

No, I will not be at the reunion. John and I talked about it, but neither of us is planning to go. It was good seeing you at the Tsingtao American School reunion in Alexandria. Was that 1998?

 

Best wishes,

 

Al de Zutter

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Eddie Cooke [mailto:shedco@optusnet.com.au]

Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 9:37 PM

To: weihsien@topica.com

Subject: Draft base map for visual tour

 

 

 

Like Al de Zutter, I don't want to buy into the Camp size debate, but his info regarding the distance between bases must help to give us an idea of the size of the ball field. I do recall that softball was the main form of the game played, although a couple of baseball games were played......a bit of trivia-during one of these games, my father hit a home run over the left field fence.....obviously a fluke as he was really no ball player!

 

Al, are you or your brother John going to be at the reunion?

 

       Regards, Ed Cooke.

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: American School Reunions

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 18:33

 

 

Speaking of school reunions, I hope any of you Peking American School students know about the annual reunions and quarterly newsletter that Gladys Swift organizes and maintains.  There's one coming up in Cleveland in September.  Last year about 50 people came to Boston.  In 2006 it will be in New York.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Gay Talbot Stratford" <stillbrk@eagle.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: ABCIFER

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 20:59

 

Ron,

Perhaps you would know where to write to sort out my status. I was born in base hospital in Quetta while my father was on active service in the Royal Scots, and hold a valid passport The UK office in Ottawa insist that I am not British by birth, only by descent. Neither of the two departments have replied. Any ideas?

Thanks a lot

Graham and Gay Stratford

285 Cherry Hill Road, P.O. Box 119

Grafton, Ontario

Canada   K0K 2G0

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: ABCIFER

Date: jeudi 7 juillet 2005 22:15

 

Where was your birth Certificate issued, is it a Military one if so the original will be the UK when they are wrong but being India it may be in Delhi and then they are correct. There are hundreds of people like you including the Private Secretary to the Duke of Edinburgh!

I think that it is worth a claim because your case was covered by the Judge. I have not copied the 104 paragraphs of judgment.

Rgds

Ron

PS you must emphasise that your father was Active service with the British Army.

If you can let me have a copy including the Birth Certificate I will get the Royal British legion in on the act as they are very keen to ensure that children of British servicemen serving abroad are not disadvantaged.

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Sketch Locations

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 0:33

 

I remember seeing the insulators for the electric wires on the wall when my husband and I visited in 1986. We may have a photo in my vcr collection.

Joyce Bradbury

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Size of the Camp

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 1:29

 

 

 

A number of imaginative ways have been suggested to arrive at an estimate of the camp dimensions.  I just got a replacement for my missing Gilkey book and checked his map.  He includes a "100 yards" scale, and the statement, "The scale of the plan is accurate; the compound is only 200 yards at its widest point and 150 yards long."  Is there really any reason to doubt the accuracy of his remark, based as it is on first-hand experience?

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Picture #9

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 5:16

 

Leopold,

 

I don't think #9 can be exactly where you suggest.  Gertrude Wilder's painting of the small closed "hospital" gate shows that the buildings to its left buildings extend almost to the gate itself, whereas #9 shows space to the right of the building - enough for the "kitchen," plus one of the dirt-piles the Japanese Guards used to look over the wall, and a tree.  We know from Fr. Schmid's other sketches that these dirt piles were typical of the east wall, and probably extended along the northeast side as well.

 

Also, we know that not all the Fathers lived in what became the "Italian Quarters."   Fr. Schmid's painting of the SVD quarters (buildings #59 and #60) proves that.  And Fr. Scanlan says that the Scheut Fathers, "the largest group in the camp," occupied one wing of the hospital building. 

 

I would guess that #9 is the end of building #58, which is right next to his other paintings and the geometry of the building and wall works there.  Of course, there's still the question of what the number 2 means, so there is some doubt, but that's where I'm putting it until proven otherwise.

 

By the way, Fr. Scanlan puts the size of the entire compound at "five or six acres."

 

One other question.  Fr. Scanlan says the "Japanese guards...occupied a three-storied building in our section, and from there they could see over most of the camp."  Which building do you think that was?  I can't tell from any of the maps.

 

Fitting all these pieces together is very much like the jigsaw puzzles that my father used to assemble.  It's really great fun.

 

 

Please thank Jeanette and also Fr. Hanquet for his excellent visual memory.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Size of the Camp

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 5:20

 

Donald,

The camp's dimensions has been an interesting point for me, especially after seeing Gilkey's map, as it always seemed wider than 200 yards, to me.

If he produced it 'off his own bat', he did a mighty job and I agree there should be no reason to doubt the accuracy of his statement, though if you use his 100 yd. scale (4.5cms) and compare it to the width of the camp per his drawing, it measures 10.5 cms.  So for a start, the camp must have been, at least, over 250 yds wide.

 

The ball field in relation to Blk #6 is another interesting comparison.  Ron Bridge came up with a figure for the soccer field length (90 yds) which seems 'spot on'.  Those of us who took part in the sprint races in camp would remember the 100 yd. dash had to be shortened for lack of space and we still 'slammed into the left field wall trying to stop.

On Gilkey's map, Blk #6 takes up most of the length of the playing field, yet estimates of the length of the blocks has been mentioned as 33 yds long.

In my opinion something doesn't add up, there!

 

By the way, not all blocks had 12 rooms.  Ours had 10 only.

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Another piece in the jigsaw puzzle.

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 6:17

 

 

Leopold and others,

 

Can any of you tell me if Cameron's sketch of a stairway, in Norman Cliff's collection, is from the basketball court looking north toward the hospital, or is it from the hospital courtyard looking south toward the hospital, with the basketball court out of sight on the other side of the retaining wall?  Or is it somewhere else altogether?

 

Thanks.

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: ABCIFER

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 8:26

 

Ron. Not knowing the exact basis of Diana Elias' litigation I would appreciate if you could advise whether my brother and I have reason to have our hopes raised by the judgement. You may recall that Eddie and I were refused the compensation on the grounds that we were unable to prove to the satisfaction of the MoD that we were eligible even though we were registered by the British Consul at the time of our birth and I still have British citizenship and a current passport. I have no doubt there are many ex internees who would also like to ask this question.  Thanks.  Joyce Bradbury nee Cooke.

 

 

De: "Fred & Coral Dreggs" <dreggs1@bigpond.com>

À: "Ex Internees" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: THE INFERNAL MAP

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 9:11

 

Hi david,

 

Many thanks for your prompt reply about the distance I asked for,  yours being 67yards(61.24m) using a  lineal measurement of 49cms.

Your map must be enormous! i.e. 10 times larger than mine. My scale gives the distance as 61.75m and thus almost identical to yours. On my calculation, the total dimension of the camp , (excluding the Japanese quarters) is 28985m2 but say 30,000m2  (7 1/2 Acres) which I believe is getting close to reality. However, this is academic as we have yet to get the actual measurements of the hospital as the suggestion that has been made. I agree this is a good idea. Is it possible to get a further measurement of an existing ex-Japanese house to confirm the other one. I have heard there is such a building but I don't know if access will be available.

 

Speaking about the Japanese buildings, I am mystified. Was the entire map drawn up by somebody in our camp. If so, how did that person get access to the ''out of bounds'' area to measure the buildings so accurately? If drawn up before our ''tenancy'' how would the person know there would, in fact, be Japanese Quarters ? Does somebody know?

 

Regards

 

Fred

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: ABCIFER

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 9:39

 

The fact that they lost this case by being judged in Breach of sections 41 and 71 of the Rac Relations Act means that the MoD imposition of the blood link rule is illegal.

I am working with the MPs to seek an early meeting with the Minister to resolve the issue for all. Let’s put it this way you and your brother have more hope than you had on Tuesday.

Rgds

Ron

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Size of the Camp

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 9:49

 

Yes,

Because his map makes each room 6foot by 9ft and actual pictures show them to be larger than this around the 9ft x 12ft. Also the ball field definitely held a soft ball diamond and outfield or a slightly shortened football field also races were never quite 100 yds. There is also definitely something wrong with the relationship of Block 6 and the Field. One only has to look at the paintings that are surfacing to show that this is so. I think that the maps are all based on Gilkey and that the wall did not cut in like he had it this shows from the aerial photos. I will try and use some accurate photo-interpreting next week on the aerial photographs but this week I am a bit busy

Rgds

Ron

 

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: THE INFERNAL MAP/out of bounds Access

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 12:27

 

There were isolated occasions when people could get to the out of bounds area officially these were walking down the road to the cemetery when there was a funeral. Incidentally I have a copy of the plan burial grave plots I will try and reduce it to A4 and let Leopold have it.

Secondly there was access at some times to the cows that were kept near the grave yard thus there would have been opportunity to assess the number and size of buildings.

Re the area I can look out over known 7  acre field and I would say that that it is nearer half the size of the internee section of Weihsien. The Scale distance that Fred mentions is the one on the side of the map who and when it was put on no one really knows.

Rgds

Ron

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: THE INFERNAL MAP/out of bounds Access

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 14:02

 

Hello,

A new map? I'd gladly add it to the Weihsien-picture-gallery-web-site.

Maybe it's the same one I found in Norman's documents.

Just click on this link to check?

http://users.skynet.be/bk217033/Weihsien/NormanCliff/people/Died.htm

Thanks Ron ---

A+

Leopold

 

 

De: <MTPrevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Surgery for Weihsien liberator Jim Moore

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 18:30

 

Hello, Everybody:

 

Let's send cards and letters to Weihsien liberator, JIM MOORE.  Jim, who had  planned to attend the Weihsien reunion in August, will require  surgery next week for an unexpected problem.  This will mean Jim cannot attend the reunion.

 He is VERY disappointed.

 

    Jim's address is:

James W. Moore,  9605 Robin Song Street, Dallas, TX  75243  USA 

Phone:  214-341-8695

 

    If you plan to attend the reunion, would you send me an e-mail, please, with contact information for a directory I'm preparing for each  former internee who is attending?  Please include the name you were known by in Weihsien, your city of origin in China,  and what block you were housed in in Weihsien.

 

    I'd very much like this directory to be complete for your future reference.

 

    Mary Previte

 

De: "Gay Talbot Stratford" <stillbrk@eagle.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: ABCIFER

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 19:36

 

Ron,

Thank you so much for your offer of help. I presume that you would like written documents. Could you send me a mailing address?

Our sincere sympathies are with all of you in the UK. Be assured of our prayers.

Best wishes to you and yours

Graham and Gay Stratford

285 Cherry Hill Road, P.O. Box 119

Grafton, Ontario

Canada   K0K 2G0

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: ABCIFER

Date: vendredi 8 juillet 2005 19:44

 

I thought that everybody knew my address

RW Bridge

Chillies Oast

Chillies Lane

Crowborough

East Sussex TN6 3TB

England

Rgds

Ron

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Surgery for Weihsien liberator Jim Moore

Date: samedi 9 juillet 2005 8:01

 

HI Mary,

 

I am sorry to hear about Jim Moore, I was so looking forward to catching up  with him ( and everyone else of course).

 

My contact details are:

 

Joyce Bradbury

100 Cox's Road

North Ryde, NSW

Australia   2113

Email: bobjoyce@tpg.com.au

Phone: +612 9878 3694

 

 

Known Name:    Joyce Cooke

Origin City:        Tsingtao ( Qingdao)

Block:                Block 2

 

I look forward to meeting you soon,

 

 

Regards,

 

Joyce

 

 

 

De: "Stanley Nordmo" <shnordmo@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Tennis

Date: samedi 9 juillet 2005 9:12

 

Does any one recall if tennis tournaments were held in camp?

I did not remember playing either tennis or softball until running across a few short notes dated early August 1945. I had taken the Oxford exams and was no longer cramming, so often went down to the tennis court which was right by the hospital where my camp job was cleaning the wards and the clinic. Once through with the job I along with 3 fellow 'graduates’ would play doubles.

 In one notation I helped Jimmy Bruce roll the court. In his memoir "Bird in the Fowler's Net" he mentioned that Langdon Gilkey had coached him in tennis, and commented that Langdon had been a star collegiate player in the States.

In one softball game I was on Porter's team  playing against Palmer's team. I did not record the outcome.

In another game however I was on the team that won 10 to 2.

Stanley Nordmo

 

 

 

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Surgery for weihsien liberator Jim Moore

Date: samedi 9 juillet 2005 14:49

 

Hello Mary,  

So sorry to hear about Jim's problem. He will be sorely missed by all of us.  I was so looking forward to seeing him again!

My contact details are:

         Ed Cooke

          7/23-25 Smalls Rd.

           Ryde, N.S.W. 2112

           Australia.

           Phone  + 61 2 9878 3732

           Email: shedco@optusnet.com.au

           Then known as "Eddie"

            Origin city: Tsingtao (Qingdao)

           Block 2, Room 1

Glad you'll be there and am looking forward to meeting you.

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Tennis

Date: samedi 9 juillet 2005 23:48

 

 

Stanley,

 

Gilkey must have  been good, since one of Fr. Hanquet's "I remember..." items is watching him play.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Tennis

Date: dimanche 10 juillet 2005 1:58

 

Stanley and Donald

 

My main memory of Langdon Gilkey in Camp was of his responsibility as one of the cooks (or chefs).  He was teamed up at Kitchen One with a young woman (I think she was a Miss Hinkley) and as I recall their meals were quite appetizing) in comparison to some of the other cooks.

 

My favorite cook I think was Mrs Warren. Somehow she found a way even in camp to produce the most mouth-watering shortbread!  Mmmmm!  I can taste it even now!

 

Somehow I don't recall tennis being played at Weihsien although I do remember some coaching going on.  It seems to me that my classmate, Raymond Trickey, had an older brother and sister at Weihsien.  The brother's name I think was Clifford.  Was the sister's name Margaret.  I've loaned out my copy of David Michell's book, A Boy's War, so I do not have access to my list of Chefoo School students.  But Margaret (?) Trickey used to be coached in tennis by a very athletic and good-looking man with a dark tan complexion.  I think he was also a gifted musician (trumpet?)!  He and Margaret Trickey used to spend literally hours "going through the motions" without actually hitting a ball.

But I'm sure there was also lots of actual play as well.

 

Where I do remember tennis being played was at Temple Hill in Chefoo.  As an eleven-year-old I watched games being played their in front of the Prep School house.  At Temple Hill, a far smaller camp than Weihsien, we had a remarkably intimate relationship with our Japanese guards.  I distinctly recall Japanese guards playing against some of the older boys and staff members.

 

David

 

 

 

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: [Norton AntiSpam] tennis

Date: dimanche 10 juillet 2005 2:35

 

I have always been led to believe that Gilkey at one stage was a reserve for the U.S. Davis Cup team.....true or false? Can anyone clear this up for me please?

Ed Cooke

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Cc: "Paul-Emile Lagasse @ home" <pe_lagasse@hotmail.com>

Objet: Re:  tennis

Date: dimanche 10 juillet 2005 17:01

 

Think you are right! Father Hanquet told me something like that too ---

A+

Leopold

 

De: "John de Zutter" <jjdz@optonline.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Tennis

Date: mardi 12 juillet 2005 20:44

 

I learned how to play tennis in the camp and used to play often. I was about 14 at the time.   I can remember Gilkey watching one time and showing me a different grip for my backhand.  I used the new grip from then on.

 

 

 

We uses to play with the tennis balls until there was almost no fuzz left.

Because they became so light the ball trajectories became quite unpredictable. I also recall re-stringing tennis rackets and salvaging string from rackets that were no longer usable. 

 

 

 

John de Zutter

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Tennis

Date: mardi 12 juillet 2005 22:54

 

Amazing!  I learned how to play chess in the camp.  I don't remember who it was that taught me.  It wasn't my father or uncle (Elden Whipple or Nate Walton); it was some other older gentleman who had a lot of patience with a seven year old!  What I learned about chess still gives me a lot of pleasure today!

~Dwight W. Whipple

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Questions for Norman Cliff

Date: mercredi 13 juillet 2005 8:36

 

 

 

I have two questions for you, Norman:

 

1)  Are all three of the drawings of committee heads in your collection by the same artist?  One of them identifies the artist as C. Marshall.  The signatures on the two, which are not identified don't look like the same.

 

2)  I notice that the copyright "bug" appears on all the pictures on Leopold's site that are from your wonderful collection, which I assume means that they are not to be reproduced without your permission.  I, too, would like to use them in a "slide show" I am creating that utilizes all of the paintings that Leopold has posted on the Weihsien web site to create a visual "walking tour" of the camp, as seen through the eyes of its artists.  

 

Is it necessary to reproduce the "C" symbol and your name for each individual picture, as it appears on the web site, or can I include a general statement of your copyright protection in the "Acknowledgements" section at the end of the show?  The latter would be preferable because some of the "slides" have a map and 3 or 4 pictures with the artists' names, and are already a little cluttered.

 

Thanks very much, by the way, for sharing your collection with us all through the web site.

 

Donald

 

 

 

De: "Gladys Swift" <glaswift@cstone.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters

Date: mercredi 13 juillet 2005 16:24

 

This is Gladys Hubbard Swift, youngest child of Hugh and Mabel Ellis Hubbard. (other children:  Ellis Wells Hubbard, also in Weihsien, but repatriated on Gripsholm,  Ward, and Emma-Rose.)  As far as I heard from them, they did not change rooms.  They told me about building in their little room, shelves, chimney made of tin cans etc. so I don't think they moved.  Below are some corrections to their bio quoted:

 

>

>To: weihsien@topica.com

>Subject: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters

>

>Hugh W Hubbard ( Born1887) a Protestant (not a priest, was a minister) and his wife Mrs ME (Born1882 - correct date) Missionary from the NCAS Tungchow, previously Paotingfu,  Hopei, lived in Block 10 Room 9 are listed in the Camp list of 1944. they are also listed as having been liberated in1945 in a US Army Signal Message at NARA where their next of kin is given as C Hubbard 200 Hillaire Circle, White Plains, New York. I believe that they stayed in the same room (did not move).

 

This couple are not known to me:

Colin Philip Hubbard ( No known dob)Missionary and his wife Jan McDonald (No known dob) Missionary lived in Block 13 Room 11 Their home town is given as Hollywood CA they sailed from Shanghai on 15th September 1943 ( Shanghai Times) and are then listed on the Gripsholm( New York Times List).

 

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters

Date: mercredi 13 juillet 2005 17:53

 

Gladys,

 I agree that they did not move until they left Camp the problem arose as there was another family of Hubbard in block 13. The term " Priest " is as printed on the 1944 list of inmates and taken to mean a ordained minister in the Prtoestant context.

Rgds

Ron Bridge

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Questions for Norman Cliff

Date: mercredi 13 juillet 2005 20:30

 

I might be able to help here.

 

As a graphic artist, commercial printer, publisher and author, I cannot state this strongly enough: If there is a copyright symbol, name, and date on any artwork, map, or article, you MUST reproduce them if you reproduce the work in any form -- BUT FIRST, you must get permission , preferably in writing, from the originator, or his or her heirs and assigns.

 

Sometimes this can be very time-consuming, and was one of the reasons that in many instances I couldn't use actual names of people in my book, The Mushroom Years, as I had  no idea what country the person was currently living in, whether he or she was alive or dead, or in the case or a girl, whether she had married, which would change her last name, making a search almost fruitless.

 

I know we're all friends, and I'm pretty certain there would be no problem reproducing copyrighted art and articles, but out of common courtesy, and also consideration for copyright laws, I recommend  you take the time to get permission, or failing that, omit the material.

 

Pamela Masters

 

De: "Frances Osborne" <frances@francesosborne.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Americans going to reunion

Date: jeudi 14 juillet 2005 0:20

 

Dear All,

 

If you are an American citizen going to the reunion please will you email me on frances@francesosborne.com  and let me know whether you were an internee or whether you are related to an internee - I am trying to compile a list of US citizens attending the reunion.

 

Frances Osborne

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Questions for Norman Cliff

Date: jeudi 14 juillet 2005 1:16

 

 

Pamela,

 

I agree, which is why I'm asking Norman.

 

Don

 

 

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: just found you all

Date: vendredi 15 juillet 2005 15:45

 

 

Hi, I just discovered this board as I decided to come to the Weifang celebration.  Admittedly I have not given much thought to the camp days until recently.  My memories seem to be very clear however about some parts of camp life. 

Ted Pearson

 

De: "George Kaposhilin" <gkapo@sbcglobal.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: weihsien boy scouts

Date: vendredi 15 juillet 2005 17:04

 

Hi all:

Can anyone please identify the various boys in the attached picture.

 

Thanks,

George

 

De: "Gladys Swift" <glaswift@cstone.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters - and Ron Bridge's

Date: vendredi 15 juillet 2005 18:33

 

This whole subject of where the Hubbards lived is very confusing since there were two sets of Hubbard (which I didn't know) and now I am being told of a different room where Hugh and Mabel lived - first 10/9 and now 13/10 or 11.  I wish there was some clarification I could believe.  Gladys Hubbard Swift

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: weihsien boy scouts

Date: vendredi 15 juillet 2005 18:44

 

George:

 

I think you forgot to attach the attachment.

 

:-)

 

Al de Zutter

 

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: just found you all

Date: vendredi 15 juillet 2005 21:12

 

Welcome Ted!  I think you will enjoy this board.  We have a great time together here, reminiscing about the "good old days" as well as the "not-so-good old days!"

 

I look forward to meeting you in Weifang (Weihsien)!

 

David Birch

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters - and Ron Bridge's

Date: samedi 16 juillet 2005 0:52

 

 

Gladys,

 

I am the source of some of your confusion because I assumed that the Hubbards who lived next to the Wilders would be your parents because they were such close friends - never dreaming that there was another couple with that last name.  So just erase the reference to Block 13, #10 and #11 from your memory.

 

Sorry about that.

 

Donald

 

 

De: <Cliffnorman@aol.com>

À: <tapol@skynet.be>

Objet: Re: Illustrations

Date: dimanche 17 juillet 2005 21:31

 

I have Chinese Escapade - It was written by Laurance Tipton, published in  London by MacMillan & Co. Ltd. in London.

        Tipton has died and his sister who typed it for him has also died.

        Does that answer your question?  Norman

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: memories

Date: lundi 18 juillet 2005 22:05

 

 

I am new to this page and have to get used to how the site works.  Mary Previte has urged me to post some of my memories.

 

For a start, I remember ringing the hand bell from time to time to wake the camp for morning roll call.  I remember the roll calls..ichi, ni san, chi, etc.

 

I remember my Dad, Frank dancing a pas de deux with Betty Lambert.  I remember my Mom, Ruby, playing soft ball complete with chatter (totally unlike the woman I knew.

 

I remember my Dad acting in Androcles and the Lion.  And Fr. de jaeger (was it?) being the lions roar.

 

I remember bed bugs and pouring boiling water on the beds, and getting scalded and being painted blue.  Oh the embarassment in the showers.

 

I remember being hungry.

 

I remember the horror of eating powdered egg shells and how they didn't get wet in your mouth.

 

I remember the B29s flying over and the crates and drums falling from the bomb bays and the 'chutes never opening.  I remember when the 7 jumped from the B24 and we ran out of the gates.

 

I remember my dad with the swarming of bees in the hospital.

 

That ought to do it for a start.  Ted.

Ted Pearson

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: memories

Date: mardi 19 juillet 2005 16:26

 

Dear Edmund.  Welcome to this site. I cannot say I remember you personally but I do remember your mother Ruby and your father very well. She was lovely, always had a smile on her face. She was a good looking woman too. You may know that Betty Lambert who was Desmond Power's half sister passed away some years ago. Are you coming to the re-union?   Best wishes, Joyce

Bradbury (formerly Cooke)

 

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: memories

Date: mardi 19 juillet 2005 16:53

 

Hi, I was always known as Ted or Teddy.  I registered as Edmund as it is my legal name.  I plan to come to Weihsien for the celebration.  I was not aware that she had died.  In fact, I remember very few people.  Both my parents have passed on as has my brother.  Yes my Mother was a real beauty and even when she was old and during her last days, she was sound of mind and still an attractive woman.  Ted.

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: memories

Date: mardi 19 juillet 2005 18:10

 

Wonderful memories, Ted!

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

David

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: ABCIFER

Date: mardi 19 juillet 2005 21:10

 

Gay,

I have received your birth certificate I have got quite a few questions so can you come back to me on my own e-mail rwbridge@freeuk.com

Thanks

Ron

 

De: <MTPrevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: memories

Date: mardi 19 juillet 2005 21:38

 

What wonderful memories, Ted!

 

Yes, I remember Androcles and the Lion.  Yes, o, yes! I remember eating powdered egg shells!  And, yes,  O horrors!  I remember the bed bugs.  In our dorm, we didn't douse them with boiling water.  We attacked them  with knives and thumb nails every summer Saturday in what we called the "Battle of the Bedbugs."

 

Keep the memories coming.  We're going to have a lot to talk about on our Weihsien reunion.

 

Mary Previte

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: memories

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 1:48

 

 

 

Gosh the bed bugs.  I can remember being sent to get the boiling water, carrying it and spilling it all over...yes!  Then getting myself painted blue with Gentian Violet.

 

Re Androcles and the Lion, my dad was the Christian who was willing to do anything to avoid being killed by the lion.  I was so upset.  Either getting ready for my first communion, or just had it.

 

I remember, Sister Eustella(?) was that her name?  She played softball, was an American, and was a nun. 

 

I remember having my first communion and getting a little lacy paper card and an armlet hand painted.  (my ex has these and will not give them to me.)

 

I remember walking on the corrugated tin roofs of the Japanese compound with (Leo? Leon?) older than I, and our feet were burning on the heat and we caught two fledgling pigeons for food. He cooked them and I brought half back to my family.  I cannot remember who he was except that he was (Russian?).

 

Jeez this is a very strenuous exercise.

 

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: memories

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 1:53

 

I remeber the counting.  Three times a day.  I also remeber meeting with Japanese later on in 1973 who asked me how come I could use chopsticks so well.  When I told them I was in China and had been in a Concentration camp, none would admit to being in the military.  Ah well we did business anyway.

 

 

Edmund Pearson

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: memories

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 4:30

 

 

Ted,

 

"Thanks for the memories!"  You should really consider adding them to Leopold Pander's "I Remember" section on the "official" Weihsien website.  The way it works is you download a base map of the compound, then "attach" your memories to the specific sites on the map that they are connected to.  They become sort of like pop-up "post-its."  It's very cool, and makes it possible to associate your memories with other people's recollections of things that happened to them in the same area.  It also helps those of us who weren't there personally visualize camp life.

 

See you in Weifang!

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fw: map of japanese internee camps

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 6:24

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Desmond Power

To: 'Bob&Joyce Bradbury'

Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2005 12:21 AM

Subject: RE: map of japanese internee camps

 

 

Dear Joyce,

 

 

 

The map's JPEG (compressed) format is fine for transmission over the internet, so I don't know why it is too large for Topica.  However, I reduced it very slightly in physical size, so that its digital size now amounts to less than a megabyte (858 KB to be exact.) I will attach it to a separate email to you. If Topica still rejects it, then I suggest you send it to one or two of your close friends prior to the Weifang commemoration. I'm sure they will find it as interesting as I did.

 

Sincerely, Desmond.  

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Bob&Joyce Bradbury [mailto:bobjoyce@tpg.com.au]

Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 8:07 PM

To: Desmond Power

Subject: Fw: map of japanese internee camps

 

Dear Desmond. I have been trying to send a copy of a very interesting plan of all the (then known) camps in the far East which also includes Weihsien  However it always comes back as too big for WeilHsien Topica. Maybe you will be able to receive it and re format it so Weihsien ex interdnees can get it. I obtained it from the Australian War Museum in Canberra a few years ago. Regards Joyce.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Bob&Joyce Bradbury

To: weihsien@topica.com

Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 3:22 PM

Subject: Fw: map of japanese internee camps

 

 

 

I have tried to send this several times but it keeps coming back undeliverable as too large.. I am sure it will be of interest so I"ll try again.  The previous one was enlarged but too big for the site. I am sure that this one is enlargeable. If you cannot read it on enlargement let me know and I will have another go at sending. Joyce.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Bob&Joyce Bradbury

To: weihsien@topica.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 11:11 AM

Subject: Fw: map of japanese internee camps

 

 

 

There has been some talk about disposition of prison camps under the Japanese. Therefore I am re-sending this as it may be of assistance. See you at the re-union. Joyce Bradbuiry.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Bob&Joyce Bradbury

To: weihsien@topica.com

Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2004 5:29 PM

Subject: Fw: map of japanese internee camps

 

Dear fellow ex internees. Here is a map of all known internment camps under the Japanese. I do not know how to condense it for transmission but I know you will be able to read it. Best wishes. Joyce Bradbury.----- Original Message -----

 

From: Tom Bradbury

To: Bob Bradbury

Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2004 7:34 PM

Subject: map of japanese internee camps

 

Hi Dad

 

Here’s the scan of the map for you. I tried to fit it all on - only a little bit around the edges (ie the edge of the coordinate grids) was lost.

 

Tom

 

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: re: memories

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 9:15

 

Hi Teddy,

Was your mother Ruby an artist?  If so, then I , like my sister Joyce Bradbury, also remember her well.  In my "Weihsien Artists" book, containing paintings and drawings by internees (some of which have already been posted on the site), there is a pencil portrait of myself done by your mother and signed and dated 11th August 1944. There is also an unfinished portrait of Joyce...unfinished because she said Joyce was a difficult person to draw.  Glad to have you aboard and looking forward to seeing you at the big event!

Ed Cooke.(formerly known as Eddie)

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: weihsien@topica.com

Re: concentration camps: Asia

 

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 9:46

 

Dear Everybody.

 

A few years ago at the Australian War Museum, Canberra I admired a beautiful map showing all of the (then known) Prisoner Of War and Internment Camps in the far East. A nice gentleman there gave me a copy in colour. It depicts the Far East from Japan to China including WeiHsien, Chefoo and Tsingtao CAC's, Shanghai Hong Kong the Philippines, Borneo, Java etc etc.and even Burma. I have been trying for a couple of years to transmit this map to WeiHsien Topica but each time it has come back as "Too Big" for the site. I sent it to Desmond Power the other day and he received it and sent it back to me slightly reduced but I have still not been successful in sending it to WeiHsien Topica. I am sure many people would like to have this map and suggest that you please send me your individual email addresses and I will send it direct to you. I think it is unique because I went back to the museum afterwards and asked to examine the map again but I was told that the museum had no record of it and in fact according to their records it did not even exist!!!  I know it did exist because I've got it. I am looking forward to seeing you at the re-union. Joyce Bradbury. Email is bobjoyce@tpg.com.au

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: concentration camps: Asia

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 10:12

 

Dear Joyce,

Could you send me the "biggest" copy you have of your map at tapol@skynet.be

With your permission, I could add it to your Chapter already on my Web-Site ---

Once that is done, a simple link will bring the "guest" directly to the map.

Example: http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/cooke/indexFrame.htm  

Click here and you will see all the paintings you sent last year --- or the year before!

Best regards,

Leopold

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fw: map of japanese internee camps

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 16:16

 

Hello again,

You can now click on this link:

http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/cooke/mapAsia/page600pix.htm  

You will reach a page with a map. Click on the red magnifying glass and the same map will be visible in a new window --- but much larger. Give it time to load onto your computer (± 1000Kbits)

Use the "scroll-bars" to move the map and to read all the legends!

:-))

Thanks Joyce --- it is a real nice map ---

A+

Leopold

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re:

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 20:40

 

Joyce,

I would really like it.

if emailing fails could you be so kind as to mail it to me

RW Brdge

Chillies Oast

Chillies Lane

Crowborough

East Sussex

TN6 3TB

England

Many thanks

Rgds

Ron

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re:

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 22:48

 

 

Joyce,

 

I'd like a copy, too.  I know that Topica will only take sizes up to 100 kb.  However, I think the best way to make it available to everyone would be to send it to Leopold Pander and let him put it on the "official" Weihsien web site, then we can all download it.

 

Don

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: re: memories

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 22:55

 

 

Eddie,

 

You mention your "Weihsien Artists" book.  Do you have any other works in addition to those already posted that could be included in the "walking tour" slide show that I am preparing for presentation some time during the August event?  Any that could be associated with a particular location or camp activity would be most welcome.

 

Donald.

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Fw: map of japanese internee camps

Date: mercredi 20 juillet 2005 23:10

 

 

Joyce and Leopold.

 

Wow, was that fast!  I see that the map is already on the web site, and downloads beautifully.  Now everyone can print it out (or have it printed out) as they see fit.

 

What are the dimensions of the original map?  It's really beautiful and some people might like to reproduce it as close to the real thing as possible.

 

Thanks again.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Fw: map of japanese internee camps

Date: jeudi 21 juillet 2005 0:31

 

I am so glad you are happy with the map. The original dimensions of the map are about 240 mm x 320 mm (about 91/2 inches x 13 inches.) To reach the map do what Leopold Pander outlines, i.e. click on

http://www.weishsien-paintings.org/cooke/mapAsia/pages600pix.htm

    Joyce.

 

 

De: <MTPrevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: No Subject

Date: jeudi 21 juillet 2005 3:04

 

Joyce,

I'd love to have a copy of the map.  I've been unable to download it from the web site you listed.

Mary Previte

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: memories

Date: jeudi 21 juillet 2005 4:40

 

I tried but frankly, (no offence Leopold) but I could not expand the view enough that I could read the block numbers.

 

Donald Menzi wrote:

>

>

> Ted,

>

> "Thanks for the memories!"  You should really consider adding them to Leopold Pander's "I Remember" section on the "official" Weihsien website.  The way it works is you download a base map of the compound, then "attach" your memories to the specific sites on the map that they are connected to.  They become sort of like pop-up "post-its."  It's very cool, and makes it possible to associate your memories with other people's recollections of things that happened to them in the same area.  It also helps those of us who weren't there personally visualize camp life.

> See you in Weifang!

> Donald

>

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE:

Date: jeudi 21 juillet 2005 4:43

 

Me too Joyce, my email is sipabit@videotron.ca

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: memories

Date: jeudi 21 juillet 2005 4:52

 

 

Ted,

 

Did you download it and find you couldn't read them?  Maybe Leopold can send you a higher resolution map directly. 

 

How about it, Leopold?

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Map

Date: jeudi 21 juillet 2005 6:30

 

 

Joyce,

 

Do you remember if they told you anything about the origin or date of the map?  Based on the symbol above the title scroll it must have been produced by the Red Cross - maybe in 1944?  Maybe someone in Red Cross headquarters in Switzerland would have a copy.

 

Thanks again for sharing it with us.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "leopold pander" <pander.nl@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: memories

Date: jeudi 21 juillet 2005 10:33

 

Dear Ted,

When you click on this link:

http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/cooke/mapAsia/page600pix.htm

Try clicking on the "pdf"-symbol in the right margin.

The painting should appear in a new window in pdf-format. --- This allows you to print the document with an automatic page layout thanks to adobe acrobat.  Hope it works.

Oh! Yes, --- I'm arranging a map with all your "IRemembers" --- coming soon ----

A+

Leopold

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fw: memories

Date: jeudi 21 juillet 2005 11:59

 

Hello again,

Try a new link:

http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/I_Remember/From/ted/p_TedPostit.htm

A+

Leopold

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fw: memories

Date: vendredi 22 juillet 2005 2:55

 

I am trying to send to you today a pencil sketch I drew of block 2 whilst in the camp. This was occupies by my family, and the deZutters. I would like that in the I REMEMBER program if suitable. Joyce.

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Map

Date: vendredi 22 juillet 2005 2:55

 

No, I was not told anything about the origin of the map. I am putting together the names of those who need me to send the map straight to their email addresses. As soon as I can I will send it to them. Joyce

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>; "Rod Miller" <rmmiller@optusnet.com.au>

Objet: Re: Map

Date: vendredi 22 juillet 2005 2:55

 

My son put it on the net through his device. On the map under TOKYO GROUP is listed, Yokohama - Kanagawa - CENTRAL PARK YOKOHAMA -SHINAGAWA - HIROAKA -KAWASAKI- (2 Camps) Omori. When my son comes home from Queensland next week I will get him to re-do the map so that every place is readable.

Joyce.

----- Original Message -----

From: "Rod Miller" <rmmiller@optusnet.com.au>

To: <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 6:12 PM

Subject: Map

 

 

> Joyce

>

> Your map is a winner! http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/cooke/indexFrame.htm

> Did you take a photograph of it to get it on the internet?

> I would be interested in seeing the rest of the location key if possible.

> I am interested in civilian internment camps in Yokohama.

>

> Regards'

> Rod Miller

>

>

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: memories

Date: vendredi 22 juillet 2005 8:53

 

Thanks Joyce --- I'll do that as soon as I get the sketch :-))

All the best,

Leopold

 

De: "Gladys Swift" <glaswift@cstone.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The Hubbards' camp quarters - and Ron Bridge's

Date: samedi 23 juillet 2005 12:27

 

Don - Thanks for that clarification.  I'm glad that 10/9 is correct since that is the room I told Suchi, my granddaughter, who is going to the Weihsien Celebration.  Of course, there is no block/room left there now but still she may see the old map.  Hope you will meet her and Geof and introduce yourself.  Gladys

 

>Gladys,

>

>I am the source of some of your confusion because I assumed that the Hubbards who lived next to the Wilders would be your parents because they were such close friends - never dreaming that there was another couple with that last name.  So just erase the reference to Block 13, #10 and #11 from your memory.

>Sorry about that.

>Donald

>

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: memories

Date: dimanche 24 juillet 2005 9:41

 

Donald,    All the pictures I have in my Artists' book have already been posted on the web.  The portrait of me and the half-finished one of my sister, Joyce, don't really have any relevance to the geography of the camp.

Regards,    Eddie

----- Original Message -----

From: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

To: <weihsien@topica.com>

Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 6:53 AM

Subject: re: memories

 

 

>

> Eddie,

>

> You mention your "Weihsien Artists" book.  Do you have any other works in addition to those already posted that could be included in the "walking tour" slide show that I am preparing for presentation some time during the August event?  Any that could be associated with a particular location or camp activity would be most welcome.

>

> Donald.

>

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: memories

Date: dimanche 24 juillet 2005 9:54

 

I can't remember the year (was it 1945?), but I do remember that on the 4th of July American Independence Day, part of the right field wall of the ball park collapsed following some heavy rain, then on the 14th, Bastille Day, a further section fell!

What about the time the sentry outside the Main Gate was the victim of a home made tin can grenade thrown by a villager?  I believe the perpetrator escaped and the sentry recovered.   Anyone recall these events?

Ed Cooke.

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: weihsien@topica.com

Prisoner of War Map

Date: dimanche 24 juillet 2005 10:19

 

I have sent a copy of my Prisoner of War Map to all the people who requested that I do so directly to them. It was in exactly the same form that I sent to Weishien Topica today (which has not been returned to me as undeliverable). Unfortunately most of the addresses to which I sent it came back for various reasons as undeliverable. I think some have received it and will get it on to Topica in readable form. I will wait for that to happen but if it does not, please let me know and I will try to get it to you again. Sorry but I am doing my best to circulate the map.  Joyce.

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: The Sketch

Date: dimanche 24 juillet 2005 12:18

 

Dear Joyce, and Weihsien friends ---

Thanks for the sketch of block No.2

It is now visible through this link:

 http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/cooke/pages/p_Block_2.htm

Hope it works for everybody!  :-))

Thanks also for a better copy of the Asia-map. I corrected the links on the web site and the map is much more "readable" that previously. For those with a 56K-modem --- give it time to load !! (1700Kb="big file")

Critics and suggestions welcome.

Any more "IRemembers"?

Best regards,

Leopold

 

De: "David Beard" <beard@xtra.co.nz>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: forgotten orphans

Date: dimanche 24 juillet 2005 20:12

 

Does anyone know if any reliable research has ever been done about the psychological affects of internment on the school children who were in camp.  From David Michell's book, I count, from the Chefoo School British List alone, 21 children with neither parents nor siblings with them in camp. I think children totally alone, would have been the worst affected.  Next worst off would probably have been those who had one sibling of the opposite sex. How may of the children were able to establish and maintain happy long term relationships in future years?  How many were able to successfully take on the roles of spouse or parent, for which they had not had a role model? etc., etc. In my younger days, I saw young ex-internees struggling to adapt to their homelands. After being reunited, there was mutual difficulty amongst some parents and some children, in relating to each other. No support systems seemed to be in place to help families and some could not cope.

Margaret Beard

 

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Some internee's autographs and sketch of block 2

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 0:27

 

Thanks very much Leopold. I will fix up the problem by putting the sketch on the weishien Topica site because I am sure the deZutter brothers would be interested. I would like to mention that the staircase on the right hand side of the sketch was drawn by a priest, Father Keymolen who was my drawing teacher as I was having trouble drawing the stairway on the left.

I would also like to have on Topica AND the Joyce and Eddie Cooke site a couple of other interesting documents, viz

 

1. A picture of the armband we had to wear during our house arrest in Tsingtao just before we went to WeiHsien.( I still have the actual armband) You will see it is "B" for British and has some Japanese characters which I believe represents my number. Other Nationalities wore similar armbands ("A" for American - "D" for Dutch etc)( I have to have this scanned to be able to send it.)

 

2. I also have my authority to wear US Military clothing issued by the Military after WeiHsien. (I will send this later as I have to have it scanned)

 

3. If anybody is interested I also have several autographs of civilian internees from WeiHsien camp and dozens who were in Tsingtao CAC before WeiHsien. I have autographs of most of the members of the Roman Catholic clergy in WeiHsien. I have also actual photographs of the following, given to me personally in the camp by - Fr. Van Pelt, Fr. Palmers, Fr McCoy, Fr. Verhoven, Rev. Theodoric Kernel, Fr Clem Grosskopf and standing alongside him what I think is his brother Fr Polinus, Fr Louis Leys, Sister Blanda, Sister Hiltrudis and the (Missionary Dr. Scovel and family who also occupied block 2)  I also have two other photographs possibly of Fr  Rutherford and one other unidentified.- I could easily scan all the autographs and send them if desired. The photos would require a little more attention but could be done. Please let me know what is desired.

Joyce.

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: forgotten orphans

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 3:15

 

Margaret,

 

Your questions reveal some true discernment.  I know that some studies have been made along the lines you suggest, re missionaries' children in general, who have been separated for years, in boarding schools, from their parents. 

 

At least one of these studies was commissioned by the mission (I think OMF) whose school aged children were being classified.  This affects, in my opinion, the    perceived objectivity of the exercise.  The psychologist(s) are asked to come up with a picture for the Mission who has requested, and likely paid for, the undertaking.  To me the conclusions are immediately somewhat suspect.

 

Although the psychologist may well give a number of statistics which are in themselves accurate and verifiable (eg  percentage of children who grow up to commit suicide; percentage of those who marry and have children; and so on compared with population in general), in-depth interviews with the children in later life may not adequately probe the areas you have mentioned.

 

Personally, I will be forever grateful for my eight years in the Chefoo School.  But it was a far-from-perfect eight years.  Interestingly, the Weihsien years may have actually been the best years of my childhood.  I felt so much a true part of my environment there - both the Chefoo "family" and the wider Weihsien community!  After the war, I was I believe acutely homesick at times for Weihsien.

 

You speak of the "forgotten orphans."  Interestingly a psychologist (and university lecturer) I know well speaks of a child's "bereavement" from his family when he is taken away to a boarding school for a prolonged period of time. It's almost as if the child's family has died to him. Sure there are letters from time to time. But he can never reach Daddy and Mommy or little brother and sister.

 

Then the psychologist refers to his later removal from the boarding school and re-instalment in his biological family as a second "bereavement."  He has grown attached over the years to his fellow-boarders, "siblings" if you will, and to his favorite teachers who have taken the place (however inadequately) of his own parents.  Suddenly, in his early or mid teens he is wrenched from those who over the years have become intimately close to him.  He is unlikely to hear from them again unless he himself is sufficiently motivated to write to them. Then a letter will come from afar.

But alas it's only a letter.  His schoolmaster doesn't even live on the same continent as the boy, and certainly does not initiate the correspondence which soon dies out altogether.

 

As you say, there may be serious difficulty for the child to draw close to the Dad and Mom he idolized when he was little.  He has long fantasized about the reunion with them and his younger siblings.  It was really only a "dream," and doesn't work out in the ideal way he had pictured in his mind. The father is far stricter than the boarding school masters. Far stricter!  The strains become almost impossible at home, and the boy rebels. Of course, he has reached the "rebellious" adolescent stage in his development. Perfectly normal ― although magified by the unusual circumstances.  Dad is firm and strict. But he does not understand. 

 

Dad doesn't grasp that he not only has a big rebellious teen-aged boy but down deep inside this difficult kid is a little boy who desperately needs his father's physical and emotional love.  A boy who has never been physically cuddled since he left home at the ripe old age of six - some eight years earlier!

 

Unable to understand what he is going through, the boy's behavior becomes erratic in the father's opinion. Psychiastrists are consulted.  The boy is hospitalized. 

He is taken out of school and given shock therapy.

Then the father finds that he himself is being blamed, by the psychiatrists, for his son's "breakdown."

 

How the kid is able to grow up and lead a relatively normal life is really something of a miracle.  But it does happen - amazingly!  Also the father, whom the boy might well have never forgiven for his almost hopeless bungling, never loses his son's love and loyalty. By the grace of God the son is more than ready to accept the fact that his father truly meant well and genuinely loved him.  The boy (and later the man) never doubted for a moment that his father's calling to be a missionary was genuine.  And thus he deeply respects this wonderful man who made so many mistakes.

 

Autobiographical? Of course. I was that boy. I am that man.  Has my life been picture perfect?  Far from it.

But earlier this month my wife and I celebrated our fortieth anniversary!  And in many ways our lives have grown richer as the years have passed.  We have three wonderful grown children, a son and two daughters. And we have a great son-in-law and five delightful young grandchildren.

 

Not only that:  but I look on the years gone by as the "good old days," in spite of their many imperfections!

 

I would invite comments and similar (or different) memories from others of you!

 

Sincerely

 

Another "Dawei"

David Birch

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: forgotten orphans

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 5:54

 

 

It suddenly dawned on me that I'm probably guilty of "hijacking" Margaret's email with my earlier reply.

Please forgive me if you feel that is so.

 

I do hope you will not let that deter you from answering the very perceptive questions in her email (below):

 

 

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Some internee's autographs and sketch of block 2

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 9:06

 

Hello,

I don't want to seem greedy --- but --- I'm interested in everything! (--- and I guess that I'm not the only one---)

Best regards,

Leopold

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re:

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 16:22

 

 

Joyce,

 

Thanks for sending it.  I found that the copy that I downloaded from Leopold's site was very satisfactory, but I appreciate your taking the extra effort.

 

Donald

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: memories

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 18:30

 

Ed,

 

 

 

I definitely remember the wall crumbling on the fourth of July and, like you, I don't know whether it was 1944 or 1945. I remember we were wading in water half-way up to our knees, and sailing little wooden boats we had carved out of little blocks of wood.

 

I don't have any memory of the other two events you list.

 

Regards,

 

Al de Zutter

 

 

De: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: forgotten orphans

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 19:22

 

Several months ago, a correspondent of mine wrote the following about several studies which involved Chefoo students.  I thought it might be of interest.

 

KAS is Kuling American School.

 

Greg

 

 

I learned about the Spink study from Ian at the KAS reunion. He is the new editor of the Chefoo Magazine and he brought the two most recent issues of that magazine to the reunion. There is an article about the Spink study in one of those issues (including an excerpt from the study itself). The Spink study is a dissertation, prepared by Christina Spink at Widener University, and entitled "An Oral History Case Study on the Co-construction of Schooling at the Chefoo School and in Weihsien Internment Camp."  The study includes extensive factual details about schooling both at Chefoo and in the Weihsien camp, and about the psychological experiences of the students.

Whereas many of the Weihsien internees chafed under the restrictions of life in an internment camp, the Chefoo students found their internment experiences to be in some respects significantly less restrictive than their old Chefoo School environment. Ian has a copy of the study which he bought from UMI Dissertations Services—he suggested that I buy one from UMI (i.e., he won't violate UMI's restrictions by making a copy for me of the one which he bought).  The Spink study also mentions an unpublished 1975 study by Monica Hogben of Chefoo students born between 1935 and 1955, regarding their adjustment to adult life-- I had not known about the Hogben study until this last weekend. --Steve

 

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Just a thought...

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 20:11

 

Hi Friends --

 

I know that Sui Shude is sending out all the invitations to the Weihsien celebration, but I was wondering if anyone attending would like to suggest to him that it would be very gracious of him if he would send out one more -- to the retired Japanese ambassador to the Court of St. James. I heard indirectly from that gentleman through my friend Professor John Pritchard, who had met him at an embassy function early in September 2001.

 

When Pritchard told him of my book, The Mushroom Years, he was intrigued and said he was a toddler of three when his father was our camp commandant!  He invited my sisters and me to visit with him in London before his retirement in early October of that year Of course, 9/11 cancelled all our plans to make the trip. It would be a lovely gesture...and might possibly help to further cement relations between China and Japan.

 

Incidentally, Bill Einreinhofer, a delightful person who is making a documentary on Old China Hands, wrote me yesterday to say he would be at the celebration to film the festivities.  Just a heads up...sounds like you're going to have a ball!

 

Kindest regards -- Pamela Masters

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: forgotten orphans

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 21:01

 

Thanks Greg!  That's a good lead for follow-up!

 

David Birch

 

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Cc: <dmenzi@asan.com>

Objet: Re: Just a thought...

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 21:13

 

Thank you, Pamela, for this gracious idea and wonderful suggestion.  I recall that Donald also wondered, in an earlier email to this site, about the possibility of some of our Japanese friends being invited but thought that with the current difficult relationship between China and Japan it might not be considered.

 

I think that your information could possibly change that.  I hope it may be possible.

 

Donald, do you think you could take on the responsibility for writing to Mr Sui about this. I would think a brief note, including Pamela's email, could be appropriate and should certainly give no offence!

 

If you'd rather, I would be willing to do it, but you have such a beautiful knack for approaching people of different backgrounds that I would think you should be the one I would choose for the task.

 

Regards,

 

David

 

De: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Just a thought...

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 21:29

 

The immediate past Japanese ambassador to the Court of St. James is Ambassador Hayashi.

 

His father was also the ambassador to the Court of St. James in the 1940-1941 time period.

 

He was NOT the commandant of Weihsien, but of Lunghwa and later other Shanghai area camps.

 

 

 

De: "David Beard" <beard@xtra.co.nz>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Re: forgotten orphans

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 21:49

 

Thanks David.  Yes, this research does sound as if it might be suspect, but it would still provide interesting information.  Do you know where I could view a copy or maybe get it on interloan via our university? Is it held in the CIM/OMF Archives in London?

 

Not everyone has come through as well as you.  There are some who are not on this List and who never attend Chefoo School reunions.  They will not be at Weifang in August.  They just want to forget it all! They would be unlikely to respond to this subject, as they might think other Chefusians would be critical of what they have to say.  At least one Missionaries' daughter, who has studied child development told me that she believes that if God gives you children, then God expects you to nurture and care for them yourself - the children and mothers should not be seen as encumbrances in "God's work".

 

What you have to say about the schoolmaster is perceptive.  I have read CIM/OMF literature that claimed that, in Camp, the teachers became substitute parents. The teachers had their own problems and could hardly become all things to all students.  They were well equipped to meet educational needs - but social and emotional needs?  Parents who move out of your life after camp, can hardly be counted as parents.  If the only role model that was available was authoritarian did this produce future authoritarian parents? 

 

Regards Margaret Beard

 

De: "C. Wayne  Mayhall" <solomon110@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: forgotten orphans

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 21:58

 

This dialogue, under the re of "Forgotten Orphans" is both interesting and,   on philosophical, sociological, and religious levels, somewhat unsettling.

 

Let me explain...there is a tendency from historical perspectives to   sentimentalize history, that is in the case of Chefoo, I have seen many cases of   what I will call "Chefoosian-speak'" exemplified in the use of such terms as   "orphans" and "forgotten ones." These terms attach a level, or a degree of   mythology to a reality that was otherwise so. No one is saying that the  students, teachers and parents who experience Chefoo-Weihsien do not have the  right to their experiences and the desire to preserve their memory "lest we  should forget" or for whatever reasons...but many are saying that there is a  core group of people who attempt to relive the experience in terms of  nostalgia, sentimentality, and, yes, downright historical inaccuracy, and  attempt to rewrite the history of things in terms of extreme documentation  gathered to support their case.

 

De: "David Beard" <beard@xtra.co.nz>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: RE: forgotten orphans

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 22:01

 

Thank you Greg for these references. There will be some interesting information here, which may need sifting through to remove bias. Does UMI stand for University of Miami?  I will see if I can get hold of them.  

 

Does anyone know of any publication that was produced by an independent body?

 

Regards Margaret Beard

>

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Cc: <solomon110@aol.com>

Objet: Re: forgotten orphans

Date: lundi 25 juillet 2005 23:05

 

Hullo Wayne,

 

I've never come across you up till now and know nothing of your background.  However, your comments in this dialog about Chefoo/Weihsien boarding school students are indeed a valuable addition to an important discussion.

 

It is most important that when a person recalls his past life, he should try to be fair and understanding to those whose lives had an impact on his.  From my own experience, I believe it can be enormously helpful to engage in discussion with others concerning the process of my life and what helped to form the attitudes I have held over the years.

 

Discerning, skillful counselors and good friends have done much over the years to help me to have a thankful attitude regarding what I have lived through both as a child and as an adult.  I've learned that it is vital for me to have a FORGIVING attitude while not trying to repress occasional feelings of resentment regarding the way I was treated at times by certain key individuals in my past life.  It's important to recognize mistakes that were made and how they have affected my life. It's equally important to have an emphatically forgiving attitude toward the individuals whose actions and attitudes affected me adversely.

 

It's also, for me (and probably for most others as well, I think) to be able to see the humor in many things that happened in the past, and to really learn to laugh as certain events are recalled!

 

It's certainly possible to do a lot oneself to make one's memories more bearable!  And by that I do not mean that one should create a "false reality" about one's past.

 

Also, however much we may have suffered, we can almost always find others who have suffered far more than we have - and yet have triumphed over their adversities.

Think of the Helen Kellers of this world for example!

 

Regards,

 

David

 

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Just a thought...

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 3:39

 

Hi Greg --

 

That's an interesting comment, especially as John Pritchard mentioned that, sadly, the ambassador's father died before he became Japan's ambassador to Great Britain...a post his father, our commandant, was never able to achieve. I think at this time it would be best if we consulted with Dr. Pritchard, his email address:   mail@johnpritchard.com

 

I will leave it up to those attending the celebration to follow through. You may mention my name, and send him my best wishes.

 

it's sure getting exciting!

 

Enjoy -- Pamela

 

De: "Dawei Beard" <phoenix7788@hotmail.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Time Magazine review 2.9.66 of 'Shantung Compound'

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 4:12

 

For general interest, I'm posting a Time Magazine review dated 2.9.66 we located on the internet recently.

 

Regards,

 

David Beard

 

 

Parable from Prison  (Time Magazine Review of  'Shantung Compound 1966) Sept. 2, 1966

 

In 1943, Harvard-educated Langdon Gilkey, the son of a Baptist minister and an English teacher at Peking's Yenching University, was arrested by the Japanese and sent to a prison camp near Weihsien, in Shantung province.

There he lived for 2½ years in the company of 1,500 other interned civilians, most of them British and American missionaries or traders. Out of his wartime experience, Gilkey, now a professor of theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School, has distilled a fascinating memoir called Shantung Compound (Harper & Row; $4.95) that is both a vivid diary of prison life and a theologian's mature reflection on the condition of man in times of stress.

 

As concentration camps go, Weihsien was relatively civilized. The prisoners were not beaten or tortured by their Japanese guards. But there was never enough food—Gilkey lost 45 Ibs. during the ordeal—and prison life was dominated by tensions wrought by both boredom and fear. Living space was at a premium in the compound, a former Presbyterian mission. In the dormitories, chalk lines were drawn on the floor, carefully delimiting the area each man had for his bed and few possessions. Privacy was almost nonexistent.

 

Moral Breakdowns. As a prologue to Shantung Compound, Gilkey approvingly quotes Brecht's sardonic couplet: "For even saintly folk will act like sinners, unless they have their customary dinners." To his surprise, Gilkey discovered that the most devout missionaries were not immune from selfishness. Even ministers began to squabble with their fellow prisoners’ bout food shares and steal from communal supplies. Forgetting the lesson of the Good Samaritan, missionaries with families bluntly refused to share any portion of their living area with others who needed space. One preacher went so far as to contend that he needed extra room "in which I can have quiet to think out sermons." All in all, Gilkey concludes, life at Weihsien was a series of "moral breakdowns so serious that they threatened the very existence of our community."

 

The new demands of prison life, says Gilkey, frequently exposed the strict Protestant ethic as legalism wrapped in hypocrisy. Many of his fellow prisoners were critical of the compound's fundamentalist ministers. On principle, they refused to lend their canteen cards to heavy smokers—but they would not hesitate to barter the cigarettes they got from the Red Cross for extra tins of food. Far more popular were the Roman Catholic missionaries, who generally displayed a spirit of freedom from material wants that enabled them to play a creative, neighbor-helping role in the community.

 

One prison favorite was a Trappist monk who was caught smuggling 150 eggs into the compound under the prison wall. Sentenced to 45 days in solitary, he took the punishment lightly, since as a monk he was used to long and lonely meditations. Still another prison saint was Dick Rogers, a former British soldier. An alcoholic, he proved to be virtually the only man who could be trusted to guard the communal food store without stealing anything for himself. Nonetheless, writes Gilkey, "Many a pious diner, whose ration of food depended on Dick's strength of character, still thought of him as immoral because he drank."

 

Love of Neighbor. Many Jews lost their faith in God's providence at Auschwitz. Gilkey, however, emerged from the Shantung prison with a deeper conviction that God alone is the answer to the problems of man and society, the source and inspiration of human creativity. Whenever a man's ultimate concern is a finite object such as food or comfort, Gilkey argues, he will sacrifice everything, including his neighbors, to satisfy this need. At Weihsien, only those with genuine faith in a transcendent Creator were free enough to respond to the new challenges of prison life, to see in deprivation a challenge rather than a threat. It is loyalty to a finite concern, he concludes, that is the source of social antagonism and communal strife. Only when man is faithful to a being beyond the world is he free to love and live for his fellow man.

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Just a thought...

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 4:53

 

 

 

Thanks, David (Birch) for your kind assessment.  I'll follow up on Pamela's suggestion to contact John Pritchard by email to see what he knows.

 

Thanks, too, David (Beard) for sharing the review of Gilkey's book.  I wonder how many others share his assessment of the relative merits of Protestant and Catholic clergy in the camp.  I know that my grandfather, who was a liberal Protestant missionary/teacher, wrote of the "marvellous Fathers" he had encountered there.

 

Altogether, there are some very interesting angles entering the discussion now - dark corners as well as light and shadows - like real life.

 

Donald   

   

 

 

De: "David Beard" <beard@xtra.co.nz>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Re: forgotten orphans

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 9:38

 

Dear Wayne

 

Thanks for your message.  I must confess to knowing nothing about "Chefoosian-speak" or the many cases of such instances to which you refer.  I would be interested in your references if you could kindly send them to me off-List. 

 

Your spelling suggests you are not an ex-Chefusian and I can't find you on the list of Weihsien internees. What is your interest in the Weihsien List?

 

Margaret Beard

 

This dialogue, under the re of "Forgotten Orphans" is both interesting and, on philosophical, sociological, and religious levels, somewhat unsettling.

 

Let me explain...there is a tendency from historical perspectives to sentimentalize history, that is in the case of Chefoo, I have seen many cases of what I will call "Chefoosian-speak'" exemplified in the use of such terms as "orphans" and "forgotten ones." These terms attach a level, or a degree of mythology to a reality that was otherwise so. No one is saying that the students, teachers and parents who experience Chefoo-Weihsien do not have the right to their experiences and the desire to preserve their memory "lest we should forget" or for whatever reasons...but many are saying that there is a core group of people who attempt to relive the experience in terms of nostalgia, sentimentality, and, yes, downright historical inaccuracy, and attempt to rewrite the history of things in terms of extreme documentation gathered to support their case.

 

 

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: just a thought.....

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 13:39

 

Pamela,   

Whilst I appreciate your suggestion is made with the best of intentions, I am sure that there are others, like me, who would feel somewhat uncomfortable and most guarded in what we say in the presence of the subject gentleman.  I personally was never mistreated, but I have witnessed certain actions which are indelibly set in my mind and I think  a GREAT DEAL of consideration must be given to the idea and to others like me who are part of this web site, as well as those who will be attending but do not take an active part in all these email discussions. I don't think his absence would take anything away from the activities planned. For some, his presence might. Apart from the above, Mr. Sui Shude and the Mayor, I feel, would be placed in an embarrassing position.

Ed Cooke

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: just a thought.....

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 15:42

 

 

Eddie,

 

I agree with you about the delicacy of the suggestion.  We are, after all, the guests at Weifang's event, and a symbolic act with such historical and international implications would surely have to be cleared all the way to Beijing.  I doubt that there would be time enough at this date, even if the former internees were united in their feelings about it, which from your comments, they clearly are not.

 

As they say, "In a perfect world..." (leaving the "But...." unsaid).

 

Meanwhile, Pamela, I tried sending an email to the address you gave for John Pritchard and it was returned as undeliverable.  I'm curious to know whether he's related to the Pritchard who was author of "Ancient Near Eastern Texts" - a standard in the field when I was a student.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Just a thought...

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 16:13

 

I must re-enforce Greg Lecks statement Hayashi was Commandant at Lungwha not Weihsien and it was his son who was the Ambassador to the U.K. up until about 1999. I have met the son and he confirmed that he was a child at Lungwaha when his father was Commandant. His father was then the interpreter to the Royal Air Force detachment at Naha Okinawa during the Korean War.

Rgds

Ron

 

De: "George Kaposhilin" <gkapo@sbcglobal.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: just a thought.....

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 18:10

 

I completely agree with Ed Cooke. It would be an insult to our hosts to even suggest such a thing. Remember how the Chinese were treated around the camp!

George Watts

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Just a thought...

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 18:11

 

Well, it really was a kindly thought and a good-hearted one.  But with the further thoughts and discussion of not only the implications of such a course but also the accuracy, or lack thereof, of the identity of the Japanese gentleman, we'll reluctantly have to admit that it has just been a well-meaning but "passing" thought!

 

David

 

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: The Wall

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 18:25

 

Dear Christine:

 

 

 

Thanks for the clarification of the year of the collapse. I wonder if Ida Talbot's diary contained any mention of another event that stuck in my mind. At some point, quite early in our internment at Weihsien, there was a baseball game played with Japanese hard-rubber baseballs between the Japanese guards and a camp team on which the American priests - Father Wendolyn Kleine and others - played a prominent role. The camp team won by a large margin, as I recall, and the event was never repeated.

 

Al

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Just a thought...

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 21:44

 

Frankly I would be quite happy if there were no Japanese representatives at this meeting.  In my adult life I was transferred to Hong Kong to do business for my employer with the Japanese.  Upon seeing my proficiency with chopsticks, they all asked where I had learned.  I told them ''In China'' Then they asked me when I was there.  Up until '47 said I. 

Then there mental computers went into overdrive and they hesitantly asked me where I was during the war.  In a Japanese Interment Camp says I.  Well not one of the people there, all of whom were older than I confessed to being in the military.  I have never met so many ''agricultural and cultural experts!  lol.  Except for one chap who was a Kamikaze Pilot.  He had gone through his funeral and then Japan surrendered.  He admitted to this quite cheerfully.

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: just a thought.....

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 22:06

 

Hi Eddie...and all you Weihsien Survivors --

Thanks for all the give and take, but I can't help thinking that you might not be attending this great celebration in China if we hadn't had a Japanese CIVILIAN for our commandant. -- Pamela

 

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: just a thought.....

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 22:22

 

John Pritchard co-authored a gigantic tome originally entitled "Total War", which was subsequently re-issued under the title of "The Penguin History of the Second World War." It's in two sections. The first covers the European Theatre and the second the Pacific Theatre. It is a terrific book, and a 'must' reference book for WWII buffs. (ISBN 0-14-028502-4)

 

As the current consensus is to NOT mention the Japanese commandant to your Chinese hosts, we can let the matter drop. For myself, as I've included John's report to me in the Forward of the second edition of The Mushroom Years, I will probably call him some time soon, and double-check his version of the event/story.

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: just a thought.....

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 23:06

 

 

Thanks, Pamela.  Your suggestion opened up some very interesting discussion topics. 

 

I'll certainly get Pritchard's book, based on your recommendation, even though clearly he's not the Pritchard who wrote Ancient Near Eastern Texts.

 

Donald

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: just a thought.....

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 23:07

 

Pamela,

 

Your thought was a kind one, and it's really too bad that it doesn't seem as though it could be worked out!

 

I personally feel a great deal of warmth toward the Japanese, including those who were in charge of guarding us during WWII! But there are still (even after 60 years) some very deep hurts and raw feelings exposed at very mention of inviting Japanese to the celebration. Indeed, it does take a very long time for all wounds from the past to be healed.

 

Also, China suffered very terribly during the Japanese occupation in the late 1930s and up to 1945!  And Japan has not officially acknowledged the ghastly atrocities they committed against the Chinese people.

So it would be, as one of our discussion participants has suggested, quite embarrassing for our hosts to be put into the position of having either to invite a Japanese gentleman, however exemplary, or else to have to tell us that such an invitation would not be appropriate.

 

I think it is great that you personally, as a friendly individual, are going to follow up this contact.

Communication between diverse peoples, even members of formerly combatant races, is vital in this mixed up world of ours!

 

Good for you, Pamela!

 

David

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: just a thought.....

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 23:52

 

 

I suppose that I am grateful for that.  Just not certain that a  celebration of liberation should include representatives of the wardens.

 

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: just a thought.....

Date: mardi 26 juillet 2005 23:56

 

 

Of course, if he really wanted to hear the memories of the people who had been interned without any PC consideration for his feelings  including the fact that Japan has never really recognized its role  towards the peoples under its domination, eg.  Kopreans, Chinese, etc.   then by all means, invite him. 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: just a thought.....

Date: mercredi 27 juillet 2005 0:40

 

No invitation is going out. Period!

 

**

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Joyce Bradbury's PC down

Date: jeudi 28 juillet 2005 11:42

 

To all interested parties and especially Mary Previte   -

 

My sister, Joyce Bradbury, has asked that anyone wishing to contact her through HER OWN email address, please do so through me and I will pass the message on.   My email address is shedco@optusnet.com.au  

 

Ed. Cooke

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: New Photographs

Date: mercredi 3 août 2005 18:36

 

  

Dear Mary,

Thanks very much for your four new pictures --- perfect.

Could you add a story to each one of them --- for us?

They are already visible via:

http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/

Click on "The magnificent Seven"

 

Best regards,

Leopold

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: More Map Questions

Date: samedi 6 août 2005 4:09

 

 

Here's some more map questions.

 

The compund map on our website shows a major North-South street as "Tin Pan Alley" - the same street that is called "Rocky Road" on the map in Pamela Master's book, "The Mushroom Years" (a good read, for those who haven't yet).  Can anyone provide a little history of which name came first and why it was changed (or was it?).  Also, did the name "Tin Pan Alley" have any musical connotations in relation to Weihsien?  For those not familiar with it, "Tin Pan Alley" was the nickname given to a block on West 28th Street in New York City where a lot of sheet music publishers were located.  Why would a street in Weihsien be known by that name?

 

Also, Pamela mentions that the network of "lattice walls" between various courtyards within the compound was torn down and the bricks were used to enclose an additional area on the north end of the main compound.  Other people who saw the walls in Gertrude Wilder's paintings have mentioned that they were torn down because they were home to rats, scorpions and other undesireable residents.  Can anyone identify on our "standard" map where the "new" outside walls were built from the rubble of the old walls?

 

Finally (for now) is there a reason why Fr. Verhoeven's map is oriented with the south at the top, while the standard orientation is the reverse, with the north pointing up?  I've used Fr. Verhoeven's map as the basis for the "walking tour" slide show, but wonder if there is any explanation for its S-N direction.

 

Thanks to anyone who can clarify any of this.

 

Donald

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: escapees

Date: samedi 6 août 2005 13:57

 

Was Mickey Boycott one of the ones who 'went over the wall'?  Were there two sets of escappes? or just the one?  Did we not get the Xray machine from the Weihsien Hospital as a result of a promise by the Camp Leaders that no one else would escape?  Was it not illegal for Civilian Internees to escape?  I have a memory of two young men on huge (I was probably only 4'8'') horses coming in the gates once we had been liberated.

 

Ted Pearson

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: from Mary Previte

Date: samedi 6 août 2005 14:56

 

 

 

 

Natasha, Would you post this from Ted Pearson, Montreal?

 

I have been trying to track down the magazine that printed a lot of drawings by William A. Smith who came to the camp after liberation and drew me amongst others.  I have a page from this magazine which had a painting of a Japanese guard in Weihsien.  I know he is now deceased.  I tried Stars and Stripes but no.

 

Ted Pearson, Montreal

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: God-speed!

Date: samedi 6 août 2005 15:02

 

 

God-speed to those of you who are flying to Weihsien.  Our thoughts will be with you and we will be very anxious to hear from you upon your return.

 

Natasha Petersen

 

De: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: More Map Questions

Date: samedi 6 août 2005 16:03

 

I've seen dozens of maps of the various internment camps.  The Japanese map of Weihsien is oriented in the traditional manner, with North at the top of the paper.

However, other versions are oriented differently.  The only explanation I can offer comes from someone who was in Yangchow C.  While all the maps I saw of this camp were in the standard orientation, his also placed south at the top.  The explanation was this was how he always "saw" the camp in his mind, so that is how he drew it.

 

Greg

 

>Finally (for now) is there a reason why Fr. Verhoeven's map is oriented with the south at the top, while the standard orientation is the reverse, with the north pointing up?  I've used Fr. Verhoeven's map as the basis for the "walking tour" slide show, but wonder if there is any explanation for its S-N direction.

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions

Date: samedi 6 août 2005 19:35

 

Greg,

What walking tour?  What have I missed about Weihsien.  Georgie Reinbrecht

Knisely

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions

Date: samedi 6 août 2005 20:00

 

 

Georgie,

 

The "walking tour" is actually a slide show that combines Fr Verhoeven's map with the paintings and sketches by Weihsien artists.  Our hosts have squeezed 15 minutes in their program so it can be viewed by participants at the "reunion."  I'll also put it on a CD for whoever wants a copy.

 

Donald

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions

Date: samedi 6 août 2005 21:01

 

Donald~

What is involved in getting a copy of the CD?  Cost, etc.?

~Dwight

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: escapees

Date: samedi 6 août 2005 22:37

 

As far as I know, the only escapees were Arthur Hummel and Laurence Tipton.

Hummel later became ambassdor to Beijing under the Reagan administration.

 

Albert de Zutter

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions

Date: dimanche 7 août 2005 2:16

 

Dwight,

 

I will be revising it based on the comments and corrections of people who see it in Weifang.  Then I will send copies to anyone who gives me their mailing address.  It has been a pleasure to work on the project.  There will be no cost., but it won't be ready until the end of the month.

 

Donald

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 1:12

 

I want it - the walking tour, revised and all.  It sounds like an amazing memory for all of us.  Let us know how much and we will be there.  Donald, where do you live?  Georgie

 

De: "Gladys Swift" <glaswift@cstone.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re:  Walking tour

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 2:10

 

>Don - Please put me on your list of those who want your CD  walking tour on Weihsien.  Thanks.

>  Gladys

 

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: God-speed!

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 5:13

 

Thank you, Natasha!

 

David

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions/also Camp overall area.

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 5:29

 

Dwight,

 

Not to change the focus too much, but the more I've thought about the overall area of the camp, the more I think that your father, Elden Whipple Sr's estimate of the size of the compound was probably closer to the actual size than I had really 'guessed' it to be.

 

My weekend job as a commissionaire at HMCS Discovery, the naval reserve base on Deadman's Island just off Stanley Park gave me pause for thought and comparison.

Deadman's Island is about six acres in size and can't be too different in area from Weihsien Civil Assembly Center.

 

David

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 5:40

 

Thank you Donald!  You've done SO MUCH over the last few years to make Weihsien Camp and its significant place in both secular and church history come back to life!  I'm sure your grandparents would be pleased with your dedication to discovering for their posterity the truth about all that happened in their part of the 'field.'

 

Thanks again!

 

David

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions/also Camp overall area.

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 7:09

 

David~

I'm hoping that I hear "soon" from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) historical department with news of blueprints, etc.  I'm guessing that kind of stuff would be saved/microfilmed or whatever.  In the meantime have a great event in Weihsien/Weifang.  And tell us all about it when you get back!  Bon Voyage to all who are going.

~Dwight

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: weifang

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 9:47

 

Hello,

Many "happy landings" to all of you who are on their way to --- China --- and --- Weifang!

:-))

Leopold

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions/also Camp overall area.

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 17:49

 

Thanks Dwight!

 

David

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re:  Walking tour

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 18:10

 

Thanks for all you have been quietly doing behind the scenes, Donald, to ensure that an accurate picture is presented of Weihsien Camp, near Weifang, Shandong!

In case the crowd around you at Weifang is too thick for me to get near you, my address is:

 

G DavidBirch

21-101 K de K Court

New Westminster

British Columbia

CANADA

V3M 6B6

 

David

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: weifang

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 18:15

 

Thank you Leopold! What an inspiration you are and what a gift of encouragement you have!

David

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>; "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

Objet: new paintings

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 18:49

 

Dear Ted,

Hello again,

The paintings you sent my-way (this morning) are now visible on the Weihsien-picture-gallery-web-site: http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/

Open the "log-book" and click on the last picture entered.

Have a good time ----

I asked Janette and Father Hanquet to help me to locate all these marvellous paintings and sketches. --- so, the map on the leftFrame is still un-active for the moment.

I hope that Donald will be able to include them in his *.pps-show.

The nice thing about all this --- is that it is never finished --- and so much the better !!  :-))

A+

Leopold

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions/also Camp overall area.

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 22:53

 

Dwight Whipple,

Where are you and yours?  You name is so familiar, I think as children we used to meet in Iltus Huk at the Presby compound.  I remember lunch - we were allowed whatever we wanted on our bread and you could only have peanut butter, jam or butter only two at a time????  Right???  What silly things we remeber from childhood.  And I believe one of the Walton girls was stung by a stingray/octupus, whatever they were that could sting you at the beach in the water and she was miserable for a couple of days.  Good times back there.  Then you were on Presby Hill and we were on Lutheran side.  Been back and looks so small in comparison to my memories and the hill up to your place isn't half as steep as I thought.

Men used to beat their horses pulling bricks up the hill, they would fall and have bloody knees and the drivers would just beat them to stand up.

More memories.

>From Georgie Reinbrecht Knisely

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: "Topica List" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Tsingtao

Date: lundi 8 août 2005 23:37

 

Hi Georgie~

Of course, I remember the Reinbrecht family.  And I well remember the times at the beach--just a couple of "blocks" down the road from our house.  It was our cousin, Bobbie Walton, who was stung so badly by the stinging jelly fish, as we called them.  And I remember being told by our parents that we had to first get our heads wet so we wouldn't get sun-stroke.  I had my fifth and sixth birthdays (July) in Tsingtao and my seventh was in Weihsien.  We live now in Olympia, Washington on the west coast.  I am attaching a picture of our Tsingtao house that you will remember.  My sister, Lorna (Whipple) Black visited Tsingtao a few years ago and found the house, although it took them the better part of three days.  It has been changed drastically with a large wall built to hide most of it.  Just the top was visible, she said, and it had a large star placed there.  If you can't receive the picture (Topica may not allow it), let me know your email address and I will send it separately.  Good to hear from you!  Where are you now?

~Dwight

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: mardi 9 août 2005 5:55

 

 

Dear Ted and others with new pictures.

 

I love the new paintings and sketches.  Unfortunately, I have already had to leave out some of those that were posted before in order to keep the "tour" within the 15 minutes of program time that was squeezed into the program for the Weifang version.  However, I will put those I had to omit back in and add these new ones to the "final" version that everybody will get on a CD, so it will be as complete as possible.

 

Thanks for everyone's contributions.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions

Date: mardi 9 août 2005 6:19

 

 

Dear Georgie,

 

I live in New York City.  Everyone who wants one will get a CD - no cost.  However, now that the new paintings are being added to the collection, it will take a little time after we get back before the project can be completed, as it involves creating some explanatory text, getting it translated into Chinese, and also adjusting the overall for each slide, and also the music tracks that accompany the "tour."  I would hope to have a "finished" version done by mid-September.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: "Christine Talbot Sancton" <sancton@nbnet.nb.ca>; <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: 3 new paintings, ---

Date: mardi 9 août 2005 14:18

 

Dear Christine,

Thank you very much for the 3 new paintings. Superb!

 

They are now visible:  (click on ---) http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/

click on  ---  "Mrs. Ida Talbot"

or ---

click on "log-book"

A+

Leopold

 

De: "Emily Patterson Bryant" <jebryant38@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: mardi 9 août 2005 16:59

 

Hi Donald

could you inform me as to how I can get one of thesecd's? My wife Emily was an internee at weihsien.

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: mardi 9 août 2005 18:14

 

 

Hello all,

 

To get a CD (once it's corrected and finished) just email me your mailing address.

My target date for mailing is the first week of September.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: mercredi 10 août 2005 3:58

 

For the walking CD tour my address is -

Georgeanna Knisely

38 Clemens Drive

Dillsburg, PA 17019-1366, USA

I would love it for when I return from Weifang!

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: More Map Questions

Date: mercredi 10 août 2005 3:58

 

You are wonderful, Donald, and I look forward to it with joy, Georgie

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Tsingtao

Date: mercredi 10 août 2005 4:23

 

Dwight,

I am in Dillsburg, PA, halfway between Gettysburg and Harrisburg, central southern PA>

O could not remember jelly fish.  My son says, Mom are we playing 20 questions, and I say yep, till I find the right word!  I remember Lorna, of course, have a picture of her on the stairs all the girls from Pres and Luth onmaybe, your front steps.

I have been back to Weihsien in 96 and Qingdao very year since my husband died and they ask me, a librarian to come and help in Christian International Schools.  We taught and libraried in Tienjin 96-98 in one of them.

Yes, It has all chnged and grown and you have to look to find what you were certain was there.

I am going to the reunion.  Am very excited, fly out Friday and will come back Sept 12th.

Georgie

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: mercredi 10 août 2005 15:55

 

Hi Donald, I was not aware you were making a CD.  Certainly the cartoon

is a funny one.  I would very much like to receive a copy.  My

co-ordinates are E.T.. Pearson, 1545 Dr. Penfield Apt 209, Montreal

CANADA H3G1C7  Can I contribute to the cost?  Teddy

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: mercredi 10 août 2005 16:58

 

 

Ted,

 

Thanks for the offer, but the only real cost is the time it takes and that's my contribution.  Material and postage is trivial and I'll absorb that.  All I need is your mailing address (thanks) and your patience, while I work the new material into the program after returning from Weihfang.  The finished product will be longer than their time slot - probably about 20 minutes.  You will also be able to "click" through it at your liesure, but without the musical background.

 

Donald

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: mercredi 10 août 2005 21:24

 

Dear Donald,

 

Please put me on your mailing list.

 

Albert de Zutter

7514 Locust St.

Kansas City, Mo. 64131

USA

 

Thanks.

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Tsingtao

Date: jeudi 11 août 2005 5:08

 

Thanks, Dwight for the picture.  Yes, as I remember it.  That's really special.More after the reunion, Georgie

 

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: re God Speed

Date: jeudi 11 août 2005 6:48

 

Thanks,Natasha, for your good wishes to all of us attending and also for having established this web site, without which it may never have happened.  My thoughts will be with you and with our rescuers. For a while there, I thought  we were going to be lucky enough to have Jim Moore attending, but unfortunately it was not to be and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Ted Pearson, I think you were enquiring about "Mickey" Boycott?  Well, Michael will be there..... a group of us is meeting in Tsingtao a couple of days prior.

See you in WeiFang.

ED COOKE.

 

De: "Eddie Cooke" <shedco@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: walking tour

Date: jeudi 11 août 2005 6:48

 

Donald,   

I hope you're not going to be overburdened with all the requests for your "walking tour" extravaganza, but I too, would like a copy.  I feel with all the time and effort you're putting into it, you should be compensated in some way....let me pay for my copy plus postage. Anyway, I hope to meet you on the big occasion!  My postal address is:

      7/23-25 Smalls Rd.,

      Ryde, N.S.W. 2112,

      Australia.

 

     Ed. Cooke

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: vendredi 12 août 2005 2:16

 

Hi Donald,

 

I would love a CD. My address is:

100 Coxs Rd

North Ryde  2113

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: vendredi 12 août 2005 2:18

 

Dear Donald. I am sending this to you c/- topica because I have lost all my addresses.

My brother Eddie has just told me Donald has kindly offered to supply a disc of the camp. May I have one please? Please post it to me at 100 Coxs Road, North Ryde,  2113  Sydney Australia. I would be happy to pay any expenses incurred. Joyce Bradbury..

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: vendredi 12 août 2005 2:21

 

I forgot to add this:

NSW Sydney AUSTRALIA

Many thanks

Joyce

 

De: "Joyce Cook" <bobjoyce@tpg.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: FW: Remember "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning"?

Date: vendredi 12 août 2005 4:51

 

I have just read some old emails. The parachutes were red, bright yellow, green and white. Tsolik Balianz made me a blouse and skirt out of the red parachute. My first new clothing in 3 and a half years. The loudspeakers were strung on trees and perhaps some posts. I do remember the trees. I have very happy memories of hearing "Oh what a beautiful morning." Because I remember feeling how beautiful mornings were in our new found freedom. Joyce.

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: "Topica List" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fw: CHINA INTERNMENT CAMP

Date: vendredi 12 août 2005 17:18

 

Hello Everyone~

I have just received this message from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  It doesn't look promising to come up with any useful information regarding dimensions of the Weihsien camp.  But I have followed up with William Bynum, suggested in the message.  We may be able to uncover some data.

~Dwight

 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Reference User" <refdesk@history.pcusa.org>

To: "Dwight & Judy Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 07:54

Subject: RE: CHINA INTERNMENT CAMP

 

 

> August 12, 2005

> Dwight and July Whipple

> 4728A lakeshore Lane SE

> Oympia, WA 98513

> Sent via email: thewhipples@comcast.net

> Dear Dr. and Mrs. Whipple:

>

> Thank you for your email regarding the missionary compound in Weihsien, Shantung, China.  I have checked our catalogs and databases but did not locate any materials that document the dimensions of the compound.  This included a search of our property records where we often find plats, maps, etc. for foreign mission stations.

>

> Our PCUSA collections do not have any materials specifically for Weihsien. I did find that our PCUS records have stations reports up until 1938.  But I doubt that these would have the type of detail that you want.  Also, as you mentioned you were PCUSA missionaries so it may not be applicable. But if you would like to follow up on these reports, please contact William Bynum, Assistant Director for Reference Services at 828-669-7061 or wbynum@history.pcusa.org as these records are at our Montreat, North Carolina office.

>

> I hope this helps you with your questions.  Further information about our services, collections, and locations may be found at our website, www.history.pcusa.org <http://www.history.pcusa.org/  > .  Please remember to send any e-mail inquiries to our general reference e-mail account, refdesk@history.pcusa.org , which is checked daily and allows us to respond in the most efficient manner.  You may also contact us by phone at 215-627-1852.

>

> Sincerely,

> Beth Bensman

> Manager of Public Service and Outreach

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Dwight & Judy Whipple [mailto:thewhipples@comcast.net]

> Sent: Wed 7/6/2005 7:24 PM

> To: Reference User

> Cc:

> Subject: CHINA INTERNMENT CAMP

>

>

> Dear Margery~

> Some of us who were interned by the Japanese during World War II inWeihsien, Shantung, China are returning for the 60th anniversary of theliberation of the camp by the Americans.  A lot of discussion has takenplace on a TOPICA website and one of the questions being asked has to dowith the physical dimensions of the former Presbyterian mission compound.

> Do Presbyterian records show those dimensions?  Are there maps, plot plans, etc.?  Please let me know (I am a retired PCUSA minister) so that I can pass this information on to other former internees that are interested.

> ~ The Rev. Dr. Dwight W. Whipple

>

> Dwight & Judy Whipple

> 4728A Lakeshore Lane SE

> Olympia, WA  98513

> thewhipples@comcast.net

> Tel: 360.456.4300

>

De: "John de Zutter" <jjdz@optonline.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: vendredi 12 août 2005 18:22

 

Hello Donald,

 

Please add my name to the list of inmates who have asked for the disk.  Your kind offer is very much appreciated.  Sorry I cannot join all of you at Weifang. 

 

John de Zutter

280 Short Hills Drive

Bridgewater, NJ 08807  USA

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: wiefang-photos

Date: samedi 13 août 2005 9:32

 

Hello,

To all our Weihsien folks and friends all over the world:

I think that we are now ready to view all the best photos and comments coming from Weifang for the 60-year-anniversary-celebrations-of-our-liberation-by-America.

Tried it out with Donald Menzi and it seems to work OK.  :-))

So:

go to: http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/

click on:  --- = pictogram on the Home-page.

Click on the photographer's name (in the left-frame) and you will reach a new page full of thumbnails and comments.

(--- so far, only Donald's page is active with three sample pictures)

- click on the thumbnail to view the picture -- "bigger" on-the-computer-screen.

- Click on the yellow magnifying glass if you wish to print it. You can download the picture on your Hard-Disk-Drive and print it with the help of your favourite photo-software or download them (the picture-files) on a CD (or a memory-card) and give them to your local photographer for professional-printing.

Hope it is OK for everybody.

Any suggestions?

A+

Leopold

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: samedi 13 août 2005 10:24

 

Donald,

Pu me on the list as wll please I ahve been away for the past two weeks hence have not entered the fray earlier.

R W Bridge

Chillies Oast

Chillies Lane

Crowborough

East Sussex

TN6 3TB.

If it is not too late hep that those who visit Weihsien have or have had a great time.

Rgds.

Ron

 

De: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: samedi 13 août 2005 21:14

 

I've taken a look at the new paintings.  The one of the Japanese in the tower doesn't look accurate - I suspect the artist employed some artistic license.  The individual looks like a regular army solider - steel helmet, uniform, Arisaka rifle - instead of the dark, blue black consular guard uniform, with pistol and wooden holster.

 

Of the paintings for which the artists are not identified, some clues are there.  One has the monogram which looks like "MTS" monogram represents.

There was a Sambo Tremlett who painted watercolours but his middle initial is A, not M.

 

I particularly like the painting by AG Cameron, who was a taipan with the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank.

 

Greg

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>; <weihsien@topica.com>; <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Japanese Sentry

Date: samedi 13 août 2005 21:58

 

 

Greg,

Very interesting.  Ted Pearson's note says that the sentry picture was done by a war correspondent, not an internee.   It certainly looks like the inside of the "ball field" watch tower.  Ironically, it was the one "new" picture that I decided to use it in the "slide show" for the program because it embodies so well the fact that this was forced confinement, backed up by guns.  Could there ever have been a time when a soldier in this uniform would have been a sentry - maybe toward the end of the war - or is this image just historically wrong?

 

Ted,

Do you know anything more about this painting, or who William A. Smith was?

 

Anyone,

I'm still waiting for an explanation of how "Tin Pan Alley" got its name.  Anyone know for sure?  Or even as a guess?

 

Donald

 

De: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Japanese Sentry

Date: samedi 13 août 2005 22:17

 

Donald,

 

After the OSS Duck Mission team landed, the Japanese guards were utilized to help guard the camp against marauding bandits, or communist units which were in the area.  But no regular Japanese units were allowed into camp.  In fact, there was an incident a few days later when regular Japanese troops at the Ershilipu airstrip prevented an American plane from landing, causing Major Staiger to blow up at the Japanese commandant.

 

I'm presuming the image was published somewhere after the war.  No doubt the American public would have recognized the Japanese soldier depicted, but a consular guard might have seemed strange to them.

 

The internees I've spoken with were adamant and certain that no regular army Japanese were allowed into camp.

 

As for Tin Pan Alley, I would guess that many of Weihsien's top notch musicians may have been quartered there.

 

Greg

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Japanese Sentry

Date: dimanche 14 août 2005 5:22

 

Greg,

 

Of course I accept your testimony as to who was and was not in the watchtower.  Did the consular guards' uniforms have the same pattern - "riding" pants with sort of a balooning top, with high boots - as is shown in this picture? 

 

I noticed that the guard who appears in Cameron's drawing of the un-covered guard tower in the sourtheast corner has a similar style uniform, with what appears to be the same sort of cap as the picture we're discussing.  This led me to think that it could have been accurate.

 

Donald 

 

 

De: "Christine Talbot Sancton" <sancton@nbnet.nb.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: best wishes

Date: dimanche 14 août 2005 17:17

 

I wish to all Weihsieners: a happy thanksgiving anniversary of our liberation on the 17th August.

 

I am unable to go to Weihsien and accept the kind hospitality of Mr. Sui Shude. I look forward with great interest to the accounts of the celebrations.

 

We have been lucky to have been able to visit with several Weihsieners this our special year of celebration.

 

While is Brussels in May, we had the delightful privilege of meeting Leopold and Nicky Pander and Fr Hanquet at Janette Pander's beautiful home. Monique Walravens, whose father was chief engineer at the KMA (I think) drove us to Lot. What invaluable work Leopold has done for us with his interactive website.

 

We had a wonderful time with these special people.

 

Then in London, Ron Bridge kindly met us at the Imperial War Museum.  Ron is working tirelessly on his data base. He has thousands of names entered, with more data being entered all the time. As editor of the Bamboo Wireless and chairman of ABCIFER he is very busy so we were very fortunate that his schedule permitted our meeting.

 

Then before returning to Canada we stayed with Kay Allan Canning, who must be my first friend as both our parents worked for the KMA and we were born the same year in the same hospital in Tongshan. I have been so happy to find Kay through this topica site.

 

Just this week my sister, Gay Talbot Stratford and brother, Peter Talbot and I were all together with our spouses, for our own celebration of Thanksgiving.

 

We do feel grateful and so very lucky.

 

With best regards to all.

 

Christine Talbot Sancton

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: dimanche 14 août 2005 22:36

 

I remember the guards wearing faded khaki uniforms and wearing caps. Those on guard duty did, indeed, carry the regulation Japanese bolt-action rifle.

I don't remember anyone in the camp wearing a dark blue uniform or carrying a pistol in a wooden holster -- which would have been a Mauser. The officers carried a smaller side-arm in a shiny brown leather hoslter.

 

Albert de Zutter

 

De: "Gay Talbot Stratford" <stillbrk@eagle.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: best wishes

Date: lundi 15 août 2005 0:52

 

Good for you Christine. you expressed sentiments for all of us in St. John.(That is New Brunswick.)

To be alive is a great privilege, especially heightened by an anniversary. The Mass of Thanksgiving said it all.

 Safe journey and a happy stay to those on their way to Weihsien.

 May God keep you in all your ways.

Graham and Gay Stratford

285 Cherry Hill Road, P.O. Box 119

Grafton, Ontario

Canada   K0K 2G0

 

De: "Gay Talbot Stratford" <stillbrk@eagle.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: best wishes

Date: lundi 15 août 2005 1:16

 

Graham and Gay Stratford

285 Cherry Hill Road, P.O. Box 119

Grafton, Ontario

Canada   K0K 2G0

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: mardi 16 août 2005 16:34

 

 

Dear Albert,

Thank you Albert.  Your memory seems to confirm the authenticity of the "Japanese Sentry at Weihsien" painting.

How about it, Greg?

Donald

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: First Photos - Arrival Day

Date: mardi 16 août 2005 17:56

 

 

Hello back home -

I just sent Leopold a few photos to post, and here's a brief report to go with them.

 

Many people came a few days early to go to their old Chefoo haunts.  They'll have to tell you about that themselves, but I can report that they say the school is now part of a military compound and it took some talking to get the authorities to let them through the gates.  It was apparently a very emotional re-connection, which I am sure that Mary Previte and other Chefoo-ites will detail for you.

 

My own family group (8 of us, spanning 3 generations) were met at the airport by a number of young volunteers from Weifang University holding aloft "Welcome Weihsieners" signs.  A bus took us to Weifang - a 1 1/2 hour trip.  The highway was bordered by farmlands, many of them with large fields of young trees, similar to poplars, planted in rows - often with corn (or kaoliang = sorghum) planted among them.  We were told that the trees were also a crop - their wood would be used to make furniture.  I don't remember the trees from when we traveled the same route about 10 years ago, and I suspect that they are a new crop tied to China's new manufacturing industries - more profitable than foodstuffs.  On the bus we met Bill (forgot his last name - sorry, Bill), who is working on a documentary for our Public Broadcasting System on the experience of children who were interned in Japanese camps, Weihsien and others.  He says he sees this as the last great untold story of World War II - and he intends to be the one to tell it.  We hadn't heard from him before because he's a Weihsien@topica.com "lurker" - following all the emails, but not sending any of his own.  The program will probably air some time next year.

 

The opening banquet followed a brief rest at the hotel.  The dishes were delicious, and all were recognizable (not always the case with banquets here) with an emphasis on seafood - Shandong is a coastal province, after all.  Weifang's Mayor Li and others gave brief welcoming speeches.  Personally, I was especially pleased to meet some of the people whom I had gotten to know through the topica email group. 

 

After the banquet some of us got to see part 2 of a four-part TV documentary about the story of Weihsien on the local TV station. 

 

A very full day is planned for tomorrow and Thursday.  Stay tuned...

 

Donald

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: mardi 16 août 2005 19:25

 

Dear Donald,

 

While I have not seen the painting in question, I should also say that I do not recall any of the guards wearing helmets in the camp. What I do remember is that the guards looked just like the Japanese soldiers I saw in Tsingtao from 1938 on. If they were, indeed, "consular police," there was nothing in their appearance that distinguished them from the Japanese Imperial Army.

 

Albert

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: First Photos - Arrival Day

Date: mardi 16 août 2005 19:40

 

Hi to all of you! I'm writing at this time to give you the name of the gentleman doing the PBS documentary: he is Bill Einreinhofer.  Treat him nicely -- he's a gem !

Have a wonderful reunion -- Pamela Masters

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: First Photos - Arrival Day

Date: mardi 16 août 2005 19:54

 

Hello,

Thanks Don for the first three pictures ---

They are "on"

http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/

Keep them comming :-))

A+

Leopold

 

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: mardi 16 août 2005 20:43

 

What I remember about the guards in Weihsien is that they wore hats, not like baseball hats, but rather a short brim in the front -- sort of like a Greek hat.  I remember it because my cousin and I would sneak up behind them when they were sitting down and we would knock off their hats and then run as fast as we could.  They were good natured about it and would run after us, making a game of it.

~Dwight W. Whipple

 

De: "Sui Shude - Weifang China" <suishude@sohu.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Date: mercredi 17 août 2005 17:44

 

News For Weihsieners From Sui Shude in Weifang:

 

Thank you for your best wishes to the Weihsien Celebration 2005 in

Weifang!

 

The Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Weihsien Camp Liberation is going in Weifang.

 

Yesterday, Aug.16th, 63 former Weihsien Internees as well as their families and friends arrived in Weifang(Weihsien) from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and Hongkong.

 

Also more than 200 people from the world main medias, reporters, jounalists, ambassadors, and government officials of the China national, provincial and city levels arrived the city of Weifang for this special occasion.

 

Aug. 16th, the city government of Weifang held a grand welcome banquet for all the guests in Weifang Hotel from 6pm to 9pm.

 

Aug. 17th, all guests gathered in Weifang 2nd Middle School for the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Weihsien Camp, which started at 9:30am, with the welcome masses of nearly 1000 Weifang people.

 

The city mayor and government officials of the national, provincial levels, as well as Mary Previte gave speeches representing the Weihsieners of the United States, followed by gun salutes which shot about 20 parachutes into the sky, and 1,500 peace pigions were set freed into the sky over the camp site. There are about 3,000 Weifang people attended the ceremony.

 

After the ceremony, the guests visited the Weihsien Camp Exhibition House, the Camp Hospital, The Le Dao Yuan Square, flower-presenting to the monument of Eric Liddlle, the Monument With all Former Internees' names Carved on and at last, a group picture was taken.

 

In the afternoon, all 63 former Weihsien Internees as well as their families and friends, togather with representatives of Weifang people, such as Mr. Zhang, the son of Mr. Zhang Xingtai, who worked in the Weihsien Camp as a cleaner 60 years ago, the Chinese government officials as well as leaders and representatives of the Weifang 2nd Middle School, Weifang Hospital attended the meeting of the First Friendship Party Between Weifang People and Former Weihsieners & Their Families and Friends.

 

The mayor of Weifang City attend the meeting and delivered a speech, also

Estelle Cliff Horne representing the Weihsieners of the U.K., Olive Maida Campell representing Canada, Joyce D. Bradbury representing Australia, David Beard representing New Zealand and James H. Taylor representing Hongkon delivered speeches. Mr. Zhang, the son of Mr. Zhang

Xingtai gave a speech also. The meeting was ended with the excellent slide-show of the Video-CD designed and produced by Dr. Donald Menzi, professor of New York State University, who attended the celebration with his family representing his grand parents who were interneed in Weihsien Camp 60 years ago.

 

In the evening, all guests were invited to enjoy the theatrical performances in Weifang Theater.

The music, dancing and singing performances are all designed kindly by the Weifang People's Government specially for the celebration.

 

Tomorrow, the Weihsieners and their families and friends will return to visit the Weihsien Camp place once again to evoke ther past memories the whole morning, and then sightseeing in Weifang, to see the changes.

News From Sui Shude and thank you for reading.

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet:

Re: Celebration of Weihsien Camp Liberation is going on

Date: mercredi 17 août 2005 17:55

 

Thank you Mr. Sui Shude for the report on the Celebration activities at Weihsien.  It is very much appreciated.  We look forward to receiving a copy of Don Menzi's video CD.  We are very sorry that we were unable to attend.

Thanks again for all that the people of Weifang have done!

~Dwight W. Whipple

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet:

Re: Celebration of Weihsien Camp Liberation is going on

Date: mercredi 17 août 2005 20:10

 

Dear Mr. Sui Shude --

Thank you so much for your excellent report on the 60th Anniversary Celebration at Weifang.  I deeply regret not being able to attend, but through your words I can see Weihsien again in my mind 's eye, and feel the warmth and caring of the Chinese people.

I know, for all my friends and fellow internees who attended the anniversary festivities, your gracious hospitality will be remembered for years to come.

Sincerely, Pamela Masters

(Miss P. Simmons, Weihsien Camp #498)

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet:

Re: Celebration of Weihsien Camp Liberation is going on

Date: mercredi 17 août 2005 20:14

 

Dear Weihsien,

Thank you Weifang for remembering 60 years ago. So far, we have seen just

the 21 first pictures sent today by Don Menzi on:

http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/   --- and my e-mail box is announcing 9 more pictures comming ---

I have difficulties to find the good words to express what I feel.

Best regards,

Leopold

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: First Day Photos

Date: mercredi 17 août 2005 20:21

 

Hello back there,

 

I just sent Leopold 30 photos from the first day of the Weifang Municipal Government's official celebration of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Weihsien concentration camp.  He will be posting them to the web site soon, I am sure.   Through this email I will try briefly to put them into the context of the day's activities for those of you who couldn't make.  (They are numbered in chronological order.  The gaps in the numbers represent photos that were taken but not sent.)

 

===================

 

We took a bus from the hotel to the site, now the grounds of Weifang Middle School #25.  At the main gate was a welcoming banner (125) and a clear aisle between two rows of students, rhythmically waving colorful wreaths (126, 126a) down which we processed to our seats (126b - 181), accompanied by stirring classics of western orchestral music.  A dramatic and exciting beginning to what would be a wonderful day.  I would estimate that the crowd surrounding the procession of internees numbered well over 1,000, mostly local citizens of Weifang, of all ages, all with smiling faces.

 

A light mist made the weather pleasantly cool - a great and welcom surprise to those of us who expected temperatures in the 95 - 105 degree range.  (The non-Anglos among you will have to convert that to centigrade yourselves.)

 

The ceremony took place in what once was the semi-circular courtyard in front of Building #23.  The ceremony itself opened spectacularly with fireworks (!!!) - each exploding shell releasing a tiny, colorful parachute - seemingly hundreds of them - which floated slowly across the gray sky (201).

 

Then came speeches by representatives from each of the 7 or 8 sponsoring organizations (206) - Mary Pevite (211a) representing the "Weihsieners."  The seated (and hatted) Chinese gentleman being interviewed by a reporter (207) we found out later is the youngest son of one of the Chinese "sanitation workers" who carried out the cess-pool and WC contents for use as fertilizer by local farmers.  His father had risked his life carrying messages into and out of the camp on slips of paper wadded in his mouth, and he had also helped Tipton and Hummel in their escape, at great danger to himself.  Today the son was the official representative of all the local Chinese who had helped Weihsien internees through their difficult years by operating the "black market" and acting as secret go-betweens.

 

The ceremony also included the dedication of plaque for the "Weihsien Concentration Camp Exhibition House" (248), which contans a great many photos and artifacts from the internment camp, all well-displayed around the walls of what had once been the general storeage house for internees' in the "out of bounds" area.

 

A real highlight of the ceremony was the performance by a children's chorus who sang some spirited songs exceedingly well (250).  Their performance was climaxed by the release of dozens of "peace doves" (really pigeons - 263), which ending the opening ceremony.  I was amused to see my son-in-law Robert wiping some of their droppings off his shoulder, thinking that they could have deliberately targeted him because he is a professional teacher of traditional Japanese martial arts - until my wife, Jane, pointed out that they had hit my own shoulder, as well.

 

The walk to the Exhibition House provided an opportunity for the local "Weifangers" who had gathered to observe the ceremony to informally express their greetings to the former "Weihsieners."  These totally spontaneous expressions of heartfelt, warm welcome to the former internees by the local population, (268 - 374) was one of the most touching aspects of the whole day. 

 

The crowd around it prevented Jane from getting any get good photos of the laying a memorial wreath at the Eric Liddell monument, but she later got one of the monument itself (375).  

 

Next came the ringing of the enormous "peace bell" by the oldest "Weihsiener" present, together with a little girl from Weifang (412a). 

 

Finding the names of former internees on the memorial wall containing the names, in English and Chinese,  of all the inmates who were liberated (437c) was a moving experience for many.

 

We left the compound grounds through a quite elaborate park and recreation area, still under construction, that includes some interesting use of water to form a series of arches, under which my grandchildren enjoyed running (437d).

 

The Wefangers said good bye to the Weihsieners (437a, 454)as we boarded the buses to return to the hotel.

 

After lunch and a brief rest, we reconvened for the "First Meeting of the Council of Friendship Party Between Weifang People and the Former Weihsieners" (469 - 529).  This include speeches by the Mayor and other local officials and by internees representing the U.S., U.K, Canada, Australia, New Zealand; and most warmly applauded of all, by the son of the former "sanitation worker."  (A translation of his very moving speech will be forwarded to Leopold to be included in the web-site - filling the gap in our memorial collection, which now includes the local Chinese people who were so generously helpful to the internees while they were emprisoned.

 

After the speeches the constitution of the newly formed Party organization was read and adopted unanimously by those present.  I'm sure the constitution in its entirety will be added to the web site.

 

Following the meeting I did the "walking tour" slide show and took the names of anyone present who wanted to be sent a playable copy of the CD (538).

 

After dinner, most of our group went to a Commemorative Theatrical Performance, which I skipped to work on the photos.

 

It has been a long and wonderful day - far beyond anything that any of us imagined would take place.  The Weifang government officials have organized a great event, which we all deeply appreciate, but the real stars for many of us were the ordinary citizens of Weifang, who turned out in great numbers, and whose genuine, open warmth and sincere expressions of welcome transcended any language barriers, making many of us feel like this was truly a homecoming, even for those of us who weren't there 60 years ago.

 

More about tomorrow, tomorrow.

 

Donald Menzi

 

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: jeudi 18 août 2005 3:25

 

 

Gee Dwight, you must have been a brave lad to mess around with the guards like that.  How old were you at the time?  Your name doesn't appear on my camp list, so, could you have been one of those luckier ones repatriated in September '43?

There was nothing good natured about the guards reaction the day I was hauled off to the guard house after being caught retrieving a soccer ball outside the camp wall.  Granted the degree of the 'offence' was different and besides a tall lad of 15 or 16 years of age has to be taught some 'respect' ! ( ?) ! I guess.

They must have scared the daylights out of me, at the time, because I can remember every detail of it, today.

 

Then, some of you (ie: Albert de Zutter), seem to have extraordinary memories for detail, such as the colour and shape of their uniforms and head gear worn etc.  I agree khaki registers in my mind, as their predominant uniform colour but didn't the likes of Sgt. 'Boo shing dee' always appear wearing a uniform bordering on the colour black?  Or was it his 'foreboding' image colouring my recall, there?

 

Donald is certainly doing a great job getting words and pictures for all to see.  He's certainly giving me the feeling of missing out on the fun.

 

Last but certainly not least of all,  Sui Shude 'Hsien Shung', the whole organising committee and the Weifang People's Government are to be congratulated and applauded for organising such a wonderful 'once in a lifetime' event, honouring this lucky little group of WW 2 internees from the Weihsien camp.

 

A.(Zandy) Strangman

 

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: jeudi 18 août 2005 3:56

 

Hi Zandy~

I was seven years old, and yes, we were repatriated in September 1943.  The whole experience was a great adventure for "us kids," though our parents didn't think so.  We were all together, actually two families since December 8 when Pearl Harbor was bombed put us under house arrest in Tsingtao; then to the hotel in town and eventually to Weihsien.  We were together because we all gathered for the winter/Christmas break from school, etc.  We were among the first to arrive and I remember going "scrounging" for stuff around the camp.  We even went into the Japanese quarters because we didn't know we shouldn't.  Our trip home was memorable, crossing the equator four times. It is amazing that we got on a boat in Shanghai (Tia Maru) and got off a boat in New York (Gripsholm).  Wish we could have made it to the reunion!

~Dwight W. Whipple

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: New paintings

Date: jeudi 18 août 2005 4:48

 

Thanks Dwight for such a prompt and nice reply.   What you had to say sounded familiar, so I have a feeling I've been down that same path with you in an earlier e-mail, a couple of years ago.   Such is the curse of a failing memory and an even worse habit for repetition.

 

Donald's doing a great job with the camera but I hope he will eventually put some names to the faces.   Or have I missed it somewhere?

Cheers, Zandy

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: New paintings

Date: jeudi 18 août 2005 8:37

 

Hello,

I closed my computer too soon last night and missed Donald's last message (texts and explanations) for the 30 photos he sent to us! It is OK now. Thanks Donald for doing all this ---- you are number ONE :-))

Comming next: David Beard's aerial photos of Weihsien taken in 1945 --- (fantastic)

--- and "all pictures welcome" ---- (with the names)

A+

Leopold

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Weihsien

Date: jeudi 18 août 2005 19:04

 

Folwoing publsihed in todays' London Daily Telegraph

      Chariots of Fire hero honoured in homeland - China

      Richard Spencer

      (Filed: 18/08/2005)

 

      The residents of a grimy Chinese city paid an unusual tribute yesterday to the Scottish runner Eric Liddell, hero of the film Chariots of Fire.

 

      As part of a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Japanese internment camp where he died, Chinese officials, old friends and fellow inmates laid a wreath at a memorial marking his grave.

 

              

            Eric Liddell won the 400m

      Liddell, a devout Christian, became famous for winning the 400 metres at the 1924 Paris Olympics after refusing to run his best distance, the 100 metres, because the heats were on a Sunday.

 

      Less well known is that he was born and spent much of his life in China. The son of missionaries in the port city of Tianjin, he left Britain the year after his Paris triumph to follow in their footsteps as a missionary teacher.

 

      "Eric Liddell was a great Olympic champion who gave it all up to come to teach the youth of China," said Stephen Metcalf, 78, a friend and fellow internee.

 

      What was once the Weihsien Internment Camp is now Number Two Middle School in the city of Weifang, and yesterday thousands of children, teachers, residents and city leaders turned out to greet former occupants.

 

      More than 2,000 people were held in the camp, including 327 children, mostly from a western-run boarding school nearby.

 

      Many were children of missionaries, as were some of the older westerners held there, a fact little mentioned yesterday. The huge missionary presence in China at the time is still regarded as a symbol of humiliating domination by western powers.

 

      Nevertheless, the two dozen former internees who attended were touched by the ceremony's mixture of thoughtfulness and eccentricity. At its climax, to a fanfare of the Star Wars theme tune, fireworks exploded into miniature parachutes, representing the American servicemen who jumped from a B24 bomber to liberate the camp on Aug 17, 1945. Then, 1,500 pigeons were released, one for each of the inmates.

 

      An exhibition hall showing photographs of the camp, and a garden of remembrance containing sculptures and the names of all those held, were also opened. For many of the children, nearly all separated from their parents, Liddell became a father figure. As well as teaching classes, he ran a Sunday school and organised sports competitions.

 

      He eventually came round to the idea of sports on Sundays, refereeing football matches after hearing that teenagers with little to do were getting into trouble.

 

      "He gave me two things," Mr Metcalf said. "One was his worn-out running shoes." It was winter, and like many boys Mr Metcalf had nothing to wear on his feet.

 

      "The best thing he gave me was his baton of forgiveness. He taught me to love my enemies, the Japanese, and to pray for them."

 

      After the war, Mr Metcalf spent 40 years as a missionary teacher in Japan.

 

      Liddell died of a brain tumour in the camp hospital on Feb 21, 1945. "We all trailed along behind his coffin," remembered another former inmate, Estelle Cliff Horne. "My brother was one of the pall-bearers, and we buried him just by where the ceremony was."

 

      The camp had been a mission school for Chinese children, and several of the buildings, including the hospital wing, are still standing. The Liddell memorial was erected by Edinburgh University, where he studied, after China re-opened to the world.

 

      After the Japanese left, the camp's history was quietly forgotten within China. During the Chairman Mao years, it was not politically correct to talk of having helped the foreigners. Now the wheel has come full circle, and those who smuggled food into the camp are also honoured in the exhibition hall.

 

      Christian missionaries are also returning. Though missionary activity is formally banned, there are believed to be hundreds working under the guise of charity volunteers and teachers in China today.

 

      rspencer@telegraph.co.uk

     

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: jeudi 18 août 2005 23:21

 

Sgt. "Booshindy" wore the regulation khaki or the alternate olive drab.

I have specific memories of him because I foolishly said his nickname when he came to our block for roll call one morning. He heard me and started yelling, wanting to know who said "Booshindy." I was too scared to answer, so my older brother John, stepped forward and said he did it. Booshindy yelled some more, and the incident ended without any serious consequences.

I don't remember any black uniforms.

 

Albert de Zutter

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Second Day

Date: vendredi 19 août 2005 17:51

 

Hello again, all.

 

I've sent Leopold some photos of the second day's activities, and here's the narrative to go with them.  Once again, the numbers are in chronological sequence, but have started over again.  Gaps in the sequence represent pictures taken but not sent for posting.

 

Thursday, August 18

 

Today we visited the Foton Heavy Industry Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. (#38) - of special interest to anyone who (like me) likes to know how things are put together.  They were making tractors today (47, 58), but a lot of other really cool farm vehicles and machinery were parked on the lot - combines, front-end-loaders, and other things I couldn't name, but to anyone whose kids ever played with "matchbox" toys, these looked like great big toys that would be fun to drive around the sand box.

 

Next stop was the Fuwah International Conference & Exhibition Center, where we saw a huge 3-dimensional scale model of the Weifang municipal area's "Ecological City Plan."  The rivers lighted up and spotlights from above shifted around to highlight various districts of the urban area as the narrator described the problems being addressed and the plans for each area's future development.  The "ecological" aspect to the plan, I was told later, was because the Wei River - from which Weihsien/Weifang gets its name - was extremely sluggish and smelly, and deepening and improving the waterway is one of the key elements of the plan.  This is what will enable small boats to dock at the park next to the historical museum (formerly the internment center's hospital building).  The only drawback to this elaborate demonstration was that it was entirely in Chinese, partly because the exhibit was completed only a few days before our arrival, and partly because we are not the target audience of this very complex and obviously costly display. 

 

A change of schedule allowed us to stop again at the Weihsien Center site where, without the crowds of yesterday, we were able to wander at our own pace around the grounds, swapping stories about what had happened to us where, and getting to know each other better.  Jane and I had the good fortune of meeting a Chinese couple whom I might have called elderly once, but wouldn't now because they are close to our own age, who had lived near the camp and remembered that time well (#93).  We took their address and plan to send them this photo and copies of some of the paintings of their own village, viewed "over the wall" over 60 years ago.

 

It took me a while to get the old buildings that are still standing fitted into the map of the compound that is now embedded in my brain from working on the "walking tour" slide show - a process rather like playing with those toy puzzles that we give to very little children, with five or six cutout shapes into which they are supposed to fit various animal-shaped pieces.  I finally "got it" and it was quite moving to be able to visualize where on the map I was standing while looking at the hospital (97), two rows of 9 x 12 rooms (100), the Block 50 men's dormitory (105), and one of the "out-of-bounds" Japanese-occupied residences.

 

After lunch we visited a kite museum and factory - Weifang is the kite-making capital of China, and therefore of the world.  We were led through a maze of separate, one-storey buildings, each with a room or two containing historic designs by famous local artisans, including both kites and "New Year" paintings of symbolic figures, traditoinally hung anew each year to bring good fortune during the coming 12 months.  Then we were taken through actual workshops where kites were being hand-painted (135 - 162) and where bamboo sticks were being heated and bent into the shapes of birds, fish, dragon-flies, etc.  This was climaxed by a visit to the compound's store, where many of us bought kites for our children (so we said).

 

That evening after dinner, group pictures were taken of those who were actually interned (190), and of the former Chefoo-ites among them (192).

 

Jane then took some portrait-shots of individuals.  These will be sent later for posting in the future.

Stay tuned...

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Second Day

Date: vendredi 19 août 2005 19:56

 

Hello,

Thanks Donald --- all this is fantastic ---

On: http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/

I filled in the empty gaps with the text you just sent to us. Hope it fit's OK. Just that the last pictures are missing. The group pictures. I hope (we hope) that your Chinese escapade is ending more relax than the three previous days and that you are all taking advantage of the excellent Chinese-chow and of their most loving hospitality. Promise: Mr. Shude: ---  we will come to say "hello" to Weihsien one of these days --- (near future I hope) ---

A+

Leopold

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: photos

Date: vendredi 19 août 2005 20:00

 

Hi Bill --

 

It's me again. Reading over your  message, and checking it against my map, I realized that Building 61 was the old hospital building where I worked as a cook in the 'diet' kitchen down in the basement. If they restored that area, and you went down there, you would have seen the kwas (huge steam kettles) and steel plates I cooked off.  Now that, for me, would have been nostalgic...but still not worth traveling thousands of miles to see.

 

Thanks again for all your updates. Give my kindest regards Hwei Wei.

 

As always -- Pamela

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Help needed !

Date: jeudi 25 août 2005 21:50

 

Hello,

Thanks Don for sharing your 50 new photos with us ----

 

They are now visible on: http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/

Could you all help me for the "Who'sWho" ---

I think that each photograph needs a story --- a comment --- ???

Thanks in advance,

Leopold

PS --- remember --- if you want a good print: click on the yellow magnifying glass.

PS --- is there a recording of Mary Previte's speech? I could add it in MP3-format ---

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 19:24

 

 

Dear Zandy,

 

In Weihsien I chanced to meet a couple who had lived near the camp when they were children.  He remembered that sometimes the children in the camp would come outside - he thought they were being let outside to play ball, but it was probably retrieving a ball, as you describe.  Did you (or anyone else reading this) ever see any of the camp's Chinese neighbors when outside?  If so, he may have been one of them.

 

Donald

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 19:52

 

Figment of imagaination no one got out of camp except the escapees until after the liberation thereafte I can recall going out to retrieve a ball but it wuld have only occured during the period Sept/Oct 1945

Rgds

Ron Bridge

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <gregleck@epix.net>

Cc: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Japanese in Weihsien

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 20:13

 

 

Greg,

 

Well, I am happy to report that at last we have some hard evidence for the authenticity of the painting of the Japanese guard.

 

One of the former internees I met in Weifang brought with him an article written by the artist who drew the sketch - William A. Smith - which he had kept because it includes a sketch by Smith of him (the internee) in a lineup waiting for boiled water.  The following is a quote from Smith's article:

 

     "...Inside the gate conferences were held which resulted in the surrender of the camp.  One of the conditions of the surrender was that the Japanese should continue to furnish sentries to guard the camp against any possible outside danger..."

 

     "...I climbed the wooden ladder in one of the guard towers and when I got to the top I found a somewhat embarrassed Jap sentry.  When I greeted him with "Konnicic-wa" he snapped to attention, saluted me and handed me his rifle.  Naturally I was surprised, but I accepted the weapon, inspected it and handed it back to him.  He again saluted and after returning his salute I descended the ladder, leaving him with the mutual "sayonaras."  I felt that if it was as easy as that, I could certainly get him to pose for a sketch.  The next day I made the painting of him in the tower which is reproduced on the third cover.  That night I found a bottle of saki that he had left in my quarters as an expression of his gratitude."

 

I think this proves conclusively that the sketch is accurate, and argues for the correctness of memories of khaki uniforms by internees who were actually there. 

 

As I mentioned before, if you look closely at Cameron's pencil sketches in Norman Cliff's collection on Leopold's web site you will see a sketch of a guard in a guard tower with what appears to be exactly this type of uniform, which is another piece of contemporary documentary evidence arguing for its authenticity, Desmond's memory notwithstanding.  (I'm attaching the sketch, though the resolution make make it a little "sketchy," and I'm not sure it will fit topica's size limit)

 

The only irony in all this is that at the time William Smith's sketch was made, the guard was actually protecting the camp from "outsiders" (communist guerilla's were nearby) not preventing internees from escaping.  That would also explain the helmet.  If they were expecting possible trouble from armed guerillas outside the camp, it is perfectly reasonable that they would have issued helmets to the guards.  It's also perfectly reasonable to assume that helmets were a standard issue for tower guards all along, who had the dual rold of preventing escape and protecting the camp from outside assault.  The internees would not necessarily have seen them being worn, however, and they wouldn't have been worn by the ground-level guards that they had daily contact with.

 

By the way, the other sketches accompanying Smith's article show him to be an excellent respresentational artist.  A sketch of one of the members of the OSS team is similar in style and quality to the one of the Japanese guard.

 

Your reasoning about memory's tricks is quite valid in a general way, but in this case the hard evidence is all on the other side.  So the question becomes, how to explain Desmond's scoffing?  Any theories?

 

In conclusion, there does not seem to be any reasonable doubt left about the drawing's accuracy, which pleases me greatly because I will be able to continue using it in the "walking tour" slide in good conscience, though I may have to add a footnote at the end about when it was actually drawn.

 

I think this whole discussion is reminiscent of the History Channel series that goes by the lurid name of "Secrets of the Dead," but which is actually rather good at unravelling questions like this.

 

Best regards.

 

Donald

 

P.S., I'm sending this to the entire topica.com group because I'm sure that many of them will find the whole discussion fascinating.

 

 

==============================================

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Greg Leck <gregleck@epix.net>

Sent: Aug 16, 2005 10:01 AM

To: Donald Menzi <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

Cc: despower@shawcable.com

Subject: RE: Japanese in Weihsien

 

Dear Donald,

 

I wasn't there, so all I can say is that memory is a funny thing.

 

I have spoken to over 60 ex internees.  Some of their memories are just plain wrong.  More than one internee who was at Yangtzepoo swears that they were in that camp for over a year.  When I tell them they are mistaken, and that it was only 2-1/2 months, they vehemently argue with me, despite the fact that I have Japanese and American official documents and contemporaneous diary entries that show otherwise.

 

We have two internees who remember something very differently.  Only one can be correct.  Can we sift through the historical evidence to determine what really occurred?

 

I don't know if Desmond will care to be dragged into an argument of this nature, but I will forward Albert's recollections to him.

 

I have never seen a photograph or drawing by an internee showing regular Japanese Army personnel in a camp.  That in itself I think is evidence against them being there, though not conclusive.  But why would all pictures depict consular guards, and none of regular Army?

 

I also suspect that Albert was very familiar with the sight of Japanese Army soldiers in the streets of Tsingtao, before and after Pearl Harbor.  Over the years, after seeing them pictured in books, movies, and magazines, this would be the version of  memory to be reinforced.  But how often afterwards would he have seen images of consular guards?  I would guess none.  So over the years, the image of the regular Army soldier would have been constantly reinforced, and eventually supplant his memory of the Japanese guards in Weihsien.  There is a term for this psychological phenomenon which I do not recall (supplanted memory?).  But subjects truly believe their memories are accurate and can even pass a polygraph exam, because they really believe they are accurate and truthful.

 

Based on my research, the historical record, and Desmond Power's memory, I would agree with Desmond.  I could be wrong, but that is how I would vote.

 

As for the machine guns, I suspect this is hyperbole.  I don't think I have ever come across a contemporaneous account of machine guns in Weihsien, or any other camps.  Who has recorded or stated that they were covered with machine guns when they entered the camp?  Such an act should have engendered a large body of documentary evidence in letters and diaries, and I have yet to see any of it.  Again, I think it is the emblematic depiction of the post WW II "Stalag Escape" movies which have reinforced the archetype of the sentry in the watchtower with a machine gun.  I don't think the Consular guard were issued with such weapons.  In an incident at Lunghwa, after an internee near riot, Army soldiers were called into camp and brought a machine gun on a truck.

sincerely,

 

Greg

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Donald Menzi [mailto:dmenzi@earthlink.net]

Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10:38 AM

To: Greg Leck

Subject: Re: Japanese in Weihsien

 

 

 

Greg, and Desmond,

 

There seem to be some conflicting memories here.  (See Albert DeZutter's email.)

Would the consular guards have been manning the machine guns that other internees say were aimed at them from the watchtowers when the first arrived?

 

Donald

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Greg Leck <gregleck@epix.net>

Sent: Aug 14, 2005 9:28 AM

To: dmenzi@earthlink.net

Subject: Japanese in Weihsien

 

Donald,

 

I wasn't there, but I am familiar with Japanese uniforms and arms of the 1932-1945 period.  The soldier has a steel helmet which was not part of the consular guards uniform.

 

Perhaps the best I can do is give you this reply I had after showing the picture to an internee, Desmond Power, who was there, as an adult, at the time:

 

<snip>

Never seen or ever heard of that painting of the guard. If I had I would have scoffed at it, so far from reality. The guards in all the camps I was in were Consular Police who wore black uniforms and peak caps. The subject of this painting is a Japanese storm trooper in jack boots with a steel helmet strapped to his back. And aiming a rifle! As I remember the camp guards had side arms only which were German Mauser pistols whose wood holsters could double as rifle butts.

 

The OSS and/or the Army would have had a fit if they saw a uniformed Jap soldier entering the camp. Yes, the Consular Police were ordered to keep their arms to protect the camp from bandits etc. Some of the Brit diehards were disgusted with that.

 

<end>

 

Photos of consular guards are rare.  I've found a number of photos taken by Japanese of camps during the war, but only the civilian administrators are pictured.  Another photo depicts a guard in Lincoln Avenue, but regular army soldiers on recuperative leave were often used there, and in a few other camps.

 

I'm not sure which drawing or painting you are referring to by Cameron. I've seen colored drawing of Weihsien guard in an open watchtower, as well as several of them on the rollcall field.  But none are professionally done and because they are amateurish they don't help very much with the details. Is the one you are referring to on the website?  I'll take a look at it.

 

Greg

 

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 20:22

 

 

Dwight,

Do you remember the color of the guards' uniforms - khaki or blue?  As you can see by the exchange with Greg Leck, this is a matter of some dispute.

 

Donald

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 20:38

 

 

Ron,

 

Actually, I've read in some accounts by other internees about rare forays outside to retrieve a ball, under close supervision by a guard.  I don't remember the exact citation but if I come across it again I'll send it on.

 

I'm inclined to believe that he remembered accurately seeing kids outside - at least once, as your account proves - though his interpretation of what it meant was certainly incorrect.  It may even have been you that he saw, though that would be too great a coincidence to be likely.

 

Donald 

 

 

De: "Dwight W. Whipple" <thewhipples@comcast.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 20:44

 

Hi Donald~

No, I don't specifically remember the color of the uniforms, but I do have a memory of kids going outside the camp.  My sister and a neighbor child (as I remember, Astrid by name and Norwegian) of about the same age (3), walked out the main gate one day, apparently unobserved.  Someone must have spotted them walking down the road because a guard was dispatched and brought them back hand in hand.

~Dwight

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 21:58

 

 

Thanks, Dwight,

 

This is another example of the un-wisdom of making absolute categorical statements about the past - i.e., no one ever went outside the camp -  when one can really only speak from one's own imperfect recollections one's own experiences, which may differ from others.

 

Donald

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 22:17

 

In 1943 I was 11 years old, and I was 13 when we were liberated. Any implication that I was not in the concentration camp is preposterous, as is the implication that I do not have specific memories of the appearance of the Japanese guards.

 

I have no documentary evidence as to whether our guards were regular army or consular guards. I know for a fact that there were no dark blue uniforms on the Japanese guards in the concentration camp, and that the guards were dressed just like the regular army Japanese in Tsingtao that I saw daily from January 1938 onwards.

 

I saw no machine guns in the Weihsien compound, but again, my memory of Japanese guards carrying the same bolt-action rifles I saw in Tsingtao is specific and not some psychological chimera as was implied regarding my memory of the color of the uniforms in one of the previous messages.

 

Albert de Zutter

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Remaining Buildings

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 22:53

 

 

For those who are interested in what's left of the camp, and who have access to Fr. Verhoeven's map, the remaining buildings are:

 

1. # 56 and 59-60 (flanking "Wall Street"), which are being restored.

2. # 50 (Men's dorm)

3. # 61 (Hospital), which is currently housing an art exhibit on the ground floor.

4. The "general store" (i.e., miscellaneous storeage, not "general store" in the American small-town sense), now the Middle School #2's Historical Museum

5. The northernmost Japanese residence (out of bounds).

 

During our visit, I was able to go inside all of these except #50 and the Japanese residence.  I'm curious if anyone who was there was able to get inside those two buildings.  If so, please describe what you saw.

 

Thanks.

 

De: "David Birch" <gdavidbirch@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Remaining Buildings

Date: vendredi 26 août 2005 23:51

 

 

Thank you, Donald.

 

Thank you as well for chatting, albeit briefly, with me. It was a privilege and honor to meet you and your wife, Jane, and your step-grandson, young Master Abiden!  What a delightful family! I am a privileged man to have met you folk!  My own family were most pleased to see "Grampa" again following my return from Weifang via the 'Qifu' or Chefoo district on the outskirts of Yantai, then on to Beijing and finally, non-stop to YVR, the Vancouver International Airport!

Regards

 

David

gdavidbirch@yahoo.com

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Japanese Uniforms  in Weihsien

Date: samedi 27 août 2005 11:42

 

There is a very simple expalntion of the uniforms which is absolutelyt obvious they had " Winter uniforms" whch were Blue and summer unifir,ms which were Khaki" A procedure qwhch many military forecs throughut the world have I know intimately haviong served int he RAF for 20 years from the North Pole to the tropics.

Rgds

Ron

 

De: "Rebecca Shanahan" <rks@wideopen.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Joe and Judy Kemball

Date: samedi 27 août 2005 12:09

 

Hello

I'm writing on behalf of my mum, Judy, who was a Weihsien internee as a child with her mother Joe. She lives in New Zealand now. If any subscribers here remember her or Joe I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you!

Rebecca Shanahan

 

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Remaining Buildings

Date: samedi 27 août 2005 22:01

 

Some one should tell the Weifang people in charge of the camp buildings to add to the brass plaques the identity and number of the buildings. 

When I was at the Middle school museum, a lady came out with some family's photo album.  Unfortunately, none of the pages had a family name, only first names were inscribed.  They said it was left behind. 

So sad.

 

Teddy

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Japanese Sentry

Date: samedi 27 août 2005 22:04

 

If you google on WilliamA Smith you will get a note on his career.  I was his guide taking him around the camp and he drew many drawings of me.  Unfortunately I do not have any.  The one of the sentry was on a page torn from an unknown magazine.  Teddy

Donald Menzi wrote:

>

> Greg,

> Very interesting.  Ted Pearson's note says that the sentry picture was done by a war correspondent, not an internee.   It certainly looks like the inside of the "ball field" watch tower.  Ironically, it was the one "new" picture that I decided to use it in the "slide show" for the program because it embodies so well the fact that this was forced confinement, backed up by guns.  Could there ever have been a time when a soldier in this uniform would have been a sentry - maybe toward the end of the war - or is this image just historically wrong?

>

> Ted,

> Do you know anything more about this painting, or who William A. Smith was?

>

> Anyone,

> I'm still waiting for an explanation of how "Tin Pan Alley" got its name.  Anyone know for sure?  Or even as a guess?

>

> Donald

>

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: samedi 27 août 2005 22:17

 

 

Donald your presentation was simply spectacular.  I don't know if you can also insert photos of the remaining buildings (if you have them?) 

 

De: "Albert Dezutter" <albertdezutter@worldnet.att.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Japanese Uniforms  in Weihsien

Date: samedi 27 août 2005 22:18

 

Nice try at conflict resolution. But there were no blue uniforms at Weihsien. Their winter uniforms were olive drab, probably wool.

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: 3 new paintings, ---

Date: samedi 27 août 2005 22:19

 

 

Gosh, there is a memory for me.  My late brother Micky Pearson worked in the shoemaker shop part time, and he would have been 14 in '45.

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Date: samedi 27 août 2005 22:19

 

I was amazed at the hospitality shown by the people and administration of Weifang.  Even providing us with the booklet with the group photo inserted at the last minute.  Unfortunately the CD (DVD) was probably formatted for Europe and does not play properly in NA.  Anyone else have this difficulty?

 

Teddy Pearson

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Japanese Uniforms  in Weihsien

Date: samedi 27 août 2005 22:20

 

I only remember olive drab also. 

 

Was there a sentry called Soapy San?  Did he not beat one of the cesspool chinese on his goitre?

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>; <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: new paintings

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 2:38

 

Ed,

Thanks.  I'm glad you liked it.

I think that rather than inserting photos into the artwork, I'll do a separate unit on what's left, combining paintings and photo and map for those alone.

Donald

 

 

 

De: "Brian Butcher" <bbutcher@mac.com>

À: <info@weihsien-paintings.org>

Objet: Pictures

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 7:12

 

Hello,

 

My name is Brian Butcher. Our family was interned at Weishien and I stumbled across the Weishein list serve and then the web site of camp pictures. My dad drew a number of pictures and only one survived. I think it is the main gate.

 

I also have my identification tag with the name and number on it. I have scanned both the picture and the tag and could send them if you are interested.

 

Dad was assigned to the bakery and the story of his experience there is an incredible story. My memories are so vivid including my own run in with the guard during roll call one day. I have emailed the owner of the list serve but have not heard from her to date.

Brian Butcher

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Help Needed

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 7:20

 

I am trying to put together a supplement to go with the slide show that will show the buildings that still exist, in relation to the compound map and the paintings from 1943-45, and I have some encountered a problem that someone else who was there may be able to resolve.

 

I recall from a previous visit to Weifang that there were two old buildings facing the new school entrance, to the left and the right of the area where we were sitting in front of the podium.  I can't tell from the photos we took last week whether there were two or only one old building there.  I'm sure about the one to our right as we faced the school - now the home of the school's Historical Museum.  Can anyone confirm whether or not there was another old, gray-painted building on the other side of our seating area?  I'm trying to figure out if our photos show two different buildings or two different views of the same building.

 

I'm not talking about the old hospital, or the old men's dorm (block 50), or the old Japanese residence that is across from tblock 50. Can anyone who was there last week help on this?

 

Thanks.

 

Donald

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: "Brian Butcher" <bbutcher@mac.com>; <weihsien@topica.com>

Cc: "Janette & Pierre @ home" <pierre.ley@pandora.be>

Objet: Re: Pictures

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 8:56

 

Hello,

--- extract from a listing on the Weihsien web-site ---

      Butcher William Frederick Rev British 05.02.11 M Assembly of God 47/2

      Butcher Elsie Clara Mrs British 01.07.11 F Housewife 47/2

      Butcher Brian D   British 21.01.41 M Child 47/2

 

Many thanks for your message.

Fantastic! We are the same age --- I was born in April '41--- and was in

Weihsien too! (Block-22)

Yes, do send me all you have about Weihsien --- I'll gladly open a new "chapter" with all your documents and texts and adapt them the best I can to all I already have on the picture-gallery-web-site.

You can do it via e-mail or send it to me (copies - of course) to my address

in Belgium:

Leopold Pander

Sentier du Berger, 15

B - 1325  Corroy-le-Grand

Belgium

---

All this adventure started a few years ago when an ex-internee (Natasha) had the idea of creating a chat list ---

http://lists.topica.com/lists/weihsien/read

I found a few reproductions of paintings at the bottom of an old shoe box and it all started like that. About Weihsien: I'm completely amnesic --- so --- I put the few paintings I had on the Internet and cried for help.

Well, I got help --- lots of help --- and now, we are writing "history".

But, honestly, except for our "liberation day" I don't remember "Weihsien" ---

How about you?

Best regards,

Leopold

 

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 15:55

 

Dear Donald,

 

No, I never saw any Chinese within view of the camp till the day of our liberation. Even from the limited vantage points within the camp, I can't recall even seeing any stand out villages within our view.

 

Now, regardless of someone's recent "Figment of imagaination" accusation, softballs and soccer balls regularly ending up on the 'other side' of the wall.    Our sporting equipment was limited, so what ever went out of bounds had to be retrieved, one way or another.

Retrievals during spectator games, naturally were 'sanctioned', and I can't recall any Jap guards doubling as ball boys, for us.    Maybe it was the fairies?

 

It was during one small group knock around session that my kick went over the wall and a bad choice was made.

At the time it seemed easier and quicker to go over, get it, and be back in a 'flash' before anyone could react.

While out there, I remember feeling secluded with the view from that area limited by a  'L' shaped wall to one side and a raised trench mound beyond.

Mean while the ball after all was only about 10 paces beyond the wall and I soon had it in my hands, but to my horror, and no figment of my imagination, so was a Jap guard rounding the corner tower and coming at me.

With an angry guard manhandling me back to the guard house, sight seeing was definitely out of the question, now.    Anyway, I hope I went some way to answering your query.

 

I must say, I've truly enjoyed following your illustrated account of the (once off) 60th Weihsien Commemorative, so much so,  I felt a real loss at not being there, myself.   Did you manage to look over the ground floor (or basement as it has been referred to)  where the Diet Kitchen was located?

An area of particular interest for me, as that was were I worked for the last couple of months.

 

Will you be putting some names to the faces in your group shots?  It would take a lot of the guess work out.

Keep up the good work,

Zandy

 

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: email address

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 16:26

 

I have not been getting email messages sent by our members.  I have noticed that the full name weihsien was not typed.  Perhaps this is the reason.  Would you please us the following email address        weihsien@topica.com   Thank you. 

Natasha

 

PS  I am still unable to reinstate Mary Previte.

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: email address

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 16:37

 

I am at a complete loss!      I am going to try again.  I apoligize in advance for taking up your time. 

Natasha

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: same subject

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 16:42

 

Now I am apologizing for my bad spelling in the previous message.  Our email address should be weihsien@topica.com    With weihsien spelled out.  What does ISP stand for?

Natasha

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Cc: <np57@cox.net>

Objet: email address

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 17:00

 

 Please send help and suggestions  to me at np57@cox.net   Thanks,

Natasha

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>; <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: new paintings

Date: dimanche 28 août 2005 20:11

 

Dear Zandy, et. al.

 

I guess that if "sanctioned" over-the-wall retrieval of balls was common, a Chinese child of 10 might have gotten the erroneous idea that you were occasionally allowed out to play, or might remember it that way, at least.

 

Unfortunately I am not able to put names to faces, but Leopold is asking people to send in the names of people they recognize in the photos, hoping to accumulate a complete roster of the "rogues gallery."  For me it would still be purely guess-work.

 

I just finished a supplement to the slide show that compares currently existing buildings with paintings done in the camp, where these are available.  I will include it on the "distribution" CD.  Nex step is to splice in some of the "new" paintings - at least those that don't duplicate views that are already included.  I hope to be finished by next week, though it seems that ideas for new angles keep popping up.

 

Donald

 

 

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Help Needed

Date: lundi 29 août 2005 3:15

 

 

Donald, I sent you a letter and it came back, so doing this the correct way.  Yes, there were two old gray buildings, one the museum when we were there in 1997 and yes, they are still there on either sa\ide of where we sat.  The second across from the museum looking just like the museum - almost.

And since my letter camp back.  I cannot remember if I emailed you asking to send me three CDs, one for me, one for my sister who could not come and one for Wies de Jongh, my best friend in camp, who also could not come and wanted to desperately.  I want to give it to her and talk with her about her memories and what happened at the amazing Celebration.

With deep appreciation, Georgie (Reinbrecht) Knisely                

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: messages

Date: lundi 29 août 2005 17:01

 

Thanks to those who responded to "ISP"  I got in touch with my server, but they need the "Incoming mail server" for Topica.  If any of you can give me the info, I will get back with my server.  I have written again to Topica.

 

For your information,  if you find that you cannot access Topica, send a blank message to: weihsien-subscribe@topica.com

 

Natasha Petersen

 

De: "Gay Talbot Stratford" <stillbrk@eagle.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Help Needed

Date: lundi 29 août 2005 17:04

 

Hullo Georgie,

So great to see your name come up. I always envied you your long blonde hair. Also delighted to know that you are still in touch with Wies.

Regretfully we lost touch some time ago much to my regret. Do ask her to write.

Presumably you are both in the States, Peter Christine and i arein Canada.

Love to hear from you.

Gay

Graham and Gay Stratford

285 Cherry Hill Road, P.O. Box 119

Grafton, Ontario

Canada   K0K 2G0

 

De: "Ron Bridge" <rwbridge@freeuk.com>

À: "Weihsien Chatline" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Eric Liddell's Grave

Date: lundi 29 août 2005 23:08

 

I have recievd the following inquiry can anyone help with an answer.

Rgds

Ron

"

A friend of mine up here, Murray Watts (who is a fairly well known screenwriter, producer etc.) is writing the script for a sequel to Chariots of Fire and asked me to go over to coffee Saturday morning as he had Eric Liddell's daughter staying and she was anxious to meet me, knowing I had been in Weihsien.  Apparently her mother had taken her home for the birth of her younger sister and of course she never saw her father again.  Unfortunately, as I was only 4 at the end of the war, I was unable to tell her much although I did show her some pictures.   They showed me an article in the Daily Telegraph which described the August re-union in Weifang and asked whether I knew anyone who had gone as they would like to know whether the Memorial Garden to her father was being maintained. 

 

I can't remember the name of the lady who was organising the trip, although she sat opposite me at the AGM dinner, and I seem to have lost the latest copies of Bamboo Wireless, which is a pain as I normally file them all together and remember taking these out after the AGM so don't understand why I can't find them.  Did you go on this trip or can you give me contact details for someone who did?  Sorry to bother you with this but I would like to help Patricia if possible.   It would also be nice to put her in touch with someone who knew her father in camp.  Any suggestions?

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Eric Liddell's Grave

Date: lundi 29 août 2005 23:24

 

 

Ron,

 

You can certainly assure them that the Liddell memorial is being well maintained, and in fact has a place of high honor in a beautiful memorial park setting.

 

Several people in the email group remember Eric well and I am sure that they will be happy to share their memories.

 

Donald

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Eric Liddell's Grave

Date: mardi 30 août 2005 1:27

 

 

Ron,

You say Murray Watts is writing the screen version for a sequel to Chariots of Fire???  I had spoken with Julian ? from hongkong, about 8-10 years ago who wrote Surrender, a book about Eric Liddell.  Do you know if they are working to gether on this.  He said then he wished to make a sequel.

His memorial site is lovely and now is really in a beautiful, full setting.  I read an article on line from a London newspaper in which the journalist spoke of the reunion as being held in a grimy Chinese city.  I would certainly not call Weifang a grimy city.  And he also mentioned that missionaries was a not acceptable world.  I think almost every speech had the word in it and people were were very accepting.

Eric Liddell was my maths teacher in camp when I was 11 and 12 and he also taught me and my class to play basketball.  He was very patient, kind and had a great sense of humor with us.

Georgie (Reinbrecht) Knisely                

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Help Needed

Date: mardi 30 août 2005 1:49

 

Dear Gay,

What fun.  Wies wanted to come to the Reunion so badly.  But she had to go to Holland for her birthday celebration, Aug 17th.  I remember we were grinding peanuts into peanut butter when the plane came over on the 17th of Aug, 45!!!  And it was her mother-in-laws 100th birthday on the 19th, so she could not come.  I cannot wait to get home and talk to her and share with her and hear her memories.

When she comes back or I get back on Sept 12th, we will get in touch.  I am still in China.  Didn't want to come just for three days.  So helping a couple of International Schools I know order books for their libraries (I am a librarian).

So good to hear, more after the 12th.  Georgie Reinbrecht knisely                

 

De: <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Eric Liddell monument in Weihsien

Date: mardi 30 août 2005 4:56

 

Hello, Everyone:

 

    Honoring Eric Liddell played an important -- and very moving -- part of the August 17 celebration in  Weifang.  A large, new memorial monument is located in a spacious setting behind the old hospital.  On August 17, in a standing-room-only ceremony beside the monoment, former Chefoo student Stephen 

Metcalf spoke, telling of the powerful influence Eric Liddell has had on his life, starting  while Stephen was interned in Weihsien. Becauise of Eric Liddelll's message of reconciliation to Stephen -- a message about forgiving the

Japanese --Stephen has dedicated his whole life to service as a missionary in

Japan.

 

In Weihsien,  Liddel recruited Stephen to  help him  on the camp's recreation committee.   They worked side by side  in repairing athletic equipment. Shortly before Liddell's  death, Liddell  gave Stephen his running shoes.

 

I'm trying to talk Stephen into writing these memories for Leopold Pander's

Weihsien web site. What a moving story it is!   Stephen's book on reconciliation has sold out in Japan.

 

Stephen Metcalf's speech at the Eric Liddell monument was a  last-minute add on  to the reunion schedule -- recommemded by Dr. Neil  Yorkston, another Chefusian.

 

Frankly,  I was astonished that Stephen's  message calling for reconciliation with the Japanese was  approved for this ceremony.   China still seethes with anti-Japanese  sentiment.  But Stephen made a forceful statement  -- there will  be no reconciliation until Japan admits to its atrocities in China during the  war. 

 

By the way,  a newspaper in Scotland carried  a  story about Stephen Metcalf's speech at the reunion.  Someone in South  Carolina telephoned me today in New Jersey to tell me that someone had sent her  a copy of the story from Scotland.  That's how she learned of the  reunion.  What a small world!

 

You can reach Stephen Metcalf by e-mail -- _stephenmetcalf@hotmail.com_  (mailto:stephenmetcalf@hotmail.com )       He lives in London.

 

 

Mary Previte

   

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Help Needed

Date: mardi 30 août 2005 9:04

 

Dear Georgie,  --- and Dear Wies,

We, would very much like to have Wies' address too.

Our father took a short sequence in 16mm. movie when we went to visit the de

Jongh familly in Rotterdam --- in 195?? It is on a DVD --- I'll send it to

you by post!  :-))

Best regards,

Janette and Leopold Pander. (Block-22)

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Eric Liddell monument in Weihsien

Date: mardi 30 août 2005 9:40

 

 

Mary, Is Stephen's book on reconciliation in Japanese?  It sounds like it is.  If not, what is the title???  Thanks, Georgie                

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Eric Liddell's Grave

Date: mardi 30 août 2005 14:21

 

Dear Ron,

Can this link help your friend?

http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/NormanCliff/people/individuals/Eric01/leftFrame.htm   

 

--- if you click on the little brown house two times, you go two steps backwards to find a chapter: "who died" in Weihsien camp with a map and the location of the tombs and the names of "who" was buried! You will reach a map with a magnifying glass. Click on it. You will then reach a zoomed picture of the same map and when the mouse's arrow is in on plot No.59, you will be able to read the details ----

 

Best regards,

 

Leopold

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Eric Liddell monument in Weihsien

Date: mardi 30 août 2005 17:59

 

Just a little off topic here but on the subject of reconciliation with the Japanese.  Last year about this time I was travelling through Bangok from Australia.  I fell into conversation with a lady from Australia I met very casually on a river cruise boat in the afternoon of a day trip from Bangkok.  This took place this past September.  She had an uncle who was also an internee.  We were discussing all sorts of things, and she mentioned she was going to take another tour to visit the Bridge on the River Kwai.  I said that I was an internee and did not want to take that tour.  So that is how this subject arose.

 

She said that she was sure that the reason the Imperial family has not..and will not have a male heir is because the Imperial Ancestors feel dishonoured by the Government's refusal to give reparations and apologize and acknnowledge their criminality and will not allow a male heir.  She also said that she had heard.again, just rumour, that a curse had been placed on the family by ex-internees. She said that it would be too bad if these people died of old age before being able to lift the curse.

 

Just thought I would pass that on for what it is worth.  Teddy

 

 

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: WEIHSIEN MEMORIES FROM PETER BAZIRE,age 14  when Weihsien was libera

Date: mardi 30 août 2005 22:43

 

 

Regarding the bull.  I seem to recall a (cow or bull) that died and it was buried or burnt instead of being eaten.  I seem to recall anthrax or something.  Teddy

 

MTPrevite@aol.com wrote:

> Hello, Everybody:

> Leopold, please use these for your "I REMEMBER" feature on  your Weihsien web site. 

> 

> Here is a collection of Weihsien memories from Peter Bazire.  Peter,  dictated these to me on our bus trip from Yantai to Weifang. .  Peter was age 14 when we were liberated.  Mary  Previte

>

> I remember a few days after liberation in 1945,  Ronnie  Masters and I made our way to a secret airfield -- a small landing strip -- a  few miles south of the camp.  We'd heard of the strip,  and find it we  did. 

> 

> On the strip, we saw two or three small Japanese fighter planes with their pilots nearby.  I don't know how we had the nerve to climb up and look in the cockpit, but we did.

> 

>  Ronnie could speak Japanese because he was 1/2 Japanese.  He said to me,

>  

> "Peter, they're talking about shooting us. So move away from the plane.  Don't rush, but move on into the woods.  "

> 

> The pilots looked pretty tough and hard-faced.  It was a relief to get out of their sight and range.

> 

> ***

> I remember two of us were catapulting pigeons on the roof of the church.  A Japanese guard shouted at us and gave chase.    I ran between two blocks where  four people were outside playing  cards.  I don't know how, but they knew I was being chased.  They pulled me down under their table and between their legs.  For about five minutes I was surrounded by four pairs of shins. 

> When it was all  clear,  I crawled out and slunk away.

> 

> ***

> I remember one day when two of us sneaked into the Japanese  quarters to climb trees.  It was such a thrill to climb a tree.  We  hadn't done it in a long, long time.  But this tree had a bull tied to  it.  We'd been up in the tree for a while and the bull seemed docile, so we  took turns sitting on it.

> That bull died a few days later.

> I remember another occasion, we sneaked to that tree.  We had to creep along the ground so as not to be seen.   We loved staying hidden in the branches -- until   the Japanese commandant came along with a book to read and sat under the tree.  Of course we had to stay put.  However, after about 30 or 40 minutes, we knew we were in trouble because afternoon roll call was approaching. We dropped from the branches.   With hardly a glance from the  commandant, we dashed away as fast as we could.  He must have had a benign disposition, because no one pursued us.

> 

> ***

> I remember i pitched for the Chefoo School boy team against the Weihsien boys.  Once a week, we played.  But the BIG contests were  the regular games between the men of Kitchen  #1 and Kitchen # 2.

 

> One day when our Chefoo boys were playing Weihsien, I heard  one of the Kitchen # 2 players say,  "This guy Peter Bazire should pitch  for us." 

> 

> My modesty has held me back from mentioning this for 60  years.

 

I remember when I was batting that day and the bases were full.  I hit one that sciored two players.

> 

> ***

> I remember one of the Japanese used to give me Judo lessons in the guard house near the church.  One of the Japanese high ups put a stop to that.

 

> ***

> I remember when Chefusian Alvin Desterhaft was to be repatriated; he gave his trumpet to me.  I taught myself to play it and then joined the Salvation Army Band.  We practiced once a week and played marches and hymn tunes a couple of times a week.

> 

> On a bitterly cold day in February, my lips were chapped and I couldn't wear gloves because the trumpet valves are to close to play with gloves  on. 

> The Salvation Army Band gathered outside the hospital window to play  for Eric Liddell -- Finlandia -- "Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy  side."

> 

> I think Eric died the next day.

> 

> I have that trumpet still.

> 

> (EDITIOR'S NOTE:  For the last 41 years, Peter Bazire has  played violin for the Bath Symphony Orchestra in  England.  For the last three, he has played the trumpet in the Bath Spa  Band and occasionally 3rd cornet in the main band.)

  Peter  Bazire,  Bath,  UK

>

 

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Help Needed

Date: mercredi 31 août 2005 2:25

 

 

Janette and Leopold, I will send you Wioes's address as soon as I can.  Probably have it with me.  Mysuitcase is downstairs in this school.  I am flying from Shenyang to Wuhan in about two hours.  I will check.  She lives in CAlif.

Isn't this exciting, finding people of so long ago and catching up and connecting agin.

Thank you, again for your great continuing contributipons and so sorry you were not at the Celebration.  Soon, Georgie                

 

De: "Stanley Nordmo" <shnordmo@yahoo.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Attendance at reunion

Date: mercredi 31 août 2005 4:03

 

Hello, Everyone

In all the reports from the reunion, I have not seen a list of those who were there.

Stanley Nordmo, Chefoo and Weihsien

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Attendance at reunion

Date: mercredi 31 août 2005 4:21

 

The following  former internees attended the Weihsien  reunion:

Peter Bazire, Chefoo;

David Birch, Chefoo;

David Beard, Chefoo;

Joyce Cooke Bradbury,  Qingdao;

Mary Hoyte Broughton, Chefoo;

Michael Calvert,  Tianjin;

Maida Harris Campbell, Chefoo;

Ed Cooke, Qingdao;

Angela Cox Elliott, Tianjin;

Stanley Fairchild,  Tianjin;

Beryl Welch Goodland, Chefoo;

Estelle Cliff Horne, Chefoo;

George Kaposhilin (formerly  Georgie Watts),   Qingdao;

Georgeanna Reinbrecht Knisely,  Qingdao;

Marian Bevan Lauchlan, Chefoo;

DIana Walsham Linley,  Tianjin;

Stephen Metcalf, Chefoo;

Teddy Pearson,  Tianjin;

Mary Taylor Previte, Chefoo;

 DouglasSadler, Chefoo;

James H. Taylor,  Chefoo;

Gerry Walsham,  Tianjin;

Neil Yorkson, Chefoo

Many of these brought along spouses, children, grandchildren.

 

Mary Previte

 

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Donald

To: weihsien@topica.com

Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 4:48 AM

Subject: Re: Attendance at reunion

 

Thank you Mary for the list.  Jane and I will attempt to add names to the "portraits" that we posted on Leopold's list this weekend, for as many as we can match up. 

 

It would be nice to have a complete list of attendees, including people such as myself who are related to former internees.  Is that possible? 

 

Donald



De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Attendance at reunion

Date: mercredi 31 août 2005 14:29

 

Hello, Donald, 

I can ask Mr. Sui if he has such a list.   But I'm not hopeful.  I asked him repeatedly for a list before the reunion, so I could prepare a directory.  I got no response.

 

So I created my own directory,  listing ONLY  former internees that I knew were attending this celebration.  At  first I was also going to include the relatives of internees who were  attending, but it was absolutely hopeless trying to get this  informatiion.   Responses were so incomplete, that I gave up on that.

 

I ended up with an accurate list of former internees who  attended the event -- and blasted it in advance to them by e-mail.  I  brought a few  extra to give to those who couldn't download my list.   At Joyce Cooke Bradbury's suggestion, I included where they had come from in  China and what their name was in Weihsien.  The list also included  addresses, telephione numbers, and e-mail.

 

When I sent the list of former internees to nthe Topica site  this week, I took them straight off my directory.

 

Mr. Sui told me about 60 people attended -- including former  interneehe s, their relatives, Flying Tigers and dignitaries.  I doubt that  I'll get that list.  Maybe I could ask him to send it to you, because he  says is unable to get e-mail  through to me either at home or in my  legislative office.

 

Mary

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Attendance at reunion

Date: mercredi 31 août 2005 15:55

 

 

Mary,

 

I have a copy of the list that was part of the party organizing meeting, which is a staring point.  Maybe I can scan it and send it to the group for corrections.  I'll see what I can do this weekend.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Attendance at reunion

Date: mercredi 31 août 2005 15:58

 

 

Stanley,

 

I'm going to scan and send the list that was handed out at the event, but it will need corrections.  It will be sent if a few days. 

I'll also send Leopold a scanned copy of the panoramic photo of the entire group, which he can post on the web site.

 

Donald

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: From The Philadelphia Inquirer:   Survivors celebrate liberation

Date: mercredi 31 août 2005 22:57

 

 

The Philadelphia  Inquirer                            August 17,  2005     

 

     Survivors celebrate liberation

 

                                            By Mary T. Previte

 

 

    Push bombings and hurricanes and grief off the front page.  Today is the anniversary of our Liberation Day:   August 17, 2005.  The day the American heroes came.

 

    What does a child remember from almost three years of imprisonment in a Japanese concentration camp?

 

    Yesterday,  I remembered the  gut-wrenching hunger, guard dogs, bayonet drills, prisoner numbers and badges,  daily roll calls, bedbugs, flies, and unspeakable sanitation.  Yesterday, I remembered the Japanese soldiers commandeering our school, marching us, shipping us, trucking us to internmemnt camp. 

Guards with unfettered power over 1,500 prisoners.  Yesterday, I remembered my 5 1/2 years separated from my missionary parents, with warring armies keeping us apart.

 

    But not on Liberation Day.

 

    Today, a world away, we children (all senior citizens now) will stand in that place in China where  we saw  American liberators parachuting from the skies.  We will gather in Weihsien, coming from the United States, Canada, England, Australia,   New Zealand, Hong Kong.  We will stand where winds buffeted the parachutists as they drifted down beyond the barbed wire and the barrier walls. We will tumble our memories of six gorgeous, sun-brionzed Americans.  Bless them!

   

    Someone will remember the ragamuffin crowd of scrawny prisoners stampeding through the gates -- stumbling past Japanese guards -- into the open fields

 

Screaming, Dancing. Weeping. Hysterical with joy.

 

    Teddy Pearson from Montreal will  remember 21-year-old Peter Orlich, the team's radio operator, standing by a  crumpled parachute in a field of corn stubble.

 

    "I was the first to reach him," he will say.  He will remember Orlich's brush-cut -- 1945 flattop -- and his glasses taped with pink "medicasl tape" around his temples.  In 1945, the 10-year-old walked Orlich back to the camp, chattering with a hero.

 

    My brother, Jamie, from Hiong Kong -- imagine it! -- finding himself locked outside the camp.  As the stampede dashed out to welcome the liberators, Jamie raced with his classmates through the wide-open gate, through he fields, running to explore the sleepy, farming town nearby.  When they returned, after almost three years of being locked in, they found themselves locked out!

 

    And, yes, someone will remember the Salvation Army Band playing a victory medley.  The Salvation Army had guts.  The band coupled hymns of the failth with the national anthems of America, China, England and Russia. "One of those will rescue us," members said.  Every Tuesday night, right outside the Japanese commandant's office, they practiced the medley.  And on Liberation Day, up  on a mound by the gates, they  blasted away, "O say does that star spangled  banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" 

A teenager in the band crumpled to the ground and wept.  We were free.

 

    Someone will surely remember the Juicy Fruit gum the Americans gave us children.  They chewed it, then passed the sticky wads    from mouth to mouth.

 

    I remember tailing these gorgeous librators around.  My heart went flipflop over every one of them. I wanted to touch their skin, to sit on their laps.  We begged for souvenirs, begged for their autographs, their insignia, their buttons, pieces of parachute.   We cut off chunks of their hair.    We begged them to sing the songs of America. They taught us "You are my sunshine."  Sixty years later, I can sing it still.

 

    Only three of our heroes are alive today -- all 85 years old.  They are too frail to join us in China.   Jim Moore in Dallas, we will remember you, honor you, thank you again today, and Jim Hannon in Yucca Valley, Calif., and Tad Nagaki in Alliance, Neb. Just like today, our heroes came from all across

America.

 

    O, yes. America has heroes.  I know their names.

                                               ________

 

    Assemblywoman Mary T.  Previte writes from Haddonfield, New Jersey.

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: From The Philadelphia Inquirer:   Survivors celebrate liberation

Date: jeudi 1 septembre 2005 1:54

 

Beautifully said, Mary -- it gives me goosebumps all over again!

Pamela

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: From The Philadelphia Inquirer:   Survivors celebrate liberation

Date: jeudi 1 septembre 2005 3:28

 

Gosh Mary, you are such an eloquent person.  I never knew Pete Orlich was only 21!  Gee whiz, I was just turned 10.my birthday was August 10.  However, I cannot remember guard dogs or badges.roll calls absolutely. My memory says 2 times daily until the lads escaped.then it was 3 times. . However, I do remember always being hungry.  My memories were of ''soup of the gods''...hot water, scallions and the odd piece of bread.  This for the first few months. David Birch has other memories. 

But being hungry.yes.  In fact, there are times even today when I am always eating.  Lots of Girl friends have commented on this.  :)))

 

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Anyone Recognize Him?

Date: jeudi 1 septembre 2005 3:57

 

 

Stanley Fairchild has copies of a magazine article by William A. Smith, the artist with the OSS team who spent a month in Weihsien after liberation.  It includes several of Smith's sketches, including the attached one, which he titles, "A Eukrasian boy, one of my special friends" There probably weren't many Eurasian boys in the camp, and I'm curious to know if anyone recognizes the boy in Smith's sketch.  The article includes some other sketches that I'll send Leopold to add to the collection.

 

Donald

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Anyone Recognize Him?

Date: jeudi 1 septembre 2005 9:16

 

Hello, Donald,

 

    I think it's Teddy Pearson, who has been trying to track down those very pictures. Bless my soul! The internet is a miracle worker!

 

    Teddy was part of our Weihsien  reunion group.

 

    Mary  Previte

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: From The Philadelphia Inquirer:   Survivors celebrate liberation

Date: jeudi 1 septembre 2005 9:44

 

Thank you, Teddy.

 

    Your wonderful memories of Peter Orlich have splashed his widow, Carol Orlich, with joy.  She loves hearing every memory of her husband.    She's collected a big box of the stories, cards, and photos I've sent her over the last

8 years. 

 

When I tell this story at schools, I get the children to write letters or create cards to send to our heroes.  Often the heroes -- especially Carol and Jim Moore -- write letters back to the school. You can imagine the delight on both sides.

 

    If you'd like to giveCarol a call and tell her your memories personally, you can phone her at 718-746-8122.  Please do. She's an incredibly bubbly, upbeat person that exudes love of life. You will make her day and you will make YOUR day.

 

She's due to have knee replacement anyday.

 

Tell me about it when you finish talking to her.

 

Mary

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: From The Philadelphia Inquirer:   Survivors celebrate liberation

Date: jeudi 1 septembre 2005 9:45

 

Thank you, Pamela,

 

I loved writing that story.

Mary

 

De: "Nicky & Leopold" <tapol@skynet.be>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: web-site

Date: jeudi 1 septembre 2005 13:17

 

Thanks everybody,

Dear Ted,

I just finished loading your pictures on the web-site. Could you check and - if possible - add an explanation to each picture. Each picture has a number --- It can even be a "long" story ---

Dear Stanley Fairchild

--- Thanks for finding and sending the sketch --- which is most certainly of Ted Peason. If it is OK? --- I added it to his photo-chapter as "introduction picture"

Dear Mary ---

Thanks very much for the additional pictures. As you can see --- they are easy to add --- there is also a link to your speech --- Could you check?

Dear Don, ---

Your slide show is "professional quality" --- really perfect. Do you have vocal comments for the slides? In fact, I did two slide shows --- one for a 800 x 600 screen and the other one for a full 19"-screen. Could you check?

Wow! --- and I still have to complete all the "IRemembers" --- and the painting-locations ---

Thanks to all for sharing all this with us --- = from all those who couldn't come !!!

:-))

Leopold

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: web-site

Date: jeudi 1 septembre 2005 13:44

 

Leopold, you giver of joy!

 

    Your web site fills me with delight and awe.  I've spent hours and hours enjoying it.  In Texas, Jim Moore's daughter has been downloading dozens of pictures to show to  her  hero-father who is still recuperating from his recent surgery.

 

    I've also forwarded the web site information for the family of Carol Orlich to use.  Carol is the widow of Peter Orlich.

 

    Absolutely spectacular.

 

I'll e-mail you   a corrected verson of  my  August 17 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer -- correcting the  typographical errors I made in retyping it to you -- for those of us senior  citizens that need larger print. .

 

Today, my office will scan to you you some VERY old photos of buildings in the Weihsien compound -- when it was used as a missionary school and hospital.

  Unfortunately, the photos are very faded, but I think these pictures have historical value.   The author of the book in which these photographs are found, tracked me down in Weifang to give me this  book about the  Presbyterian school and hospital.

 

Keep up the good work, Leopold.  You have given a gift to the world.

 

Mary

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Anyone Recognize Him?

Date: jeudi 1 septembre 2005 15:50

 

The model for that drawing is none other than myself. Teddy Pearson.  I would dearly like to have a copy.

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Anyone Recognize Him?

Date: vendredi 2 septembre 2005 1:15

 

Hello,  Teddy,

 

    What and exciting finish to your search!  I LOVE the drawing -- now posted on Leopold's weihsien web site.  Absolutely amazing!

 

What an adorable 10-year-old you were!  I'm going to print the drawing and send it to Carol Orlich.  She'll love it.

Mary

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: addition

Date: vendredi 2 septembre 2005 14:00

 

Dear List Members,

 

Messages to weihsien@topica.com do not get to me via email. I am told that eventually this will be corrected.  I am able to get the messages via the topica website.  My weihsien messages are going out to the list members.  Therefore I ask each one to please add my email address to the weihsien@topica.com   either in the "to" or "Cc line when you send messages.

My address is np57@cox.net

 

Thank you.

 

Natasha Petersen

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: my email

Date: vendredi 2 septembre 2005 19:46

 

Mary (Previte),

Would you please let me know whether you have received my email sent today, Sept 2 to Weihsien@topica  Send your answer to the Weihsien and to my personal address.

Thanks,

Natasha

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Anyone Recognize Him?

Date: vendredi 2 septembre 2005 21:01

 

What do you mean 'adorable 10-year-old''?  What wrong with me now? 

Hehehe.

 

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: addition

Date: vendredi 2 septembre 2005 22:12

 

Hello, Natasha,

 

    Yes, I got an e-mail message from you about adding your name to any mailings to the Topica network.

 

I think I know how frustrated you feel.  Until I got reinstated last week,

I felt I had missed a whirlwind of messages about the Weihsien reunion. I hate to miss any of the chatter.   You've given all of us a wonderful gift with this network.

 

Did you get the miracle story of the 1945 sketch of Teddy Pearson?  I connected withg Teddy only recently when he joined the group going to Weihsien  

He started chatting with me about his search for a Stars and Stripes artist who had sketched drawings of him shortly after liberation.  I had suggested that he might find the drawings in the Stars and Stripes archives in Maryland.

 

This week Don Menzi sent out a mesage on Topica:  "Who is this person?" and posted a sketch of a Eurasian boy drawn by a Stars and Stripes artist, 

William Smith.  in 1945.  Stanley Fairchild in HongKong -- who was one who attended our reunion -- had kept the Stars and Stripes article since 1945!!!!   Right away I knew it was Teddy. 

 

See what a miracle you've created with this network?   Quite amazing.

 

I've downloaded the sketch and will send it to Carol Orlich, widow of our liberator, Peter Orlich.  Teddy Pearson -- at age 10 -- was the first person to reach Peter Orlich when Peter parachuted into the gaoliang stubble outside Weihsien.

 

Mary

 

Mary

 

 

De: "georgeanna knisely" <jknisely@paonline.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Help Needed

Date: samedi 3 septembre 2005 17:10

 

 

Wies toe Water

P. O. Box 4284

Walnut Bottom, CA 94596

USA

She lives near San Francisco.  She married a Dutch guy in the States and had 4 children.  We have seen each other thru the years.  She came to see us when we were working in Tianjin 96-98 and someone there took us around and showed us her school, her brother's school. Their Club and all sorts of places - her home, place which was torn down and being built on then.

I loved it.  I have been to Qingdao where I was born and lived in the area, Actually between Qingdao and Weifang.

I cannot wait to get back to the US and with the help of my brother put your pictures together, add to Don Menzi - I saw his original in Weifang, looking forward to the up-dated one.  You two guys are fabulous.

Big Hugs to you and your wife, Dusty                

 

De: "Bobbie Bridger Backhouse" <backie@ihug.co.nz>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fw: Weihsien Guards' uniform

Date: samedi 3 septembre 2005 17:49

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Desmond Power

To: Bobbie Bridger Backhouse

Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 3:49 AM

Subject: Weihsien Guards' uniform

 

 

 

 

Let me introduce myself. I am Desmond Power, born in Tientsin in February 1923 and a resident of Weihsien from January 1944 to October 1945.

 

 

 

I've long vowed never to allow myself to become involved in the controversies that stir up  members of Weihsien Topica, for  I am a firm believer in the old maxim, so well put by, I think, Tolstoy, "that it is the endless variety of men's minds which prevents a truth from ever presenting itself identically to two persons."

 

 

 

To my extreme regret, however, I discovered that without my knowledge or authorization I had been thrust headlong into the wrangle as to form of dress worn by the guards at Weihsien camp. With no wish to impose my view, rather only to stop my name being bandied about in Topica's exchanges, I wish to clarify my position on the matter.

 

 

 

In my formative years I lived through the 1937 Japanese invasion of north China. I saw their soldiery at Tientsin East and at every PNR station to Shanhaikuan. With my Brownie camera I took pictures of their 1939 "show of force march" march along Racecourse Road and Elgin Avenue in the British Concession. In March 1941 when I was a Lewis gunner in the British Volunteer Corps only a barbed wire barricade at Morlings Corner separated a squad of them from us. On December 8th 1941, I witnessed them swarming into the concession. Then as now, 64 years later, I would instantly recognize a Japanese storm trooper's get-up - greenish khaki jacket and pants, brown boots, chamber pot helmet.

 

 

 

In March 1943, as an adult aged 20, I was sent to Pootung Internment Camp, Shanghai (closely packed British American Tobacco godowns long condemned for storing tobacco). The welcoming speech was given by the Commandant in civilian dress. It was immediately followed by one given by the Japanese responsible for maintaining discipline in the camp, Chief of Police "King Kong", a sumo wrestler type, his shoulders bursting out of his black Consular Police uniform. He shouted threats, saying we would be "shot to the death" if we made trouble.

 

 

 

I was in Pootung for 194 days, and on each of those 194 days I lined up for roll call conducted by a black-uniformed sergeant, with a long sword in a shiny scabbard dangling from his belt, and two of his black-uniformed Consular Police underlings with our block monitor in attendance.

 

 

 

In September 1943, one hundred fortunate inmates, including myself, under escort of black-uniformed Consular Police, were transferred by ferry, truck and bus to Lunghwa Camp, where I was to spend the next 116 days. So, on 116 occasions twenty of us who had our bunks on the stage of the Assembly Hall lined up as if taking curtain call to be counted off by black-uniformed Consular Police. After confirmation that we were all present and correct, we had a ringside view of the lines in the auditorium being counted off. One day, right before our eyes, an internee who arrived late for roll call was beaten up severely by a black-uniformed sergeant. (The victim's name was Reuben. I knew him having played against his Shanghai United Field Hockey Club when I came down in March 1941 with the Tientsin Interport Hockey team.) 

 

 

 

In January 1944, two other internees and myself were taken out of Lunghwa and driven to Shanghai's North Station to catch a train bound for Tsinanfu and Weihsien. At the station we joined 70 Italians who were going to be interned for the first time. About a dozen black-uniformed Consular Police stood guard over us for the two-and-a-half day journey.

 

 

 

How different, Weihsien! Fresh champagne air, trees galore, a maze of picturesque courtyards and moongates and tingzis such as you would see in the Forbidden City. But one thing was exactly the same - the camp guards: black-uniformed Consular Police under a black-uniformed Chief of Police. I was in Weihsien for a total of 646 days, 580 of which were under Japanese rule, and the remaining 66, from August 17 to October 22 1945, under care of the Americans.

 

 

 

I lined up for roll call once a day for 146 of those 580 days, and following the Tipton/Hummel escape on June 9 1944, twice a day for 434 days. So I stood in line over a thousand times to be counted off by a Consular Police sergeant and his men in police black. But we did not always line up shoulder to shoulder. After I was moved from Room J Block 24 (where we were counted off in the pleasing courtyard with the picturesque tingzi) to Room 9 Block 23, we stood in the stairwell leading to the tower, one internee to a step. (Eric Liddell in Room 8 when not Block Monitor would have stood on one of the steps.) One particular roll call is indelibly carved in my memory. As the roll call bell rang I saw Sergeant Bushingdi in the yard below berating people to get a move on. Mindlessly I shouted a Chinese curse at him. He saw me, but I dashed down to my place in the stairwell. Not knowing who was the culprit, he grabbed hold of David Clark, the 15 year old ward of Reverend Simms-Lee and began throttling him. I had no alternative but to present myself as the perpetrator. To this day I can see Bushingdi's toothy snarl, I can feel the vice like grip on my neck, and I can smell the nap of his black uniform. I was lucky the war was nearly over. My punishment was only several slaps to the face. 

 

 

 

Weihsieners who have read the Duck Mission account will see how Mayor Staiger made a distinction between "Major Koyanagi Chief of Consular Police" and "Colonel Jimbo of the Japanese Army" (whom he gave short shrift). The account which names the seven brave paratroopers who liberated the camp makes no mention of William A Smith who obviously arrived with a later group. Therefore Smith's statement: "Inside the gate conferences were held which resulted in the surrender of the camp," (actually at the Commandant's HQ) is based on hearsay. His painting of a Japanese storm trooper is beautifully rendered, but the rendition is totally unlike any guard I ever saw in Weihsien, Pootung, or Lunghwa.

 

 

 

"Cameron's pencil sketch of a guard in a guard tower" deserves comment. That scene of the searchlight platform (not a guard tower) was the subject of the art class in which Sandy Cameron participated. And in donating the sketch to the collection Weihsien Memories, he made the annotation: "A Beginner's Contribution."  Another sketch of his in Weihsien Memories is of the basket court quadrangle in which he shows a priest reading his breviary and two internees forming coal briquettes. For none of the three did he fill in details of their dress. He left them in outline form just as his sketch of the guard on the search light platform is hardly more than outline. Sandy was an accountant at Hongkong Shanghai Bank, Tientsin, where my mother was secretary. He was a friend of the family before the war, in Weihsien, and in London afterwards. He often joked about his hobby of sketching which started in camp.

 

 

 

In that same art class doing that same scene of the searchlight platform that day were other neophyte artists. One, whose signature on the drawing is hard to decipher, shows the guard either in shadow or deliberately in black. But another, Nick Mihailoff (my boss when I worked at BMC Electricity Dept in 1940), who named his watercolour "If I Had the Wings of an Angel," paints the guard's uniform in vivid blue/black.

 

 

 

But what settles the colour of uniform question in my mind, if by now that is still needed, is the illustration in Laurance Tipton's most excellent book, "Chinese Escapade". Opposite page 88 is a picture of a roll call in progress in what looks to me like Block 47 or 57. Those wearing white are painted in white, those in darker clothes painted in darker colour, and those in black are painted in black. The black is not shadow. All figures are given the same treatment no matter which way they face. The Japanese sergeant with the dangling sword is painted in the BLACK UNIFORM of the Consular Police.

 

 

 

A last word before I close this already too lengthy email.

 

 

 

The men who occupied Room J Block 24, my first quarters in Weihsien, included among other 'oldies' from Tsingtao, Percy Whitting, a senior manager of British American Tobacco Co. Interested in my stay at Pootung and Lunghwa, we had long discussions about various BAT personnel in those camps, and we became good friends. Weihsienners from the Tsingtao intake will know that Percy was the camp leader when the Japanese interned Allied nationals at the Iltis Hydro. In Weihsien he was the first elected committee chairman. During the subsequent chairmanship of Billy Christian and Ted McLaren he continued to serve as head of one committee or another. On February 7 1946 he wrote an account of internment in Tsingtao and Weihsien in which he says: "At Iltis Hydro we were under the Japanese Army with a small detachment of soldiers and gendarmes." And just before the Tsingtao internees were transferred to Weihsien, he wrote: "When the Japanese Consul and Consular Police took over, things were different." I am adding this information to show that Tsingtao internees transferred from Iltis Hydro to Weihsien had been guarded by both the Japanese Army in khaki battledress and Consular Police in their black police uniforms. 

 

 

 

Desmond Power.

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Weihsien Guards' uniform

Date: samedi 3 septembre 2005 18:19

 

Hi Des --

Thanks for your very detailed explanation regarding the guards' uniforms. Like you, I decided to stay out of that very rambling controversy. 

In The Mushroom Years, at the top of page 131, I mention a couple of young guards in black uniforms up in the guard tower. And again in para 2 on the following page, describing King Kong, I wrote: "He also wore a black uniform, and I learned later that it designated that he, like the young guards, was a member of the consular guard and not an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army."

As I read all the input on Topica on this subject, I couldn't help wondering what camp they'd been interned in...

Have a good one -- Pamela

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "Previte, Mary" <mtprevite@aol.com>

Cc: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: The same

Date: mardi 6 septembre 2005 15:15

 

Dear Mary,

I have not received any messages via Topica.com since Sept. 3rd (Pamela Masters) Please reply to me both to my email address and the weihsien email address.  I truly am at a loss how to proceed.

Natasha

 

Weihsien list members,

I am still trying to straighten this.  Please bear with me.

Natasha

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <np57@cox.net>; <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: The same

Date: mardi 6 septembre 2005 16:53

 

Hello, Natasha,

    I have not recreived  messages on the Weihien  Topica network since September 3.

 

Mary Previte

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: photos

Date: mardi 6 septembre 2005 22:12

 

 

I have been going through the book/magazine that the officials in Weifang gave to us after the celebration.  I am very curious to know when and who took the photos of the children and adults in the camp. 

Who would have taken the picture of Eric Liddell in his room in the camp? and how did they get it developed?  Who took the picture of the B-24 with the parachutes coming down?

 

 

Teddy Pearson

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: photos

Date: mercredi 7 septembre 2005 0:21

 

I wish I knew.

 

These photos have been passed from hand to hand for 60 years.   Norman Cliff of the Weihsien Topica network might know who took the photos of the Chefoo Boy Scout and Girl Guide groups.  Norman's one of our best historians and author of Courtyard of the Happy Way, a significant book about Weihsien.

 

When The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine published my Weihsien story as its  cover story to commemorate the 40th anniversary of th ending of World War  II,  its art department  took a collection of tiny, black and  white snapshots I'd collected from my brother, enlarged them, then had an artist  "colorize" them for the magazine cover and its inner pages. I was unable to give proper credit for the people who took those photos

 

You might get answers by posting your question on the Weihsien Topica site. 

Try it.

 

When I tracked down our liberators in 1997, I asked each one to send  me snapshots of what he looked like in 1945.  That's how I got those   pictures. 

The newspapers have used those photos over and over again.

 

Mary.

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: photos

Date: mercredi 7 septembre 2005 4:09

 

Edmund,

 

Once again, the old proverbial question has been raised!

Who in fact, took those pictures?     And how and when were they developed?

Maybe we will never know for certain, but we can speculate on the answers, Isuppose.

 

I'm pretty sure I know who had a loaded camera in camp, during ourinternment and

I suspect 'he' took the one of the B-24 parachute drop.  Unfortunately, heis no longeraround to verify it himself and as his daughter has previously said she isnot sure about it,

I think I should keep that 'guess', to myself.

 

However, I doubt the same person took the one of the man (& I don'trecognise him as Eric L.), sitting and reading, which only adds to the mystery.

Of course, all the photos could have been held over and developed well after our liberation.

 

Now I've got a couple of questions of my own.

Are you the 8 year old listed as E.T. Pearson with a 12 year old brother (M.F.), in 1944?

I see Peter Bazire was at the reunion but I can't recall seeing anything from him on this

Topica chat list.   Do you know if he is connected to it?

At last, someone (P.B.) has actually mentioned Ronnie Masters.  I was beginning to think he never existed in camp, at all!

 

All the best,

A. (Zandy) Strangman

 

 

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: photos

Date: mercredi 7 septembre 2005 15:31

 

 

Zandy yes I am the E. T. (Teddy) Pearson and my brother Mickey (Michael Frank.  He has passed on now several years ago. Was the cub scouts and boy scout pictures only of Chefoo students?   Teddy

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Assemblywoman Mary T. Previte, D., NJ Legislative District 6" <AswPrevite@NJLEG.ORG>

To: <MTPrevite@aol.com>

Cc: <sanny@aol.com>

Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 7:29 PM

Subject: FW: WWII-60-China: Local News Coverage of Ceremonies to Mark the Liberation of the Weixian Concentration Camp

 

>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bishop, Donald M [mailto:BishopDM@state.gov]
> Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 12:16 AM
> Subject:
WWII-60-China: Local News Coverage of Ceremonies to Mark the
> Liberation of the Weixian Concentration Camp
>
>
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-08/17/content_3367653.htm
>
>
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/17/content_469879.htm 
>
>
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/17/content_469883_2.htm
>
>
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/17/content_469883_3.htm
>
>
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/17/content_469883_4.htm
>
> Chinese:
> > 
> >
http://news.163.com/05/0818/06/1RDSUF400001121S.html (NetEase)
> >
> >
http://news.sohu.com/20050818/n226708156.shtml (Sohu)
> >
> >
http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2005-08-18/01006716765s.shtml (Sina)
> >
> >
http://news.tom.com/1002/20050817-2396543.html (Tom)
> >
> >
http://www.dzwww.com/xinwen/guoneixinwen/t20050817_1161399.htm (Da Zhong
> > Daily)
> >
> >
http://www.dfdaily.com/ReadNews.asp?NewsID=61382 (Dong Fang Daily)
> >
> >
http://cdleaders.people.com.cn/GB/channel78667/79520/200504/28/23397.html
> > (People Daily)
> >
> >
http://www.sd.xinhuanet.com/news/2005-08/18/content_4909305.htm (XinHua
> > ShanDong Net)
> >
> And a previous article on Eric Liddell:
>  
>
http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2004/0805/vo2-2.html
>
>
>
>De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: FW: WWII-60-China:  Local News Coverage of Ceremonies to Mark the Li

Date: jeudi 8 septembre 2005 20:01

 

 

Hi Mary, what is this all about?  Teddy

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: FW: WWII-60-China:  Local News Coverage of Ceremonies to Mark the Li

Date: jeudi 8 septembre 2005 20:35

 

Sites where you can read what the Chinese press wreote about our  reunion.

 

Mary

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: email from Mary P

Date: vendredi 9 septembre 2005 13:34

 

Dear Mary,

Your message of yesterday - China something - consisted with many letters, but not words.

Am I the only one to receive this?

Natasha

 

De: <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: test message

Date: vendredi 9 septembre 2005 21:27

 

I've been disabled by the list for the last two weeks.  This is a test message.

Greg

Greg,

Your test message received.  Cheers!

David Beard

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: email from Mary P

Date: lundi 12 septembre 2005 21:30

 

Hello, Natasha,

I intended to send it to the whole topica network.  It lists news sites in China that printed stories about our August 17 reunion and  celebration.

Mary

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: "Moved to tears," says Douglas Sadler

Date: mardi 13 septembre 2005 1:48

 

 

Douglas Sadler dropped me a note today, expressing what so many of us felt about our reunion experience in Weihsien.  Mary Previte 

"It really was an incredible experience and I don't know how many times I was moved to tears through what we were seeing and hearing.  All of us from the UK are so grateful for all the hard work...making all this possible.

 

Naturally I am sorry I didn't get the chance to get to know you better and the same applies to Jim to whom I hardly spoke a word apart from when he told me that he had found the room we used to sleep and live in.  Actually being in that room was such a memorable experience.

 

Thanks for sharing with us various memories recounted by fellow schoolmates. All very interesting.

 

With lots of love from all of us Brits.

 

Douglas Sadler"

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: My everlasting gratitude

Date: mardi 13 septembre 2005 3:14

 

 

With this 60th anniversary celebration, Weifang gave us much more than a master renovation.  This whole celebration was a work of art. 

 

Who did not weep when the announcer boomed out, "Exactly 60 years ago at this hour...."  

 

Who did not weep when fire works exploded with parachutes falling from the sky?

 

Who did not weep when hundreds of pigeons burst from their cages and soared free to the skies?

 

Am I making clear how extraordinary this event was? 

 

Weifang officials have earned our everlasting gratitude for their vision, their commitment of money and artistic effort for this 60th anniversary celebration. 

 

Planning started in February, 2005.  Construction started only in May. 

Workers were adding finishing touches even hours before the celebration, August

17.

 

 

 

In the Exhibit House, formerly one of the residences in the Japanese  quarters,  every wall is  beautifully displayed,  floor  to ceiling,  with enlarged photos and posters from our internment and  liberation.  Some of these appear to have been chosen  from the  Weihsien web site.  In May, a delegation from

Weifang also visited  several  of us  in the USA and Canada, collecting photgraphs and  mementos.  Many of these also appear on walls in the Exhibit House.

 

The largest picture of all  --  euphoric  internees   and liberators crowding the  entrance to the camp  -- covers  almost a whole wall of one room of the Exhibit Hall.  One of the  liberators in the foreground of that picture is radio operator, Peter  Orlich.

 

Outdoors in the newly-created memorial park,  a huge wall is engraved  with the names of every internee.  Our names -- in Chinese and English --  are also carved in marble  at the base of a  giant peace monument  located across a stream from that wall.

 

Le Dao Square -- as  local officials are calling the  site -- is not just a monument  to what happened in the Weihsien Civilian  Assembly Center during World War II.  It is a monument to the vision  and generosity of Weifang officials today  -- 60 years later.  

 

Mary Previte

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Cc: "Greg Leck" <gregleck@epix.net>

Objet: listing

Date: mardi 13 septembre 2005 15:05

 

Dear Greg,

You were "off" again.  I have contacted Topica many times, and the answer is that they are aware of the problem, and are working on it.  I am still unable to get messages on my email.

I am opened to suggestions.

Greg, you should be getting tow emails with this message.

Natasha

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Was William Smith a member of the Weihsien rescue team?

Date: mercredi 14 septembre 2005 3:10

 

 

 

Subject: Was William Smith part of the Weihsien liberation team?

 

 

Hello, Donald,

 

    Does the exerpt you quoted from William Smith's  1945 article imply that  William Smith was with the American  liberation team when the Japanese handed control of the camp to the  Americans?  I have not seen this article.

 

    William Smith did not accompany the 7-man   team that liberated Weihsien.

 

    He may have come with a later group. 

 

    Jim Moore, one of our liberators, and I chatted  about this last week. 

The seven men who parachuted and took over  the  camp on August 17, 1945, were  Major Stanley Staiger.  Jim  Moore,  Jim Hannon,  Tad Nagaki, Peter Orlich,  Raymond  Hanchulak, "Eddie"  Chen Han Wang.  Five of the seven were members of  the Office of Strategisc Services (OSS).

 

     All the sketches of that parachute drop on  August 17, 1945,  show 7 men.  I have a piece of silk parachute  embroidered with the rescue scene and signed by each of the 7 liberators.   William Smith is not among them.

 

    Jim Moore says  that William Smith  was not present when the Japanese turned over the camp to Major Stanley  Staiger.  He says that any other account is revisionist  history.  Jim Moore was second in command of this OSS group.

 

  In a conversatiion with me a while ago, Liberator Jim  Hannon  also weighed  inon the subject of other people's  claiming credit  for  being part of the "Duck Mission" that liberated  Weihsien.  He cited a hand-written thank you letter to  "Internees,  Weihsien Civilian Assembly Centre" dated September 6,  1945.    Part of that letter reads "We want each of you to know  than any success achieved in the performance of our duties, from the moment of  our arrival to the completion of the mission, is largely due to the excellent  administrative organizatiion already in existence and the complete co-operation  so freely and cheerfully displayed by all on our behalf."

 

    The letter lacks real signatures, but  in  place of signatures, lists names of eight men and their ranks.  Seven  of these are the liberators.  The eighth is Captain Willis Georgio.   ( By the way, this letter is exhibited on  Leopold Pander's  Weihsien web site.)

 

    Jim Hannon told me that when this letter was first  posted for internees to read, Hannon personally crossed out the name of  Captain Willis Georgio, because Captain Georgio  was not a member of  the liberation team.

 

    Mary  Previte

 

De: "Donald" <dmenzi@earthlink.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: William A. Smith

Date: mercredi 14 septembre 2005 5:13

 

Mary,

 

William A. Smith was not, and never claimed to be, part of the "liberation team."  His biography states:

 

"...To learn further about Chinese art, history and language, during World War II, Smith "consented to be recruited" for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and was sent to China for the duration of the war. There he traveled clandestinely throughout the country and drew a wide variety of subjects along the way."

 

The complete biography is at http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/3aa/3aa117.htm.

 

You can ask Ted Pearson about details of Smith's time in Weihsien.  He will know when he arrived there.  Ted says that he (Ted) spent a lot of time with him and that he (Smith) did a lot of sketches for him, including the one of Ted himself that is included in the article Smith wrote about his time at Weihsien.  The introduction to that article, which I will have to send you separately since it is too large to fit into Topica's size limits, says:

 

"...During William A. Smith's eight months' service with the OSS in China, a special mission took him to Weihsien prison camp, where he spent a month with the internees.  Some of the sketches Mr. Smith made in other parts of China were reproduced in our April issue."

 

I don't think there's anything in the article that would be considered "revisionist history" since it seems to conform very will to what various internees say happened there, allowing for the fact that he is reporting on what he was told by internees, plus what he observed after he arrived, and second-hand reports are never 100% correct. 

 

The name of the publication isn't on the copy, but it was apparently a monthly magazine - maybe McCall's.  Perhaps Stanley Fairfield, who has the original, knows.  Let me know what you think of it. 

 

By the way, I had to get your email from Jane because it never arrived directly to me.  I guess it's the current topica "bug" that's going around.

 

Donald

 

P.S.  I can send a copy of Smith's article to anyone else who wants it.

 

Donald

 

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: bouncing

Date: mercredi 14 septembre 2005 18:14

 

Please read the following: 

 

mail Loops

Often a subscriber will go away on vacation and set an auto-responder to reply to all messages sent to their email address. This can wreak havoc on a Topica discussion list because every time the auto-responder replies to the list, it creates a new message to the list, which bounces back again to activate the auto-responder, which in turn replies, and so on. This creates a mail loop, which causes a huge volume of unwanted mail for all the subscribers on the list.

The list owner must either delete the subscriber or, if they have a 'My Topica' account, set their subscription to web hold in order to stop the loop.

 

For this reason, its important for discussion list owners to tell their subscribers not to use auto-responders, since they tend to generate large amounts of unwanted email and create unnecessary strain on list participants and also on our system resources.

 

 

 

Some members, including me, can only read messages by going to the Topica website

 

Topica.com  Others are being bounced.  The reason given by Topica "blocked bounced message"  I am not sure what this means.  Perhaps I will need to delete the member and then ask that he send a blank message to: weihsien-subscribe@topica.com 

 

I have found two or three who were "bounced, marked "off")  I have changed the "off" to "on"

 

This is most frustrating.

 

Natasha

 

De: "Edmund Pearson" <tedp@videotron.ca>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: William A. Smith

Date: jeudi 15 septembre 2005 0:58

 

 

Wuilliam Smith was not part of the original crew.  He showed up much later.  Somehow he sought me out as a model, and did a lot of drawings.  I guided him around different parts of the camp.  I thought he was just the greatest.  (Nearly cried when I saw what was the caption on the copy that Donald sent to me.)    When I didn't have classes or chores I watched him paint or draw.  of course my parents did a lot of that as well.  Ihaven't seen the article at all, nor do I know the magazine. 

Teddy

 

De: "Natasha Petersen" <np57@cox.net>

À: "weihsien" <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: deleting email addresses

Date: vendredi 16 septembre 2005 15:14

 

The message sent to six people, and a cc to other members may be a bit unclear.  These  six keep on being bounced, and the deletion is not ALL members, but the six only.

 

Natasha    np57@cox.net

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Did you know why the Japanese detained you in Weihsien?

Date: samedi 17 septembre 2005 3:30

 

Hello, Everyone:

 

An article about our 60th anniversary celebration that appeared in People's  Daily Online,  August 18, 2005,  offers an new explanation for why the  Japanese locked us up in Weihsien.

  I quote exactly from People's Daily Online:

 

"Japan built the concentration camp in retaliation of the restriction  imposed  by the United States on Japanese Americans' activities in the  country. 

 

 in order to retaliate the activities that the United States  restrained American Japanese from activities in the United States."

 

Yes, that's what it says!

 

Mary Previte

 

 

 

De: "Pamela Masters" <pamela@hendersonhouse.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Did you know why the Japanese detained you in Weihsien?

Date: samedi 17 septembre 2005 4:39

 

Ah, isn't revisionist history wonderful? If you can believe that one, I've a got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you!

 

Imperial Japan didn't give a fig for all the Japanese in the United States, unless, of course, they could be recruited and used covertly to spy on the U.S. Any Japanese person with loyalty to this country was expendable. It was a tragedy for Japanese-Americans, but the Japanese hierarchy never lost any sleep over it.

 

Like Pearl Harbor -- Japan didn't need an excuse for anything it did.  We Westerners were underfoot, and could possibly be dangerous to their war effort if we were not contained in prison camps. Ergo, we were rounded up and put in camps.

 

Pamela Masters

 

De: "Alexander Strangman" <dzijen@bigpond.net.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: My everlasting gratitude

Date: samedi 17 septembre 2005 10:07

 

Thanks Mary, for the nice message with further excellent descriptions of what I missed seeing and it's clear that those of us who didn't make it, missed a lot.

 

I can imagine many shed a tear at the significance of the displays you mentioned,  because I must admit, upon seeing the picture of the release of 1500 pigeons on my screen, brought a lump to my throat.

 

I take it the large picture covering almost a whole wall of one of the rooms, is the one circulated some time ago on Topica, with a prominent bald 'gent' out front?

 

Getting all our names on to the base of the giant peace monument must have been a work of art and a feat of endurance. Especially, as they are in Chinese as well!    They must have had 'fun and games' working each name out, phonetically?

 

Yes, well done Mary and I hope you will think of more things to share with us in coming days.

 

Re your last short e-mail about the 'Poms' celebrating in Trafalgar Square........the latest over the 'ashes' was certainly more drawn out over a number of days.

The other one, you may remember, was cut short by the London bombings.

 

Take care,

Zandy

 

 

 

De: "rod miller" <rmmiller@optusnet.com.au>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Did you know why the Japanese detained you in Weihsien?

Date: samedi 17 septembre 2005 11:12

 

I quote exactly from People's Daily Online:

 

"Japan built the concentration camp in retaliation of the restriction imposed  by the United States on Japanese Americans' activities in the country.

 

  in order to retaliate the activities that the United States restrained American Japanese from activities in the United States."

 

Yes, that's what it says!

 

Mary Previte

 

 

 

De: "C. Wayne  Mayhall" <solomon110@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: Did you know why the Japanese detained you in Weihsien?

Date: samedi 17 septembre 2005 18:16

 

One must be careful here, however. Sure, it seems obvious given the piles  of documentation to accuse a "revisionist" of perfecting the craft. However,  there are always bits and pieces in good journalism that find us somewhere in  the middle of extremes. For example, imperial Japan might not have cared for the  well-being of its citizens in America during the time of conquest, yet they may  have ordered internment at various places around the globe to retaliate for  America's attempt to incarcerate their own, as well as the sheer fact that they  wanted those they could control outside the states to be incarcerated. Both  could be the case. They are not mutually exclusive. Often it is the tendency and temptation for the amateur historian, in knee-jerk reaction to the revisionist,  to claim opposites if only to correct grave error. Of course, there are obvious claims to be instantly disputed such as those engaging in holocaust revision,  i.e., it never occurred...silly claims based on idiocy. I am not sure of all the  reasons why people were interned by the Japanese. One must consider the fact, however, that as ruthless as the Japanese were about the islands of the South  Pacific and in their Pearl Harbor massacre, those they interned in various  civilian camps were spared the brunt of the beast as, for example, the civilians  in the seaside town of Nanking were not.

 

De: <gregleck@epix.net>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: RE: Did you know why the Japanese detained you in Weihsien?

Date: samedi 17 septembre 2005 20:47

 

I've gone through the Japanese National Archives and looked at policy vis a vis Allied civilians in China.

 

Japan did not have a detailed policy in place regarding civilian internees.  I have uncovered several documents, dating to the fall of 1941, giving some details as to their policy toward enemy nationals and their properties in China.  So although not detailed, someone in the Gaimusho did give the matter some thought.  The Army also drafted some papers on the subject.

 

There might be a problem with the language, but as we all know, the Japanese did not "build" Weihsien.  You can't even say they converted the compound to an internment camp, because apart from looting the place, they did virtually nothing in the way of repairs or upkeep.

 

However, the Japanese apparently were quite sensitive about the treatment of their nationals in the US, as well as South America and Canada.  (Both Japanese citizens, as well as US citizens of Japanese descent, were interned in the US.)  I have several contemporaneous references to Japanese officials voicing their concern or disapproval of US policies in this regard.  Whether this was true concern or simply a convenient excuse for many of the deprivations Allied internees underwent, I cannot say, though I suspect the latter is a good portion, if not all, of the answer.

 

 

 

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Re: My everlasting gratitude

Date: samedi 17 septembre 2005 23:23

 

Hello, Zandy,

 

    In her speech at the August 17, 2005, afternoon Friendship Ceremony in Weifang, Estelle Cliff Horne spoke of the two  incidents in England -- the celebration about the Olympics  followed by  the shock of the   subway bombings. 

She connected England's euphoria about the Olympics with those of  China.  

 

   One from each  country  represented by the  internees spoke at the afternoon Friendship ceremony:

 

Estelle Cliffe Horne -- U.K.;  James Taylor -- Hong Kong;   Maida Harris Campbell -- Canada;  Joyce Cooke Bradbury--  Australia;  David Beard -- New Zealand.   Mr Zhang, son of the  Chinese sanitation worker who used to empty the cesspools in Weihsien, also  spoke.  I'm trying to get a copy of his speech to post on the Weihsien web  site. 

 

     I had spoken in the opening ceremonies  outdoors in the morning.

Mary

 

De: "Mary Previte" <mtprevite@aol.com>

À: <weihsien@topica.com>

Objet: Fwd: Sentry Sketch

Date: dimanche 18 septembre 2005 4:22

 

Diana Linley has given me permission to post her recollections about  Japanese uniforms.

 

Mary

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Dclinley@aol.com

To: MTPrevite@aol.com