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Albert de Zutter alphadogal@yahoo.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Sun, 9 Jul 2017 at 23:16
Re: [weihsien_camp] midnight rollcall
The two escapees were Arthur Hummel, American, and Laurence Tipton, British subject. Langdon Gilkey is the author of the book, "Shantung Compound," which was about the Weihsien camp. Gilkey was 25 years old when he was interned. He was teaching at Chicago University when he published his book in 1966. Arthur Hummel eventually was named ambassador to China by Ronald Reagan.
I tried to interview him by telephone regarding his experience as a fugitive from the camp, but he demurred and referred me to a book by Tipton titled "China Escapade."
'A. Knuppe' annemoen@tele2.nl [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Sun, 9 Jul 2017 at 22:02
Re: [weihsien_camp] midnight rollcall
My mistake, Dwight!
I couldn’t recall the names of the escaped men, tried to look it up and found the book, Shantung Compound and the name Gilkey rang a bell-
very inaccurate! Now I did take my time and discovered the names of Tipton and Hummel. Sorry for the confusion!
How wonderful that you met Langdon Gilkey years later as a professor in theology and ethics.
Anne de Jongh
Dwight Whipple thewhipples@comcast.net [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Sun, 9 Jul 2017 at 19:20
Re: [weihsien_camp] midnight rollcall
I have never heard that Langdon Gilkey escaped from Weihsien, though two others did.
Gilkey in his book, Shantung Compound, reviews the liberation at the end of the war. He was there until the end. By the way, I met him a number of years ago in Seattle where/when he was lecturing on quite a different topic. But he was introduced in a rather lengthy manner as the author of Shantung Compound.
His response was, “I’ll never live down that experience!”
I think he wanted to be remembered for so much more. As a Univ of Chicago professor in theology/ethics he was loved and revered by students.
Following retirement he moved with his wife to Florida. My wife and I serendipitisly met a good friend of Gilkey when we were on a cruise. He knew Langdon well but was surprised to learn that he had been in China. He had never mentioned it!
~Dwight W Whipple
thewhipples@comcast.net2643 Mayes Road SE
Olympia, WA 98503
[360] 456-4300 residence
[360] 280-3299 mobile
Mary Previte mtprevite@aol.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com,AUDREY NORDMO HORTON,Jimmie Harrison,Beryl Welch Goodland,John Hoyte
Sun, 9 Jul 2017 at 18:38
[weihsien_camp] Amelia Earhart in Weihsien?
In the United State tonight, the History Channel will broadcast at 9 p.m., Eastern time, a program that says a photograph has been found in the National Archives that may show that Amelia Earhart, who was trying to fly around the world, did not die, but was taken by the Japanese on the Marshall Islands. The photograph is not clear.
This is of great interest to me. Weihsien liberator, James Hannon, wrote about and told me in telephone conversations more than once that he had found Amelia Earhart in Weihsien. He told me the Japanese had kept Amelia Earhart in separate quarters from other prisoners — under a different name. . He said that the Japanese had flown Amelia Earhart out of Weihsien at the end of the war.. Her name was not listed in any prisoner lists that I have seen.
After Jim Hannon wrote about this, I was quizzed several times by almost fanatical researchers interested in this story. They wanted to know if this was true. I told each researcher, that I was a child in Weihsien and had never heard of Amelia Earhart when I was interned there.
Others of our Weihsien liberators, said that they did not believe this story that Amelia Earhart was held by the Japanese in Weihsien.
Several other Weihsien internees have challenged Jim Hannon’s account — at least one, in her book about Weihsien.
I’m sure our early archives of the Weihsien Topica network include a record of this difference of opinion.
Mary Taylor Previte
'A. Knuppe' annemoen@tele2.nl [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Sun, 9 Jul 2017 at 17:56
[weihsien_camp] midnight rollcall
Dear fellow internees-
With my sister Louise de Jongh I have discussed the roll-call issue. She remembers and so do I,
having to line up in the baseball field one dark night to be counted. Also an extra roll-call
took place in front of our rooms in Block 22, facing the Tower Bell Building after the excape
of Langdon Gilkey- when the Japs realized that there was someone missing and we had to be
counted all over again. The baseball field roll-call in the middle of the night was due to the
ringing of the bell on May 5th 1945 and we were all summoned to line up in the field.
I can remember the excitement of this nocturnal adventure- what was going on...
The band playing God save the king or God bless America is new to me.
I am also sure that there were far more than 6 sites for the roll-call. In our area we all had to
stand in line infront of our rooms with our numbered badges????
Anne de Jongh- Knüppe
'Sancton' sancton@nbnet.nb.ca [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Tue, 4 Jul 2017 at 17:08
[weihsien_camp] re Children of the Camps
This excerpt is from my mother, Ida Talbot’s diary. It will verify the dates.
Christine Talbot Sancton
Excerpt from Ida Talbot's diary 9-5-45
On Saturday 5th, the bell in the Tower of No 23 was rung at about 11.10. The Japanese became panic stricken, so much so that King Kong, our Police Captain, started sounding the siren. The rushing around was terrific and finally at 1 am Maria Marsh knocked on the door and told us to be on the ball field for roll call at 1.10. It was a job to awaken & dress Peter. Christine too wouldn't awaken. We laughed & joked, as we heard on the ball field that someone had rung the bell in sheer jubilation. Many cracks were made at the expense of the newly weds – who were married that pm. Finally we returned home at 2.20. The Russians were jubilant, the first time in three years for the Easter bell to ring.
