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Nick Laws nmlaws@me.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Fri, 16 Nov 2018 at 03:41
Re: [weihsien_camp] Information about my Grandfather - 'Jimmy' Laws

Hi Mary

Thank you so much for taking the time to pass on all this useful and interesting information!

Best wishes
Nick





Mary Previte mtprevite@aol.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Fri, 16 Nov 2018 at 03:01
Re: [weihsien_camp] Information about my Grandfather - 'Jimmy' Laws

Nick,

Leopold Pander has given the world an amazing collection of information about Weihsien — fascinating books, newspaper and magazines articles, memories, photographs, drawings, paintings, maps, recordings — all on the Weihsien paintings web site. All free.

Leopold has also produced the two volume set, Children of Weihsien—hundreds of memories from us who were children, photographs, paintings, drawings, maps. Leopold can tell you how to purchase these books.

If you’re looking for the viewpoint of adults, the book longest in print is Langdon Gilkey’s Shandong Compound, insights on how real people in Weihsien acted under stress. This book has been used in college classes. Still going strong after 70 years.

Mary Taylor Previte





Nick Laws nmlaws@me.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 at 15:56
Re: [weihsien_camp] Information about my Grandfather - 'Jimmy' Laws

Thank you!!

I look forward to reading more about the Camp in Weishien and understand what my Grandfather would have lived through.

My respects and admiration to al of you who lived through the experience in the Camp.
Thank you.
Nick Laws





Neil Yorkston neilyorkston@gmail.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 at 15:43
Re: [weihsien_camp] Information about my Grandfather - 'Jimmy' Laws

Greg Leck's Captives of Empire: The Japanese Internment of Allied Civilians in China, 1941-1945 Nominal Roll of Weihsien Camp (pp 655-684) -- on p.669 lists under the 12 column headings:

" Surname: Laws; Given Name: Albert; Age: 60; Title (none listed); Nat:Brit; Occupation: Accountant; Additional Information: British American Tobacco Tientsin; In from: Tientsin; In date Mar 43; Event (none listed); Out To: (no entry); Out date Aug 45."

Neil





Neil Yorkston neilyorkston@gmail.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 at 15:16
Re: [weihsien_camp] Information about my Grandfather - 'Jimmy' Laws

Greg Leck's Captive of Empire Nominal Roll of Weihsien Camp p669 lists "

Laws





Mary Previte mtprevite@aol.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 at 00:34
Re: [weihsien_camp] Information about my Grandfather - 'Jimmy' Laws

Your very best resource is Ron Bridge, whose impeccable research and records have helped countless former prisoners of the Japanese get reparations from their governments. Another excellent resource is Greg Leck, whose extraordinary book, Captives of Empire, provides, among many fascinating things, including lists of prisoners in all of the Japanese held camps.

I see no record in Greg Leck’s book of a Jimmie Laws — just an Albert Laws. Nor do I see anything that resembles Claudia Howard Ford.

Mary Taylor Previte





Nick Laws nmlaws@me.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 at 23:24
[weihsien_camp] Information about my Grandfather - 'Jimmy' Laws

Apologies, for a possible repeated message…. I did try to contact the group once before, so wanted to have one more try!

I was wondering if anyone had any possible memory of my Grandfather Albert ‘Jimmy’ Laws who was interned in the camp. He had previously been working in Harbin as an Accountant for British American Tobacco. ( My Grandmother, Louise Laws was able to escape internment and returned to the UK via Canada, USA)

I was also wondering if anyone knew about a Russian Lady who I knew as Claudia Howard Ford. She had know my Grandparents and was also interned at Weihsen ( after the War she introduced my Father to my Mother in London!) I believe Claudia may have been briefly married to an American man she met at Weihsien?)

I would be grateful for any information...

Thank you!
Nick Laws





Mary Previte mtprevite@aol.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 at 14:54
Re: [weihsien_camp] Re:My heartfelt gratitude on Veterans’ Day

Albert,

The Chefoo School had more British students than any other nationals, but it certainly included children of American and Scandinavians missionaries. It also admitted children of business people who wanted its excellent education. Its history curriculum included only British history. Students who graduated successfully from the Chefoo Schools passed their Oxford examinations. Believe it or not, several of our Chefoo School students—including my sister Kathleen Taylor — took and passed their Oxford exams in Weihsien. I believe our Chefusian, Estelle Cliff Horne, still alive, took the Oxfords amidst the confusion of liberation in August, 1945. Our headmaster, “PA” Bruce, took the records to Oxford University in England after the war.

Mary Taylor Previte





Albert de Zutter albertarthur@sbcglobal.net [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 at 01:26
Re: [weihsien_camp] Re:My heartfelt gratitude on Veterans’ Day

Thank you, Mary, for your wonderfuly detailed story about Jim Moore.

As I am twice a journalist and once a psychotherapist in between journalism careers, truth and accuracy are my paramount professional values. I thank you again for the empirical facts that correct and enrich the fragment of the truth that I remembered. I am even surprised to learn that there was actually an American in the Chefoo school.

I myself was a Belgian in Weihsien Camp, now a naturalized American. I grew up speaking English. Our family came to the camp from Tsingtao, where we had been interned from Oct. 20, 1942, and under house arrest since Dec. 8, 1941. Unfortunately, I did not have the privilege of meeting you in Weifang in 2005. I was not at that reunion. My friends from Belgium, Leopold and Janette, brother and sister, were there. They may have mentioned me. Our family and Father Emmanuel Hanquet were good friends in the camp, as was I, personally. He used to come to our room in Block 2 to give my brother, John, and me French lessons. They must have done some good, as I was able to read and write (and spell) in French when I enrolled in College Saint Michel in Brussels after having graduated from high school in Illinois only to find that my transcript still fell short of requirements for university entry in Belgium. Fortunately, after about 13 months in Belgium, our family received our visas to come to the United Stares as immigrants. I am now 86 years old, still in possession of all my faculties. My brother, John, about to be 89, lives in New Jersey. If I find myself there in the near future, I would be honored to seek you out and take you to lunch or dinner.

My phone number is 816-523-6972. Thank you for all you have done to revive and sustain our information about our seven heroes.

Sincerely,
Albert de Zutter





Audrey Horton raks732@gmail.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Tue, 13 Nov 2018 at 02:24
[weihsien_camp] In memory of Kathleen Nordmo Rictor Chefoo 1935-45; Weihsien 1943-45

http://weihsien-paintings.org/AudreyNordmo/inMemoriam/KathleenInMemoriam.pdf

Thanks to Leopold who arranged the Memorial I, Audrey Nordmo Horton, sent to him about my sister Kathleen--he did an excellent job of including the pictures and arranging the article. We are blessed to have him contribute so greatly to us of his expertise, time and energy.

Kathleen Nordmo Rictor passed away last December, almost a year ago now--An article was written to be included in the last Chefoo magazine but it somehow got misplaced to the editor's chagrin--The editor had had so much on his plate. He did such a fantastic job with our Chefoo magazine. We do trust that there will be an internet version for the future news as he has indicate might happen.

Kathleen was in the same class as Peter Bazire.--that class is shrinking in size now as other classes are.

Thank you for allowing me to share with you the blessings God gave me of having such a wonderful sister.

If you have further questions please feel free to write me at raks732@gmail.com
the raks represent the four Nordmo siblings-- Gratefully,
Audrey Nordmo Horton
Chefoo 1940-45
Weihsien--1943-45

My husband and I (married 63 years now) split our time between Canada and the States





Mary Previte mtprevite@aol.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Mon, 12 Nov 2018 at 22:46
Re: [weihsien_camp] Re:My heartfelt gratitude on Veterans’ Day

How lovely to hear from you, Albert! I have such happy memories of our reunion together in Weifang, 2005.

You are thinking of Ensign Jim Moore.

Jimmy Moore was American, from Dallas, Texas. His parents were Baptist missionaries to China. I believe they took Jimmy to China when Jimmy was u about a year old. He grew up there. He attended and graduated from the Chefoo School, then returned to the USA to attend college. Upon his graduation, he joined the FBI. Because Jim was in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he was not required to enlist in the USA military during the war. But he told me that he had read in the Chefoo School publications about Chefoo School classmates going to war, some of them dying in the war. He knew that his school had been marched away by the Japanese: imprisoned. Jim and his wife already had a child. His wife did NOT want Jim to go to war. But Jim was determined — especially when he found that the U.S. Navy was looking for people with a China background. A double incentive was that the Navy paid more than other services. Jim joined the U. S. Navy and was shipped to China, determined that some way or other he would find a way to liberate the Chefoo School. His early assignments in China included practicing parachuting with young Chinese recruits—at Kunming, I think. I do not know whether Jim joined the Office of Strategic Services (spies) in the USA or in China. When the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) heard that the Japanese planned to execute their prisoners or use them to swap prisoners, the OSS formed 7- man liberation teams, each named for a bird. These rescue teams were to head out as soon as the Japanese Emperor capitulated. Jim Moore volunteered for the Duck Mission that was headed for Weihsien. This was the fulfillment of his dream. As soon as Jim Moore got inside the camp at Weihsien, he connected with “PA” Bruce, head master of our Chefoo School. Some of the Chefoo School teachers and older students remembered Jim.

On the rescue mission, Jim was second in command to Major Stanley Staiger. I interviewed Jim twice in his home in Dallas, staying overnight with Jim and his lovely wife, Pat. I interviewed him many, many times over the phone. What lovely, lovely people! I invited myself to “preach” at his church on a Sunday morning, telling the amazing Jimmy Moore story and the liberation of Weihsien. People in the congregation wept. Jim had not told his family this Weihsien story. Jim had never told even these church friends his story. They did not know that they had worshipped in that church for years together with an American hero. Jim’s wife, Pat, was very smart. There she sat on the front seat of the church that Sunday morning with Jim and with their daughter, “Dallas.” Before I spoke from the pulpit, Pat put a tape recorder on the pulpit. She had instructed me on how to turn it on. Pat said she wanted the story on tape to give to their children. I remember people in the congregation weeping.

In 2005, Jim Moore and his son had purchased tickets to fly to China to join us in Weifang for our 60th anniversary celebration. You will remember that, Albert. How sad, sad, sad! A few months before that celebration, Jim was diagnosed with cancer. They cancelled their reservations so Jim could start cancer treatment.

I am blessed indeed. The China Burma India Association had heard of my pilgrimage to find and honor these heroes, so they invited me to speak at their national convention in Houston, Texas. What a privilege! To tell the Weihsien liberation story and to honor Jim Moore and his wife, Pat, at a banquet with hundreds of their peers. Every man and woman there wanted to shake hands and greet this American hero. Believe me, Jim had earned every hug.

Jim Moore is the only person in my whole life who phoned me the day before he died to say goodbye and to thank me. I weep as I think of it. Jim thanked me for changing his life in his retirement years — new friends, new memberships, new honors. In 1998, the FBI Retirees Association had flown Jim and Pat to the New Jersey’s General Assembly to honor me and Jim with a surprise reunion on the platform of that exquisite gallery! My, oh, my, oh, my! What a surprise! Everyone knew about it except me! A packed, packed audience! The New Jersey TV Network cameraman told me later that he was crying so hard he could hardly focus his television camera. I was clueless! I had been sworn in as an Assemblywoman only a few weeks before. Jim Moore! What a gentleman! What a friend! A story I had written about Jim had appeared in World War II Magazine the week that Jim died.

Jim Moore was first of all, a gentleman. He was a hero, every inch.

Jim Moore, Major Staiger, Tad Nagaki, Raymond Hanchulak, Peter Orlich —all members of OSS—left Weihsien before most of us left. They left and went to Tsingtao to set up an OSS base there. Once during his stay in Tsingtao, Jim returned to Chefoo to visit there. Jim Moore completed his career in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Thank you, Albert, for giving me this opportunity to reminisce about our hero, Jimmy Moore.

Mary Taylor Previte





From: Albert de Zutter albertarthur@sbcglobal.net [weihsien_camp]
To: weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Mon, 12 Nov 2018 at 16:22
[weihsien_camp] Re: Fwd: [RobertsAvenueHood] My heartfelt gratitude on Veterans’ Day

Thank you, Mary, for your heartfelt tribute to our rescuers. Now a question: Wasn't one of our rescuers a British naval officer who was also a former student at the Chefoo school? I may be imagining things, but that notion seems to be a part of my memory.

__._,_.___





Mary Previte mtprevite@aol.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Mon, 12 Nov 2018 at 14:07
Re: [weihsien_camp] Fwd: [RobertsAvenueHood] My heartfelt gratitude on Veterans’ Day

Thank you, Dwight.

Mary





Dwight W Whipple thewhipples@comcast.net [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Mon, 12 Nov 2018 at 02:09
Re: [weihsien_camp] Fwd: [RobertsAvenueHood] My heartfelt gratitude on Veterans’ Day

Such a good tribute and a measure of niceness on this Veterans’ Day when we are troubled by other strains from the gathering of modern leaders in Europe. Thank you, Mary, for your consistency in keeping alive through all these years the memory of these Weihsien heroes!

-Dwight W Whipple





Mary Previte mtprevite@aol.com [weihsien_camp]
To:Lisa Nagaki,Amy Nagaki,1626320433@qq.com,weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com,stanley Thompson
Sun, 11 Nov 2018 at 21:58
[weihsien_camp] Fwd: [RobertsAvenueHood] My heartfelt gratitude on Veterans’ Day
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Mary Previte mtprevite@aol.com
>
Subject: My heartfelt gratitude on Veterans’ Day
> > > >

I can never measure my gratitude to ALL of our veterans , but especially to the six Americans and one young Chinese interpreter who risked their lives on August 17, 1945, to liberate the Japanese-held Weihsien concentration camp in China. I and my brother and sister had been imprisoned in that camp. Separated by warring armies in China, we did not see our parents for 5 1/2 years.

> > Let me name my heroes. In an international search, I found them all— two widows and the living heroes. Finding them was not enough. A feeling kept creeping up inside me. They had risked their lives to liberate us. I wanted to say thank you, face to face. I set out to visit each one. I visited Major Stanley Staiger on his 81st birthday in Reno, Nevada. Radio operator, Peter Orlich, from the Queens, N.Y. On Long Island, I visited his widow, Carol. Medic on the rescue team, Raymond Hanchulak, from Bear Creak Village, PA. — I visited and honored his widow, Helen. Interpreter, Tad Nagaki, Alliance, Nebraska. I visited Tad on his farm. He had a beautiful windmill by his house. He showed me the giant processing plant that processed the sugar beets he grew. He took me to the two-room school he had attended before he ever spoke English. Can you imagine the miracle of a Japanese-America being allowed to join America’s super-secret Office of Strategic Services (OSS)? To become an America spy behind Japanese lines? Jimmie Moore, second in command of the rescue mission, I visited him in his home in Dallas, Texas, and honored him in his church. 1st Lt. James Hannon, of Yucca Valley, California. He was in charge of arranging evacuation of us 1,500 prisoners. I visited him and his wife in a restaurant near their home. My private pilgrimage took more than two years.

> > I never, never, never dreamed I’d find the 19-year-old Chinese interpreter. Wang Cheng Han. We children called him “Eddie.” Before that day, Eddie had never in his life parachuted from a plane. How amazing! That day he jumped from that low-flying B-24! How do you find a hero named Wang? China has more than one million people surnamed Wang. I searched for years. Finding him—that miracle deserves a whole book. Two years ago I flew to China and visited “Eddie” Wang in his home, the last living hero from that American rescue mission. Thanks to my nephew who lived in HongKong and speaks Chinese fluently, I made that astonishing trip. In China, the story went viral. At age 94, Mr. Wang still speaks English. We send e-mails back and forth. He e-mails to me photos of his great granddaughter. After the war, “Eddie” had been imprisoned by the Communists for being a friend of the Americans.

> > No thank you’s could ever, ever be enough!

> > Mary Previte

> > Sent from my iPad




Estelle Horne estelle.m.horne@gmail.com [weihsien_camp]
To:Weihsien
Mon, 5 Nov 2018 at 08:10
[weihsien_camp]

Desmond Powers memoirs Little Foreign Devil's was the best of aĺl who have written I think, beginning in his childhood. Somehow he spent time in all the camps. Rest in peace.

Estelle Cliff Horne

__._,_.___



Audrey Horton raks732@gmail.com [weihsien_camp]
To:weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Thu, 1 Nov 2018 at 19:13
Re: [weihsien_camp] Peter Bazire

How many are left in your class and who are they?

Audrey Nordmo HOrton