2 10 16 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/ccea3053c32b8cddea052da65a013181.pdf?Expires=1789603200&Signature=V-Omkt%7EBzl6aPZcI92hYugevUp5NP3ih%7EHd7Hg8RPjq-TsXEO%7Ezefsvj4-IyMhHOaD5jo0DQ92Xvv3R3a4-l9b8vIp9fJKNktaNksEoiFhTPkJ-1kQBJxK3DNrvW%7E22VFKILzEEO0hPduy6A73nyvhLhmHV4MLnr15ZM5VuVtNGknFw1Es9oO70T7bbJkRg2gnfGVYKD4SmfJNiubiHO37pA7WxM78mt1pqGomsjKyWFXekwLkGiMIABgsielDs-9uPHNj83PFaOtkNXIDtVjNxTqj37sfT08VhwS7SZ538kzKzUfXMwq%7EWfeG0khGXO1nMZDMi43xLUh8nkMc805g__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 2e15b1fba9962b45d94a4b1c3474f0b6 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hilton, Roy C. Collection Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 World War (1939-1945) World War (1914-1918) Prisoners of war Description An account of the resource Roy Hilton was born in Greenwood, South Carolina on November 7, 1892. He entered The Citadel in 1911. As a cadet, he was a member of the Polytechnic Literary Society and during his senior year, he held the position of Cadet Lieutenant of Company A his senior year. He majored in English and graduated in 1915. On June 7, 1917, he entered the U. S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and served in France and Germany. He was assigned to The Citadel from 1938-1941 as an assistant professor of military science. In 1941 he was stationed in Bataan, Philippine Islands. When the United States forces on Bataan surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942, Colonel Hilton was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese until the liberation in 1945. This collection contains several journals written by Hilton while he was a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II. The journals are arranged in chronological reading order; however, some of the dates would appear to contradict this. The journals should be read in the following order: 1. Note Book A, October 12, 1943 2. Note Book B, 1943-1945 3. Note Book C, 1943-1945 4. Journal, August 23, 1945 5. Note Book No. 8, June 7, 1943-November 7, 1944 6. Note Book No. 9, November 9, 1944-October 27, 1945 7. Philippine Campaigne, 1941-1942 8. Note Book #2, May 10-August 10, 1942 9. Note Book #3, May 10, 1942-April 2, 1943 10. Journal Entries, Charts and Other Thoughts, 1941-1945 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/29 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document [Page 1] Note Book No. 9. Life at Camp Hoten (Mukden). North of Mukden, Manchukuo (Chen-Chia-Kun). - - - - and at Mukden. (after 5/21/45). Roy C. Hilton (P.W. No. 1657). Col. U.S. Army Laurens, S.C. U.S.A. [Page 2] [Blank page.] [Page 3] 1. Life at Camp Hoten - South of Harbin, Manchukuo. (see note book No. 8.) Nov. 9, 1944. All P.O.W.’s at Beppu, Kyoshu, Japan, were assembled on school grounds for organization for travel to Manchuria. Maj. Tokado, P.O.W. rep. from Tokyo, here to conduct us to new destination. He represents his chief - Gen. Hamado - for our safe voyage. He is a grad. of Columbia Univ. and lived ten years in U.S.A. I’m in Capt. McMillan’s (U.S. Navy & Ex. Gov. of Guam) group for travel. We’re stopping at the Nichi Man Inn, a 4th class Nip hotel. There are 359 of us - Colonels of the American, British & Dutch, & Australian armies of the Far East - plus 3 civilians and about 63 enlisted men - orderlies - of the Allied armies. The General officers, from Taiwan, of the Allied armies have preceded us by one week. 11/10/44. Left our hotel at 3:00 P.M. and took train at 5:30 P.M. for travel. Arrived at Hakata, Japan, via Kuroto, at 9:30 P.M. and took street cars for dock. Embarked on ship, large ferry passenger ship, at 10:45 P.M. [Page 4] Nov. 11, 1944. Sailed at 8:20 AM. westward. Arrived at Fusan, Korea at 5:00 P.M., travelled crowded into steerage. Debarked and marched to a cold unused theatre for food and waiting for a 11:00 P.M. train. Observed one minute of silence at 11:00 AM - Armistice Day. Entrained and left Fusang at 10:20 P.M. for travel north through Korea. Floyd Marshall is travelling on a stretcher suffering from a recurrence of T.B. and hemorrhages of lungs. Good, but cold, box lunch served at Fusang: rice, fish & cold vegetables. Nov. 12, 1944. Travelling through Korea, a destitute land, on a steam heated train. Ice and frost along route. Natives struggling for existence. Small patches of cotton - ⅛ to 1 acre of small cotton on grassy hill slopes. Stalks pulled up and piled to open and to make space for another crop: rice patties everywhere. Thatched ill-heated hunts, poor cows (male & female used as beasts of burden. Scarcity and poverty everywhere [Page 5] 3. Nov. 13, 1944. Crossed Yahu River, boundary between Korea and Manchukuo, about noon and entered city of Antone. Yahu is about one mile wide. Antone looks like a good industrial city. Snow flurries passed through in afternoon, about 1-2 inches on ground. 11/14/44. Arrived Cheng-Chia-Kun, South of Harbin & North of Mukden, at Camp Hoten, at 3:30 P.M. and marched to cold ground outside our barracks for about one hour of speech making and signing oaths not to escape. Temperature about 23° F. while almost freezing in cold. We were told to be careful about our health in this climate. Col. our new comd’t spoke to us. Attitude of Nips. seems much more humane. Since our arrival at Beppu, we have not been harassed and have been treated kindly. Food - ¼ loaf of wheat bread and heavy vegetable soup twice daily and a large bowl of corn meal mush (yellow) for breakfast - is a big improvement over former meals. We should fatten some on this. Must have lost ten pounds during our cramped travel of 37 days [Page 6] to make a 4 ½ to five days journey. We found the Allied General officers had arrived here about three weeks ahead of us. We were glad to greet them again. We have here in one large barracks of brick heated with large coal stores - a total of 354 P.O.W.’s. A good brick hospital adequated [sic] heated is also here. The breakdown is about as follows [See chart on original document.] [Page 7] 5. 11/18/44. After about 12 hours of fire building, we got this cold dirty barracks warmed up and partly cleaned up. ‘Tis comfortable now except crowded. Twelve of live in one room about 25’ x 25’ - about 50-sq. Ft. each. We have six blankets, an iron cot, straw mattresses, pillow of straw and a sheet. Some winter clothing including overcoats, Nip. winter breeches, and a wool British uniform [illegible] were issued us en route on train. I have two overcoats, enough to keep warm. We eat, sleep and live in our rooms. A large area is available for exercising. Temp. lately is below freezing but nice and cold for exercising. Sunshine warms up area some during daytime. We in a wired-in compound with block houses on each corner. A few sentries are outside our inclosure but do not disturb us. Roll call still twice daily. Reveille at 7:30 A.M., meals at 8:00, 12:00, & 6:00. Taps and lights out at nine P.M. Several hundred library books have arrived and are available to us. A barber shop is operating (P.O.W. barbers). Gen. [Illegible] has signed for 1328 individual pkgs. of Red Cross food stuffs, some of which we [Page 8] hope to receive soon. The General officers have been authorized to write a 400-word letter to their families. Our last letter homeward was early in August. Mail delivery was promised to be expedited to us by the POW rep. from Tokyo when he left here a few days ago. We should fare much better here than at former camps. Some news of war was given us by a Nip. press representatives at Fusau and more gotten from some N. papers. Germany seems almost out by now and Allied offensive is into Germany. Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Finland are out and some of them are fighting on side of Allies. 11/22/44. Official weight today (59.5) 130.9 lbs Height 172.9. 11/25 - My new P.W. number here is 1657. The Taiwan number was 53 at POW camp but (no. 70) for all of Taiwan. We had barley cakes with soup and bread last night and tonight. Not bad. 11/28 - Weather getting colder daily. Reported as below zero F on 11/26 and has been [Page 9] 7. around zero for several days. I walk about one mile in the open air each day. Trying to acclimate myself to our great change. About all of us have colds and terrible coughs. Josh Stausell (from S.C.) is in hospital with pneumonia. Others have fever - flu, malaria, etc. Food is adequate in quality. We have corn meal bread, or barley cakes almost each day with wheat roll and heavy vegetable soup. 11/30 - Thanksgiving Day. Went to visit Gen. King who fell a few days ago and broke his hip. Also visited Col. Josh Stausell who is in hospital with pneumonia. He seemed cheerful. Walk about a mile each day around the area. Have a camel hair overcoat with fur collar (wool) which is warm. Made a wool cap and gloves from an old blanket. 12/1/44. The Senior General officers (Amer., Br., & Dutch) and civilian governors left us a [sic] daybreak today for a new camp - supposedly a few hours by train from here. Rearranging rooms today with ten Colonels to a room (19’-4” x 19’-4”). Warm bath every three days. Red Cross pkgs. still in hands of Nips. about 9 ½ pkgs. for each of us are here in storage. 12/5/44. Col Richards to hosp. with pneumonia on 12/2. Soap, towel, tooth brush & t. Paper issued today - also tooth powder. Beans for supper since Dec. 3rd. [Page 10] December 10, 1944. Temperature around 8° below zero F, last few days. I walk a mile outside about every other day. Our barrack rooms terribly dusty, smoky and inadequately heated from large soft coal heaters. Almost all of us have sore throats and terrible coughs. First Red Cross issue yesterday from our approx. nine individual R/C pkgs. each. We got, each, two pkgs cigarettes and ½ can (pound can) of powdered milk. Milk can was partly opened and can must be returned next few days. Looks like individual items are to be issued us. Woolen clothing issued today - helmet, gloves, socks, underwear, sleeping trousers, shirt. 12/16 - Temp. still below zero daily. Charlie Steel and I made some chocolate ice cream today using R/C powdered milk, sweet chocolate, and sugar. ‘Twas excellent. We gave our room-mates - Williams, Atkinson, Curtis, Morse, Townsend, Worthington, Mixson and Ausmus, a taste. 12/20. Oily fish yesterday made several officers sick. Food incl. R/C now adequate. Inspection by a Nipponese Maj. General today. (C. G. Central Manchurian Sector). 12/21 - First day of winter. Walked about one mile outside. Temperature about 20° F. A flight of our planes reported overheard this A.M. We had an air raid alarm for them. [Page 11] 9. December 25, 1944 (Christmas). An unusual day - too much food. For breakfast: corn meal mush and a wheat flour roll (I toasted and buttered it - four slices with cheese from R/C)! For lunch: a large bowl of pork and beans and a roll (I sliced, toasted and buttered the bun): For dinner - 5:30 P.M.: pork and vegetable stew (large bowl); a large piece of corn bread (buttered from R/C butter); a large piece of Yorkshire pudding (meat and dumplings), and a large bowl of pork and ice cream which I made from R/C chocolate and powdered milk - an excellent day of meals in contrast to most others we’ve had. A sunshiny day of below freezing temperature. Played bridge using for first time the deck of cards which came in my personal package last July. No mail since September. No letters written home since about August 5th. Received from R/C packages today - ½ lb cube sugar and 2-oz. double strength coffee; also two pkgs. of Nipponese cigarettes. Also for dinner - a large piece of well flavored apple pie (ate it a’ la mode). [Page 12] January 1, 1945. A beautiful sunshiny day. Temperature about 20° F. Last night we had skits and songs, instrumental music, etc. ‘Twas a fair exhibition only. For dinner this evening (our big meal) we had bean soup, a wheat bread roll, a cornmeal slice of bread (large size) and a kafficorn pati (tasteless). The corn bread with butter and grape jam from R/C supplies was good. I made another chocolate ice cream today - ‘twas fine. 1/17/45. We’re getting contents of individual Red Cross pkgs. by items; two items every two or three days. Meat cans and other cans are punctured before issue to us, and cans must be turned back to Nips. after being emptied. Made another chocolate ice-cream today - about one pint. I freeze it on our window sill. Temperature averages about 15°-20° F. these days. We get a hot bath twice each week. Soup is plentiful now with R/C issues. I’m reading and playing bridge these days. Time is getting monotonous with no news, no mail, and no letter writing to our families. [Page 13] 11 1/25/45. Clear, dry, cold and dusty weather. Temperature of late: nights to -32° F; days to +20° F. 248 of our individual R/C pkgs taken away for interned civilians, missionaries, etc., including some Americans according to Nips. We still get R/C articles of food at rate of one pkg. of 16 items about each three weeks. Rumor that Germans are driving successfully against Allies in Holland and Belgiums. Russians seemed to have stopped their offensive. Last news papers 4/23/44. Last letters to families Aug. 5, 1944; last mail received about Sept 15, 1944. Feb. 5, 1945. Have had several light snows of late. The ground has a light covering of snow. Temperature ranges from -20° F to about +20° F. There are many crows or black ravens and large magpies here; sparrows and snow birds, rabbits and pheasants are also around here. (At Taiwan we had pheasants, large hawk-like kites, white herrons, sparrows, bats, and canary-like birds). Meals are adequate in quantity - beans, Kaffi-corn, vegetable soup, corn meal mush, and wheat rolls. Red Cross supplies issued about four times weekly. [Page 14] February 7, 1945. We were vaccinated against small pox today. Had a terrible tooth-ache yesterday, right lower rear molar, and soreness today. Dentist is here occasionally but many emergency cases ahead of me. 2/13/45 - Had treatment and temp-filling to three molar teeth today. One of them has been aching intermittently. The Nip. dentist did the fillings. The C.O. of Mukden P.O.W. camps from Mukden is here now. We are expecting mail while he is here. Rumors re- heavy fighting in the P.I; bombings of Taiwan; a Nip. naval defeat at Muccasar Bay; Germany defending on German soil; - and about an end to the war soon. Walked about two miles around our area today. Temperature moderating, snow disappearing; Temp. about 20° F today. Sunsets are beautiful (violet coloring, from burning red) Feb. 18th. Inspection by Nip Colonel - C.O. of Mukden area P.O.W. camps on 2/16. He granted an audience to our senior officers (Amer. - Br. & Dutch) re- war news, and sanitation; he said, “Don’t worry about them; re- mail, he said, no mail is at [Page 15] 13 Mukden - it will be delivered to us when it arrives here; re- ant-mail, he said, censoring is very slow; he said we should show more courtesy. His attitude was courteous. Information given to us amounted to naught. He said we are getting same rations as Nip. army. He took back three of our rolls to compare in size with those at Mukden because he thought ours were larger than those at Mukden. He slowed down our Red Cross issue. Weather getting warmer, snow about gone, days clear and sunshiny. 2/22/45. We were inoculated for typhoid and para T. yesterday. I have had a sore tooth and a splitting headache all day - probably from inoculation. My official weight today is 140.5 lbs. A strong wind from N. makes it colder today. 2/25. Had two teeth treated and temp. Filled yesterday. Feel well today - still have a little facial swelling. We have been issued dark (whole-wheat?) bread since about 2/22 - in lieu of white bread. Discussions are being held re- our digging fox-holes since about 2/20. The Nips. are demanding this for our protection from bombings. Br. & Dutch officers volunteered, Amer. offs. did not [Page 16] March 1, 1945. Second shot of typhoid & p. typhoid rec’d. today. About ¾ inch of snow today. Unsanitary condition of benjos is terrible. 3/3/45. Benjos unsanitary condition growing worse. Rumor re- 51 German submarines surrendering at Toulon, France - and re- Germany asking for peace. Reading “Treasure Island.” Our second Duplicate Bridge Tournament here about finished. Ansmus and I (& Steel & Worthington) defeated Air-Vice Marshall Malty & Gen. McLeod’s team today. We won 10 and lost 3 games to tie for second place (or third place). 3/7/45 - Americans began their bomb protection trenches this week - ours began today - in hard earth which is frozen 18” deep. 3/15/45. Snow today and a blizzard. Warmer and clear late in P.M. - rumors last few days re- Germany surrendering - and that we will be free in 60 to 90 days. Ground thawing fast. Wrote letter home on 3/12 - to be typed and returned for signature. 3/19/45. Sending a 127-word radio to my wife today. Heat was discontinued on rooms on south side of our barracks on 3/17/45. Temperature still below freezing. Winter clothing of Nips. being taken up this week. (our clothing of M.’s) [Page 17] 15. March 23, 1945. Spring was ushered in by a strong wind with some snow and rain. About ½ inch of snow fell last night. We had doughnuts for bkfst yesterday morning and cornbread for supper last night. Plenty of food now, mostly soya beans and Kafficorn. My official weight today: 145.86 lbs. 3/27/45. Winter underclothing turned in to Nips. on 3/25. My typed letter to Ruth (written 3/12) was signed and sent out today. Authorization for collections of Ruth’s insurance witnessed as of 4/1/45. Hundreds of wild geese and ducks, flying north over us yesterday; also other birds appearing. Crows and magpies building nests, or rather repairing last year’s nests here. My radio to Ruth being typed - and made ready for sending out! (See personal letters) 3/28 - Our enlisted medical attendant at hospital was washing blood out of used absorbent cotton for re-use, a few days ago. Heavy frost this A.M. April 1, 1945 - Easter. Attended church service this A.M. - Brig. Gen. Brougher conducted. Easter in 1943 we held services at Karenko - Lt. Gen. Percival conducting: Easter 1944 - services on hill in our park at Shira Kawa, Capt (Chap) Binderman (Australian), conducting. Wind and dust for last three days. Fire for heating discontinued on N. side of our bks this AM (disct’d on S. side on 3/17). (over) [Page 18] 4/1/45. (cont’d) For supper tonight we had pork gravy - with enogh [sic] grease left of another such meal. 4/3/45 Temperature was freezing - no fires. 4/6/45. Still near freezing - no fires, no winter underwear, - some of us wear overcoats indoors to keep warm. 4/9. Starting 4th year of imprisonment today. The end of this must be near. Weather warm enough to be outside w/o overcoats; still two blankets for cover at night. 4/11. Nips are sealing our heating stoves with paper strips to prevent use of them. Nips. are recommending stock farm & vegetable farm again. The Comd’t says work is voluntary but food may be scarce - threat. Amers. 100% against this work: Brit and Dutch have some volunteers. The Nips had plowmen to scratch the top soil for garden - evidently expecting all to volunteer. They asked for names for those not volunteering, and said the Comd’t expected all to cooperate or food might be meager later. 4/12 - a pig was electrocuted on our charged wire fence this morning. Flocks of geese and ducks still flying northward. 4/18 - The Comd’t met with sqd leaders again yesterday to try to force us to volunteer for work on veg. garden. Amers. & brit are 100% against - Comd’t said he had no intention [Page 19] 17. of forcing us to work - but food may become scarce. Plot available for graden is about 3’ x 7’ for each of us - size of a table. Weather has been warm enough to sun outside without overcoats lately. Today is a miserable windy and dusty day. Sun is blotted out and is blue through the heavy dust. We are getting enough food of its kind. viz: corn mush and wheat bread for bkfst.; Kaffi corn, carrots and bean soup for dinner and supper, with wheat bread roll for dinner and cornbread (now) for supper. About 24 crows nest are being built in trees just outside our windows. Their work on them is interesting. Some of them steel [sic] from others and some are repairing old nests. Red Cross fruits, candy, coffee, sugar, meats etc - are fine. Fires in wash room discontinued today. A new Nip. officer (Comd’t?) arrived here today. We still have hot water in bath house each afternoon. 4/20 - A Nip. Captain came here from Mukden today to get us to start a farm for vegetables. He was told that we would not volunteer for work. The proposed garden started (in conversation) with a small plot, in our compound. Today, 3 acres outside were mentioned; the officer said at Mukden 3 acres were started which grew to 10 acres. Still windy and chilly. No overcoats, no fires, no winter clothing. [Page 20] 4/20 (cont’d) The visitor said a Nip. ship with R/C supplies coming from U.S.A. was sunk by an Amer. sub. En route here on the 18th and that we would get no more R/C. 4/21/45. A beautiful balmy sunshiny day - after several windy and unpleasant dusty days. On April 19th in a regular bridge game here Col. Manees dealt a hand to Col. Quintard containing 4 aces, 4 kings, 4 queens and the jack of spades - a regular legitimate deal of a T.N.T. hand. 4/27/45. Our Enlisted men started working on the farm inside our compound yesterday. Report is they broke 17 of 18 hoes issued them - ground is hard dry clay and hoes are frail: a plow team has scratched surface. Nip. gd. started gardening outside compound today. A few days ago the last of the fires (laundry etc.) were discontinued and a box of matches (small) was issued each room of ten officers (first matches we’ve been allowed. Since we failed to volunteer for farm work R/C issued have been cut to make the two remaining individual (each) last to Dec. 31st instead of June 30th. (Nus.) Russ & Alys have met at famus [sic] China [illegible] town in G. there cutting G. into about three pts. Alys still adv’g. Weather clear and balmy yesterday & today. 5/2/45: Cold and rain shower today. Yesterday we had a shower (Manchurian cloudburst) with a heavy peal of thunder, the first thunder since our arrival. [Page 21] 19. (Copy of Nip. order for POW Enlisted Men) 5/2/45. April Regulations Covering Vigilant Guard Duty. (POW’s Enl.) 1. The vigilant guards will be on duty every ‘hours’ shift during the period from light out in the evening to reveille on the following morning. 2. The shift of duties will be done by the four (4) vigilant guards both on and off at the Eastern side porch of the bottom floor. 3. The vigilant guards on duty will continuously patrol through the barracks (one man up stairs and the other down stairs) and be attentive to precautions against fire, sanitation and specially be precautious not to let any escaper or absconder out of the camp. 4. When a vigilant guard should discover any fire or anyone who has escaped or is trying to escape, will cry out loudly to announce all the men to that effect and take adequate measures immediately. Detailed Regulations 1. The V. Gd’s will be prohibited to sit down, lie down, sleep, go for nature, read and smoke. 2. Any action infringing and violating any V. Gd’s duties will be forbidden. 3. In case any escaper or absconder should go out, the V. G’s on duty during that time will be regarded as the very sympathizer and conspirator and inflicted severe punishment. 4. The V. Gd’s - Remarks. The procedure of report. Fushin-Ban Kinmu-Shu Ijo-Animasin May 2, 1945. Camp Commandant 1st Lt (N.I.A) Ikeda. [Page 22] May 4, 1945. Orders issued that all P.O.W.’s will salute all Nip. officers and Enlisted men, and civilians of the camp staff, sentries etc, yesterday. Rations reduced today to two loves [sic] of reduced sized bread instead of three loves [sic] effective today. Heat seems to be on acc’t. our voting not to work on a farm. A good shower of rain and cooler yesterday. Today fair & cool. 5/9/45. Col. Worthington climbed to our nearest crow’s nest (rook’s nest), which he started for the rooks, and found five (5) eggs today. Two of these nests outside our windows are about 4, or 5 feet apart. Some of these nest are not over 20 ft. from our windows. Our E.M. are planting cabbage and pumpkin seed. Food is getting scarcer - meal mush and small roll (dark flour) for bkfst. - dessecated [sic] carrot soup with little bits of s. potatoes for lunch - and bean soup, Kafficorn pate and small roll for supper. R/C issues almost nil. A letter of protest was sent thru our Comd’t. re saluting Nip E.M. and re reduced R/C issues. Our Comd’t held a conciliatory meeting of our Admin. Officer (Trott) for info. of all. Saluting Nip E.M. not being enforced upon officer P.O.W.’s. 5/11 - Natives are cultivating fields around our compound. There are seen 6, or 8, natives drawing a plow and three natives drawing a harrow; also 8, or 10, horses and 20, or 30, sheep grazing around us. Food was ordered reduced yesterday for us and upon complaint the order was rescinded. Our Manchurian bkfst is a loaf of dark bread (small roll) and a bowl of corn-meal mush. [Page 23] 21. May 13, 1945. We were notified today to prepare to leave here by May 20th. Sent in a draft of a letter to Laura Anne - for typing and mailing. Extra food issued for tomorrow. Nip. & other visitors are expected tomorrow. Plenty of speculations and excitement. 5/15. We are about packed up. Report of Roosevelt’s death by assassination in Frisco on Apr. 12th. Report or rumor, re- armistice conf. In D.C. We’re being treated human - with double recent food issues. My balance of local deposit (of ¥50.00 per month) as of May 15th is ¥325.73 5/18. Our tables and benches turned in for shipment on 5/15. The C.O. of P.O.W. camps here today. May - 1945 - Mukden, Manchukuo May 22, 1945. Left Camp Hoten, about 200 miles N.W. of here at 2:15 P.M. on May 20. Got up at 4:00 AM to leave at 2:15 P.M. Turned in beds and bedding at 5:00 AM and bkfst at 7:00. For the next four meals we had one dark wheat bun for each meal (4-buns). We were packed into 3d cl., old. pass. cars at rate of 120 officers per car of 80 capacity; - we send 60 E.M. in such car. In addition to crowded personnel, our heavy baggage was packed into isles, on baggage racks, and in ends of coaches. We were 6 officers per section. Arrived here at 1:15 PM on 5/21 - stopped in hot closed cars for 7 hrs at Ry Junction N. of here and spent 5-hrs in coaches at Mukden before leaving for this camo (about 5-6 miles N.E. of Mukden) [Page 24] 5/22 (cont’d) Met many of our other P.O.W. Amer. friends here and heard their stories. One [illegible] about our bombing of Nip. ship (Orinoco Maru) and another ship to which P.O.W.s transferred - both ships bombed out of commission - and of submarine attack and damage to 3rd ship to which these P.O.W.s transferred - their trip was P.I (Luzon) to Moju Kyushu. Weather (Jan ‘45) when they arrived was below zero and many of them in underwear and bare-footed from swimming ashore of Orinoco Maru at Olongopo - little food and water for almost a month - about [illegible words] Hardee and Compton died among about 1400 of the 1800 to start their trip (above) 400 survivors. May 29th. About 980 P.W.’s here when our 320 arrived - addition to ours. Weather cool and windy of late; rain yesterday. We were issued one pkg Nip. cigarettes and a pkg of caramel (?) candy yesterday. R/C issues on a small scale start on 5/31. Double-deck bunks here makes rooms about ½ the space of our last camp. Last mail from home was dated 3/11/44, rc’d about Aug., or Sept. We are playing bridge and chess - and reading some, but light is not suitable for reading. Good bath here; food fair; some shoe and tailor repair work available. June 8th. My weight on 5/23 was 130 lbs, same as for April. It is reported that mail for us in camp - to be delivered within a week. My last letter from home was dated 3/11/44. R/C food is being issued us in driblets - yesterday we got ½ cake chocolate, 2 lumps sugar, 1 pkg. Gum. [Page 25] 23. June 13, ‘45. Have had dysentery for past few days. Better today. Believe raw onions the cause. Weather fair and warm - to cool and rainy. Mail reported for us in camp - due to be delivered. 6/19/45. We turned over R/C issue of ½ lb of raisins and two lumps of sugar on 6/16 and had raisin pudding on Sunday 6/17. It was fine. I had about a quart of it and had some for bkfst today the last - in my corn mush. Most officers turned over (to the kitchen) only half their issue and had half the pudding that I and a few others had. We are over-crowded here with double-deck bunks (straw mattresses on floors and w/o standing room except in center of rooms. Forty (40) of us eat, sleep and live in a room about 24’ x 48’ with a hallway through center. Our food is chiefly soya beans. Kaffi corn and corn meal; one dark roll of bread (cornmeal and whole wheat, or millet, flour) for each meal. Mail is supposed to be in camp for us, but no issue of it yet. Last letter from home dated 3/11/44. June 27. A Nip. General (Lt. Gen. - inspected our camp yesterday is still here about. In five P.O.W. camps in, or around Mukden there are 1330 Americans, - 279-offs.; 1050 Enl.; & 1-civilian. July 3, ‘45. Rc’d six letters today - 4 from Ruth , 1 fr. Ruthie & 1 from Lollie for Oct., Sept., Nov., & Dec., 1943. Have rec’d, about 8 months ago, a letter dated March, 1944 (3/11/44). [Page 26] July 7, 1945. Col. Pigdon, Aus. M.C. died here at 4:10 AM the 6th; funeral services this A.M. I have had an upset stomach - feeling weak for 3 days, probably some fever yesterday. 7/16/45. Thirteen (13) Amer. Individual pkgs. were delivered here on 7/13 - vintage of 1943 - badly broken up. Records were kept by Nips for about a month in May-June 1943 of the time it required for each of us to consume our meals - bowl of rice and a bowl of veg. soup. Each of us were required to kill and turn in 10, or 20, flies each day at Shira Kawa during bad fly period. Weather here now is cool nights (one blanket) and hot in midday. Usually a breeze from West, or S.W. Most of daytime is cool and breezy in quarters and hot outside. Some rains. We still must salute Nip sentries as they come around - Bopping of offs. has ceased. Flys are bad and mosquitos are getting bad. We rise at 5:30 A.M. and to bed at 9:00 P.M. Sanitation bad. Food is corn meal mush & corn bread for bkfst; bean and Kafficorn soup with corn meal roll for dinner: and same as dinner with a sour pickel [sic] for supper. We must turn in to Nips all R/C tin cans - all cigarette wrappers (R/C and Nip) and paste board cartons. R/C news magazines for 1943 & some of 1944 just rec’d. Haven’t felt well or strong for last few days. [Page 27] 25. July 21, ‘45. Arrived here two months ago today. Our bread rolls (corn meal) were reduced from 3 to 2 each day about July 16th. Letter mailed to Laura Anne yesterday. Cool breezes parts of each day and at nights - hot most of day. July 24. My weight today 130.9 lbs (59.5 - K) Aug. 3 - ‘45. Rains once or twice each week. Food decreased and I’ve lost more weight. Many good rumors re- war situation. More rain this year than for last two years here at this time. Aug 6, 1945. Red Cross Rep. & his wife here yesterday. Were steered aroun [sic] and permitted to speak little to P.O.W.’s. Went through one E.M. Bks while men were out at work - & then hospital. [See chart on original document.] [Page 28] [See chart on original document.] [Page 29] 27. [See chart on original document.] [Page 30] 8/9/45. The chief noise here is the breighing of jackasses, day and night. At our last camp noises came from crows (rooks) nesting in trees around our building. Air- raid sirens (training this A.M.) and sirens and turn-out for dug-outs again at 11:00 P.M. (night). 8/15/45. Col. Floyd Marshall died of T.B. here at about noon today. He has been hospitalized for a year, or more. Some of our P.W.’s from other nearby camps are arriving here. 8/16/45. Col Marshall buried in P.W. Cem. here this A.M. I was an honorary paulbearer [sic] representing Gen. King’s Luzon Force Staff. Cemetery is about 12-15 miles N.W. of here; - 240 P.W.’s are buried there. We had a symblance [sic] of a Masonic burial for Floyd. Other P.W.’s from nearby camps are arriving today, including some aviators (recent P.W.’s) fr. China. Aug. 17, 1945. The grand news was officially given to us by Gen. Parker this morning about the Armistice. Just three years after our arrival in Kerenko, Taiwan. Five letters just rec’d from my family dated Dec., 1943; March, 1944; & Feb., 1945 (3). Much excitement and happiness here. Food doubled for supper tonight. The aviators who arrived [Page 31] 29. here on on august 16th were from Gen. Weidermeyer’s headquarters in China, sent here to contact the P.O.W.’s and establish communication between us and Weidermeyer. Two of these aviators are Major Henessey CAC, and Maj. (Lamar). They had to land with their equipment - including radio set - by parachutes. They were immediately taken over by Nipponese troops and threatened with harsh treatment. It is reported that local Nips. did not know of the Armistice. Later in the day these air arrivals were brought to our camp and went in conference with Nip. Camp Comdr. here - were treated humanely here. The Contact (new arrival) officers slept in the city (Mukden) here overnight. 8/18/45. The Contact officers from Weidermeyers headquarters in China came and talked with us last night while we were celebrating Armistice news. Gave us lots of news of world events that we did not know. Some of us were up all night last night talking, getting radio news broadcasts and celebrating. I got about three hours sleep. We’re getting all the food we can eat now, incl. ⅔ box of individual Red Cross issue. We go under American control in camp today. [Page 32] Got one more letter from home yesterday postmarked 3/1/45 from Ruthie at Greenville S.C. The aviator P.O.W.’s (14 of them) who were in a separate camp within sight of us and about ¼ mile away arrival in our (the Main) camp this morning. One of them - Capt. Campbell - is from Eastover, South Carolina. I talked to him a while ago. All are happy over the prospect of starting homeward within a week. Weather clear, cool and fine. My weight today is 127 pounds - about the same as that of the day of our surrender on 4/9/42. Americans were reorganized by units and [illegible] today. Last check by Nips was at reveille today. 8/20 - Periodic radio international news being received daily. An American B-24 was over camp this P.M. - it saluted in response to hat waving of P.O.W.’s (From China Hq.) An important and impressive chapter in our P.O.W. history was written here this afternoon and evening. While we were attending a musical program by our P.O.W. orchestra, three Russian officers arrived including a 31 year old Maj. General. They [Page 33] 31. first called for the senior officers of each nationality - Amer., Br., and Dutch - and a few minutes later, had us all assemble (we had just finished singing the three National Anthems of our countries). When we had assembled, the Russian General made us a speech of congratulation (Amers) for our victory over Japan. He then said, “From this moment, I declare you free” (7:25PM). He spoke through an interpreter to Americans, only - although three nationalities were present. He said that in 10-days the Russian army had advanced 1000 kil. over country of hills and valleys and with or without roads. They took over Mukden this P.M. before arriving here. After the speech, the Russians had the Nip. guard here marched in the center of our compound, disarmed them, issued their rifles to Americans as guards, and then amid much shouting by us, paraded the Nips. by our line of spectators. As they passed, he announced, “They are leaving this compound, forever.” 8/22/45. American (former P.O.W.’s) were guarding and working our former Nipponese guards yesterday - had them digging irish potatoes for our meals [Page 34] and having lots of fun with them. At meal time two Nipponese P.O.W.’s appeared at the kitchen to carry their food for the meal (two men for one bucket). The guard informed these Nips, - “Oh, no! One of you carry two buckets” - as they have formerly had our food carriers do. Some Chinese broke into a Nipponese factory or warehouse within view of us here yesterday and began looting supplies like ants at work. The Russians rearmed some of the Nipponese and placed them around these store house to prevent such looting. The sick Americans are due to leave here by plane this morning for China. Maj. Lamar (med. - new arrival) visited Gen. Wainwright and his senior officer and civilian Governors camp about one hundred miles from here and returned here yesterday. Gen. Wainwright and party did not know the war was over until informed by Lamar. We have been able to keep fairly well up on news by clandestinely bringing in local papers - in the hollow heel of a shoe - and having them translated by two of our officers who were students in Japan before the war (Hoffman & Wood). We’re getting a variety of good food now. [Page 35] 33. Aug. 23, 1945. Small arms firing was going on throughout yesterday and last night around this camp (incl. Automatic weapons); probably Chinese vs. Japanese. Disorders are in progress in Mukden also, I understand. Russian troops in large numbers have not arrived here yet. Morning radio news says MacArthur’s occupying force will begin entering Japan by air on 100-mile front beginning Sunday, Aug. 26th with MacArthur in command. Maj. Watson, U.S.A., has arrived here as in charge of our evacuation by Wedermeyers headquarters. Tentative plans are for us to leave by air for China - and then by air to the U.S.A. Aug. 24th. Thirty two (32) of our sick ex-P.O.W.’s left here today by airplanes for China - the first evacuees. Today is the first day we’ve been permitted to leave camp. We may go out now from 7:30 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. There is still firing going on during night hours. Russians are increasing in number and in authority in the city. Some of them are around here daily. They are quite friendly. [Page 36] Aug. 29, 1945. Gen. Wainwright and senior Generals and Governors left Mukden by plane for China on morning of Aug. 27th. About 20 senior officers & A.D.C.’s went with the party from our camp. Gen. Wainwright was heard over radio last night from Chunking. 8/30/45 Four American B-29 planes dropped food, clothing and medical supplies here for our camp yesterday. More than 50% of these supplies are reported to have been destroyed in dropping - too low. These planes were unable to land at the airports in Mukden - too large. Fifty-eight (58) more ex-P.O.W.’s left here this A.M. - 30 senior Amer & Dutch officers and 28 sick. Departure from here is changed now. Lt. Col. Donovan has arrived and assumed command - former P.W.’s are [illegible]. Departure priority is: 1 sick: 2 By lot prorated between all ranks. More B-29’s with supplies here today (2). Sept 1, 1945. Two more B-29’s with food and clothing - by parachutes - were here yesterday - totalling about eight, so far. [Page 37] 35 Our first moving picture in about 3 ½ years was shown here in open-air on Aug. 30th. Machine and films came from China by plane. ‘Tis chilly - two blanket nights lately. Fleas are terrible and getting worse in our bunks. Sept. 4, 1945. More of our comrades are leaving by plane today. This makes over 200 of our 1760 to leave. On Sept. 1, I saw “Hollywood Canteen” on our movie program-machine brought here by plane. Last night we had Judy Garland in “Meet me in St. Louis” a 1903 scene. Both were very good. Combat scenes in Europe also are being shown. I’m going into the city to dinner with a Russian family today. Population of Mukden: 2,000,000 (about 200,000 Japanese) 9/10/45. Left Mukden by rail at 8:00 P.M. - arrived Dairen 7:00 P.M. 9/11/45 (about 220 miles). Boarded the U.S. Navy Hospital ship “Relief” at 8:00 PM. [Page 38] 9/12/45. Left Dairen for Okinawa about 6:00 A.M. - weather perfect. The good looking nurses aboard the “Relief” are the first white women we’ve seen in about 3 years. 9/13/45. Cake & ice-cream today - first in over 3 ½ years. Excellent meals aboard the “Relief”. 9/15. Arrived Buckner Bay - Okinawa - 5:00 P.M. Hundreds of ships in Bay. 9/16. Typhoon approaching. We moved back to S.W. part of Okinawa - north of Naha, arriving at 12:00 noon - thence N.W. to sea to avoid typhoon. Rough sailing 16th & 17th. 9/18 - Returned to Machinato (Okinawa) about 6:30 A.M. Landed by steel landing boats at 3:00 P.M. 9/19. Awakened at 1:30 and went to airfield for travel by air to Manila. Left by air about 6:00 A.M. and arrived Manila about 12:05 P.M. at Nichols Field via C-46 plane (30 of us aboard incl. Seven Dutch officers. Stopped at the apartments. [Page 39] 37 9/20/45. Being processed, incl. Med. exam, partial payment etc, today. My blood pressure is 210-147. 9/21 - Visited GHQ (Old USA 77E) and spoke to Maj. Gens. Stivers, Marquatt, & Marshall. Had dinner with Col Bill Purdy (Provo-Marshall) and went to the “Beautiful Sky” night club. Danced and ate. 9/22 - Got luggage to travel by air “Service Pak” and Bombadier’s kit 9/23 - Had Bill Purdy to dinner with me. He is going to Tokyo today by air. We have excellent meals at my aptmt. 9/24 Sent radio message to Ruth for her birthday. 9/25. Boarded the Navy Transport at 7:00 P.M. - the “Storm King” - to sail about noon the 26th. Some of our Colonels group went back to shore account - poor accommodations on board. I’m going to take this chance for home. 9/26/45. Sailed about noon. Due to arrive ‘Frisco on Sept 15th or 16th. Eight Colonels are assigned to one small stale room. Meals good. We use Ship’s Captain’s Deck. [Page 40] 9/30/45. Passed within sight of Ulithia - Naval anchorage station tonight. Travelling S.E. to 10° Lat. South of Guam. 10/1/45. Fired on a floating mine and sank it. Delayed about 1 ½ hrs. Manila to Pearl Harbor about 4842 miles. P.H. to ‘Frisco 2050 miles via our route. 10/4 - Passed 70 miles S. of Wake Island at 7:00 A.M. - making about 16 knots (384 miles per day) 10/6 - Crossed InterNat’l. Date Line 7:45 this A.M. (Having two Saturdays) 10/7. Arrived Pearl Harbor 3:00 P.M. Leave ashore until 10:00 A.M. 10/8 - Visited Col. & Mrs. P.M. Smoat (A.G.O. Hawaii) night of 10/7. 10/8/45. Left P.H. 2:00 P.M. today for ‘Frisco The “Dickman” which left Manila a day ahead of us with some of our group arrived and left P.H. - one day behind us. We had the laugh on them. 10/15/45. Arrived ‘Frisco 10:30 A.M. and went to Letterman G.H. 10/18 - Left Letterman G.H. via Hosp. [Page 41] 39 train for Oliver G.H. at Augusta, Ga. Spent Oct 22nd P.M. with Gen & Mrs E.P. King in Atlanta - and talked to Ruth in Augusta from there. 10/23/45. Arrived in Augusta at 2:00 A.M. The joyful meeting of my family at the station. Spent night in Richmond Hotel with family and went to Hosp. about 9:00 A.M. 10/23. 10/23 (cont’d) Terrible headach [sic] and in bed at Hosp. today. 10/24 - Med Exams., [illegible]; Blood pressure 220-125. 10/27 - 90 - day sick-leave from Oliver G.H. Arrived home (Laurens, S.C.) today. Feeling pretty weak, but happy. All is well. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Journal of Roy C. Hilton, Note Book No. 9, November 9, 1944-October 27, 1945 Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina World War (1939-1945) Prisoner of war Description An account of the resource This journal recounts Hilton's experiences as a prisoner of war in Beppu-Kyushu, Japan and in Manchuria from November 9, 1944 until his release and return home in October 1945. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Citadel Archives & Museum Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/833 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date Valid Date (often a range) of validity of a resource. 1940-1949 Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/b532439e7c567a5b672aa6f31b8e8313.pdf?Expires=1789603200&Signature=wOL3eNF1LxJqNfYT5UpJIfR1BEkjKOyKQkS6KynWZy3TlImicvXJjYXoeKf7revO-Jo3UBP02cBy-vnpib-Kl9GiGZ5cdeVjqVmRWCSGNeONKDyVt8YaWXCluyX4R7Oprh0fww-0gSuoZXxx6nmf8fg9AHOPJPu-QWqzxvImpPvVVdwgJ%7EjbfnRTl2y60dgM0sRWxHW2uSN39VJVgYjp4YP1TTgK82YxnOpdtePgWnoZcUF8nf1OY4YUlZqpbRCmFfaxe-9lVXnMS9OikubTWYvenOv3sxdcUJpcVjbTxHChSBBTM1ZxsRgxSNZQn4Xg8xW3cxQH--j-W%7EcQQYHhsw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 1cb7d491f5d4bc5a53183b5234a99820 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hilton, Roy C. Collection Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 World War (1939-1945) World War (1914-1918) Prisoners of war Description An account of the resource Roy Hilton was born in Greenwood, South Carolina on November 7, 1892. He entered The Citadel in 1911. As a cadet, he was a member of the Polytechnic Literary Society and during his senior year, he held the position of Cadet Lieutenant of Company A his senior year. He majored in English and graduated in 1915. On June 7, 1917, he entered the U. S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and served in France and Germany. He was assigned to The Citadel from 1938-1941 as an assistant professor of military science. In 1941 he was stationed in Bataan, Philippine Islands. When the United States forces on Bataan surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942, Colonel Hilton was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese until the liberation in 1945. This collection contains several journals written by Hilton while he was a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II. The journals are arranged in chronological reading order; however, some of the dates would appear to contradict this. The journals should be read in the following order: 1. Note Book A, October 12, 1943 2. Note Book B, 1943-1945 3. Note Book C, 1943-1945 4. Journal, August 23, 1945 5. Note Book No. 8, June 7, 1943-November 7, 1944 6. Note Book No. 9, November 9, 1944-October 27, 1945 7. Philippine Campaigne, 1941-1942 8. Note Book #2, May 10-August 10, 1942 9. Note Book #3, May 10, 1942-April 2, 1943 10. Journal Entries, Charts and Other Thoughts, 1941-1945 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/29 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document [Page 1] Note Book No. 8 Col. Roy C. Hilton Karenko, Taiwan. (Formosa). Prisoner of War No. 53. Laurens, S.C., U.S.A. [Page 2] [Blank page.] [Page 3] 1. Index to Contents. Calendar - Pages 1-5 Life at Camp Shira Kawa, “ 7- [Page 4] [See calendar on original document.] [Page 5] [See calendar on original document.] [Page 6] [See calendar on original document.] [Page 7] [See calendar on original document.] [Page 8] [See calendar on original document.] [Page 9] 7. Life at Camp Shira Kawa (White River). (South of Kagi on Southwest Taiwan). We left Karenko, Taiwan, at 10:00 AM June 7th (1943) marched three kilometers to the dock and pulled anchor at 12:00 noon on the S.S. Hozan Maru for N.E. Taiwan. I carried about 50 lbs. of my baggage and made this distance with difficulty in my weak condition - from lack of proper nourishment. Arriving at Suo (N.E. Taiwan) we went ashore on “bucking” Sampans at risk of our lives. We left Suo by train at 10:00 PM (June 7th), went north via Taihoku, then S.W. to Kagi and N.W. via narrow guage [sic] dirt cars to our new camp. Travelling all night in crowded seats without permission to stand or move around and with window shutters closed and arrived at detraining station at 10:30AM on June 8th. Then followed a 3 Km. march - again with heavy baggage to our camp, arriving here at 2:10 P.M. For this trip we were given five meals consisting of five small loaves of bread (⅚ of full loaf) - or 5 rolls - and two cans of dried beef (6-oz. each); also one 12 oz. of Red Cross “bully beef” was issued us. Hot tea was served us upon detraining and three bananas were issued upon arrival at camp. [Page 10] 8. This camp is on low marshy ground surrounded by hills - on W. side of Mt. Niitaka. It is a crowded area of wooden barrack buildings surrounded by a 10-foot bamboo fence with a small marshy assembly, or walking, area within. We were furnished bamboo single beds with bamboo slats and without mattresses. For the first week we were issued, each, two blankets and a mosquito bar. The water is not portable and must be boiled before it is fit to drink. Water was scarce for the first week. The enlisted men worked like Trojans handling baggage during the trip. It rained in torrents shortly after our arrival here, and plentifully afterwards. A primitive native village is close by our camp. We are isolated from civilization. Vegetables and fruits look plentiful in the surrounding country. This is a malaria area and mosquitos are plentiful. [Page 11] 9. There are 337 prisoners of ware [sic] here - 282 officers, 1-civilian (R/C), and 84 enlisted men of American, British, Dutch and Australian nationalities. On June 19th straw mattresses were issued to about half of us. Sheets and pillows were issued, together with other straw mattresses, several weeks later. Prior to June 19th - and for some time later, our camp was not completed. Drainage ditches between barracks kitchen and latrines of 4-5 feet wide had no bridges. To go to the “Benjo” (latrine) at night one must jump these ditches in semi-darkness and on wet slippery ground. It rains here about half the time - 4, or 5, days at at time oftimes, followed by several days of sunshine. “Benjo guards” - “vigilantes” among each barracks perform duty each night - two officers on duty hourly from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM. They check and record in and out each person going to the latrine. Vegetables and fruits are better here. Our vegetable soup is accordingly better. Red Cross supplies were issued us again on 6/19/43 from our R/C stock - 2 cans of beef, 1-lb sugar and ½ lb. of salt. [Page 12] 10 Rabbits and goats of our “stock farms” are increasing. Our Pigs are all eaten up, or sold. We have a few chickens here also and use eggs for hospital patients, only. We live here with eight officers to a room (about 18’ x 20’) with one table, two benches and eight bamboo beds as its furnishings. Drinking water is issued us two to four times daily for tea, etc. Our morale is up, or down, with the food supply. No soap has been issued since Dec. 12th (1942). No mail has been received - except by Capt. Millan and a very few officers - since our imprisonment. Water - except that boiled for drinking - is sour and looks slimy. We bathe and do our laundry, without soap, in this water. Most of us are out of soap for laundering. June 23rd - Santa Clause today: the balance of our Red Cross supplies were issued - 52-oz. corned beef, 48-oz. meat & vegetables, 9½ lbs sugar, salt, and ¾ pkg. of Individual Package to each. I sold my share of the Ind. Pkg for $100.00. It was humorous to see officers dividing small items of food - [Page 13] 11 piecing broken crackers together so as to divide them equally, or dividing a 10¢ cake of milk chocolate into four parts, to the last crumb. This minute division continued for several days. June 25th. Five cases of malaria developed here yesterday. Interpreter says that his battalion trains here and that this is a malaria area. Rain yesterday. Reports of our Anti Axis offensive in Europe and S.W. Pacific. Last “Nippon Times” issued was dated 6/3/43 - we’re usually 2-3 weeks behind with newspapers. Did my laundry, including cotton uniform today. I play bridge daily. Ten pkg. of cigarettes sold us by our P.X. 6/27 - Newspapers to include June 17th arrived. 6/29. Eleven (11) new cases of malaria yesterday - total now about twenty cases. Some quinine arrive [sic] but every tablet is issued and recorded by Nip. Med. Corporal. Mosquitos thick and increasing. Rain almost daily. Vegetables in soup are better; 2-3 bananas issued each of us almost daily. Treatment of P’s.O.W. is better here - no R’gn. of Tr’or. 7/2/43. (7/2) Our “benjo” cleaned by a group of small native school children - about 11-12 yrs old, including girls. Native men and women are working on drainage ditches just outside compound. [Page 14] 12-a Drainage is improving. A Representative of Tokyo Bureau of Information was here a few days ago. 7/3. A visit and inspection by C.G. Taiwan Army today. Three mangos [sic] - in lieu of bananas - issued us lately. Attended Vietrola Concert - out in open - this evening - conducted by Col. Harrison, Brittish. Popular music played. ‘Twas refreshing but a pitiable sight to see P.O.W.s sitting around concert on ground - benches, etc and in motley disgraceful attire. Camp sanitation and water being better cared for. 7/4. Sunday and Independence Day. An issue of 10 cookies, each; 40 lbs of pork for our soup, and bananas today. Attended church services conducted by B. Gen. Bradford G. Chynoweth (Amer.) Received 7 bananas each today. 7/8/43. Heavy typhoon rain today. No fruit today. Two more blankets, 2 sheets, and a mattress cover issued. I’m making a stool to sit on - only benches without backs in our room. Lights put out in daytime and rooms are half dark. My R/C cocoa all gone today: still have sugar and corned beef & M.&V. 7/10 - A sunshiny day after 3-days typhoon. Issued 10-Pkg cigarettes yesterday. About 700 Nip troops arrived about 7/6 for a short training period - they’re training (maneuvering) day and night including typhoon weather. [Page 15] 13.-a “Nippon Times” of June 3rd reports Col. Maxey Noble (formerly 23rd Inf), Lt Col. Moses, & another officer - leaders of guerillas in Luzon - were captured about June 2, 1943. They had “hid out” for about 14 months. 7/10/43. Our Daily Routine We up for reveille check formation at 6:00 AM. Wash up and clean up rooms until 6:30” at which time is check formation outside. Then align dishes on tables in our rooms for breakfast serving. Breakfast - soup & rice (veg. soup) is brought from kitchen by two officers per squad (20 persons) in wooden buckets (about, 3-4 galon [sic] size). Breakfast is served by two officers per squad and then taken by individuals to their rooms to eat. After breakfast, hot water is brought over by two members of each squad and served to “water-line” of officers. Water service at 8:30 & sometimes at 10:30 AM. and at 1:30 & sometimes 3:30 P.M. Work details of officers - on work days, - start at 8:00 & 1:30 P.M. and work about three hours each half day by reliefs. Work consists of clearing, grubbing, tilling & planting gardens - by hand; cutting grass & cleaning barrack areas; gathering weeds for mosquito “Punk”; cutting wood for kitchen. [Page 16] 12-b Personnel not at work pursue own business or pleasures, e.g; writing, reading, walking, laundering, card and other games; sewing our carpenting for room comforts. Sick call at 9:00 AM - supervised by Nipponese Corporal. Dinner at 12:00 noon. All meals consist of rice (about 1 teacup full), soup made from leafy and some tubar vegetables; about 1 lump of sugar per meal, salt and sometimes from Post Exchange (P.X.) products such as: bananas or mangoes, synthetic fruit juices, fish flakes, dried; this with our Red Cross issues when available. During hot months, a siesta period - 1:00-3:00 P.M. Supper at 5:30 P.M. Curfew at 7:00 P.M. and check formation indoors at 8:00 P.M. To bed and lights out at 9:00 P.M. “Benjo” Vigilante guard for each of us for one hour at night about each 14 days. Rumors and food are our subjects of conversation. Every rumor is broadcast rapidly and enlarged upon. We’re food conscious. See exhorbitant [sic] prices paid for scant food-stuffs (Notebook No. 4). [Page 17] 13.-b 7/12/43. Work by officers to improve the appearance and sanitation of our compound started here on July 10th. Today I was one of 20 officers to go about 1 ½ miles over surrounding hills to gather a species of growing weeds to use as mosquito “Punk” for our Jap. guards. About 3 Nip. armed guards and - as a special honor - our camp Comdr. accompanied us. A clever punishment was awarded officers who gathered only a small bundle of weeds by making them bring back the largest bundles gathered and vice versa. On our return trip, the Nip. guards tried to find us some mangoes, but all had been gathered on the surrounding trees. Our latest rumor is that Italy and Germany will ‘crack’ soon and we will be home by Xmas, 1943. For mental exercise, we keep diaries, read, write, copy food recipes, discuss various subjects, design and draw our future homes, design boats, plan travel tours, play cards and games. 7/13 - There was a queer ring - rainbow - halo around the run about noon yesterday [Page 18] 14 Also a beautiful radial red sunrise this morning. - like spokes of a wheel. We have sunsets of this particular type of beauty also. 7/19/43. Heavy typhoon rains during last few days; clear today. Rumor that four Anti-Axis divisions landed on Italy (probably on Sicily) a few days ago. Churchills statement re- landings on European soil in many places before the ‘Autumn leaves fall’ interests us. Newspapers to include July 5th arrived yesterday. Two details, of about 25 officers each, worked clearing a tree branch wood pile today instead of yesterday (Sunday), as at first scheduled - on account of rain on Sunday. We’re preparing for a visit by our new Camp Comdr - of the Taiwan Prison Camps. Our morale is up on account of good war rumors. One bottle of strawberry syrup was sold each of us through our P-X - a few days ago (about one pint). Also 25 pkgs of Shirasaga Cigarettes. Akabona Cigarettes, @ .15¥ each Pkg., are out. [Page 19] 15. Bananas, - 2-3 each - are arriving almost daily. Am feeling well. Weigh about 140 lbs (estimated). 7/23 - Torrential rains today flooded our camps and rose over the small bridges on our drainage ditches. Rumor re- landings by Allies on Sicily. 7/24 - Heavy earthquake preceded by a heavy roar of noise today. Better soup tonight after thin leafy soup for several meals; sweet potatoes were added tonight. Rumor re- Russian drive S.W. from Smolensk. Feeling well. Still have three case of R/C canned beef and about four pounds of R/C sugar. 7/29/43. Last newspaper received was dated July 5th. ½ bottle of strawberry syrup - or banana syrup - sold each of us through P-X yesterday. Just finished reading Dr. Nitobe’s book “Bushido” today. It is a very good exposition of the Japanese ‘soul’ and ‘The Ways of the Warrior’, Japanese knighthood. 7/31. Detail of 80 officers worked today [Page 20] 16 pulling and scraping Bermuda grass from around our hospital - P.W.A. style. 500 prs. of drawers, - made of flour sack, some stamped “Tacoma,” “Singapore,” etc., arrived yesterday. Some of us were ‘going native’ with G-strings. Cookies issued our squad today. No newspapers since the ones dates July 5th. 8/3/43. We all worked, improving our campsite on Aug 1st (Sunday), 2nd and today. We pulled Bermuda grass - about 1-acre - with our fingers, cut it with safety razor blades, and with small scissors - no scythes nor mower available. Some officers carried logs to pile neatly, carried about three truckloads of bricks to repile about 60 yards from present pile - by hand - two or three bricks at a time. Worked on brick pile like ants carrying sugar to store. All of this in preparation for an inspection by the C.G. Taiwan Army tomorrow morning. We had a practice formation for inspection, by nationalities, this P.M. Rumor today that Mussolini had deserted Italy - King Emannuelli in control. Sunshiny mornings and heavy rains each P.M. [Page 21] 17. 8/5/43. Our camp was inspected by the C.G. Taiwan Army yesterday. Indoor inspection of parts of our area. Our soup is very thin of late - contains squash, melon, onion tops mostly. Think I am losing weight, and I’m feeling weak. Brig. Gen. Overraker and Col. Gosensen (Dutch) left here presumably for Dutch East Indies on July August 4th. Rumor re- “big news” soon. 8/9/43. Tea (¾ lb each) issued through our P.X. yesterday. Still having heavy rains. Thin soup and lean meals of late. The attention of the Camp Comdr. was called to this this morning by Gen. Maltby - British Vice Air - Marshall. Twenty one (21-14 off. & 7 E.M., British) new P.O.W.’s arrived here today, including Lt. Gen. Maltby (bro. of Vice Air Marshall Maltby). Prior to arrivals today and after departure of two officers on Aug 5th., we had 250 officers and 84 enlisted men (P.O.W’s.) here. 8/11/43. We got through our P-X today 35 pkgs. of cigarettes (Shira Saga) and one box of Cigars (Noko) and about five small cigars (Daiton), each. Cigarettes @ 40 Sen per pkg of 10; Nokos @ 16 yen for 25; Daitons @ 4.60 yen for 10. [Page 22] 18 8/11/43 (cont’d) Made a grand slam in no trumps today - bid, doubled and redoubled, before several spectators. My hand: Spades, none; Hearts K.Q 10,6,4; Diamonds A, K, 10, 7; Clubs: A, Q, 10, 4. My partner’s hand: Spades: A, K, 9, 7, 6; Hearts, A, 4; Diamonds: Q, 6, 4; Clubs: K, 6, 3. On my Left - Four Diamonds - 9-spot high. On my right - Four clubs - Jack high. My opponents lead from wrong hand and allowed me to call the lead - a “Club”. I discarded two losing hearts on my partners A, K, of Spades and my opponent on my left discarded a diamond on my fourth Club lead. 8/15/43. New arrivals were released from quaranteen [sic] yesterday - after 5 days from Hong Kong. We got through P-X today one bottle of strawberry juice (⅘ Qt), 1 bottle tomato ketchup (1-Pt), small bottle currie [sic] & one of pepper. We’re getting bananas or pineapple almost daily. We got pork in our soup this P.M. I have one (12-oz) can of corned beef and about one lb. of sugar left of my R/C supplies. [Page 23] 19. 8/15 - (cont’d). No news papers have been received since those dated July 5th, 1943. No mail has been received since our imprisonment - except by about 20 officers and enlisted men. Last message from my family was as of Dec. 21, 1941; how I long to hear from my wife and two sweet daughters. One year ago - Aug. 14th - we arrived at Takao, Taiwan, en route to prison camp at Karenko, Taiwan. News, or rumors, from various sources is to effect that Allies hold southern half of Sicily - Russia is attacking west from Orel and southwest from Leningrad and about to cut off 260,000 Germans - Russia landed a force on Norway, coming around by water from the North - Allies are bombing German cities with 1000 planes daily, losing 25, or 30, of these each day, that Churchill says this will continue against Germany and will soon start against Japan - that Allies have submarine menace under control - that King Emanuel (Italy) recently called an emergency cabinet meeting at night - [Page 24] 20. and that Germany is complaining of the difficult task before her - also confirming Mussolini’s abdication, and allies continued advance in Southwest Pacific. 8/16/43. One Japanese officer - Bgy Pts - is due to leave us today and being replaced by a younger officer. Heavy rains each day lately with cool nights. I’m feeling well - ankle swelling is gone. About 30 officers (P.O.W.) received messages from their homes today - in form of telegrams through the International R/C. 8/17/43. Rice chaff pillows issued us today - also mattresses (straw) issued to remainder of us. Fair today. Soup better. Feeling well. 8/21/43. About 125 P.O.W’s, serve with T.B., arrived here yesterday from a work camp; mostly British, all grades - officers and enlisted. No newspapers issued since ones dated July 5th. No news from my family since Dec. 21, 1941. Soup and rice are fair - bananas through kitchen issues - almost daily. 8/22/43. Each of us bought through our P.X. today: 1-bottle tomato ketchup, 1-pt. @ 55-Sen; 1-bottle sweet strawberry syrup, ⅘ Qt., @ ¥ 1.30; ½ lb. coffee, [Page 25] 21. ground, @ ¥ 1.35; 1-can fish flakes, about ½ Pt., @ ¥ 0.35. First three items are good quality. 8/24. No rain for 4, or 5, days. Reported to be beginning of dry season. Gen Keys got [illegible words] today for letter submitted. He submitted another letter. I paid a visit to the General’s quarters, next door, today. Talked to Gens. Cheynoweth, Vachon, Longh, Beebe, Drake and Seals, and Weaver. One officer moved out of our 20’ x 20’ room today to another barracks, leaving seven of us here now. Fortier left us for another room. Squad #8 (officers) formed from those moving. Water supply getting scarce. About seven truck loads of rice and barley came in yesterday. Carabao - Bull-Carts haul out “benjo” loads daily. 8/25 - Hot and dry. Bango formation for evening check now outside. Soup somewhat better. Am feeling well. No newspapers since that dated July 5th. Last message from my family was Christmas message of 1941. Rc’d. 1/8/42. 8/26. Am doing my week’s laundry today; also sewing on pair of pajamas to strengthen them - reinforcing. We were assembled at 1:00 P.M. today for a speech by our Nip. Camp Comdr. Among other things, he said: “Big battles are raging on all war fronts. Each nationality thinks his nation will win. (over) [Page 26] 22 Even though our allies, Germany and Italy, lose the war, I think Japan will win. Japan will continue to fight. In previous wars, we have used only ⅓ of our strength. We have one hundred million trained soldiers and five billion orientals back of us. The U.S. is using the Japanese Army as a standard. Our nation, young and old, are working. This P.O.W. Camp is the only personnel not working. We have a plan to give you some work to do on a stock farm financed by Japanese funds. We want to do better by you and shall expect some work from you. If any of you have a plan for conducting this stock farm, submit your plan in writing. That is all.” We have worked some at this camp on improving the appearance of the camp, cutting wood for our kitchen, gathering weeds for anti-mosquito smoke, filling holes in area, pulling grass, etc. I made another Grand Slam, doubled and redoubled in bridge today; as follows: [Page 27] 23. [See chart on original document.] 8/27/43. We had a physical examination today, presumably to establish our condition to work. Two American and one British Doctors examined us and then a Nipponese Corporal gave us a final classification. Among other questions, we were asked, “How is your appetite”? I am evidently in good condition under the Circumstances. 8/28 -The first three squads - about 108 officers - worked three hours this A.M. grubbing waist-high Johnson grass from a hillside just outside of our compound. ‘Twas said, “This work is in the nature of exercise.” General officers and Brigadiers compose the first two squads. [Page 28] 26 8/30/43. Four officers squads (about 145) worked today A.M. & P.M. grubbing a hillside outside our camp. About ¼ cup of extra rice is given for work. I listened to a victrola concert this evening - Mendelsohn’s Recital, and songs by Elizabeth Shumann - given by a British officer. As we listened, 8, or 10, flights of 40-50 white herons {300-400} were flying south. They were a pretty sight backed by reddened clouds from a setting sun. They must have been escaping a storm area. These herons fly northward over our camp each morning about sunrise in flights of 3, or 4. About 20 letters arrived for Dutch officers today from Holland. More letters are said to be here for Americans. We may write a 100-word letter home by Sept. 2nd. Wonder if my other letters have reached home? Sept. 1,1943. Squads nos. 1, 2, 3 & 4 worked today - grubbing hillside outside our camp - mosquito control. Report that there will be an important announcement soon by Nipponese. Mailed a letter to Ruth tonight. No mail from home yet. Attended a victrola concert tonight - popular music. [Page 29] 27. Sept. 3, 1943. Better rice, and 2-3 bananas, these days. I lose $5.00 to Geo. Hirsch today on bet made on 3/3/43 that he and I would receive letters from our homes by this date. The “important announcement” hasn’t come yet. I’m playing bridg [sic] - working about two days each week - and feeling well. Rain - and rainwater collected for drinking - today. 9/5/43. No bananas yesterday, or today. We worked - grubbing Johnson grass - again yesterday. Group Captain Rice - British - died this afternoon. He came to us at Karenko about a year ago as an invalid, hospitalized with creeping paralysis. 9/7 - Dick Rogers and Josh Stausell challenged Phil. Fry and myself at bridge. They used the “Vanderbilt Club” system of bidding against our Culbertson system. We won by seven points. My bet with George Hirsch that the war between the Axis and Allies, as such, expires today. Don’t know yet who won. My daily routine includes laundering my clothes, washing my dishes, and sewing some of my worn out pajamas and underwear, socks, etc. No newspapers, or news since July 5th. No message from home since Dec. 21, 1941 (1941). [Page 30] 28. 9/7/43 (cont’d). There are repeated rumors that an armistice has been signed by Germany and the Allied Powers. (9/8/43) A rumor that Japanese cabinet has been changed to exclude Tojo. Also that the Nipponese will make an important announcement in next few days. Reported that an exchange ship is due here this month possibly with R/C supplies. 9/9/43. There were several heavy earthquake shocks preceded by roaring noises at 2:30 A.M. today. It shook up our barracks. Many white herons in large flights went south again during the evening concert. 9/11/43. For the last month costumes among officers and enlisted prisoners have drifted in many cases to undershorts, some of the flour sack materials, and in some cases to “G-strap”, only. Weather is warm to invite these types of wearing apparel. 9/12/43. I played a chess game with an expert player today - a Dutch soldier, Van Rhee (Pvt.). He played eleven of us at the same time and won all games. [Page 31] 29. 9/13/43. Squads nos. 1, 2, and 3, - about forty Generals and about 70 Colonels - worked with heavy hoes for about six hours today grading walks on our newly cleared hill just outside our compound. The Commanding Officer of the Taiwan Army P.O.W. camps inspected us today, therefore there was much attention paid to having a clean camp and having work in progress. The C.O. will be here tomorrow, also, and in having a conference with several of the P.O.W.’s. I feel fine after my work, and a bath. We get about ⅓ cup of extra rice for the evening meal on work days. 9/14/43. Our Camp Comdr. and the Comdr. Of all Taiwan P.O.W. camps made us a speech this morning. In general, they were both the most conciliatory speeches yet. No mention was made of war situation. The speeches were to justify our work, - one day in each three - on the new farm and on the park area just outside our camp. These projects, they said, are for our health and for our benefit. They said we will return home in near future in good health. [Page 32] 30. 9/14 (cont’d). Col. Amis has had malaria eleven times in about fifteen months. Col. Aldridge has had malaria eleven times in less than fifteen months - both since captivity. The malaria situation is about under control - only repeater cases. Quinine is given in minimum doses for cure only. The conference held today, by our C.O. of Taiwan P.O.W. Camps, several squad leaders and representatives of each nationality, discussed mail, food, clothing, Red Cross supplies, newspapers, dentist work, etc. All questions received cordial but evasive answers. The conference had a conciliatory atmosphere. 9/15/43. Eleven of our twenty one goats were butchered yesterday for soup today. The goats have worms and are all to be killed. The visitor of yesterday has added some to our food and water and has reduced our work to one-half of former schedule. He said we will have several hundred ducks, some more chickens and pigs for our stock farm. ‘Tis encouraging. [Page 33] 31. The rumor is being repeated that Germany is out of the war as of Aug. 29th. 9/16 The goat soup was very good last night. Tonight we were issued an extra bread roll with sweetened potato, or something similar inside. Tonight, also, a sentry told one of our personnel, “You should be very happy, you are going home soon.” This sounds too good to be true. 9/19/43. Official weight today: 59.3 (130.46 lbs). Strawberry syrup, ketchup, fish flakes issued thru P.X. today. 3-4 weeks more issues on hand Nip. attitude toward us getting better. I’m 1-2 lbs off in weight since July 30th but am feeling better. Food is improving some. Newspapers to date of July 20th arrived yesterday. Last papers received were dated July 5th. 9/21 We work on our farm, ditches, road, grass, rocks, etc for about five hours two days each week - squads rotating. Water is very scarce now since the rains stopped. Rumor is that we will move to a new camp soon. 9/22/43. We were issued one-half cake of soap (small cake) today, the first since Dec. 15, 1942. Water is too scarce, now, to take a bath. [Page 34] 32 9/22 (cont’d). We also get about one pound of sugar. A distinguished Nipponese officer - and staff - inspected us yesterday. Ten more of our goats were slaughtered yesterday for soup today - for 480 of us P.O.W.’s. Water is still very scarce. We use cups of water from our baths after work. I’m sewing to reinforce worn out pajamas and underwear. Everything is scarce, and inferior quality, here. The Dutch officers received more mail on Sept. 20th. ‘Gil’ Bell and Aldridge had an unfriendly scuffle yesterday. A few days ago Cortero Cordero and Corkill had the same kind of mix-up. We’re planting corn and sweet potatoe [sic] ships on our farm just outside our camp. I’m reading Benvenutto Cellini’s autobiography 9/24/43. Ruth’s (my wifes) birthday today. I’ve written her a letter in my note book for future delivery. We worked - grubbing grass on the farm - from 3:00 PM to 6:30 P.M. yesterday. ‘Twas dusty and mean, - and little wash water upon our return. Several American and British P.O.W.’s received [Page 35] 33. 9/24 (cont’d) letters today. They dated from May 1942 to May 11, 1943. Some more letters are reported to be here. I’m hoping for, and am expecting one. A Mr. Campaud (Champaud), the Swiss Consul inspected our camp today for the U.S.A and Great Britain - thus the mail delivery of part of our mail. He conferred with several of the P.O.W.’s and made an inspection of camp facilities. The stage and those who were to confer with him, the scope of their conversation, etc., was all set and prescribed. We did not work today. (Campaud represented the protective power for U.S.A. & Britain) 9/25/43. About thirty more letters were delivered today. I have not yet received one. Mail is being delivered as fast as our Nip. interpreter cares to censor it - which is slow. We worked, planting potato slips, preparing the ground by hand, carrying off grass, etc. I’m feeling pretty good today after the exercise of the morning’s work. Through our P-X, we got lime juice, pickled vegetables, ketchup, Nakamotos, and paste today. We now get one pound of sugar one week-end and a bottle of sweetened juice the next. 9/26/43. No mail today. I’m disappointed. [Page 36] 34. 9/26/43 (cont’d). Twenty pigs arrived for our farm today. We now have about 36 rabbits, one goat, (mascot), about 12 hens, 2 roosters, and 12 little chicks. Water was turned on today for first time in a week. We’ve been carrying water by hand from a nearby spring. Water must be boiled before is is fit for drinking. * We we [sic] allowed to write another letter today. I wrote to Little Ruth - my daughter. * 9/28/43. Armed guards for work of P.O.W.’s outside of compound discontinued about 9/20/43. “Benjo Book” record discontinued about 8/28/43. One pound of tea and one-half pound of coffee issued through P-X today (Coffee @ ¥ 4.44 1.35; Tea @ ¥ 4.44 I did light work, shelling peanuts for planting this afternoon. We got good work rice. 9/29/43. Several officers received radio messages - in substance, - from their families today. I bet “Gil” Bell $100.00 that the war in Europe is not over as of 9/28/43. Last papers received were dated July 20th. 9/30/43. Newspapers to include those dated Aug. 20th came today. These gave news of Sicily’s [Page 37] 35. capitulation, Mussolini’s resignation and end of Fascism, of Russian drives and Axis’s defensive position, of heaving bombings of German and Italian cities, and of proposed sixth conference of Churchill and Roosevelt at Quebec. We worked each afternoon this week on “the farm”. The “park” is idle. One hundred and eighteen young duck arrived for our farm about Sept. 28th. 10/3/43. Has been cool since Oct. 1st. I use up to two light blankets for past two nights. The C/S of the Taiwan Army is due here in next few days. We’re expecting some news announcement. Played chess with the International Champion - Pvt. Van Rhee - again yesterday. I almost won. 10/6/43. Just finishing my last R/C supplies - except salt - eating last of 12-oz. can of corned beef. Water still scarce; it is being brought in by hand or, occasionally, rationed through spigots. We’re working ½ day for each week day now - cutting grass, carrying away grass, breaking clods, etc - for planting. C. of S. of Taiwan Army is still due here for a visit. Rumors are running wild re- completion of European war, our going home, etc. I’m feeling stronger since working and eating work rice - about one cup extra per day. Estimate my weight at about 134 pounds. (over). [Page 38] 36. Have just finished reading a book of Anatole France’s short stories. Am now reading Dr. Payne’s book on “The Greatest Force on Earth” (Intensified, earnest, prayer). Dr. Payne, D.D. - a British author. We’re still buying through our P-X-, ketchup, strawberry syrup, fish flakes (about one bottle each per week) and about one pound of sugar each two weeks. Smokes, salt, pepper, currie [sic] powder, etc., are sufficient of late. Our treatment is better for last six weeks, more humane. 10/9/43. We completed eighteen months as Prisoners of War today. This time wasted. Our guards are more considerate of us for the past month. We’re not hazed in quarters, not rushed at work, and get more food - especially P.X. supplies, syrups, sugar, fish flakes, and smokes. All members of the first five squads (of 10 officers’ squads) except those over sixty years of age were turned out for work today - feeble, disabled etc., were given light work at grass cutting. Last newspapers were dated Aug. 20th. Last news from home was Xmas, 1941. An armed guard accompanies us at work again for last week. Weather fine. I’m [Page 39] 37 feeling better since I’ve been working one-half of each day (2-2 ½ hrs. by ½ hr. periods with rests between periods) and have received about one cup of work rice extra each evening. 10/10/43. A beautiful cool sunshiny day (Sunday). Rumor re-Tojo Cabinet asked to resign. Nip. guards insisting on stricter courtesy, better saluting, etc. I’m feeling well. Weigh about 134 lbs - estimated. I watched Pvt. Van Rhee, Dutch, play a group at chess again today. He won all games cleverly. 10/13/43. Numbers for work from each squad were increased on the 9th only disabled and over-60 now excused. Work is for 2-2 ½ hrs either mornings or afternoons for each squad - on the farm. Rumors current re Russia’s demand upon J. for return of Part A. and the Man. Ry - etc; about Turkey entering war about Sept. 1st; about Allied landings at Naples; re- Russia’s expecting to annex Poland & E. Prussia; re bombing of three cities of Japan (these started 10/11 & 10/12; and re British and Americans landing in France. I’m feeling well. Ankle swelling has gone. 10/15/43. My official weight today: 59.8 K (131.56 #), a gain of one pound since Sept. 19th. Rumor that the P.I. got its independence on Sept. 14, 1943. I wrote a letter to Laura Anne today. [Page 40] 38. 10/16/43. A harvest holiday begins today. No work. ‘Tis a beautiful day. Rumor re-Allies taking Canton. 10/17/43. Keltner (Ed) and his five room-mates lightly b’p’d for light on in daytime - yesterday. Last night I listened to our victrola concert of popular music, including Hawaiian melodies, and thought sadly of a happy period in my past life. 10/20. Col. Browne was kicked by snt’y today for not saluting. We’re working ½ day (about 2-2 ½ hrs) daily. Carrying grass to pile for fertilizer, cutting grass, breaking clods. Thirty of us colonels carried water for two hours this afternoon - three buckets each to our kitchen and five buckets each to the Nip. kitchen and their baths. Sixteen colonels of the 4th sqd carried “Benjo juice” to a grass pile to make fertilizer this morning. This was the most humiliazing [sic] work yet and was done under protest. We restacked a large grass pile while “benjo juice” was added. 10/21/43. The Camp Comdr. spoke to us at roll call this morning. He stated necessity of “benjo juice” carrying - for making fertilizer - and that officers would be exempt from this work for time being but he reserved the right to require this of us “for our farm” in future. [Page 41] 39. He also stated that the Allies’ propaganda was to the effect that the war would be over by next Spring and that it may end in Europe by Russia invading Germany; and that the Nips. still believe that they and their Axis allies will win - or that their army will go to their deaths while fighting. He stated that our farm will be needed for food for us. No rain for a month, or more. Weather clear, nights cool and midday hot - ‘Tis fine. Water is scarser [sic] and scarser [sic]. Laundry is almost forbidden and bathing water is issued by cupfuls - and brought in from spring outside. 10/23. A good rain today was like manna from heaven. I got a good rain bath, some rain water for drinking, and did some laundry. We had a holiday and a speech by our Camp Comdr. today (Sat.). He said we need not expect the war to be over in six months - as we seemed to expect - and that we should give better cooperation in working on our farm for our use. He said he wanted to feed us better and make us happier. Also, that decisive battles are expected by Russia and Germany this winter; that Japan has withdrawn from New Georgia Island (S.W. Pacific) and this is only advance U.S. has made in 16 months - and [Page 42] 40. that the Japanese plan called for withdrawal from Guadalcanal Island and from Attu. etc. We were permitted to walk in “our park, yasume” - which we cleared on a knoll outside our compound - today. ‘Tis fine to have this change and enlargement of our area. We got through our P-X today: a bottle of jam, a bottle of oyster sauce (soy), two pkgs cigarettes, a bottle of wakamotto tabbuto (Vitamin B-B2 etc) and a note book. A few days ago, we got 1 ½ lbs. of sugar, and on next Wednesday we due to get a ⅘ Qt. bottle of sweet strawberry syrup (it’s good). This food is being added to our daily rice and vegetable soup. I’m feeling fine - still anxious for a message from my family (last one was Dec. 21, 1941.). Camp Comdr. also mentioned Allies fighting near Naples, Italy - and of Mussolini faction still fighting Allies. 10/26/43. On Oct. 26, 1941, - two years ago today - I parted from my family in Charleston, S.C. for duty in the Philippines. What a two years! The last message from my wife, now at Laurens, S.C. was Dec. 21, 1941. I regret that I could not serve my country longer and better in this war. We P’s of W. do [Page 43] 41 not even know what progress is being made by our countries in the war - except in a general way. We got thru our P.X. today two ⅘ Qt. size bottles of fruit juices - one strawberry and one pineapple for each of us. These are a wonderful help for sweetening rice and completing meals with a rice-desert [sic]. I am writing a history of my life for my family. We had issued to each of us today: 1 ½ cakes of toilet soap, three colored silk handkerchiefs, one face towel (slazy), two pkgs tooth powder and one tube of tooth paste, and two cheap tooth brushes - charged on our increased mess bill - increased a month, or two, ago from about 16:00 yen to ¥30.00 per month. Water is still scarce and must be brought in by P.O.W.’s - by hand in buckets. There are 479 P.O.W.’s here - since Aug 21st - 362 officers and 117 Enlisted ( one additional T.B. patient arrived recently); also one civilian - Y.M.C.A. worker - Mr. Webb. (Total 480) 10/29/43. I was with a water carrying detail all morning - 10 trips for Don Hilton and myself for one team. Two British Colonels were bopped for joining our detail [Page 44] 42. to get water for themselves - then all of us were punished by having to take a longer route. We - 3rd squad - washed sheets, with Nipponese soap yesterday P.M. Also took a cold bath outside at the wash pool. We’re still working on our farm, cultivating sweet potatoes, corn, peanuts, cabbage and cauliflower. Crop looks pretty good. Five one-half days work for each of us of 2 ½ - 3 hrs. These crops were planted about October 1st. No work yesterday account a Nip. holiday. 10/30/- I’m feeling badly today with a bad cold and sore throat. Went to hospital and Lt. Col. Glatley (Amer.) gave me a gargle and two white pills to take. This is Saturday no work for us who were working in the afternoons. ‘Tis clean-up day. Many rumors re-Russian and Turkish advances in Romania, Czechoslovakia and of German withdrawing from France. 11/1/43. My cold is much better today. Even worked on the farm this A.M. Two years ago today, I sailed from ‘Frisco toward the P.I. on the Pres. Coolidge. This ship has since been sunk by the Nips. [Page 45] 43. but we, who sailed on her on 11/1/41 were “sunk” first by being P.O.W’s since 4/9/42. From the day we sailed, there seemed to be an atmosphere doom among her passengers. Many of them are here on S.W. Taiwan now. Some mail is being given out today. Col. Malcolm Fortier received our first pkg. - a 2 ½ lb tin of hard candies - ‘Tis good. Capt. McMillan (Navy) - Gov. of Guam - received more letters; he seems to get mail with each issue. I’m reading “Poultry for Profit” - a study written by a Capt. Rook - a P.W. in another camp; he has 30 yrs. experience and a graduate of a poultry institution in England. (See “Bookreviews” - notebook). 11/4/43 Yesterday was a holiday - birthday of grandfather of Emperor - Meijo - we had a fried fish & raw cucumber extra. On the 2nd we got thru our PX. on [sic] bottle papia [sic] jam, one tin fish flakes, 1 ¼ lbs. sugar, each. Weather dry but warm & clear. Water scarce - we’re bringing it in by carrying parties to include Nip kitchen & bath. We bath [sic] in a cup, or bottle of water. One British Lieut. & five Amer. Enlisted men left us today, presumably for Tokyo. We’re still working ½ each day by easy periods. Exercise & sun are beneficial. Work rice of one cup extra is satisfying our hunger. An Enlisted man brought us an extra wash-pan full of cooked rice a few evenings ago - it was good. Have had a bad cold for several days, otherwise feeling fine. [Page 46] 44. 11/7/43 - Sunday. My 51st birthday - the 2nd, on [sic] in the Orient. Hope it’s the last here. We’re cleaning house for an inspection of some kind; everyone is busy. I carried a load of water from the spring for our use this A.M. ‘Tis a beautiful Fall day. Hasn’t been cold yet. ‘Tis still dry - water scarce; we bathing and laundering in cups of water brought in from the spring. Food has been slowly, but gradually, better since last March 5th - our lowest ebb. Rice, soup and condiments, - sugar & syrups, etc - are enough to prevent one from hunger now. Treatment by the Nips, though stern and such as should be given to Enlisted men, is much more considerate. We have Victrola concerts about four evenings each week - some excellent records. I’m feeling well. Must have gained a few pounds since last weighing. Estimate my weight at 134 lbs. Ray O’Day and several others congratulated me on my birthday today. Ray presented me with a package of good cigarettes. He was in Atlanta, Ga., when my order for the P.I. were phoned to Laurens, S.C. Yesterday afternoon we cleaned up around the Nip. Guard Bks. The N.C.O. in charge thanked us - and today we were issued more rice than we could eat. We also had pork in our soup tonight. [Page 47] 45. I had to eat my rice in four meals to consume it - but I made it. I’m still uncomfortable at 8:30 P.M. My roommates honored me by small gifts today; Hamilton gave me a cigar; Abe, a cigar; Don, some strawberry syrup on my rice; and Val., a pkg. of cigarettes; all for a kind thought. Several other officers dropped in to offer congratulations. 11/8. Thirty-one (31) more P.O.W.’s - Amer., Br., & Dutch - Officers & Enlisted arrived here last night. We had an inspection today by Taiwan Q.M.G - the Auditor, & the Inspector. No work today. 11/11/43. Armistice Day. Twenty five years ago (1918) firing ceased in the First World War. I was at Mouzon - midway between Sedan and Stenay - facing the Germans across the Meuse. I was a part of a victorious group of allied armies, and was later to enjoy the fruits of victory on the Rhine River near Coblenz. Today I am a captive in the hands of the Pagan Japanese - on the otherside of the world from my home. What a reverse! - an anticlamax [sic]. We are working some on our farm today. Otherwise, I and my room-mates are sewing, writing, playing cards, etc. ‘Tis a fine day, just cool enough. [Page 48] 46. 11/12/43. All of the 31 new arrivals were lined up and b’p’d last night for using Nip. mos. bars to cover private property. Our farm here is plowed by a Chinese-Taiwanian - with a young Carabou and a one-handled antique plow. Harness, or gear, consists of a bent piece of bamboo across carabou’s neck with two pieces of rope tied to short wooden single-tree and a piece of rope to carabou’s nose. “Benjo waste” is carried out in huge barrels on antique wagons drawn by huge carabou. Some of these carabou can hitch and unhitch themselves by placing, or withdrawing, heads under the bamboo collar. 11/13/43 - Nippon Times to include Oct. 9, 1943, arrived today - the first papers since those dated Aug. 20th. News re- collapse of Italy, rescue of Mussolini by Hitler, and Allied occupation of Southern Italy to include Naples, included in papers. Also, promotion of Amer. General officers to include Gen. Wainwright (to perm. Maj. Gen.); of Gen. Marshall’s mention for Allied global Comdr - etc. We had to write a 100-word thesis on our opinions of reports that Nipponese in America are not permitted to communicate with relatives in Japan & of their internment and alleged mistreatment in U.S.A. [Page 49] 47. 11/15/43. Happy recollections of a house party by Tommie & Collette Sounds at their summer home, “Rest-Haven?” near Minneapolis have occurred lately. The Flanigens, the Ericksons and the Hiltons were there to enjoy hospitality on a lake. 11/21/43. We landed at Manila from “The President Coolidge” on Nov. 20, 1941 - two years ago yesterday. What a two years? Next to wasted. ‘Tis cold here for last three days - as low as 63° but cloudy and colder feeling than the thermometer indicates. Sunshine and warmer today. Yesterday we got thru our P-X - a bottle of new lime-milk sweet syrup, canned vegetables (one small tin), papia [sic] jam, and fish flakes. This variety of condiments makes our rice and veg. soup better. Our soup for several meals lately has consisted of small onions - mostly onion tops - squash (goardy melon kind) cucumbers and small fish - minnow type with eyes still open. Mailed another letter home on Nov. 19th - no news from home since Dec. 21, 1941. Have just finished reading Amelia Earhart’s “My Last Flight”. 11/22 - Official weight today: 133.76 lbs - a gain of 2.2 lbs since Oct. 15th. Fine sunshine today. Rumors re- landing & advance of Allies in S. France. Did my laundry this morning - feel well. [Page 50] 48. 1/25/43- Thanksgiving Day. Since we had a holiday on Nov. 23rd - the second Nipponese Harvest Festival - we worked on our farm today (½ day for each group). We’re planting sweet potatoes & tomatoes. The first potatoes planted should be ready by Christmas. Our stock farm includes 20 pigs, about 120 young ducks, about 40 rabbits and a dozen, or two, chickens. We were issued a large biscuit size load of flour bread, a small package of candy, about one pound of sugar and some pork in thicker vegetable soup. There were two heavy and prolonged earthquake shocks about 10:30 last night. Our barracks shook considerably. Our farm work was cut short this afternoon because of an air-alarm. We have had several of these - and a few black-outs - lately. The American airmen must be hereabouts. Still good rumors re- Allied landings in S.W. & S.E. France, in Albania, and advancing in S.W. Pacific. The end of the war cannot be far off. 11/28/43. Made and bid another grand slam in bridge last night. My partner bid one club - I bid two spades, my partner bid four spades; I bid four N.T.: my partner bit five hearts; I bid seven spades. My Partners hand: spades, Jxx; Hearts, Axx; [Page 51] 49. Clubs, AKJxx: Diamonds, xx. My hand: spades, AKQxx; Hearts, QJx; Clubs, Jx; Diamonds, AKJ. Beautiful weather of late. Still dry - water is brought in by hand from nearby spring. We are working ½ day (about 2 ½ - 3 hrs) each day except Saturday P.M. & Sundays on our farm. We get one cup of work rice at evening meal for this. This rice helps considerably. An Australian Protestant Chaplain has joined us as a P. of W. He is holding a Thanksgiving service for Americans this morning. Have just finished reviewing “The History of the Philippines (by Barrows - 1907). The Church service was very good. There’s a rumor re- a change in Camp Comdrs. about Dec. 1st. I was on a water carrying detail this P.M. - to include water for the Nip. Gd. bath 11/30/43. No work today on account of a visit by the C.O. of Taiwan Prisoner of War Camps. ‘Tis a beautiful day - comfortably warm. Our visitor held conferences with groups of officers of each nationality. He told them of our heavy losses in the S.W. Pacific - of Japan’s determination to fight on even though Germany falls - that Japan has 100,000,000 men and each will take 10 occidentals to graves with them rather than be dominated by a European Power - that the reason for our receiving no mail is because Jap. Nationals in America weren’t getting their mail. [Page 52] 50 11/30/43 (cont’d) I was last paid two years ago today. My wife should be receiving allotments of $250.00 per month from Nov. (or Dec) 1941, plus $160.00 “ “ more from April, 1942. (Deductions made from the pay of these months). 12/4/43 - Rainy and chilly today. Play my first game in a Duplicate bridge tournament. This one against a British foursome. We won 1340 points in 16 hands. ‘Twas a very enjoyable game. No work today. We were issued a British woolen (O.D) shirt today. A new Camp Comdr. Is due here - old one left, about, two days ago. Better vegetables in soup lately - tomatoes & gabe added. 12/7/43 - Our new C.O. arrived on 12/6 - and spoke to us yesterday. He asked for cooperation - said whether this camp is hard one or a Utopia, depended upon our action. Said our food and quarters are the best available and that we can improve our food by work on our farm - rather a negative speech, otherwise. A few days ago our vegetable man delivered vegetables about 40-kilos short. For this a Nip. officer slapped the delivery man and kicked his Carabou [sic]. The latter act was greatest insult and punishment - Oriental psychology. [Page 53] 51. 12/8 - Two years of war today. The Nip. Army celebrated Honolulu attack by blowing of a bugle several times at 4:30 A.M. today. We had advance notice of this celebration. A British Air Commodore & P.O.W., Commodore Silly, died here last night of cancer of stomach. A ceremony and burial took place today. No work today. 12/12/43. Listened to Ensign Leavitt U.S.N. relate events and engagements of the Cruiser “Houston” today. He was saved from the crew by swimming about 16-miles; about ⅓ of crew (⅓) were rescued. “Houston” was sunk in a night engagement between Java & Sumatra about March 1, 1942. Leavitt arrived here a few months ago. Temperature these nights ranges from 62° - 68°; ‘Tis chilly & no fires or warm clothing. Played my second game of bridge in our Duplicate B- tournament yesterday. We won against four Dutch officers. Food is getting scarcer of late. - still a few bananas daily. 12/17/43 - A fine sunshiny day. Temperature was 60° this morning, - but warmed up during the day. Nip. soldiers and our (P.O.W.) soldiers played volley ball together this P.M. - the first fraternization. Rumor re- German Capitulation on Dec. 3rd. Our Camp Comdr. held a conference with our squad leaders - the P.X. officers and others yesterday. (over) [Page 54] It seems that he is desirous of being more considerate toward us. One Xmas package for Col. Rutherford arrived from the U.S. today - an eleven pound pkg - mailed Aug. 27, 1943. No other mail came. We have about 200 young ducks and 20 pigs fattening - some for Xmas. Rumor re- Nips. asking Allies for terms for an armistice. Xmas message rec’d from Gen. Wainwright at senior officers’ camp to officers here - and one sent them. Nip. Lieut says Senior officers’ camp has three turkeys for Xmas. 12/18 - We worked - clearing a hillside near our spring this A.M. - a beautiful day. No rain in several weeks. One week before Xmas and our orchestra is practicing Xmas Carrols. Several musical instruments have arrived, on order, lately. 12/21/43. Two years ago today my wife sent me a Xmas radio message (Dec. 1941), have had no message from any of my family since then. This is the first day of winter and a beautiful day (cool - about 65° at night). Our Camp Comdr inspected our barracks today. Have just read “Japanese Buddhism” and part of “The New Order” stating British offer to France prior to French acceptance of defeat (latter book). [Page 55] 53. 12/23/43. I weighed 130.2 lbs. this A.M. - 3 ½ lbs off since Nov. 22nd on account of decrease of food recently. We were issued the following food this morning: 2-jars of papaya jam; 1-bottle ketchup; 1-bottle vitamin tablets; 1-lb. lemon candy; 1-can fish flakes; 1-bottle (⅘ Qt.) strawberry syrup.; 1 ½ lbs sugar; one small loaf of bread (a bread roll); and the Nippon Times to include that dates Oct. 31, 1943. 12/24/43 - Everyone is cheerful today - Xmas Eve. We got 10 pkgs. of cigarettes today. I did some room decoration - windows, door & walls - with red pencil and green leaves. The Camp Comdr. had a formation of all P.O.W.’s this P.M. He wished us “A Merry Christmas”, gave a brief of War news, appointed squad and administrative leaders for next year and rewarded old squad & Adm. leaders by presents of flowers, watermelons, (12 small melons for 60 P.O.W.’s), cakes; he presented all P.O.W.’s, collectively, with six baskets of bananas (5 or 6, each) and 51 ducks for our Xmas dinner. He said we should thank God, and the Nip. Army for our lives and for protection. His attitude seemed sincere and frank - not boasting, but humble. [Page 56] 54. 12/25/43 Christmas Day. There’s many a “Merry Christmas being passed from person to person - nationality to nationality - here this morning. Moral seems high. The Nipponese issued us about ¼ loaf of bread this A.M. We are having duck soup for dinner and three pigs for supper. Church services were held in “yasume” Park. ‘Tis chilly - about 65° this A.M. We had athletic events - concert singing - several comic skits etc this P.M. to make a pleasant afternoon for all - a comic orchestra furnished most fun, and an American dancing exhibition was also good. The Nips. seemed to enjoy it and gave bananas to the participants. One volley-ball game was the Americans vs. the Japanese officer and soldier team (our guard) - the American team won by 21 to 4 points. Our Camp Comdr. and Nipponese guard officers visited all of our rooms and offered a “Merry Christmas” greeting during the day. This was really a pleasant day and our first pleasant one since captivity. (Capt Wakayama is our C.O.) 12/26/43. I overheard an unusual remark this morning. An officer said, “Believe it or not, I had indigestion last night.” This is the first case of indigestion I’ve heard of in two years. [Page 57] 55. 12/26 (cont’d). We had Lt. Col. Hennessey of the British (Indian) army give a talk in our room on Burma today. He has spent 27 years in the far East. His talk was very interesting. He told of the treasures of all kinds of precious stones (except emeralds) which are mined by hand at a place about 100 miles N.E. of Mandalay. Says one’s trip there can easily be paid for in profits between local and home prices - ready made jewel necklaces, bracelets, etc. very cheap; says pearl dive & stay submerged for five minutes there. 12/28 - We got thru P-X - today: ½ lb. coffee; 1 ½ oranges; 1-pone of bread; and 1-lb lemon candy (hard). We were vaccinated for small pox again today - 4 point vaccination. 12/29. I mailed a 200-word letter to Ruth (my wife) today on Nipponese stationery & envelope - longest letter yet. We’ve worked a few half-days this week picking worms off of cauliflower and vegetables, moving grass pile, and cutting & moving brush around our spring. Rumors recently include our occupation of Burma & Malay Penn. - Nip. evacuating Java - Germany asking for peace terms. 12/31/43. A wet drizzly day - first rain in some time. We did general house-cleaning today and were inspected by our Camp Comdr. Today ends 1943. It has been a better year for us than [Page 58] 1942 - our morale is higher and we feel physically and mentally better. Our lowest ebb was about March 5, 1943. We feel that much progress has been made by the Allies toward completing the war and enforcing peace. 1944 1/1/44. Today started off cloudy but ended as a clear, pleasant day - about 74°. We had ceremonial rice for breakfast this morning. Only ground rice cakes in our vegetable soup - no other dish. We got 5 bananas today for Jan. 1, 2, & 3rd. Rations, or vegetables came yesterday for the same period on account of Nipponese holidays. We omit work from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4th. Morale is good today. All of us expect the end of this war this year - so we have passed through our longest and worst period, we think. We had a short air-raid alarm and a rumor re- an air raid on Taiwan today. 1/2/44. - Cloudy this morning. Ceremonial rice again for breakfast, making a pasty soup. Lt. Col Hennessey talked on Burma again (see 12/26). The precious stone city is Megok (N.E. of Mandalay) and the pearl diving - Mother of Pearl ornaments, etc is the island of Mergui ( off W. coast of southern strip of Burma) Weather finished up as clear and warm. [Page 59] 57. 1/6/44. ‘Tis cold today - about 60° this morning. We worked on the farm this P.M. - first work this year. Nipponese holidays run from Jan. 1st-5th. We get, and appreciate, one additional small cup of rice for suppers when we work. Our last newspapers were dated Oct. 31st - My last message from my family was Dec. 21, 1941. I’m reading Franklin’s Autobiography. 1/8/44. A beautiful day, an [sic] a holiday - Rescript Day and the Nipponese Army Day. Yesterday was cold, 58° indoors and about 55° outside. New rumors re- our leaving here about Feb. 16th; re- no saluting after a big inspection scheduled 1/16/44. 1/12/44. There was an air-raid alarm and apparently an air raid last night. Some of us heard planes and bombs after the bright moon came up. Perhaps this was “a message from home.” One of our T.B. patient P.O.W. died here yesterday - a British E.M. We received newspers [sic] to include those of Nov. 28th. Also received 25 pkgs of cigarettes. We are working about 2 ½ hrs. daily in our garden. The garden now has maturing the following: sweet potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, peanuts, and other green-salad-plants - about 4 acres. Our meals are still 1 cup of rice and 1 bowl of vegetable soup for each meal - about 1 cup of rice extra for [Page 60] evening meal on work days. Our breakfast soup had shredded head of cabbage, yellow squash and mizo (product of soy bean) and salt - no grease. We have small quantities of meat or grease in soup about twice each month. We sleep, seven Colonels - or two Generals - to a room; Colonels’ rooms about 18’x 18’ & General’s rooms bout 9’x 18’. We have a stiff rice straw mattress, a wooden mess & utility table, backless benches - chairs only for Generals. We eat, sleep and live in same room - no recreation room. Our outside area for about 500 of us P.O.W.’s has an open space of about 75 yds x 75 yds, plus small areas between barracks. A hill for park area outside of this compound is available part of the time. We work on our small garden farm - 7, or 8 (7, or 8.) acres - about 2 ½ hrs. each day for which we get an extra cup of rice for supper. We are not allowed knives, nor matches, nor cameras, nor lights in rooms, except at night and at specified hours on dark cloudy days. Our compound is enclosed by a 10’ bamboo fence reinforced by bamboo Chevaux-de-fris, outside. We have armed guards, with fixed bayonets, while at work, and around the compound. Each of us do our own laundry, sewing, etc. [Page 61] 59. 1/15/44. There was another air-raid alarm on night of 1/13-1/14. and one today - seems to be ‘for record’. We had our eyes examined yesterday for Tracoma (granulated eye-lids) We had hot water for bathing today, the first warm water water [sic] in two (2, or 3) or three months. ‘Twas fine. In addition to foods mentioned under 1/12/44, we have furnished us through the P-X, the following: about 2-lbs of sugar per month; about 1 ½ qts of sweet strawberry syrup per month; salt, enough; tea and coffee, enough; fish flakes, about 1-pint per month; Tomato Catsup, about 2-pint-bottles per month; Worchester sauce, about 2 pint bottles per month. Cigarettes and cigars, barely enough; Pipe tobacco, none. Cigarettes and cigars advanced 50% in price again this month - cigarettes from 40 to 60 sen per pkg of ten (shira, saga - White Heron); Cigars (Noko) from 64 to 96 sen, each. 1/18/44. We cut bamboo poles for timber yesterday and broke up clods of dirt on a new field today. On both days the Nips (guards) baked sweet potatoes in a primitive clay oven, made on the spot, and served them to us during a rest period. There was a heavy earthquake about 1:00 A.M. today, rattled dishes on shelves and shook our barracks. I’m feeling well these days but haven’t much endurance. Work-rice and better evening meal soup are helpful. [Page 62] 1/21/44. We’re working mornings and afternoons today and two more days getting ready for inspection for the 25th. Sgt Rushing was b’ped by Nip straw boss before us today. We’re gathering wood from waste branch pile. Rumor re- no message from Germany for 96 hrs; also re- mail and R/C Pkgs on Taiwan; also re bad news for Nips. 1/23/44. Two Christmas Radio Greetings belated - arrived for U.S.-P.O.W.’s today. One from Gen. Marshall and one from the Amer Red Cross. The R/C message said “We are thinking of you ---”. They don’t know anything: think of how much and how often we are thinking of, and wishing for, R/C. Supplies. We worked today (Sunday) cleaning inside of our compound in preparation for Inspection on the 25th. I called ‘time out’ to attend Church services on the hill in ‘Yasume Park.’ Wonder what Christmas our messages referred to? 1944, or 1943?? We harvested 205 kilos of sweet potatoes from our patch today; from five rows about 45 (45) yrds. long. 1/27/44. Inspection by the C.O. of Taiwan P.O.W. Camps was made on 1/25. He interviewed a few junior officers of each nationality. Said mail & R/C supplies will be here soon. We’ve heard this for several months. Weather is fine - Temp. about 70° to 90°; I’m feeling well. Food is some better - sweet potatoes added ocassionally [sic]. [Page 63] 61. Attitude of Nip. Guards is more pleasant, also. 1/28/44. Official weight today 135.52 lbs. less 1.1 lbs for scales out of balance. Net wt. 134.42 lbs 1/31/44. January has been a long mild month. No news nor startling rumors. Still looking forward to mail and Red Cross supplies. We worked ½ of each day on our vegetable farm, 8-10 acres. We are harvesting S. Potatoes, Cabbage, spinach; Peanuts are about ready for harvest, also tomatoes. Peas are growing. I’m feeling well. Want news of my family. Last message from Ruth was Dec. 21, 1941 (Radios). 2/2/44. A beautiful pleasant day - warm sunshine. We had 18 duck in our soup for Jan 30th, and one pig in soup on Feb 1st. Col. Braddock, Amer. Army Doctor, was b’p’d your our Nip. C.C. yesterday for peanuts in pocket - taken from field while harvesting peanuts, wo. warning. New rumor re German Collapse on Jan. 27 - & Nip Cabinet Change. 2/4/44. Nip. Guard changes policy for P.O.W. workers on Feb. 2nd. P.O.W. officers supervise our work and Nips. do armed guard over us - to prevent escape. We were allowed to go to the spring to launder sheets, etc. today. 3-Cakes of laundry per squad of 37 were supplied. This is contemplated for once each month. We were issued a wheat bun today. We’re allowed to write another 100-word letter by Feb. 7th. [Page 64] Feb. 8, 1944. Re- b’p’ng on Feb. 2nd., our C.C. apologized sd for having to administer the b’p’ing. We worked on vegetable farm this A.M. breaking ground on beds with hoes. The Nip. soldiers were planting rice where we had cleared and leveled rice paddies. Rumor re- Germany making big offensive on Eastern Front - and re- heaviest aerial bombing on S.E. England. We were allowed to mail another letter to our homes yesterday. Lots of British mail, from Singapore, came and was delivered yesterday. Col Allpress got 42 letters. No news since Nov. 28th papers. No mail from my family since radio of Dec. 21, 1941. Temperature about 70°. Feeling well after a terrible headache of yesterday. 2/12/44. We were issued another wheat bun on 2/10. We’re working now incl. tomorrow (Sun.) preparing for inspection by C.O. of Taiwan P.O.W. camps on 2/18. Holiday for Sunday to be given after the 18th. Rumor re- German offensive in Bessarabia: re-2000 letters from Amer. P.O.W.’s to come this month. We’ve had several air-raid alarms of late - one last night. Feeling well but no endurance. Temp this AM - 64°; yesterday AM - 61°. Prices have gone up about 50% on tobacco & some other articles, this year. [Page 65] 63 Feb. 15, 1944. Had temp. fillings put into two teeth yesterday by our British Dentist. Sanitation there included the Dentist’s Enlisted asst. handling an injured duck then washing his hands in the one basin of water in Dentist’s office, followed by washing Dental tools in same water and placing them in a dirty towel for use. Weather fair & cool. I’m feeling well. Am writing a history of my life as a letter to my two daughters - began about Oct. 12th ‘43. 2/19/44. Yesterday the C.O. of Taiwan P.O.W. camps inspected the Nip. Guard and area here. He had us assembled about 4.30 P.M. for a speech and then announced that pressing business would not permit time for a speech and we were dismissed. Our Camp Comdr. announced his appreciation of our efforts in cleaning up for inspection (the area), and gave us a holiday today. Weather semi-cloudy and cool (about 70°). Feeling well. Feb. 22, 1944 My Morale hit it’s ceiling this afternoon. Thirteen (13) letters were received from my wife and two daughters - the first message from them since Dec. 21, 1941 (26-months); also two (2) letters from my brother in New York (Jim). News is 100% good - in fact, it seems that my family is getting along better without me. A wonderful Washington’s Birthday for me. All American officers received letters - from a few to twenty-odd each. [Page 66] 2/22/44. (cont’d) All of which goes to prove that ‘The Lord will provide’. Weather fine - about 62°. Am feeling fine, even better than fine this afternoon. I smoked a cigar (Noko) and drank some syrup in celebration of this happy occasion. Since this mail arrived we’ve learned that there are many Grandfathers, new uncles etc. among the American Generals and Colonels here. Some sad news came - Don Hilton received five letters with notice of a death in his family in each of them including his father, Col. Charles Hilton (Ret’d.); Col. Chase received notice of his father’s wife’s death; Gen. Lough received notice of his mother’s death. Four of my nieces have been married, and many sons or daughters of other officers have wedded since their absence. 2/27/44. We had our first monthly P.O.W. entertainment yesterday P.M. Had a good ten piece orchestra of Nip. Musical Instrs. - Guitar, banjo, 3 harmonicas, drum, 2 accordions, & cornet (of comb). - American & Dutch singing - British Comedian & play, etc. Last two hours. ‘Twas entertaining. Weather of late has reached 58° in early mornings - Warm at midday when sun shines. We are issued a wheat bun once each week. Having a pig today. Treatment better - our own straw-bosses while we’re working. Working ½ day (2 hrs) daily & get a bowl of work rice for this. Feeling well. [Page 67] 65 3/4/44. Laura Anne’s birthday and I’ve just written her a letter in my letter book. We brought in dry grass today to make a thatch roof to a bamboo house we’re building. All of us were turned out this P.M. for a movie camera propaganda picture - we cheered for a basketball game - bare-footed - played by our enlisted P.O.W.’s; this after the morning’s work. Rumor re- Allied Control of Burma, of Allied landing in Denmark & German withdrawal from Norway. No newspapers since 11/28/43. Rumor re- news given to our squad leaders today by the Nip. Interpreter. 3/5. Movie camera-men still here. Took photos of church service today. Had malaria patients move out of hosp. ward & marked it Recreational Rm. & had men in playing Cds. for a movie. Our bkfst. soup recently made of yellow squash & white onions. Soup for other meals made of lotus root, onions, carrots, cabbage &, sometimes, beans. Air-Raid alarm here last night - several prior ones. 3/11/44. Roll call and a Nip. dawn maneuver at 5:00 A.M. on 3/8 - Rescript Day - in rain. Rumor (on 3/9) re- end of war. Also, on 3/9 an air raid alarm about 8:00 P.M. - probably to counter rumor. Last night (3/10) was coldest night we’ve had here - 53° indoors - about 50° outside. I slept under [Page 68] five blankets (incl 1 doubled one) and a raincoat but kept warm. We got another wheat bread roll today. Still working one-half of each day - about 2-hrs for work rice of less than 1 cup, as served. Rumor today re- British penetration into Burma, Russian successes, German internal disorders, and German cities being destroyed, one by one. No newspapers, no news, since 11/28/43. Three radiograms for P.W.’s arrived from U.S.A. today. Snow can be seen on nearby mountain top from our window. ‘Tis sunny but still cold indoors at 3:00 P.M. - no fires. Our P.O.W. camp got six milk cows (three now giving milk) about March 1st ‘4.4. I had my first bottle of milk - about ⅓ Pt. - today since we left Tarlac in August, 1942. Food is somewhat better of late - more vegs. in soup. 3/16 - We were issued a can (each) of sea-weed yesterday. Fish flakes & seaweed are new (& poor) foods for me. 3/19 - (next to) Last day of winter. Clear and mild. Nights (after midnight) still cool. Had a pig in our soup (Pork soup) tonight; had fish & bean soup last night. Meals better for last month. Treatment & Nip. attitude also better. Inspection by C.O. Taiwan Prison Camp on 3/18. Most of our work now is improving our camp; preparing for wet weather. Also bld’g bamboo home & bridge. [Page 69] 67 3/21/44 A nice Spring day. We have a holiday today. We’re required to kill 20 flies each, daily. Yesterday Sledge was killing flies off of a prone carabou. (Sledge - Santa Clause). A Britisher killed over 1000 flies a few days ago and offered some of them in trade for food - fish flakes, etc. Rumor re- Nip. asking U.S. for peace terms; re- our attacks on Nip. line of Com. in S. Pacific. 3/22/44. ‘Nippon Times’ newspapers to include Feb. 3rd were issued today - first papers since those dated Nov. 28 ‘43 were issued. Item in there 1 /26 stated two of our planes were downed by a Nip. aviator throwing two balls of rice at them from his fighter plane after ammunition & tools, etc were exhausted. 3/28/44. British received mail yesterday. My official weight on 3/25 was 135.08 lbs. We had 55 ducks in our evening soup on 3/26. One pound of sugar was issued us today. 4/1/44. Several days of rain - some sunshine today. ½ hour more of work, AM & P.M. beginning today. Mailed another letter to my family yesterday. 4/8/44 - Out second anniversary of captivity. Had our second line up for mail today. I got four letters: one from Ruthie, one from Laura Anne, one from Minnie, and one from Lois (Wash. D.C.) all dated Feb 2nd to Apr. 8, 1943. [Page 70] 4/8 - (cont’d) We had Good Friday services in ‘yasume’ Park yesterday morning. Will have Easter services - and pig in our oup - tomorrow. Feeling well. Last newspapers were dated 2/3/44. 4/10. One wheat bun and about one pound of hard candy was sold us through our P-X yesterday (Easter). This day (E-) and Christmas are the only Amer. holidays which we are authorized. Report that R/C Pkgs. are on this island and will be issued soon. I have a cold today & a dull headache - did not go out to work. 4/16 - We got two buns on 4/14, one make-up issue. Due to get an egg soon. We are getting milk & eggs now - 1-Pt. of milk about every two & ½ Mos. & 1-egg about each 2 yrs. Having a pig in our soup tonight. Papers to include Feb 25th were issued us this week. Having hot water for baths each Sunday. Working daily - ½ day. Feeling well. Laid off work 1st three days of week account of cold. 4/20/44. Received 3-letters on 4/18 - from Ruth, Gladys & Wallace - dated Feb. 1943. Fortier, Cordero & I were b’p’d lightly yesterday for having peanuts in pockets after planting peanuts & not turning them in when told to by Sentry. We had our first eggs (on Taiwan) today - a hard boiled one. Also had our 2nd ⅓ Pt bottle of milk. [Page 71] 69 4/23/44. My official weight yesterday - 140.1 pounds - five pounds up from last month. More rice & vegs. have been available. We’re harvesting S. Potatoes & planting peanuts now. Nips seem to have bad news - we’re being somewhat harassed. I’m still reading (The Talisman, now) and playing bridge. We work ½ of each day. 4/26/44. Two and one half-days ago I left my family and station at Charleston, S.C. -- weather is warm and somewhat rainy now. Rumors re Finnland [sic] asking for terms & Germany’s attempt to invade England; also Allied landing in S. France; & Amer. attack thru Bulgaria 4/29/44 - The Emperor’s birthday & a holiday. We were given six pieces of hard lemon candy, four bananas, some sweet potatoes and pork in supper soup. Rumor re- Spain in War & Bulgaria out. Our brood sow presented us with 14 pigs a few days ago - 9-living. We work tomorrow (Sunday) preparing for inspection - our holiday will be after inspection. Feeling well. 5/2/44 The C.O. of Taiwan Prison Camps (Col - ) inspected this camp yesterday & today. He spoke to the assembled P.W. officers today - Total of nothing. He told us how this camp had improved, how our health has improved, how our weight has improved - that mail & R/C Pkgs are here and all we had to do to get these is to wait. Said ‘twas his opinion that we will have peace but only God knows who will win the war. Said we must be happy - that our work is for our benefit. Read letters from U.S.A. & Britain. [Page 72] [See map on original document.] [Page 73] 5/2/44 (cont’d). He also said we are being treated according to the Geneva Convention (I’ve just read it’s provisions) 5/5/44. We (Amer’s) formed a mail line again today. I read 13 letters from my wife and daughters - Feb., Mar., Apr. & May/1943. 5/9/44. Gen. McBride (B.G.) formerly C/S P.D. died last night. He worked in the P.M. - after laying off for one week acct. of rain - vomited twice after supper, then died in his sleep sometime during the night - in room with Maj. Gen Sharpe. Services 4 P.M. today. It rained all last week - no work. Rumor re- R/C supplies coming soon. We worked in fish pond yesterday P.M. - no work today. 5/14/44. We’ve hoed peanuts and harvested sweet potatoes on our farm this week. A letter was submitted to Camp Comd’r complaining of work on hot days by older officers (over 50). C. Comd’r held a meeting of Sqd leaders - threatn’d isolation, loss of priv - and, short food for non-workers. Says he knows our work isn’t voluntary. No change in work states. We got three (3) small cakes of soap a few days ago. This is Mothers’ Day. We get to write a letter home today. Weather about like that in S.C. in August. Feeling well. Food more ample. Papers to include March 18th came a few days ago. [Page 74] 71 5/17/44. Papers to include April 6th came yesterday. Red Cross Pkg’s came here on 5/17/44 - are now being inspected & due to be issued tomorrow - 1 ½ Pkgs to each of the 504 of us here. I’m not working this week acct. a sore toe. Our letters home returned to us for re-submission (mailing out) on 5/22 - acct. R/C arrival. 5/24/44. American Pkgs of Red Cross are fine - includes canned meats, butter, cheese, prunes & raisins and cigarettes. My official weight today is 143.2 pounds. Received nine letters from my family today dated Feb - May, 1943. Have been laid up with a sore toe for ten days. 6/8/44. One year at Kagi (Taiwan today) - also 2 ½ years at war. I completed 27 years of Commissioned service yesterday. Haven’t worked since May 14th acct. a sore toe. A Nip. Inspr. and a R/C representative (Swiss) was here on June 6th. R/C man conferred with three persons of each nationality. We’re getting more rice and soup than some of us can eat of late. I still have some Red Cross canned food. I rec’d from Amer R/C shipment, a coat, trousers, socks and a few toilet articles a few days ago. Have patched & repached pajamas, u-wear & socks. Last newspapers rec’d were dated Apr. 23, ‘44. [Page 75] 6/10/44. The Camp Comdr of Taiwan P.O.W. Camps held a conf. of groups of officers of all nationality yesterday on subj. of work. He called for a written statement of all off’s, as to whether or not they volunteered to work. Only about 8 out of about 400 volunteered to work. The Nip. off. said we did not have to work unless voluntarily. We were inoculated for typhoid yesterday. About 24 POW soldiers are serving 1-5 days on rice & water in conf. for killing and preparing to cook, a chicken. Rainy season started about June 5th. Col. B.H. Chastaine threw a cup of hot water in Col. Warthington’s face, in anger, about a month ago. My toe is about well - after four weeks. 6/12/44. As a result of our failure to volunteer for work - the heat is on. We do not work by compulsion anymore but many privileges are denied us: e.g. no going outside compound to park, no bridge or music except on Sundays, no sitting or lying on beds in daytime, no lights except at meal hour & at night, etc. 6/15/44. Maj. Elzenga (Dutch) died her [sic] of pleurisy on June 13th. We were issued three small pieces of soft candy today. Our second inoculation for typhoid was received today, & we were allowed to lie down. Still it rains. ‘The heat’ seems somewhat milder. [Page 76] 73 6/26/44. Two letters rc’d - from my wife and daughter dated June & July, 1943. We haven’t worked for two weeks - since our failure to volunteer. Not allowed to play cards or games except Saturdays & Sundays; lights only at meal time & at night; not allowed in our park, etc. Still rainy season but clear today. Laundry & sewing take lots of time. More rice & less soup (½ bowl) these days. 6/28 - rumor yesterday re- Amer & Br. Armies advancing - near Paris & Brussels; Russia W. of Warsaw & near old. G. Border; Russia at war with Japan. Air-raid alarms last night & night before. 7/1/44. Our 1 ½ hr siesta period restored today - denied since June 12th. Few private pkgs arrived. 7/4/44. About 6-12 Amer. Pkgs. arriving daily. Val. Foster got his yesterday; he gave me the first piece of chewing gum I’ve had since surrender. Report that more P.O.W.’s are coming in and some of our sick & invalids going to [Illegible] Camp. 7/8/44. Two squads were called out three times for check formation last night - other squads were called out one or two times during the night - (annoyance). We were inoculated for dysentery yesterday. Big issues of edibles today including 8 bananas (each), ⅓ of a pineapple, 2 lbs sugar (month’s issue), 1 bottle of syrup, 1-bottle ketchup, 1 bottle lemon soda, salt & fish soup for supper. [Page 77] 7/8/44 (cont’d). Many P.O.W.’s think European War is over. Report re landings in Java & Sumatra & Comando [sic] raids on Mindanao. 7/18/44. About 50 or 60 American individual Pkgs. have been delivered lately - a few each day. Mine has not been received yet - was mailed Aug. ‘43. Two squads per day are working - cutting weeds to prevent mosquitos; first work since June 10th. I worked yesterday for first time since May 14th. Phil. Fry is still a loquacious pest - has been an annoyance since his drunkenness aboard the Pres. Coolidge - I can’t get rid of him. A loud mouth braggart, and a nuisance. Some mail for Jan. 1944 was delivered to somer [sic] Americans lately. Supposed to be more late mail here. We are holding check formations at night - once or twice each night as a part of sadism practice. Am feeling well except a cold today. Weather somewhat rainy yet. At long last, my private package was delivered to me today - mailed about 8/23/43. Contains underwear, hdcfs., razor & blades, eyeglasses, pipes (2) & tobacco, cigars, playing cards, vitamin tablet, candy, raisins, cheese, buillion [sic] (beef) cubes, tooth brush & tooth powder (powder broken & lost), etc - 11 lbs. [Page 78] 75. 7/21/44. Two letters from my daughter - Ruth - arrived today, dated 1/6/44 & 1/22/44. 25-word letters. (7/22/44) My official weight today: 140.36 lbs. Feeling well. 7/27/44. No News Papers since Apr. 23rd. Our ‘Benjo’ overflowing (both) no cleaned out for over a month - a filthy mess about 20 ft. away. We’re working on mosquito control - cutting weeds, etc. Feeling well, just getting over a bad cold. 8/4/44 - Benjo cleaned on 7/29. Col. Balsam got 4 dys solitary & Lathrop, 2 dys. today for lying on cots in daytime; first solitary for Amer. officers. Mailed letter to Ruthie today. Still rice & ½ bowl veg. soup 3x daily. Feeling well. We’re cutting weeds in park we don’t use since June 10th. Mosquito control. Rainy season still on since about 6/8. Read “Tale of Two Cities.” 8/7 - Solitary Con’f. P.W.’s restrict’d to rice & water; no bedding or equip; Lathrop stood up there 14 hrs. Corkill & Carter ‘bout’ today. Bkfs’t soup - onions & tops of onions & mizo (soy bean paste), very thin; no fruits lately. Reread letters from home. My mind is at ease because of comfort and friends of my family. Their thoughts of me are consoling. 8/10 - Fresh rumor re- Germany out of war. Auth: report of N. Sentry to Br. Soldier. [Page 79] 8/14/44. A Nip Q.M. officer and the Comdr. of Taiwan P.W. Camps inspected here on 8/11 & 8/12. Officially announced that our rice ration is reduced from 420 to 390 grains (14-oz.) per day (Nip. W.D. orders). Also announced that no more newspapers to us - last paper was dated April 23rd. Had a heavy typhoon all night last night - wind & rain. Our compound bamboo fence was badly blown down. 8/17 - Our brood sow died this morning and was served to us in our soup tonight. Cause of death, unknown. I did not eat soup. This is the second case of this kind. 8/19 - Radio Msg. from home - “All well” rc’d today. 8/21 - Off. weight today: 133.76 lbs - or 6.6 lbs off since July 22nd: less rice and soup. 8/24. No sugar, syrup or sweets issued so far this month. Still nightly roll calls - for harassm’t. 3 Sqds working daily on Mosquito control? No lights even during cloudy days; games only on week-ends. 8/29/44. Pork soup & rice for supper tonight. Still raining almost daily. Sugar was issued (1-lb) on 8/25 and milk syrup today - first sweets this month. Cigarettes & cigars also arrived late. Col. Mitchell told me of his, Tarkington’s, and others imprisoned (1942) in Fort Santiago (Manilla) for thirty-odd days by Nips - reason, unknown. [Page 80] 77 9/8/44. Rainy seems about over as of about Sept. 4th. We cleaned our shoes (storage) today. Feeling well but must be losing weight acct. inadequate food. Air-raid alarm nite of 9/6. 9/12/44. Twenty one letters from my family received on 9/9 (& one Bus. let’r). We’re working - cleaning - our are [sic] for last few days. More rain on 9/10. 9/15 - Killed a pig yesterday - pork soup last night. Rain again on 9/13 - thirty (30) of us were sent on the hill during dinner to find a lost scythe. Can’t go to bed until 9:00 P.M. - sit up with mosquitos for last hour. Roll calls during night, - no games except week-ends. Grass-cutting daily - preparing for Inspection. No syrups, cigarettes, P.X-supplies for about a month - Rumor re- Germany within our borders now & one island N. of Jap. occupied by U.S. troops & bombing Jap. mainland. Think I’m still losing weight, but feel fairly well. Rg’n. of Tr’or again; Four Br. offs. Bp’d 2x by 3-N’s - one K.O’d - & went to Hosp. Call 9/16 - All of us worked today to complete cleaning up around Bk’s. Syrup arrived + issued on 9/15 (strawberry). 9/18 - Three bananas issued each of us today. 9/19 - Twenty (20) Kilos of pork in soup tonight - milk issues stopped. Still cleaning up for inspection tomorrow. Feeling well but need more food. [Page 81] 9/22/44. Col. Posthumus - Dutch - died here today. 9/25 - Equinoxal rain today - Rainy season about over. 9/26 - About 1-Pt. Papia jam issued us each today. Inspection on 9/23 seemed to be by a Nip. Med. Lt. 9/24 - Ruth’s (My wife’s) birthday - see letter to her in my letter note book 10/1/44. Twenty eight (28) General officers - Amer., Dutch, & Australian - left here today for another camp. (Also 3 Enlisted). (10/6) 10/6/44. The remainder of our Generals - 36 British - and 4 Enlisted left us on 9/3 & 9/6 presumably by air to Japan proper. (10/7) 10/7/44. All Colonels (Amer., Br. & Dutch) & most of our E.M. notified today to prepare to move by water about Oct. 10th-12th. Nights & mornings getting cool. 10/9/44. Left Camp Shira Kawa at 4:30 AM today (Reveille at 3:00 AM). Two rice balls issued for two meals. Arrived by rail at Taihoku about 4:30 P.M. and at Port of Keeling at 5:30 P.M. Boarded the passenger liner Oryoku Maru (10,000 T.) about 6:00 P.M. as steerage passengers; double-decked and elbow to elbow; only sitting room. 259 Colonels and enlisted in one space - locked in and blacked out (6:30 P - 6:30 A). Bulk heads closed on us and a sentry at only exit. One toilet of 4 seats for 259 of us. Stuffy, smelly & filthy. Eat and sleep at same space. Rice & fish - some vegetables. [Page 82] 79 10/13/44 - Air attacks on us - Keeling - yesterday and today. Much excitement and noise of firing all calibers outside. We are shut in, port holes closed, so we cannot tell night from day - a terrible situation for us if this ship is struck by a bomb or torpedo. Rice and fried shredded cabbage, or rice and fish, or rice and Irish potatoes for meals fed us in rusty bucket and pan for twenty in each group. 10/18. - No water for bathing hands or brushing teeth and no where to use water if we had it. We cannot pour water on floor & no containers of any kind available. Went outside ship on dock in natures uniform for a cold fresh water bath from hose on 16th & 17th. ‘Twas fine and much needed. We left dock on 10/9 to travel but for some reason did not leave port. We are allowed on deck for air for 15-45 mins. each day & some roll calls are held on deck. 10/23. Have lived in ¼ steerage class for two weeks. Left port at 9:00 PM last night and travelled about eight hours but ended up at same port this A.M. Nip. wounded & civilian evacuees came aboard yesterday for this voyage (about 1000 pas. total) 10/28. After travelling about 75 hours, we debarked at Moji, (Kyushu) Japan about 7:30 A.M. Entrained at Mojiku and travelled to Bappu, arriving & detraining about 12:40 P.M. We’re about 60-75 miles E. of Moji. [Page 83] 11/2/44. At Beppu we’re billeted in a good and comfortable hotel, about 6-8 officers per room (14’x14’). We sleep on pallets on floor and eat at low table in dining room w/o chairs. Sit on floor. Our meals are palatable but inadequate. No rice supplied here. We eat vegetable soup one medium bread roll (millet) and a glass of hot tea; or bread pone and barley and millet and Sweet Potato soup, & hot tea; or bread, tea and noodle soup; meals not bad but not enough. We get a warm bath daily; exercise space is lacking. This is a hot springs resort with 400 hotels in it. Our Dutch & Br. companions are at another hotel. The 18 ½ days of cramped torture aboard ship is just wearing off. A Major from P.W. Office at Tokyo is with us here and we are not at all disturbed or hazed. Rooms here are unheated & weather is very cool mornings & evenings. They use braziers in winter. We have an 8-mat room for 6 of us. Ray O’Day, Capt. Millan - (Gov. of Guam), Ted Lilly, Johnson, Atkinson & I. 11/7/44. My birthday (52nd). Passed around Old Gold cigarettes to my roommates. Ray O’Day gave me a cigar and Atkinson gave me a bread bun. New Nip. Gd took us over on Nov. 3d. ‘Tis cool. Still eating veg soup and a bread bun - inadequate, losing weight. [Page 84] [See original document for chart.] [Page 85] [Back cover.] Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Journal of Roy C. Hilton, Note Book No. 8, June 7, 1943-November 7, 1944 Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina World War (1939-1945) Prisoner of war Description An account of the resource This journal recounts Hilton's experiences as a prisoner of war at Camp Shira Kawa in Taiwan from June 7, 1943 until November 7, 1944. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Citadel Archives & Museum Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/832 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date Valid Date (often a range) of validity of a resource. 1940-1949 Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/c96a3809641629b46c77b7d0734abb9d.pdf?Expires=1789603200&Signature=ezCFOpuPFhN3BnRHNRAo-hEXwZBCHXOPUSCsspAdrnvV99VabuR4x%7E5Cj9S83s7b21CyCvUoLZ2DLGzm9beKnVXhu6ydMUtjE5rQaulV-Qr%7EaOhvaMlnok1GmGzPfxWlhsQ%7ECFBUyKzoO5xdHhU8MkQYZ0DHyxZsemAZ7TybSEsHyqXbJ0-rb-mud7jJNf2s9SDZqw9vWwP6EWYzZy1YZo6ElnQHOOuCjTji251fiWOs3WHW3ipuSJ9RvrhXSoDanTJVqzs1dDg%7EBIn1l9yD3tn-DaXZOh7lYoThZgdQcPNjwbnA8xrvROPS2ZVY9MYv5%7EQXKfK6qiEKlBwfoZpMQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM e54db6e887ada5b515dbae6880aa4c06 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hilton, Roy C. Collection Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 World War (1939-1945) World War (1914-1918) Prisoners of war Description An account of the resource Roy Hilton was born in Greenwood, South Carolina on November 7, 1892. He entered The Citadel in 1911. As a cadet, he was a member of the Polytechnic Literary Society and during his senior year, he held the position of Cadet Lieutenant of Company A his senior year. He majored in English and graduated in 1915. On June 7, 1917, he entered the U. S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and served in France and Germany. He was assigned to The Citadel from 1938-1941 as an assistant professor of military science. In 1941 he was stationed in Bataan, Philippine Islands. When the United States forces on Bataan surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942, Colonel Hilton was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese until the liberation in 1945. This collection contains several journals written by Hilton while he was a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II. The journals are arranged in chronological reading order; however, some of the dates would appear to contradict this. The journals should be read in the following order: 1. Note Book A, October 12, 1943 2. Note Book B, 1943-1945 3. Note Book C, 1943-1945 4. Journal, August 23, 1945 5. Note Book No. 8, June 7, 1943-November 7, 1944 6. Note Book No. 9, November 9, 1944-October 27, 1945 7. Philippine Campaigne, 1941-1942 8. Note Book #2, May 10-August 10, 1942 9. Note Book #3, May 10, 1942-April 2, 1943 10. Journal Entries, Charts and Other Thoughts, 1941-1945 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/29 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document [Page 1] Col. Roy C Hilton, Mukdew, Manchukuo, Aug. 23, 1945. Laurens, S. C., U. S. A. [Page 2] [Blank page.] [Page 3] 221 Next morning we began passage for our first trip through the Canal and to New York. We spent much time observing the mechanical [illegible] towing our ship and watching the lifting and lowering of the ship through the locks. The remainder of the voyage was uneventful. Even Windy Passage through the West Indies was quiet as we passed through it making our whole voyage a quiet and pleasant one. The Republic was slow but roomy and comfortable. You may remember that you girls sing a song to the tune of Parlez-vous to the effect that “The Republic passed a ship today Parlez-vous ---- The ship was going the other way Parlez-vous -- etc.” Before leaving Honolulu, I had obtained a leave of absence for three months upon arrival in the United States, so when we arrived in New York about Sep. 14, 1934, Uncle Jim met us at the and we spent a week with him and his family in New Jersey, just outside of New York City. We shopped, went to shows, and took sight-seeing trips. He had planned a trip for us up the Hudson River but, since we had just completed a 28-day sea voyage, we omitted that part of his entertainment program. We had spent about three years in the tropics and were going to Fort Snelling Minnesota for duty where the winter is extremely cold, so my shopping included buying some of the warmest winter clothes for all of us that I could find. You and Lollie were [Page 4] equipped with warm imported English wool coats and hats to match. After a week in New York we took the train for Greenville, S. C., where we were met by members of the family from Laurens. Our baggage consisted of about pieces which Ambrose Easterby, thought was too much. We spent a pleasant three months in Laurens and other places in South Carolina. In the meantime, my orders had been changed from troop duty at Fort Snelling to organized reserve duty in Minneapolis. (End as of 6/10/44) [Page 5] 231 During the morning of April 9th a tank unit began patrolling our main road along the south shore of Bataan - our arms had been destroyed or abandoned, our troops by the thousands were moving in disorder around rear areas, and the Nipponese took charge of our supply depots, foods, etc. Nipponese artillery continued to fire into our rear areas in Bataan after the surrender and for the remainder of the day; some bombing continued. The main forces of the Nipponese halted from about time and white flag reach Nip. headquarters until about noon, then they streamed forward to occupy all of Bataan. Capt. Ochai, a tank company commander arrived at our headquarters during early afternoon to effect the surrender of Luzon Force headquarters. He conferred with our chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Arnold Frank. Capt. Ochai was pleasant enough and allowed us to remain at our headquarters until about the morning of Apr. 10th at which time the officers of our headquarters were assembled at Hospital #1 (R. P. 169) and remained there until 1:30 PM, then deported by automobiles for Camp O’Donnel, our first P. W. Camp. There are several items of interest that I want to mention before relating my experiences as a prisoner of war. The island of Luzon which contains the city of Manila is populated by various Philippine tribes. Among these are some fairly civilized people living in or near cities, such as the Tagalog people; and pagan, semi-savage [Page 6] people (tribes) who are still inclined to head hunting and cannibalism such as the Bontoc’s, Ifugao’s, Negrito’s, Benquets, Kalinga’s, Apayao’s etc. who live in mountain provinces much of which is unexplored by white people. The Tagalog people had had most of the opportunities, and Quezon, the former president of the P. I. was one of these people. The most cultured natives live in the southern group of islands - Visayan islands of Cebu, Iloilo, Panay, Leyte, etc. The Macabebe tribe were loyal pro-government tribe for the Spanish and also the American governments. Manila is an Americanized city of about [blank] population. It has a walled city section of the Spanish times and many different oriental and occidental sections of business and residential districts. The Manila Hotel is a modern and luxurious hotel. The Army and Navy Club is also modern and near the Manila Hotel. There are beautiful tropical scenes and also squalid oriental scenes within the city. It is a fine city to visit and to observe a combination of occidental and oriental life - or these two types of life adjacent to each other. The Philippine Campaign will be available to you in history form but I want to touch a few of the high points here. The Nipponese Army made landings on isolated unprotected points about [Page 7] 233 December 9-11. They made heavy landings in Lingayan Gulf area and East of Manila about Dec. 19-21, 1941, assisted by their former landed troops. Our Philippine troops were found unable to defeat the Nipponese troops at the beaches so decision was made to retire to Bataan in order to defend Corregidor and thereby deny to the enemy the use of Manila Bay as a Naval Base and deny them entrance to Manila bay water. We completed this retirement by Jan. 6, 1942 and held on the Abucay line - defending most of Bataan. Persistent attacks on this line and penetrations through it forced us to retire to a rearward line - Pilar-Bagac Line - about Jan. 26, 1942. The enemy also landed troops along the West and South coasts of Bataan, and formed pockets of their troops in rear of our line in jungle areas. These troops were almost totally destroyed by our attacks upon them. Then, when our troops were about exhausted from inadequate food and about 50% reduced in combat efficiency by dysentery and malaria, the enemy made its final and successful offensive beginning about April 3, 1942. Our surrender on April 9th was the result of this final offensive by the enemy. Our Luzon Force Hdqrs. was located in a jungle on the southeast slope of Mt. Marides, opposite R. P. 167 on the E. W. road across southern Bataan. Gen. King had [Page 8] his staff eat with him at his mess. This staff consisted of Brig. G. Arnold Frank, C. of S.; Col Floyd Marshall (died here on August 15, 1945), G-1; Lt. Co. Frank Holland G-2; Col. Vick Colliers G-3; and Col Roy C. Hilton, G-4 (supply). In the tall jungle trees around our headquarters there was a tribe of monkeys - about 12, or 15, of them. The overhead foliage was so heavy that we could not see enemy planes when they came over. Numerous bombs were dropped near us causing us to seek dug-outs, but they landed at targets nearby. On the night of Apr. 8-9, 1942, we demolished our ordnance depot and were forced to seek cover for two or three hours in dugouts or behind large trees for protection against heavy shell and bomb fragments from the explosions - about 300-500 yards from us. Some of these explosions were terrific, the first one caused our beaver-board headquarters building to collapse. For a few days preceding surrender our meals consisted of a large bowl of oatmeal and coffee for breakfast and then a bowl of soup and a piece of bread (or equivalent) at five o’clock in the afternoon (two spare meals a day). We of Bataan and the P. I. have the consolation of believing that we saved Australia as a base for our later operations, because we held until after the British had surrendered at Hong Kong and Singapore and some of the Nipponese [Page 9] 235. Troops from Singapore came to Bataan to help in our defeat. Probably, if we had surrendered at the time of the fall of Singapore about Feb. 15th, the Nipponese might have been able to land in Australia ahead of our large force - they were hastening in that direction. [Page 10] [Blank page.] [Page 11] (237) A Prisoner of War under Japanese Control. At about 6:00 P.M. April 10, 1942 Capt. Ochai, the Japanese officer who had taken us - Gen. King’s staff - in charge for surrender, started with us in about seven automobiles from Hospital no. 1 (R. P. 169) to our first Prisoner of War camp. Just prior to our departure, a Japanese General officer made us a speech stating that our lives would be spared and that the treatment that we would receive would be according to Japanese Knighthood. He had his speech interpreted to us in English and Tagalog because there were several Philippine General officers with us. As we started toward Cabeabeu on the east coast of Bataan we passed an unbroken column of despondent American troops, Philippine troops and Philippine refugees - all in disordered columns. The Nipponese had taken commanders away from units and were driving our troops out of Bataan like so many cattle. There were about 74,000 troops and 40, 000 natives on Bataan - we were feeding about half of these natives. These cadaverous, disheveled, disordered troops and refugees continued for about ten miles along our route. We travelled all night stopping at several towns where our equipment was inspected and stripped confiscated, and arrived at Camp O’Donnel about 4:00 A.M. On Saturday, April 11th at O’Donnel we were held in formation until about 10:00 A.M. while Japanese officers made us disgusting speeches and again inspected and confiscated much of our equipment. [Page 12] At about 10:00 A.M. on April 11th we were taken and placed in the Nipa shacks (straw) which were built to house Philippine troops - where we were to live for one month. General King joined us at this camp on the night of April 17th. For the next four days we were fed a small bowl of rice only three times daily and found water very scarce. During this time we were interviewed by Nipponese officers as to military operations dispositions on Bataan and Corregidor. Many questions were concerning matters on which were not supposed to, and did not, testify forbidden to answer. In some instances our officers were punished for refusing to answer improper questions. Beginning about April 16th some potatoes, salt and sugar were added to our meager rice meals. On April 19th many more American P. O. W’s began to arrive in numbers of from 200 to 1600. By the 22nd there were 8300 of us in camp. By the 26th 9100 Americans had arrived at O’Donnel but 600 had been taken away on a work party. There were there remained about a total of 8,500 Americans in this camp. All of the arrivals after our [illegible] party had experienced exhausting marches, brutal treatment, and many of them were devoid of all equipment. and had been severely persecuted in route They looked like walking cadavers. It was a pitiable sight to witness the exhausted prisoners arriving by marching in a scorching sun, totally dehydrated, dirty, thirsty, hungry, [Page 13] 239 ragged, demoralized and without clothing. They had atrocity stories of brutality and cold-blooded murders by the Nipponese that make one’s blood boil with anger. Water became scarcer and scarcer with new arrivals. We tried to give them water when they arrived but only a few buckets of hot water from surface pipes were available. A few of them actually lay down and died from exhaustion and dehydration just after arrival. Philippine troops were arriving in another part of this camp in the same condition at the same time. It was reported that 45,000 Philippine troops arrived there so that there were finally about 54,000 troops crowded into Camp O’Donnel which was built for about 8000 troops. There were days at O’Donnel when water was so scarce that we were forbidden to use it for bathing our hands and faces, for shaving or brushing our teeth. I have seen a line of men remain in place all night with empty canteens in order to get water when it started flowing the following morning. There were only three spigots available from one main water pipe. Many days the pump was out of action and water had to be carried by buckets by our ghost-like exhausted P. O. W.’s. By April 30th, malaria, dysentery and results of exhaustion from the march from Bataan were taking a daily toll of about 14 Americans and from 70 to 100 Philippinos by death daily. The march to the cemetery carrying the dead in improvised stretchers started in the afternoons by improvised blanket stretchers and were often [Page 14] counted by us as they passed. Philippino corpses passed along a road just in front of our Nipa (straw) shacks. No medicines were available, the medical personnel were seemingly helpless and panicky, sanitation was entirely lacking and not even soap and water were available in the so-called hospital building. Col. Gilnser Bell and I went through the hospital several times where Americans were lying on straw strewn on the floor. and Almost nothing could be done for them. They looked like ghastly skeletons. We passed out some of our cigarettes and took some of our soap for the use in the hospital. By May 9th we were eating rice and sweet potatoes. On this day we were given two small calves for 8,500 Amer. P. O. W.s. Water situation was better - enough for drinking and some for bathing. Twenty-five Americans died this date; over 2% of our Amers. had died there so far. On May 10th the Colonels left O’Donnel and moved to a building near Tarlac (about 10 miles from Camp O’Donnel). We fared better here - sanitation and food, including meat, were much better. A post Exchange was started where we could buy candies, cigarettes, some fruits etc. Pork, beef and caribao meat were part of our food. We slept in an over-crowded building on double-deck wooden cots without mattresses; blankets and sheets, pillow etc were furnished. On June 3rd and 9th officers [Page 15] 241. from Corrigedor joined us at Tarlac and by June 25th we had 15 Generals, 93 Colonels and five (5) Majors with us. We were required to salute all Nipponese Army personnel including privates of our guard. More officers and enlisted orderlies arrived from Belibid on July 11th bringing our total to 127 officers and 55 enlisted (orderlies). On August 11th we left Tarlac, went to Manila by train and by ship (steerage - in the hold) to Kerenko, Taiwan (Formosa) arriving there on Aug. 17th - 1942. Our quarters and sleeping quarters area, drinking water etc were very good here. The area was clean and scenery attractive. Upon arrival, we were formed, stripped of all garments and our equipment and clothing were again inspected before we entered quarters. Our shoes were taken and locked up each night and we were required to wear wooden clogs. We had two roll calls daily in formation and, at the evening roll call we were required to face toward the Emperor’s Palace (N. E.) and salute the Emperor. In Aug. an inspection was held by a Japanese chief of staff officer. In a speech he made to us, he said, in part, “Japan is God’s country and a country of soldiers. If you don’t obey Japanese orders, your lives cannot be guaranteed ---. That is all.” A very short and impertinent speech. On August 31st we were given our first pay at rate of $310.00 (yen) per month for Colonels commencing Aug 17th [Page 16] Thereafter, we signed a payroll each month, received a nominal monthly allowance for Post Exchange purchases (from 50.00 to 30.00 Yen) and had the remainder, after deducting from 16.00 to 30.00 Yen per month for our subsistence and a few yen for incidentals, was put to our credit in a big deposit book - a paper transaction (In prosperous peace-time a yen was about forty ($0.40) cents, but I believe it had defined to about $0.12 ½ cents by this time.) Shortly after arriving at Kerenko, we were subjected to all kinds of indignities. Our food consisted of a small bowl of rice and a bowl of thin vegetable soup - sometimes only onion top soup. We grew thinner and thinner on this starvation diet. The high rank of officers of all Far East Countries including civilian Governors (of D. E. I., Malaya, Singapore & Hong Kong) were with us after about Sept. 15th, (1942). On Oct. 5th the Emperor’s Rescript was read to us in a disgusting ceremony at which we were required to yell three “Bangai’s” (Hurrah’s) for the Emperor (the Nip God). This ceremony was repeated on the 8th of each month for over a year many months but with decreasing enthusiasm by the Nips. On Oct. 26, 1942, we were turned out for our first work - farm labor, supposedly voluntary and on what was supposed to be our vegetable garden. Our camp commander said that work was voluntary but we must volunteer or go out to the field [Page 17] 243a and if we went out, we must work, “no work, no food,” they said. This included all ranks - Lt. Generals, Generals, Civilian Governors, etc. The Lt. Generals and Civilian Governors were given the humiliating job of guarding a herd of about 20 goats that we had with us. The rest of us went and with heavy crude hoes and shovels to spade up grassy turf and prepare it for planting potatoes, green vegetables, etc. It was cooly labor and difficult work. We worked 50 minutes and rested 10 minutes for about three hours mornings and afternoons. Sometimes we alternated, part of us working one day and part the next day. In addition to this we had to clean up our compound area pulling up grass by hand, by use of safety razor blades, or with any thing that we could provide. Food for working personnel was increased by about one-spoonful per meal. We got thin and weak and by spring we could hardly walk the ¼ mile up hill to our garden area. My weight about March 15, 1943 reached 122 pounds from about 155 pounds; others decreased as much as 70, or more, pounds. [Bottom of Page 17] (a separate paragraph here - see page 243-b, herein) [Page 17] On March 22, 1943 about 1 stone of Red Cross supplies arrived for us - British individual packages of food, bulk food including cocoa, sugar etc - and some clothing. This was stored and the first issue [Page 18] made about three weeks later - April 9th - while we were almost starving. We were always there after much underweight and food conscious - hungry. This was their chief way of torturing us. Also, during this time the soldiers of the Nipponese guard unmercifully struck our officers and enlisted men upon the smallest, or no, provocation. Lt. Generals and the higher ranks were not excepted. Some of our officers were unmercifully beaten by these heathen - [illegible] savage guards. Our complaints to the Nipponese officers brought no relief from these indignities. It was difficult to even communicate with the Nipponese officers, then only a sneer came from them. Work, at times decreased to about two days per week as our work progressed. However, work for officers continued until June 10, 1944 - in all about 19 months. By this time we were getting Nipponese prisoners of war. Our successes in the Pacific were increasing, and the Nipponese were beginning to consider the ‘hereafter’ of their barbarous and inhumane action. A Nipponese Inspector arrived at our camp about 6/10/44 - and upon another complaint against officer P. O. W.’s working under complulsion in violation of the Geneva Convention, he said that work was voluntary. He then called for signatures of officers [Page 19] 243-b The rice and vegetables for each day’s allowance for our meals were weighed and issued to the kitchen by weight. (We were also weighed once a month, probably to determine if we were being reduced sufficiently to please our Nip commander). After the food was cooked it was issued to prisoner squads in large wooden buckets by weight. The least variation from correct proportional weight produced a howl from the prisoners. At one time at Kerenko when we reduce so low in food and thought we were starving, we had three General officers in the kitchen at meal times to weigh the food for distribution to squads - one Major General and two Brigadier Generals. Some cases of accident occured where a bucket of food would be spilled en route to its squad; this squad either went without that part of its spare food for that meal or called on the other squads to divide their food. I have seen our men scraping up spilled vegetable soup off of dirty stairs, where it was spilled, and eating it. An order was issued prohibiting prisoners from eating the bran which was stored for pigs’ food stating that this bran was unfit for human consumption. Many prisoners collected snails from under [Page 20] garbage piles and around our camp grounds and cleaned, cooked, and ate them. Fortunately, I never resorted to this extreme. [Page 21] who would not volunteer to work and nearly all (all of the American officers) sent in their signatures. This ended our compulsion work. After Red Cross supplies were issued on April 9, 1942, our weights began to pick up. We were weighed once each month and I kept a health chart to show my loss or gain - and the food which we were getting. Still, with addition of R/C foods, our weights remained well below normal and we never regained physical strength. Although, not many admitted it but our mental condition was also well below normal during our [illegible] days at Kerenko. In an ordinary game of bridge the questions continually come up as to: “Whose deal is it? What’s trump? What hand took the last trick? What cards are we dealing with?” etc. During our time as P. O. W.’s, we were in very crowded quarters, slept on straw mattresses on the floor (or on bamboo or iron cots) and ate in the same rooms in which we slept on plain plank tables and sat on wooden benches. No chairs were furnished, no recreation rooms were available; lights in our rooms of about 20 ft x 20 ft for eight or ten of us was supplied by one 25 watt globe light. We had a small library and books of a fair variety were generally available. We read, wrote notes on our condition, played chess and card games etc: for pastime. Sanitary conditions were at all times very poor. Our food was brought to us by our own officers and personnel [Page 22] in large wooden buckets and was served to us in bowls placed on the tables in our crowded rooms. We ran rosters on food carriers and food servers. The winter (1942) at Kerenko was a severe one - at least it seemed severe because we had no heat, insufficient clothing, and were our poor physical condition little flesh on our bodies. Our formations and work were out in the cold and we really suffered at times from the chilly weather (temperature actually only went as low as about 45° F. occasionally). During most of our stay at Kerenko there existed what we called ‘the reign of terror.’ Jap. officers and sentries seemed to actually invest methods of punishing us. They gave mass punishment for the lightest offenses. There were almost daily cases of beating prisoners, insulting and attempting to humiliate them by rough harsh scolding and the mass punishment of addition work or decrease in food. Instead of being treated as honorable prisoners of war as provided by the Geneva Convention, we were treated more like criminals in the hands of brutal guards. Their inferiority complex compelled them to take advantage of our helpless condition to wreak a long pent-up vengeance on us. Two holidays each year were granted [Page 23] 247. us - Christmas and Easter. On these days and on certain Nipponese holidays we were given additional food including some meats and were allowed to celebrate the occasions. Food on these days was usually adequate and appetizing. In some instances, the Nipponese officers and guards joined in athletic games with our teams on holidays. The Nipponese seemed to revert to human beings on these occasions. (We had been able to buy a few Jap. musical instruments and developed an orchestra. We also had a victrola with a number of good records.) My first message to my family after surrender was a radio message sent on Nov. 10, 1942. My first message from my family was received on Feb. 22, 1943 (2/22/43) (26 months and two days since the last message from home on Dec. 21, 1941). After our first message home, were allowed one message to our families or friends each 4 to 6 months. Newspapers in English - Nippon Times - were discontinued on April 23, 1944. Our outside news after this time was by local vernacular papers which we surreptitiously brought into camp. On June 7, 1943, we left Kerenko for Camp Shira Kawa (White Heron) on Southwest Taiwan, arriving at new camp on June 8th. We travelled a few hours by crowded steerage in an old boat, went ashore by [illegible words] in a rough sea at Sou, a N. E. Taiwan Post, and travelled about 12 hours by [Page 24] train. In this train we were placed four to the section with all of our equipment - sections were small for orientals. We sat in these crowded, hard and straight seats with blinds drawn over windows to add to our discomfort. We were not allowed to leave our seats except in emergency. The trip was a rough and tiresome one - as were all trips which we made under Jap. control. For this trip we were given five meals consisting of a total of five buns, two small cans of dried beef, and one Red Cross can (12-oz) of canned beef. We got Hot tea was supplied at our destination. Shira Kawa was a crude and marshy camp in a valley and well into the country. It was muddy and overgrown with grass and weeds when we arrived. It rained the day of our arrival and for several weeks thereafter flooding the camp several inches deep. It was an unsanitary mosquito infested camp area from the beginning. Food and treatment was better here than at Kerenko. Some bananas and fruits, occasional meat in small quantities and small post exchange articles were furnished us. A large farm was begun by us with pick and shovel - potatoes and green vegetables were planted. Areas were grubbed of thick undergrowth by us under the guise of mosquito control, a large swimming pool was dug in very difficult hard clay, and a park was cleared off on a knoll just outside our prison boundary. Plenty of work was provided for each day for officers and enlisted P. O. W.’s. We not To be excused work except when our one must have fever reached of about 101°. We were issued [Page 25] 249. Post Exchange payments in coupons in amounts of from 40 Yen to 80 Yen monthly to buy Post Exchange articles. These include toilet articles, sugar, syrups and a few tasteless canned goods. Tomato ketchup and synthetic syrups were among these P-X articles. More British and Dutch officers joined us at Shira Kawa, mostly hospital cases and half-starved officers from a mining camp in N. Taiwan. We were inspected occasionally by the Nipponese prison camp commander who made meaningless speeches with no promises for better conditions. Also, we have had occasional visits by representatives of our protecting powers - from Switzerland and Sweden. These representatives were led around by the Nipponese officers and shown only what the Nips. wanted them to see. The prisoners who were permitted to talk to these visitors were carefully coached on what they were permitted to talked about say and were not permitted to complain about their treatment. For these visitors the Nipponese remove hospital patients from one ward which was labeled “Recreation Room” during this visit; the parks which we had cleared and had not been permitted to use so far, was labelled conspicuously “P. O. W. Park.” We did not go out to work during during some of these visits. One Swiss representative who lived in Tokyo and had a Nipponese wife remarked, “If you don’t like your treatment under the Nipponese, don’t go to war with a nation that sleeps on straw.” [Page 26] Although treatment was better at Shira Kawa than at Kerenko, it was plenty bad - still like the treatment one might expect for criminals. Beatings of prisoners was less frequent but still was being done. We were required to sign statements that we would not attempt to escape from from the camps and in addition to this statement, there was a triple fence of barbed wire and bamboo. At several camp there was an electrified wire fence, and inside these fences were many armed guards with fixed bayonets. These guards often come through our barracks to make life as miserable as possible for us. Except for a few months each year during which we were allowed a siesta period, we were not allowed to be on our bunks during daylight. This meant that we had to sit on the rigid benches in our over-crowded rooms. As the guards approached, we were required to stand at attention and salute them. Five cases of malaria fever developed in our camp on June 25, ‘43 - about two weeks after our arrival. Two officers Cols Amis and Aldrich have had malaria about 11 times and Col Aldrich has had it about 11 times since our surrender. Mosquitoes were bad there and rains have been plentiful. On July 2nd a group of about 20 small native girls and boys around 11-12 years of age, came in [Page 27] 251 camp to clean out our filthy latrines by use of large dippers and buckets carried on poles by two persons. Child labor is common around here. Native men and women are worked on drainage outside our camp. By August 21, 1943, we had in our camp about 389 officers and 84 enlisted men - American, British (and Australian) and Dutch. Nearly all officers do their own dishes and laundry - including our Lt. Generals, Civil Governors, etc. Enlisted men are busy in the kitchen, at the stock farm and at other details. We do not wear many clothes and therefore haven’t much laundry to do. In September 1943, we had numerous rumors that the war was over. Nip. soldiers said in effect, “You should be very happy - you are going home soon. A senior Nip. officer in a speech to us about this time also told us, “You will be going home very soon. He said our work by us was required to improve our health and provide us more food than could be provided us otherwise (we got very little of the food we produced, however). On Sept 30th newspapers to include those dated August 20th arrived. These gave us news of landings by Allies in Sicily, of Mussolini’s resignation etc, and must have been the bases of rumors concerning our going home soon. On the seldom occasions when mail came in, we were notified by name to form [Page 28] in alphabetical line to receive our mail. Sometimes letters come in for dates varying more than a year, some prisoners got no mail at times while others would get 60 to 70 letters. Some radio messages were delivered along with letters and the radios were undated. Anyways these were seldom and happy occasions. The Nips. took their own good times in censoring and delivering mail after it arrived. Christmas of 1943 was about our best day to date. My diary for this date reads: “There’s many a ‘Merry Christmas’ being passed from person to person - nationality to nationality - here this morning. Moral seems high. The Nipponese issued us about ¼ loaf of bread each this morning. We are having duck soup for dinner and three pigs in our soup for supper. Church services were held in Yasume park. ‘Tis chilly, about 65° this A.M. We had athletic events - concert singing - several comic skits, etc. this P.M. to make a pleasant afternoon for all. A comic orchestra (POW) furnished most of the fun, and an American dancing exhibition was also good. The Nips. seemed to enjoy it and gave bananas to participants. One volley-ball game was played by Americans vs Nipponese officers and soldiers teams (our guard) - the American team won by a score of 21 to 4 points. Our commandant and Nip. guard officers visited [Page 29] 253. all of our room’s and offered a ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting during the day. This was really a pleasant day and our first pleasant one since captivity.” (Capt. Wakajana is our camp commander). To make the most of our association of nationalities here, we often ask officers of other nationalities officers to give us talks on their country or experiences. We’ve had talks on Burma, India, Dutch East Indies, etc. In this way we have a better understanding of other nation’s problems. By early 1944 we were getting through our P.X. (Colonels expenditure allowance per month was 50.00 Yen), the following: about 2 lbs sugar per month; salt; tea and coffee, enough; tomato ketchup - about 2 bottles per month; about 1 ½ qts of strawberry or pineapple syrup per month; worchester sauce; cigarettes and cigars. Work for officers continued until about June 10, 1944, when we were told by one senior inspecting officer that work was voluntary and we told him that we refused to volunteer. After this date we fared worse in food and P-X supplies and privileges but none of us worked on the farm - local police of our area was still required of officers also and enlisted. Some of the privilege denied us were: denied use of our park area; music and card games denied us except on week-ends; no sitting, or lying on beds in daytime; [Page 30] no light in rooms (dark rooms) except at meal times and at night; all-hour night formations for check. In July 1944, we received many impounded packages - mine arrived about July 18th, having been mailed about Aug. 23, 1943. It was in good shape and contained many foods, toilet articles and some clothing that I much needed. For lying on his bunk in daytime, Col Balsam was punished by being placed in solitary confinement for four days (Aug. 4-8) on rice diet in an filthy cell. He was allowed only to take only the clothing he wore - no toilet articles, no bedding etc: He was required to stand in his cell during daylight - about 14 hours. Other types of punishment are: standing at attention for prolonged periods; striking receiving heavy blows on head; holding weights at arms length; denial of P-X privileges, etc. On Oct. 1st and 6th our General officers left Shira Kawa for a new camp. On the 7th the Colonels and many enlisted orderlies were notified to prepare to move by water. The Colonels group left camp at 4:30 AM on October 9, 1944. Two rice balls were issued each of us for two travel meals. We travelled by crowded and blinded rail cars to Taikoku to Keelung (Northern Taiwan) and boarded the ill fated Oryoku Maru at 5:30 PM the same day. We [Page 31] 255 were crowded in the hold as steerage passengers with 259 Colonels and enlisted in one double-deck hold. We were crowded so close together that it was difficult to find sufficient space to lie down. The double-deck did not permit space to stand up and, in the upper deck, the blower-ventilation system in many places did not permit space sufficient to sit up. We were locked in, with armed sentries at the two exits, and blacked out from 6:30 PM to 6:30 AM. One toilet of four seats was available for 259 of us. We ate in on the sleeping space - a stuffy, crowded, filthy, smelly - roach-covered hold. There was no water for bathing or brushing teeth. We went outside ship on the deck and bathed by water hose for two or three days while we remained for two weeks at part in this disgraceful condition. On Oct 12 and 13th Keelung was attacked by American airplanes bombers and while we were locked in like rats in a trap. We heard Some bombs were heard exploding, heard much anti-aircraft fire including guns on the decks of our ship we heard. It was reported that about twenty of the Nipponese sick passengers of our ship were killed at the railway station by our bombs. In case a bomb had struck our ship, we were in a helpless and hopeless condition. The sentries would not permit us to get out of the hold, they required us to close [Page 32] the port-holes during air attacks and there was not one chance in a thousand for us to escape death in case the ship was sunk. (In this connection the story of the next trip of the Oryoku Maru (Dec 1944) - as told to us by survivors of the ill-fated voyage, as an indication of what would have happened to us in case the bombs had struck our ship). Having lived in the hold like rats for two weeks at this part of Keelung and having made one unsuccessful attempt to sail, we finally left port with 2 cruiser escorts on Oct 25th. We debarked at Moji (Ryushu, Japan) on the 28th after about 75 hours travel, then travelled by train to Beppon, arriving and detraining there about noon of Oct 28th. This town is a health resort about 60-70 miles East of Moji. We were billeted Our billets at Beppon were in a clean comfortable 4th class hotels. We slept on pallets on the matted floors, kneeled at a low-table in the dining room for meals of a bowl of thin vegetable soup and one flour roll, and bathed in a common water tank - Nip fashion. As usual, we were continually hungry here. No space was available for exercising, shoes were left at the entrance to the hotel and not permitted to be used in the hotel. The stairs were so steep that they appeared more [Page 33] 257. like ladders than steps. Six of us were assigned to one room of about 15’ x 18’. This was the most luxurious living conditions that we had experienced as prisoners of war. Many days were uncomfortably cool and no fires or heat was available. Fortunately the sun shone on the open porches most of the daylight hours and was a means of keeping warm. About Nov. 3rd a change in our guard detail took place and a Nip. Major from the Tokyo P.O.W. officer joined us. Our treatment from this time forward was much more considerate and almost human. We were not Hazing ceased and we were free from disturbance within our confined area. On Nov. 7th my 52nd birthday, I passed around Old Gold cigarettes (Red Cross) to my room-mates and received a cigar and a wheat-flour bun from Ray O’Day and Atkinson. We left Beppon about about on Nov. 10th with our the new guard for Chiang-Chia-Tung, Manchuria (about 125 miles N. of Mukden), via Hataka and aboard a large ferry type ship at about 10:45 P.M. The next day we sailed for Fusang, Korea, arriving there about 5:00 P.M. (about 9 hours voyage), were assembled and served cold supper in a cold theatre building. At 11:00 P.M. we [illegible] and left Fusang for travel through Korea and Manchukuo. Arrived at our camp 3:30 P.M. in a temperature [Page 34] of almost 23°F. En route there was much snow in North Korea and Manchukuo. Overcoats and warm clothing and blankets were issued us on the train - also the cars were heated at times. Basket lunches were supplied for meals. While we were almost freezing in the cold, we had to listen to Nip. officers speeches for about an hour and sign statements regarding non-escape. Among other things, one officer told us to “take care of our health” in this colder climate - we were about to freeze and possibly contract pneumonia while we listened to this statement in the cold. One of our officers had high fever of about 104° and was required to stand outside and listen to these dumb speeches. We had travelled in cramped condition for 37 days and were in poor condition to be further exposed to cold weather. Our ankles and bodies were swollen from lack of exercise and lack of adequate space. While travelling through Korea, we saw humanity struggling for existence under crude, primitive conditions which were quite antique to use - plowing oxen, pushing freight cars along siding, hauling by donkey and ox-carts, performing labor by hand where we use machinery, etc. Small patches of cotton had been pulled up and allowed to mature and open in piles where the picking continued. Kaffi-corn, grain and vegetables including rice were being harvested. We found our quarters to be filthy with dirt, but otherwise in fair well housed and condition and containing huge coal heaters (without heat). It took several hours to get heat in the building: we [Page 35] 259. Did not get the quarters clean during the six months we remained there - always a heavy dust and coating of dirt remained on floors and shelves, etc. 8-10 officers were placed to a room of about 25’ x 25’ (12 officers at first). Straw mattresses on rigid iron beds were provided; adequate blankets and clean bedding were issued. Again we had wooden tables and benches in our sleeping quarters where meals were served from wooden buckets into china bowls. Only spoons were used as eating utensils. The washrooms contained much ice and were always ice-cold. Heat from the huge coal-heaters was usually adequate to keep quarters warm, but coal dust kept the rooms and articles therein covered with black dust. The area around the one barrack building which housed us was about 150 x 100 yards. Temperature during the winter reached about 15° below zero F. Snow and sleet were not unusual. Most of us wrapped warm clothing around us and took some exercise in spite of the cold. Food was about adequate in quantity here - mostly soya beans, corn meal mush, corn bread or millet bread, and vegetable soup. We gained some weight on this food. Library books were good variety. I played lots of bridge and chess. Tournaments were held in both games. Treatment here was much better than at other camps. No beatings and [Page 36] little disturbances by Nips. Crows, or rooks, built nests just outside our windows in early spring. We even helped them to build nests. Some of them used old nests by rebuilding them. Magpies and sparrows also were numerous. Many geese, ducks and some bustards (turkey size) flew in flocks over our camp in spring. On May 20th (1945) we moved by rail to this camp at Mukden - the main P.W. camp - and joined other American and British prisoners here. About 1300 of were here after our arrival. General Wainwright and other senior officers and Governors, Justices etc. from Singapore area and Houkong, D.E.I etc went to a separate camp about 100 miles from here. We are packed in double-deck here - about 40 officers to a room about 36’ x 22’. Still have straw mattresses on the floor, tables and benches in isles for eating and writing. Treatment here continued improved. Food is fair but inadequate as to quantity and variety - vegetable soup, corn meal mush, millet bread, mostly. We’re losing weight since arrival here on May 21st. Our train was packed - 120 officers with all baggage packed into 3rd class passenger cars built for [Page 37] 261. about 60 passengers. This congested trip lasted for 24 hours. Had four millet buns for a four meal trip. The Nips have been hastily evacuating Manchukuo by rail for some time, probably expecting Russia to enter the war. There is a large compound here. Three large brick barracks, kitchen, headquarters buildings are in a brick wall compound about 150 yds by 300 yds. We use about ½ this area. We were required to dig bomb trenches for protection and have black-out and anti-aircraft raid practices. Camp is very much over-crowded, about twice the congestion as at other camps - with all ranks present. Prisoners from P.I., Taiwan, and Japan are here. Also, those who suffered disgracefully in coming here from the P.I. via the ill-fated Oryaku Maru - those who escaped bombing, starvation, freezing, and murder are here. Their horrible stories of atrocities are unbelievable. Many of our friends lost their lives on that voyage from Luzon, P.I. but that is their story. On May 16, 1945, we saw something strange and mysterious happening. Within view of our camp, some parachutist landed from a plane and the plane continued on its trip. In a few hours from this landing, the Nips [Page 38] brought six persons into our compound who seemed to be Americans and who were armed. Our Nip. Commandant conversed with these new arrivals while they wore their arms, and there seemed to be long conversations between these parties at Nip Hqrs. You may imagine the excitement and speculation which this spectacle produced among us. Some of us deduced that these new arrivals were peace messengers to tell us that the war was over. This deduction was bourne [sic] out the next morning (Aug 17th) when General Parker assmebled all of us and told us that an armisted [sic] had been arranged between Japan and our Allies and that fighting - except between Japan and Russia in Manchuria - had ceased. We were told to have no celebration and to be calm. Not many of us slept that night. (Two of the parachutists were: Maj. Henessey CAC, & Maj. Lamar (med). They came and talked to us on the night of 8/17 & later, radio was installed - in & out. This was the day we had looked for for 3 ½ years. Our joy was unbounded but we acted calmly. Groups of us assembled and talked things over for the next few days. Screens were torn away from our windows, we smoked where we pleased and were not bothered by the Nips any more. They turned over the camp to Gen Parker after morning roll call on Aug 18th and we have been free since that time. On the evening of Aug 20th a group of three Russian officers arrived at our camp while we were celebrating our freedom by a musical concert. We had just completed singing [Page 39] 263 the National Anthems of England, Holland and America when the Russians asked that all P.O.W.’s be assembled. The senior Russian officer - a captain, I think - spoke to us briefly and, among other statements, he said “From this moment I declare you free” (speaking to Americans). A few hours after declaring us free, the Russians had our Nipponese guard to assemble in the middle of our compound and in presence of us all and amidst our acclamation, he disarmed them, issued their arms to American soldiers as guards, and had them paraded as prisoners by our assembled group to the guard house. The Nip officers threw their swords to the ground when told to lay down their arms. This group of Nips was certainly a ‘whipped-dog’ looking group. Since that time, the Nip soldiers have been working her [sic] in our former camp under guard of American soldiers (former P.W.’s). The Russians occupied Mukden on Aug 20th. For several days and nights following this date there was much looting by Chinese and natives and firing between natives and Japs within our observation and hearing. Took several days to quiet disorders. Since Aug. 19th we have put one of our officers as mess-officers in the kitchen, have taken over stores of Nipponese foods, sent Nip. prisoners out to dig potatoes, and have had more food than we could eat. In addition to this, 13-29 bombers began to arrive from China with tons of canned foods, candies, cigarettes, clothing, shoes, etc., so that we are now well equipped with food these articles (as of Sept. 5, 1945). The planes which brought supplies into us have been taking away our person evacuating our group through China [Page 40] on their return trips - sick first, then some of the senior officers. So far, about 200 have left here and more are expected to leave almost daily. While awaiting my turn to depart to the home and family, I am listening to radio broadcasts, playing bridge, visiting in the dirty, unattractive city of Mukden (pop. about 2,000,000), and gaining weight. Winston Churchill said regarding prisoner of war life (He was a P.W. during the Boer War in S. Africa), “It is a melancholy state. You’re in the power of your enemy. You owe your life to his humanity, your daily bread to his compassion. You must obey his orders, await his pleasure, possess your soul in patience. The days are very long - hours crawl like paralytic centipedes. Moreover, the whole atmosphere of prison, even the most easy and regulated prison, is odious. Companions quarrel about trifles and get the least possible pleasure from each others society, you feel a constant humiliation in being fenced in by railings and wire, watched by armed men and webbed about with a tangle of regulations and restrictions.” * (P. 265) Add to [illegible words] the fact that we are the prisoners of a primitive, barbarous and pagan nation of a low standard of living and you have a better understanding of our condition [Page 41] 265. I agree with Churchill’s version of life as a prisoner of war. To his statement I add, “To be a war prisoner of a primitive, barbarous and pagan nation of a low standard of living makes the prisoner’s life a ‘hell on earth.’ We had expected rough treatment toward the end of the war when the Japs found that they were beaten and must surrender us or otherwise dispose of us. Some of us thought that they would ‘otherwise dispose’ of us. You may easily imagine our joy when the end came so quietly and unexpectedly. The transition from lowest type of war prisoner to freedom and peaceful citizenship in our case was perfect. Although our group is being evacuated by air slowly, 40-60 per day - via China and to the U.S., those of us who are still here are becoming restless. Our living quarters are infested with fleas, are still congested and not at all appropriate for our grades. Our one desire is to be on the way toward America and our homes. It is reported that ships are arriving at Dairen, Korea, to take us home. We hope so. And finally, Ruthie and Lolly, since I expect to be with you soon, I shall close this long letter to you. It has been written under the worst possible conditions of mental and physical discomforts and countless interruptions and annoyances by [Page 42] Our Nipponese guards. May God bless you. Love Daddy. Roy C. Hilton Col. GSC (Inf.) U.S.A. Mukden, Manchuria, August 6, 1945. [Page 43] [Back cover.] Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Journal of Roy C. Hilton, A Personal Letter Continued, August 23, 1945 Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina World War (1939-1945) Prisoners of war Description An account of the resource The fourth and final part of Hilton's letter to his daughters. This journal starts in September 1934 as Hilton returns to the mainland United States and then jumps to his service in the Philippines during World War II and his time as a prisoner of war at various camps in the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan until their liberation at the end of the war in 1945. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Citadel Archives & Museum Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/831 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date Valid Date (often a range) of validity of a resource. 1940-1949 Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/b687061a5a725f199acb100847ccff7a.pdf?Expires=1789603200&Signature=TGJi%7EXL-Hb0iGmhpMgRFdcSaGPleEJM1-hLTppHIO5FXsc7dGx43pKGSbApYLBwGTuutsCG-IZEvSM2DAakJppawPl9OjiSgyFPzvU%7EEj9P5WNvaR4RHjnW7cBWnI1id6J63Yi0-MLAENP0MsASGgrFU5jAgGPk2A7UhkAl2R9rDNo5jT1aQuSqYxIQWm2GCExrPrXsK00BjTWpcRrGoL1zz6vgkU1wdD%7EpbFvD3nj5FTS-wPW46obKQhRTFQniT8uo-c3tcRcpgUMsOK1u5NFzq5Ri-CTd3azAkis0q1gyzmY9V83b5uGoW6rOli7zwh7QWv8Ju3KOQzSZUWgCjXA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM bcc03a43ac3489ba1c3f2f0bdac1811d PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hilton, Roy C. Collection Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 World War (1939-1945) World War (1914-1918) Prisoners of war Description An account of the resource Roy Hilton was born in Greenwood, South Carolina on November 7, 1892. He entered The Citadel in 1911. As a cadet, he was a member of the Polytechnic Literary Society and during his senior year, he held the position of Cadet Lieutenant of Company A his senior year. He majored in English and graduated in 1915. On June 7, 1917, he entered the U. S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and served in France and Germany. He was assigned to The Citadel from 1938-1941 as an assistant professor of military science. In 1941 he was stationed in Bataan, Philippine Islands. When the United States forces on Bataan surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942, Colonel Hilton was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese until the liberation in 1945. This collection contains several journals written by Hilton while he was a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II. The journals are arranged in chronological reading order; however, some of the dates would appear to contradict this. The journals should be read in the following order: 1. Note Book A, October 12, 1943 2. Note Book B, 1943-1945 3. Note Book C, 1943-1945 4. Journal, August 23, 1945 5. Note Book No. 8, June 7, 1943-November 7, 1944 6. Note Book No. 9, November 9, 1944-October 27, 1945 7. Philippine Campaigne, 1941-1942 8. Note Book #2, May 10-August 10, 1942 9. Note Book #3, May 10, 1942-April 2, 1943 10. Journal Entries, Charts and Other Thoughts, 1941-1945 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/29 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document [Page 1] Note Book No. “C” Col. Roy C. Hilton G.S.C. (Inf.) P.W. No. 53. Laurens, S.C., U.S.A. Food and Drink Recipes, & A Private Letter (Cont’d.) Camp Shira Kawa (White River), S.W. Taiwan [Page 2] 3 Recipes 1. Chocolate Melba Toast Butter rather heavily slices of bread with crusts left on. Place in hot oven until brown. Pour chocolate sauce (see page 6, herein) over the toast and serve. If sauce is thick, thin it with evaporated milk. 2. Cleveland’s Choice. (Candy recipe of fame - not in the book) 4 cups sugar; ¾ cup white karo syrup; 1 ½ cups cream; 1-teaspoon vanilla ext.; make a fondant of the above - by a fondant recipe, stiff. Dip in chocolate. Has caromel [sic] flavor. Caution: avoid stirring into chrystals [sic] on side of pan. Chrystals [sic] may be wiped off with damp cloth. 3. Cheese Sauce. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in sauce pan and let it melt. Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour and let it melt. Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour and mix well, then stir in 1-pint of milk. Bring to a boil, stirring all the while. (over) [Page 3] 4 add salt to taste, and 1-teaspoonful of Worcester Sauce. Finally, stir in ½ lb. of grated cheese (cheddar). Stir until cheese is dissolved, then serve. (Use on cauliflower, brussel sprouts, brocoli [sic], etc. 4. French Rum Omelette. Place eggs in bowl and add salt and pepper. Add 1-tablespoon of whole milk for each egg. Break up yolks with fork used as an egg whip and mix only enough to scatter yolks around thoroughly. Grease bottom of pan, and sides, with melted butter and place on low fire. With fork pick up and drop back the solidified portions as fast as they form until entire mass is jelly, but quite soft. Reduce heat further and cook until a little stiffer. (It rises slightly). Place on hot platter and put desired filler (jam, jelly, etc) on one-half the omelette, then sprinkle omelette filler with powdered sugar and fold over. Place more filler on, [Page 4] 5 top and sprinkle with sugar. Score across top with hot iron to make squares. Pour on one jigger of rum (Dark Negretto). Set the rum afire. Serve with green peas, sliced ham, French fried potatoes, toasted French bread, etc. 5. Hot Cakes - (Four persons) ½ cup sugar; 1-egg; ½ cup shortening; 2 ½ level cups flour (or, part flour and part corn meal); ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ cup evaporated milk; 1-cup water. Beat sugar, egg and shortening together well. Sift flour well and add salt and baking powder to flour. Mix flour, etc., to sugar, egg and shortening. Add evaporated milk and one cup of water. Leave mixture in cool place overnight. Before cooking, add one teaspoonful of baking powder. 6. Sauces. 1-cup creamed butter; 1-cup honey; 1-teaspoon vanilla ext.; flavor with whiskey (stir together into creamy mixture. (For cakes, ice cream, etc) [Page 5] 6 Intoxicating Drinks: 7 - Chocolate Sauce: 1-cup sugar; 2-tablespoons grated bitter chocolate (Baker’s); 1-cup water; 1-teaspoonful vanilla ext.; Boil water and add sugar, then chocolate. Let partly cool and add vanilla extract. Stir during each mixture (For ice cream, cakes, etc.) 8. Nectar of the Gods, or Ramos Fizz. (Worlds best sweet mixed drink which netted inventor, Ramon of New Orleans, a million dollars before recipe was discovered by others). Note: use large shaker, not less than 1-Qt size, for 2 drinks: ½ galon [sic] size for 4 drinks. Mix in following order: 1 - Place large glassful of ½ egg size of cracked ice in shaker. 2 - Add one rounded dessert spoon of powdered sugar. 3 - ½ jigger of best dry gin. 4 - Juice of one lemon. 5 - ¾ teaspoon of Orange Flower water (Warrick Freres; Grasse, or France). [Page 6] 7 Intoxicating Drinks, Cont’d. 6 - Two drops of almond extract. 7 - White of one egg, unbeaten. 8 - Cap container and shake a few times to mix ingredients. 9 - Add one jigger of coffee cream and one jigger of fresh milk. 10 - Cap again and shake into tall glass and serve. Brandies: 90 Proof. 5-lbs. seedless Sunmaid raisins (or, 5-lbs. dried peaches; or dried apples). 5-lbs sugar 5-cakes yeast 5 galons [sic] water (Age in oak.) Place in white-oak barrel. Stir and mix well. Keep at room temperature for 72-hours. Distill by steaming at 180 [degrees] - 190 [degrees], and condense. [Page 7] 8. Intoxicating Drinks, Cont’d. Eggnog. (Col. S. A. Hamilton’s recipe) Mix yolks of 24 eggs with two quarts of bourbon whiskey after beating yolks thoroughly. Dissolve two teaspoons cups of granulated sugar into yolks - after beating yolks and before pouring whiskey into yolks. Pour whiskey slowly into sweetened yolks of eggs, stirring thoroughly all the while. Then stir into this mixture slowly two quarts of table cream - unbeaten. Next pour in slowly, while stirring, two more quarts of bourbon whiskey. Just before serving, sprinkle with nutmeg. (Makes about 7, or 8, quarts). Will keep overnight [Page 8] 9. Intoxicating Drinks, Cont’d. Eggnog. (Col. R. C. Hilton’s recipe). 1-Qt. Bourbon whiskey. 12 eggs. 1-Qt. whole milk. 1-Qt. whipping cream. 1-cup granulated sugar. Beat yolks of eggs thoroughly and stir in sugar until sugar is dissolved. Pour the whiskey into the beaten yolks, stirring all the while - pour whiskey slowly. Add, while stirring, the whole milk, the beaten cream, and the beaten whites of eggs, in order mentioned. (Makes about 4 quarts). Just before serving, sprinkle with grated nutmeg. Will keep overnight. [Page 9] 10. Intoxicating Drinks, Cont’d. Dandelion Wine. Fill 5-galon [sic] earthen crock about ¾ full of washed blossoms of young, or middle aged, dandelions - after removing stems. Dissolve 4-lbs. of granulated sugar in enough water to fill crock to about one inch from top. Slice four oranges and add to above. Dissolve one yeast cake in lukewarm water (about 100 [degrees]) and pour into crock. Cover crock with cheese cloth and allow to stand 8-10 days, or until all fermentation ceases. Skim off froth occasionally, if indicated. Strain and bottle after fermentation ceases. Scald bottles just before bottling. [Page 10] 11. Intoxicating Drinks, Cont’d. Corn Whiskey 5-lbs. corn sugar 5-lbs. corn meal 5-galons water 3-cakes yeast Bring water to boil. Stir in meal and sugar. Boil for ten minutes, then cool to 80 [degrees] Fahr. Add yeast. Keep at 80 [degrees] Fahr. for 72 hours. Distill at 180 [degrees] - 190 [degrees]. (Makes about 5-Qts). Age in oak. Home-made Peach Cordial (Col. Lawrence). Peel ripe peaches and place in closed fruit jars together with equal portions of water and pure alcohol. Let stand for two weeks to one month. For sweet cordial, add 1-lb. of granulated sugar (white) to each pound of water in alcohol solution in jars. (Place peaches in jars first, then pour in water and alcohol mixture). Hot Buttered Rum 2-cups maple sugar 2-Qts. Rum ¼ lb. Butter ½ bottle powdered cinnamon 2-Qts. boiling water Dissolve sugar in small amount of water in large container - add rum, butter, cinnamon; then pour mixture, while stirring into boiling water. Serve hot. [Page 11] 12. Wines Lecture by Col. Mallonnee, F.A., US Army, - son of a French connoisseur of wines - given at Kerenko, Taiwan, Feb. 19, 1943. I. Classifications. Wines are classified as still wines, sparkling wines, fortified wines (alcohol added) and distilled wines. The big wine producing countries are: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal. II. General. French wines are, by government control, required to be labelled by districts in which they are produced: i.e., Burgundy, Bordeaux, etc. French wines are generally excellent; German wines compare favorably with French wines; some Italian wines are good and others, ordinary. American wines now compare favorably with imported wines. A good American champagne is the “Great Western” brand (N.Y. wine). A good American white wine is the [Page 12] 13. Wines. “Beaulieu” brand. American wines may be bought as the Burgundy type, the Bordeau type, etc. The New York white wines and the California red wines are recommended. III. Still wines. Among these are French (a.) Bordeau and (b) Burgundy - Rhone Valley and Dijon - Anjou (white, sweet wine). Alcoholic content of still wine is 10% to 12%. Bordeau is the greatest producing country for still wines. Among Bordeau wines are: Red (Claret), White (Santerne), Graves and Barsap is name of a good wine and of the distributor. These wines bear the label of the chateaux by which made and are true wines of these chateaux (refers to Bordeau wines). Bordeau wines are: Haute sauterne (white-sweet); Sec (dry and natural; demi-sec (sweetened). Graves and Barsap wines are gravely and dry to the taste. [Page 13] 14. Wines “Chateau Le Tour” and Chateau La Blanc” are excellent. The best white wine of Graves and Barsap is “Chateau Y’Quien”. Of the Bordeau and Burgundy wines: Red wines are dry (natural) and white wines are sweet, demi-sec, and dry. b. Burgundy wine are red, white and chabliss (white). Rhone and Dijon are excellent. Burgundy is superior to Bordeau, - it has more variance, fuller and better flavor. Anjou is a white dessert wine. “Chateau Volnay” and “Chateau Rothchild” are excellent. IV. Fortified Wines. - about 24% alcohol, or 12% to 24%. “Eau de Vie,” “Benedictine,” “Chartreuse,” and cordials are examples. Sherry is a Spanish fortified wine. Port is a Portuguese fortified wine. All handled by Duff Gordon, N.Y., wine dealer. [Page 14] 15 Wines. V. Distilled Wines. Includes real brandies, Cognac, Henessy 5, or 7, Star wines - excellent. Spanish wine - Pedro de Domecq - is good. VI. Sparkling Wines. Includes champagne, sparkling burgundy, etc. “Chiquot” and Pomeroy champagnes are excellent French champagne district champagnes. German champagne is sweet and excellent. Italian champagne is sweet, good and medium. Italian “acosta” is good. These wines are about 17% to 18% alcohol. “Sparkling Burgundy” is comparable to champagne but is not on market on account of greater demand for other Burgundy wines. Domestic champagne is better than sparkling burgundy. [Page 15] 16. Serving Wines. The purpose of serving wines with meals is to whet the appetite and to bring out the flavors of foods, - thus adding to the enjoyment of foods. Whiskey should not be served with, or before, a wine meal because this drink lessens the effect of the wines. Red wines are served with meats, steaks, and with the main dinner. White wines, sauternes, are served with soups or entrees (fowl, fish). This refers to dry white wines. Sweet white wines are served with desserts. Sherry wine (a Spanish fortified wine) is served as an appetiser [sic] - before meals - and with soups. Sherry is pale, golden, or tawny in color. Port wine (a Portuguese fortified wine) is served after meals, with cheese, fruit or coffee. Brandies may be served before meals and after meals with coffee. Sparkling wines (i.e., champagne) is served before, or after, meals or for [Page 16] 17 Serving Wines Celebrations. It is not used with meals. Domestic champagne is better than sparkling Burgundy. Cordials, and liquors, are used after meals - separately -, or with cheese. With clear soups, turtle or tomato soups, use Sherry wine. With heavy, creamy, soups, use dry sauterne. The best wines are served with the best parts of meals and are served progressively. With fish, serve dry white wines (i.e. Moselle). After this, sherbert is good. With separate dishes, serve demi-sec white wine. With chops, steaks, or heavy meats, use red Bordeau wine. With desserts, use sweet sauterne wine. After meals, serve liquers [sic], or brandies. With light meats - chops, cutlets, etc. - Sherry is good. With the main dinner course, serve Red Burgandy, Red Bordeau, or Red Rhone. [Page 17] 18. Serving Wines (Cont’d.) Serving temperatures for wines. Red wines are served at room temperature; white wines are chilled; dessert wines are more chilled; champagne is iced - bottle placed in ice before serving; brandies are used at room temperature. Summary. Do not serve whiskey with wine meals because whiskey destroys the purpose of wines. Cordials are drinks which are fortified but not distilled, - i.e. blackberry wine, peach brandy, apricot brandy. Liquers [sic] are distilled cordials (not necessarily of grapes, - i.e. Creme de Menthe (peppermint), Eau de Vie. Addressee of wine merchants. Great Western Wine Corp. (see advertisements). Greystone Vineyards, N.Y. (see adv.) [Page 18] 19 [Page 19] 20. Recipes - Cont’d. Dry Rice - family cooking. Cover rice with about one inch of cold, or warm, water in heavy alluminum [sic] pot. Boil for about ten minutes until water seems to disappear, using lid on pot; then let simmer slowly until water is boiled out. Stir to allow steam to escape then replace lid and let it stand until ready for serving. Simmering requires about twenty minutes. Add salt after cooking. Above method of rice cooking is used, in general, by Philippino’s and by the Nipponese: both use heavy iron cauldrons and use about 60% water to 40% rice, by weight. The Nipponese use about 60% rice to 40% barley for Army use. (Dry barley - similar to rolled oats). [Page 20] 21. Farewell Dinner - Nov. 18, 1941. S. S. President Coolidge. (En route San Francisco to Manilla.) 1. Appetizers: California fruit cup with cherries. Chilled celery - Queen stuffed olives. Garden Rose radishes - sliced eggs. Italian Antipasto - sardines in tomato sauce 2. Soup. Cream of celery with tapioca. Chilled essence of tomatoes. Consume en tasse. 3. Fish: Fried filet of English sole saute. Meuniere, Parsely, Potatoes 4. Entrees: Quarted spring chicken w/ artichokes en casserole; Mascotte; - Pork tenderloin w/ onions; saussages [sic], croutons, chipolata. - Cling Peach fritters w/ apricot sauce. Roasts: Roast leg of milk fed veal with gravy and prunes. - Watertown gosling w/ dressing and baked apple. Grill: (To order from charcoal burner) Broiled surloin [sic] steak, Maitre de Hotel, minute potatoes. 5. Vegetables: Mashed potatoes; Idaho potatoes; Fresh string beans; Steamed Patina potatoes; Eggplant saute. (see page 26). [Page 21] [See chart on original document.] [Page 22] [See chart on original document.] [Page 23] [See chart on original document.] [Page 24] [See chart on original document.] [Page 25] 26. Farewell Dinner, Cont’d. (see page 21.). 6. Salads: Four seasons; Sliced tomatoes; Dressings: French; Thousand Island; Mayonnaise; Roquefort 7. Desserts: Orange water ice; Jello; Cookies; Honey layer cake; Pecan pound cake; 8. Cheeses: Brookfield; Monterey Jack; Camembert; Saltines soda and toasted bents; wafer crackers; Fresh fruit in season x x x x x x x x Other menu Combinations, from menues [sic] of S. S. President Coolidge; Enroute to Manila. 1. Cocktails: Fruit; shrimp; crabmeat. 2. Appetizers: Celery hearts; Tuna fish; Pickled white onions. 3. Soups: French onion soup au gratin. Consumme Margueritte. (see next page). [Page 26] 27 (cont’d from page 26) 4. Fish: Broiled King salmon w/ Anchovy butter. 5. Entrees (Main Dinner): Roast prime ribs of steer beef; Roast duckling with apple sauce; Broiled lamb chops (charcoal broiler); Roast Philadelphia capon, - cranberry sauce. 6. Vegetables: Fresh brocolli [sic]; steamed rice; Baked summer squash. 7. Salads: Cosmopolitan; Heart of lettuce. 8. Desserts: Layer cake; ice cream. 9. Cheeses: Young American; Pineapple. 10. Demi tasse. (over). [Page 27] 28. Other menu combinations, (cont’d). From S. S. President Coolidge. 1. Appetizers: Goose liver paste in aspic; Stuffed eggs; Crabmeat salad. 2. Soup: Cream of oyster 3. Fish: Fried filet of English Lemon Sole; 4. Entrees (Main Dinner): Roast domestic duckling, - dressing, - prunes; New England boiled vegetable dinner; Broiled lamb chops, - bacon on toast. 5. Vegetables: Glazed banana squash; sugar pear. 6. Salad: Combination. 7. Desserts: Butterscotch sundae; 8. Cheese: Fromage de Brie; Roquefort; Gorgonzola. [Page 28] 29 [Page 29] 157. 31 A Personal Letter (Cont’d) from Book “B” (To: Misses Ruth and Laura Anne Hilton, Laurens, SC.) U.S.A. For the next few days we fought to straighten and organize our line for defense while still receiving enemy fire from the front and from both flanks. During one of these short advances my Company supported the attack of part of my regiment across an open field between wooded areas. From the edge of a woods ahead of us the enemy poured machine gun fire as thick as hail on us. One of my messengers was wounded here while just a few feet behind me - all of us had to keep close to the ground. I sent him to the rear to an aid station but, a few minutes later, I noticed him close behind following me again. In answer to my inquiry, he said that he had gone back a short distance and found that his wound was not serious and that he wanted to go forward with me. Poor fellow, within a short [Page 30] time he received another wound about the forehead from a shell fragment. This time I made him go back for treatment. Furthermore, I saw that he was issued a medal some time later for this act of bravery. On several occasions days, while we were waiting for the French troops to come abreast of us, some of our companies were cut of from the rest of regiment by enemy troops working around and behind them. These units were able to fight their way back to supporting troops. Major Denig, commanding the 3rd Bn., 9th Infantry received a wound in this engagement and went back for hospital treatment. The French troops on our right and left came abreast of us after a few days and a line of defense was organized at our objective. During the night of October 9th, or 10th, units of the American 36th Division [Page 31] 159. 33 came up and relieved us. Casualties had been heavy in my division, even among the Field Officers. It was 2nd Division policy to fill vacancies from younger officers in the division, by promotion, rather than have older officers with less experience join us. By this policy my regiment had two very young (temporary) Majors as battalion commanders, viz: Maj Yanda, age 21, and Major Day, age 23 years. By this time the 2nd. American Division had won high respect in the eyes of our enemy. One of his communiques which we captured stated, “The American Second Division compares favorably with our Shock Troops.” Again, about October 11th we moved to the rear for reorganization and rest. My company had suffered a goodly number of casualties in my company and I was able to reward many of my men with citations and medals, and now I received new men as replacements. [Page 32] Some of the replacements had never seen a machine gun and had to be trained in the use of these weapons. All of this time the German line was being driven steadily back. It was necessary for the Allies to continue an unrelenting pressure upon their enemy to force a surrender. My division had just completed one severe test in the Meuse-Argonne offensive and was destined to participate again in the final drive of November 1st-11th, 1918. With a few weeks rest, reorganization, and additional training, we were ordered forward to battle again. This time we relieved the American 42nd. Division, about Oct. 30th, for participation in the final campaign. Our zone of advance led from the towns of St. George and Laudres St. George northward to Mouzon on the Meause River (Between Sedain and [Page 33] 161. 35 Stenay). We again constituted the spear-head of our Army Corps which was commanded by General Charles P. Summerall. For the initial stage of this attack my Company was to follow in reserve, being again attached to our 3rd Battalion which was in reserve. This made my Company available, with many others, to deliver overhead fire in support of the initial attack. My firing mission lasted for three hours, from H-2 to H-1, and included probable enemy concentration areas and communication centers in his front lines and to the rear of them. Data for indirect fire, and gun positions were planned ahead of time so that when we occupied the position late on Oct. 31st we were prepared to fire. During this three-hour firing period, I fired about 40,000 rounds of ammunition. This was directed on the enemy front line until our hour of attack and then our fire was [Page 34] lifted to targets farther to the rear. Just as my Company was dismounting guns to join our infantry battalion, Sgt. Polman, one of my platoon Sergeants, received a stray enemy bullet through his leg and had to remain behind. In a prior engagement he was caught by enemy machine gun fire and had received sixteen bullets in the soft part of his anatomy. He was really anxious for revenge and we left him cursing his ill-luck at not being able to get revenge. He finally recuperated and joined us again in Germany. Upon moving from our firing position along a road where we were to join the Infantry battalion, the battalion could not be found. This was just after dawn and in a fog so we were not able to see but a short distance ahead. Artillery pieces were thick around us and were delivering heavy fire in support of attacking units. [Page 35] 163 37 Not being able to see troops ahead and not to get any information from the artillerymen concerning my regiment, I took my compass and led my Company forward in the zone assigned to us but in which I was unable to see any of our troops. ‘Buster Brown’, my old First Sergeant, got nervous over this situation and said, “Captain, I don’t believe any of our troops are ahead of us.” However, after advancing for ten or fifteen minutes in this zone, I caught up with our 3rd Battalion and followed it in reserve. By this time the units of my division had become veteran units and had adopted a standard type of attack. Being assigned a narrow frontage, each Brigade attacked in column of battalions. Within regiments the battalions followed the assault battalion to a designated objective where rear battalions leap-frogged the assault battalion which then followed in reserve. Each regiment adopted a [Page 36] different shape sleeve patch for its personnel and each battalion had a certain color of its regimental-shaped patch. This enabled commanders to determined distinguish the regiment and the battalion of different personnel in executing passage of assault waves of one unit through another. It was on the third of November that our turn came to take up the assault. We had to fight our way to the jump-off line for about one mile on this morning. The enemy opposing us were rear guard units protecting their main body which was retreating to positions in rear of (North) of the Meuse River. After breaking through his forward position we did not meet much resistance until we approached a large woods about mid-afternoon. From the edge of this woods, the enemy had organized a machine gun and artillery defense and fire from his position pinned [Page 37] 165 39 us to the ground. Knowing the enemy plan to delay our advance, and the difficulty of fighting through woods, my regimental commander, Col. Robt. O. Van Horn, recommended to the division commander that we be permitted to march through this woods under cover of darkness to its northern edge, about five miles away. This recommendation was approved, and there followed the famous march of the Third Brigade for a distance of about five miles through the German lines. For this maneuver the 3rd Battalion 9th Infantry, with my machine gun company attached, composed the Advance Guard for the brigade. Maj. Yanda age 21 years, commanded the Third Battalion and Lt. Col. Milo C. Corey commanded the regimental column for the march. This was to prove the most interesting and the most exciting of my war experiences. In compliance with orders [Page 38] 166. we began forming for the march about dusk. It was evident that the enemy was observing our formation because the column of which my company was a part immediately had a heavy concentration of enemy artillery fire directed at it. Fortunately, the concentration was a few yards short but it was close enough to throw clods of dirt upon us and to expedite our movement. Upon approaching the edge of the woods along the one road available to us, we drew machine gun fire from both sides of the road. The column halted while patrols moved out to both flanks with orders to clear away the enemy machine guns. The elements favored our advance for it began to rain which helped to conceal our movements. In a short while the enemy machine guns were silence and, observing utmost silence, [Page 39] 167 our advance continued. No word was spoken and no light from cigarettes was allowed - only the slush, slush of marching feet upon the wet road could be heard. At the head of our column had been placed German speaking soldiers to deceive and intercept any enemy detachments encountered. By this method several relief detachments were captured without the necessity of firing upon them. At a clearing a short distance within the woods, German voices were heard as coming from troops in bivouac. This proved to be a machine gun battalion. Our leading company quietly deployed along the road facing the enemy camp and opened fire upon the camp. This caused consternation and much yelling among enemy troops. During this commotion an automobile was heard [Page 40] 168 to crank up and move hastily away. According to prisoners taken here, the automobile contained some of their officers who made haste to get away. Near the middle of the woods we came upon a supply camp on the opposite side of the road from the troop bivouac. Teamsters could be heard talking to their teams and the rattle of wagon wheels were noisy as they moved about. Again a firing line was farmed along our route of march and fire was directed into the enemy camp. A mad scramble and noises sounds of runaway teams were heard. Soon all was over and our column moved quietly forward. Near the far edge of this woods there was an enemy aid station in operation the personnel of which were made prisoners. Finally, at about midnight, we [Page 41] 169. arrived at the far (North) edge of the woods. The 23rd Infantry regiment had followed my regiment to a road-fork within the woods and had moved along the fork so as to arrive at the edge of the woods on our left. Both regiments then deployed along the edge of the woods and formed a junction of lines. While deploying, we had noticed a lighted farmhouse in an open field just ahead of us. Also, from this house there appeared to be light lamp signals being sent to units within the woods, probably to artillery units. When our units had completed deployment, a patrol was sent to surround the house and to capture the personnel therein. In carrying out its instructions the patrol surrounded the house (La Tuillerie Farms), then a few men of the patrol appeared in the doorway and demanded surrender. The enemy [Page 42] 170. were completely taken by surprise and could not believe what they saw before them. An officer in a gruff voice replied, “What do you mean, surrender.” About this time, more members of our patrol appeared at the doorway which furnished an answer to his querry [sic]. About forty prisoners, which proved to be members of a [illegible] detachment, were taken prisoners. Their weapons and other equipment were also captured. During the remainder of the night we continued to strengthen our position. We learned at daylight that the enemy in front of us were also strengthening their defense. In our critical position, with enemy troops to our front and rear, it was not safe to send a message back unless the messenger was protected by a strong patrol. Shortly after daylight on November 4th, my regiment, in conjunction [Page 43] 171 with the 23rd Infantry, attempted to advance across the field to our front to a height ridge about one thousand yards away (overlooking Bourmont). Our advance was immediately halted by a hail of machine gun and rifle fire which literally pinned us to the ground with grazing fire. Patrols were sent out to outflank enemy detachments, and our 37mm. gun went into action from the loft of a barn at La Tueillerie Farm. Slowly, but gradually, this method of attack lessened the enemy fire. Our 37 mm. gun destroyed several enemy machine gun and their crews who had occupied a prepared position astride the road we had used during the night march. Later during this morning, Richthoffer’s famous air circus paid us a visit with about twelve of his fancy colored planes. These planes circled the field and fired upon [Page 44] 172 us for ten, or fifteen, minutes while we watched them and returned scattering fire. As far as I could judge, there were no casualties on either side from this air attack. The planes created more interest than fear from our troops. By early afternoon the enemy detachments had withdrawn, the Marine (4th) Brigade passed through our line and took up the assault, and we followed in reserve for the next few days. Following the Marine Brigade, we leap-frogged them and again took up the assault about November 7th. It was a damp morning and the weather was chilly. This was my birthday and I have a clear recollection of a few incidents of that day. Troops of our First Division were passing diagonally across our columns in their haste to capture Sedan, that historic city on the Meuse. At a French farm-house [Page 45] 173. near Villermontre we captured a German officer and his orderly in the early morning. The family at this house were so happy to see us that they prepared a breakfast of rabbit and fried potatoes for us. I was one of those to celebrate my birthday by stopping here long enough to help eat this breakfast by a warm fire. One of my platoons occupied the town of Villermontre about Nov. 7th and I continued with the remainder of my Company to Mouzon - on the Meuse about midway between Sedan and Stenay - in support of units of the 3rd Battalion of my regiment. We occupied this position, just across the river from German troops, until the termination of the war by the Armistice. In the stone building occupied by my headquarters, we received enemy artillery fire continuously [Page 46] 174 from the opposite slope of the valley. Enemy snipers in Mouzon fired upon anyone of us who exposed [illegible] in our position during daylight. Our snipers also denied the enemy access to the streets during daylight; both opposing forces fired in direction of any noise made on opposite banks of the river during the nights. During the last few days preceding the Armistice, two gas sentries at the doorway of our headquarters building were wounded by enemy artillery shells causing masonry to fall upon them. Several companies of my regiment, assisted by units of our Second Engineer Regiment, crossed the Meuse on the nights of November 9th and 10th. Many casualties were suffered during these crossings but they were made and the advance beyond the river was continued in spite of casualties. It was at my headquarters in this ‘hot spot’ that I witnessed an act [Page 47] 175 of heroism which won a Congressional Medal for one of our Ninth Infantrymen. The bridge which spanned the river here was known to have been damaged by the enemy, but airplane photographs showed the bridge to be still in place. The 3rd Battalion was ordered to reconnoiter this bridge and to determine if it was serviceable for troop crossing. Considering the deadly firing of the enemy here by daylight, and the fact that he posted machine guns at his end of the bridge by night, this was an extremely hazardous mission. It seemed to be certain suicide for anyone who attempted to approach the bridge. Maj. Yanda, the battalion commander, called for a volunteer patrol for this mission. Without hesitation, Corporal Van Jersel volunteered to lead such a patrol, and secured other volunteers to make up his patrol. Corporal Van Jersel came into our headquarters [Page 48] 176 and received his orders in my presence. He appeared as cool and calm as if he were receiving orders to go on furlough. Although his features plainly showed fatigue and strain of battle, he seemed interested and anxious for this chance to do a service, though a most dangerous one, for his commander. He and some other members of his patrol spoke German which made them especially qualified for such a task. This patrol was ordered to cross the bridge under cover of darkness and to reconnoiter the enemy position in Mouzon, across the river. A report was to be made by the patrol leader of the condition of the bridge and of the strength and location of enemy troops in the town. In approaching the bridge from our side there was an open space of about one hundred yards nearest the river on which were no buildings. This [Page 49] 177. space made the approach more hazardous. Having received his instructions, Corporal Van Jersel formed his patrol, inspected it, and led it forward in patrol formation on both sides of the road. As he reached the river bank, a slight noise of falling dirt from the bank brought enemy machine gun fire and caused the loss of one of his men by casualty. He saw that the bridge had been blown up but it appeared to have crashed from its former position and was floating on the water below. He, therefore, lowered himself quietly to the water level and started across the floating bridge. His patrol was following close behind. As he arrived near the center of the bridge, a section of the bridge, - a prepared trap - broke loose and floated down river with him. His followers saw the situation, heard their leader [Page 50] 178 splash into the water a short distance down stream, and returned to report the situation. They reported their leader as drowned or captured, and reported the trap in the bridge. Within the next hour, Corporal Van Jersel returned, [illegible] wet, and made a complete report of the enemy trap. He had, by risking his life, found that the bridge was not useable as a means of crossing troops over the river. This was the main item of information desired. For this act he was recommended for, and later received the highest decoration for bravery which our army awards - The Congressional Medal. Since dawn on November first we had been on continuous - physical and mental strain - under stress of battle. Then at about six o’clock on the morning of November the eleventh, the grand new came to us over [Page 51] 179 our field telephone that the Armistice had been signed and that all firing would cease at eleven o’clock on that day. Words cannot express the joy we felt upon receipt of this message. For the remainder of the morning all was quiet around our headquarters. Around eleven o’clock a few men on each side of the river risked peeping out from their places of concealment for a look-around. Then, when they were not fired upon, they poked their heads farther out. Still no one fired. Finally, a few men stepped out upon the streets, still somewhat distrustful of their adversaries. These were followed by numerous others on both sides of the river and a celebration began. The Germans built a huge bon-fire on their side of the river and beckoned us to come over and join them in their celebration. [Page 52] 180. However, our orders called for no advance beyond the line we then held, so no one went over. A copy of the last field message which I sent to my platoon leaders is in a Field Message Book in my personnel War Record file. It reads, “The Armistice has been signed, all firing ceases at Eleven A.M. today.” Lt. Beach, now an official of a Trust Company in New York told me that he still has, and prizes, his copy of this message. During the afternoon of Nov. 11th, we were relieved by other troops and my company marched back to Bourmont, four or five miles away, for rest. Up to this time I had not felt fatigued but was unconsciously stimulated by the excitement of battle conditions. After reaching Bourmont, where I was assigned a room with a real bed, I felt completely exhausted. When I lay down to sleep, I felt as if I could sleep for a week and enjoy it. A good night’s rest did wonders, and on the 13th I was ready for events of the day. [Page 53] 181. Immediately following the Armistice, we began preparation for marching to the Rhine River Valley in Germany as part of the Army of Occupation. For my company this included turning in our Hotchkiss machine guns in exchange for Browning (American) guns. These being new weapons, my men, had to be instructed in the operation of them. Then, about the 13th of December (1918) our long march started. Our route led through Arlon and Virton, Luxemburg, to Andernach on the Rhine, and then toward Coblercz to Bendorf. Our troops, by terms of the Armistice, were one day’s march behind the movement of the defeated German army. At some places along our route, we halted at night in billets which were vacated by German troops in the early morning of the same day. Some of these marches [Page 54] were long and tiresome but, for my part, my faithful steed, Dynamite, absorbed the greater part of my share of fatigue. By agreement, we could not cross the German border before December first. Having arrived at the border about November twenty third, we were required to halt for about one week along the Luxemburg - German border. At In a small town during this halt I was able to give my Company a real Thanksgiving Dinner. Since July when I took command of the Company I had carried in my purse a larger amount of Company Fund than I cared to have in my possession. There had been no prior opportunity to use it for the Company’s benefit and enjoyment. I therefore let them celebrate this holiday of ours by ordering purchasing a calf and a pig and having these animals barbecued for dinner. With this [Page 55] 183 43 addition to our regular dinner we also included apple cider by local purchase. ‘Tis needless to say that all of us enjoyed this method of celebration. On December first we crossed into Germany and continued the march to the town of Bendorf-am-Rhine which was the billetting [sic] station assigned to the Ninth Infantry. After At each day’s halt for the night in a German town, before I dismissed my Company to billets. I provided a guard for duty during the night, selected locations for placing machine guns, and announced an assembly place for the Company in case of any alarm trouble with inhabitants. After the Second Division had settled in billeting areas, it was found that my regiment was over-crowded in Bendorf and that the town of Urbar, across the Rhine from Coblenz, was not occupied. This town was made available to my regiment and, by good fortune, to my Company. Early in 1919 I, therefore, [Page 56] moved to Urbar, at the foot of the German fortress of Ehrenbreitzein, and had this town for my company. Lt. James of my Company who spoke German fluently but who had joined me after the Armistice was designated as billeting officer. When he had completed placing all personnel in billets which he had arranged for them, I made an inspection to see how my personnel was provided for. I found that Lt. James had accepted hall-ways and back rooms as quarters for my enlisted men, leaving the best rooms for the inhabitants. In every case where I found this condition, I had the inhabitants to exchange places with my men. This caused tears from many of the inhabitants but, again, ‘C’est La Guerre’ - or such is the privilege of the victor in war. {(a) see p. 186} From Urbar the view of the Rhine Valley is beautiful. Urbar is a quiet little town on the slope of the Rhine Valley. I was the senior American officer there so I had everything as I wished it. I enjoyed [Page 57] 185 45. seeing boats, including our excursion boats, sailing serenely along the river. On one occasion I took an excursion trip down up the Rhine to the famous German resort city of Wiesbaden. This trip took me by the famous rock and castle mentioned in the poem, “The Lorelei”. Wiesbaden was a fine resort city and I had a pleasant visit there. Oftimes, I rode horseback with one, or several, of my officers across the Rhine River bridge into Coblenz, and around the monument of Kaiser Wilhelm, Deinnal, at the junction of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers. (See P. 186) (b) Our time in the Army of Occupation was spent in further training including ceremonies, and inspections. I have an enlarged photograph of an assembly of officers and N.C.O.s of my division near Bendorf during an inspection by General Pershing. The assembly is for a speech from Gen. Pershing. I also have several enlarged photographs [Page 58] of my Company at Urbar, one of which shows the Rhine River in the background. (c) (See P. 187) (a) P. 184 The Rhine River Valley is quite beautiful in many places, and is a thickly populated industrial and commercial area. Busy towns and cities lie along its course. In many places the steep banks are terraced and made into vineyards. The river itself is wide and sluggish. (P. 185) (b) While returning from a horseback ride to Coblenz with two of my officers one day, a train passed us while as we were in a narrow space between the railroad and the steep slope of Ehrenbreitzein. My horse became frightened, began to pitch and, by a quick turn, he threw me off. To make matters serious, my left foot caught in the stirrup. Then, for about three leaps of my horse, as he ran forward, his heel missed my head by only a few inches. Fortunately, [Page 59] 187. after a few leaps my foot was released from the stirrup and I skidded along the paved road for a short distance without painful injury. On this occasion, I was riding a Buckskin horse of my company animals. (c) Our officers mess at Urbar was a private room in a German restaurant by the river. During mealtime, if we desired wines or beer with our meals, we pushed an electric button and a German madchen (maid) appeared from the restaurant to take our orders. In February, 1919, I took a leave of absence and visited London. This trip was made by train to La Havre, and via Paris. I had visited Paris several times and had enjoyed its art, culture, and its famous hospitality, but had not seen London. On my short voyage across the English Channel on a small ship I met another American officer, a Capt. Ward the Quartermaster [Page 60] Corps, who was on his way to London. He had an aunt who managed a Red Cross Hotel for Americans in London so, at his invitation, we planned to see London together. We stopped at the hotel which was operated by my new friends aunt and found it to be very satisfactory. Besides the good fortune in finding a pleasant lodging place, his aunt, who had lived in London for some time, had some influencial [sic] friends and was very helpful in making our visit interesting and instructive. She secured passes for us to visit the Houses of Parliament (see my pass in my overseas records) and directed us to the famous Chelsea Cheese eating place, and many other interesting places. We visited London tower and saw the priceless crowns which are worn by the King and Queen on ceremonial occasions. Buckingham Palace with its famous Horse Guards, the famous cathedrals of Westminster Abbey & St. Paul’s, the museums, historic spots in the city, etc., were all very interesting. [Page 61] 189. I shall not attempt to cover here all of the interesting things we did and saw during my seven days in London. I might cover the story by saying that we did not miss much that was worth seeing. Incidentally after I returned home I again saw Captain Ward in Spartanburg, S.C. and learned this was his home. For the last month, or two, of our tour in the Army of Occupation, my regiment moved to Dierdorf and my company occupied the town of Giershofen - on the rim of our bridge-head area. The Treaty of Peace was being prepared and was due to be signed about JUne 28th and our move was in preparation for a farther advance into Germany in case the Germans failed to sign. About June 24th we moved out into the field making a demonstration of strength by the move - and were assigned sectors of advance. I have in my files a copy of secret orders on treatment of enemy inhabitants in case we had to move farther into Germany. We, also, picked out a town at a distance in our [Page 62] prospective zone of advance which we planned to reach the first day. At Giershofen I took upon myself the dangerous task of breaking a mean horse of a vicious habit. This horse, a large black animal, was being ridden by my orderly as he followed me about on my duties. Each time we passed the stables, his horse would cease to follow my mount and would take his rider into the stable. I got disgusted with this act and one day exchanged horses with my orderly. As we passed the stables, this horse tried his stable act with me. I applied my spurs and riding crop to him with plenty of force which caused him to rear-up almost to the angle of falling backwards - this while he worked his way toward the stable on a cobblestone street. However, the more he objected to moving by the stable, the more I applied punishment to him. After a few minutes of this act, and with a [Page 63] 191 village audience looking on, I conquered this horse and rode him back and forth by his stable until he would not even look in that direction. The orderly did not have any further trouble in riding him by the stables after this. The Treaty of Peace was signed, as scheduled, about June 28th and we went back to our billets at Giershofen. The Second Division made immediate preparations for return to the good old U.S.A. In the meantime, I was offered an opportunity to stay with the Army of Occupation, and to attend anyone of several continental European universities, with free tuition, but I would choose to stay with the division with which I had been baptized in blood and to return to the United States. By July 15th, we were en route to New York via Brest, France. My return voyage was made on the Princess Matoika, a small ship. Arriving at New York about August first (1919), we moved into Camp Mills [Page 64] (or Camp Merritt?) and delayed demobilization until the division had paraded up Broadway. This parade was made on August 11th and was a spectacular affair. Our column was made up of massed battalions and with a front of about four columns of squads abreast. We were received and applauded as heroes along the route of march. Then came the time for demobilizing our emergency officers and enlisted men. After a few days our companies consisted of one, or two officers and about twenty enlisted men - the regular Army personnel. With this reduced personnel we were ordered to station at San Antonio, Texas, and left New York about August 15th, by a succession of troop trains for Camp Travis. Again, along our route we were feted. The 9th Infantry had left Syracuse, N. Y. when it moved over- [Page 65] 193 seas and was called by that city, Syracuse’s own. When our trains reached Syracuse, about six o’clock, the first morning on our travel we were greeted by long and continuous blasts of all of the cities whistles, and by the ringing of bells. Somewhat later we passed along the shores of Lake Erie. Our troop commander remarked to the conductor that the lake looked very inviting for a swim. Within the same hour, our train was on a siding and we were swimming in Lake Erie. All along our route, the Red Cross sent invitations by wire for us to stop at various stations so that they could serve us. We were near enough to the head of our column of trains to select the stations at which we wished to stop. Our selection included St. Louis, Mo. and a swim in the Y.M.C.A. pool there as arranged by the Red Cross. After a few days of travel, we arrived at Camp Travis, Texas in winter [Page 66] uniforms and in the hottest part of August. The first order of business after detraining was to outfit our units in khaki clothing. Then a few weeks were required to settle into our peace-time home - the war time barracks of Camp Travis on the 7th Sam Houston Reservation. Recruits were sent us here to build up the units to peace strength. My two years of provisional appointment had expired by this time and an examination for permanent appointment was ordered. Fortunately, Lt. Col. Milo C. Corey, who had served with my regiment during the war, was a member of my examining board. Based upon my war record, he recommended that the mental examination in my case be waived. This recommendation was approved and the only part of the examination which I was required to undergo was a three hour (about 18 miles) horseback [Page 67] 195 197 ride. The ride was made successfully and I thus was given a permanent appointment as First Lieutenant of Infantry. I still held the rank of temporary Captain since May 1918, but which dated back to Aug. 5, 1917. Fort Sam Houston was a fine old Southern post and a pleasant station for duty. The climate there is about ideal for all year training. This was the station of the largest number number of troops which we had in the U.S. For summer training and field maneuvers, we moved out to Camp Bullis or to Camp Stanley (adjoining Camp Bullis), about twenty miles out of San Antonio. The civilians of San Antonio were very cordial to army personnel which condition added to the pleasure of serving there. After completing requirements for my permanent appointment, I took a leave of absence and visited my home-folks and my fiance. [Page 68] Railroads were still operating under government control and I traveled to South Carolina, and return, for about one cent per mile. I somewhat expected to be married on this trip but it turned out that your mother and I arranged our wedding for the following year. During the year which followed I was able to enjoy San Antonio hospitality. Being a bachelor, there were many social events, including ‘Coming Out Parties’ for debutantes, of in which I participated. My best girlfriend was Hazal Hutchins who lived on Kings Highway (St.) The Annual Fiesta is a big event in San Antonio, and a very colorful one. I believe one name for this fiesta is ‘The Battle of the Flowers’. It somewhat resembles, and serves the same purpose, as does the Mardi Gras does for New Orleans. There was important history made at and around San Antonio. The famous Alamo which was defended against Mexican Forces of Santa Anna to the last man, stands first in [Page 69] 197 historic importance. The old mission houses, some of which are connected by underground tunnels are interesting institutions of the past. (I believe the Alamo was also a mission house.) Besides the interesting social and historic phases of this city, the surrounding country itself is of interest. This is in a land of the wide, open spaces - in the largest state in our Union. I was introduced here to the beautiful blue bottle fields and also to the also beautiful cactus blooms. There is much fertile farmland and also many square miles of desert waste in this state. Early in July, 1920, I received my permanent appointment as Captain of Infantry dated from June 20th of the same year. About this time, I also received orders to go its school attend the Company Officers’ course at Fort Benning (Columbus, Ga.) which began in September. On about Sept 15th, therefore, I changed stations and reported to the Infantry School at Fort Benning. [Page 70] After one month of the Infantry School course, the 29th Infantry at Fort Benning asked the school for a group of officers - one Major, four Captains and twenty Lieutenants. I was one of the four Captains to get the assignment to this school demonstration regiment. All of those who were assigned to the 29th Inf. from the School were promised that they should return to school for the next course. My first month at the school was spent chiefly in rifle marksmanship under the coaching and direction of Col. McNab. I lived during this time in a barracks which was assigned to bachelor officers. After reporting for duty with the 29th Infantry, I was assigned to organize and command the Howitzer Company of that regiment; I believe this was the first Howitzer Company which our army had organized. This was an interesting assignment. It also included operation of the 4” mortar for chemical warfare demonstrations. [Paragraph on the bottom of page 70 will be transcribed on the following page.] [Page 71] 199. for the school. My two Lieutenants were Harlan N. Hartness and Lt Pendleton. Lt. Heidemeyer was later assigned to my Company - he states that I was his first Company Commander. In the meantime, I had arranged to be married and secured a leave of absence for this purpose. The date for this big event in my life was set for December 8th (1920). My fiance planned a beautiful wedding arrangement and the ceremony went off as scheduled, at 8 o’clock on the evening of December 8th. My best man for the occasion was my cousin, Hilton Harvey. Your mother can tell you the details of the wedding. if you are interested. We spent our Honey Moon of a few days in Atlanta after which time we continued the journey to Columbus, Ga. For the remainder of my duty at Fort Benning, I lived in the city of Columbus. While I was with the 29th Inf., polo became a popular army game. The best army horses were made available for this game in order to encourage horsemanship. I organized a 29th Inf. polo team and was captain of this team while I served with the regiment. [Bottom of page 70] (Bottom P. 199) Later this team played the Tourists’ team at Camden, S.C. while I was stationed in Columbia. My old team made a good showing but was beaten by superior polo mounts. [Bottom of page 71] In September, 1921, I again entered the Infantry School as a student and [Page 72] completed the Company Officers’ course the latter part of May of the following year. A few months before graduation I was notified by the school authorities that I was slated for duty with the National Guard upon graduation. About this time I received a personal letter from Hanford McNider who had served in the 9th Infantry, as a Captain, with me and who was then Assistant Secretary of War. He asked if he could do anything for me. Knowing that there was to be a vacancy at Columbia, S.C., for an Instructor of National Guard, I told him that I would like to get that station for my assignment. In a short time, I had another letter from him stating that the Adjutant General had consented to my going to Columbia. About June 1, 1922, my orders arrived assigning me as Instructor of the South Carolina National Guard with station at Columbia. I, therefore, [Page 73] 201. reported for duty at Columbia, paying official calls upon the Governor and the Adjutant General of the state in their offices. I lived first on Pendleton Street, and later with the Lowrance’s at 1700 Gervais Street. Our first child, Roy, Jr., was born on Pendleton Street. He lived but one week, - Aug 3, to Aug. 9, 1922. The little fellow developed jaundice shortly after he arrived and, although he showed remarkable stamina, he didn’t seem to have a fair chance at life. His little body rests in Laurens Cemetery in the Easterly plot. Ruth, you came to us to brighten our lives while we lived at 1700 Gervais Street. I was present in the room when you breathed your first breath and uttered your first sound - it was a cry. The good old Doctor McIntosh who must have weighed 300 pounds brought you into the world. I enjoyed my the duty in my home [Page 74] state. I felt that I was among friendly home-folks and that I was being of some service to my State. When I first reported for duty there the Adjutant General was General Craig. He was latter succeeded by James C. Dozier. I was a member of the Examining Board to examine Jimmie Dozier for Federal Recognition as a Brigadier General in the National Guard. I spent five years at Columbia, assisting and instructing the National Guard at the home stations of the various units, and continuing this work while these units were at camp each summer. There was much travel and night duty connected with this work, since the units drilled at night. During these five years, also, I spent about two weeks each year in inspecting the North Carolina infantry regiment (the 120th Inf). In this way I was able to see lots of the other Carolina. I also attended summer camps at Anniston, Ala, and Camp Johnson (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Fayetteville N.C. during this period. [Page 75] 203 We found and made many good friends in Columbia. Wilson and Annie Kate Scott (Mr & Mrs H. W. Scott), the Wertz’s, the Sangers, and the Boardman’s were among our best civilian friends. The then Captain & Mrs. James C. Longino were on duty with us in Columbia, he, as Instructor of the Quartermaster units of North and South Carolina. They were our closest Army friends there of your mother and me, and we had many pleasant trips and parties together. The Purdy’s, and other Army officers, also lived at Columbia with me, so we had Army social events even while on civilian duty. In August, 1925, your mother and I took a trip via New York City to Niagra Falls. I still have pleasant memories of this trip. It included a boat trip across Lake Ontario to Toronto, Canada. Ask mother if she remembers my hiding from her in Eden’s large department store while she was shopping. There are some kodak pictures of us in our album showing Niagra Falls and Toronto. We also took a bus trip to Hollywood beach and Miami, Fla., in 1924. Columbia being close to my home and to your mother’s home, so we often traveled back and forth from [Page 76] and to in visiting of our families. Each Christmas time found us up-state from Columbia. I took up the game of golf at Columbia. James Longino and I spent many afternoons on the links there. We also spent many pleasant afternoons at bridge in the Masonic Hall. Professor Wertz, Jesse Reiss, Harold Lumpkin and Frank Hart were the other regular bridge players. Another sport which I was also able to enjoy was the sport of hunting. The greatest thrill and pleasure which I ever had at this sport was at Walterboro, S.C. My good friend Heber Padgett of Walterboro arranged many excellent hunts for me including deer, duck, and bird hunting. I shall not forget him for his generosity. After five years at Columbia, I was offered asked to continue duty there as Senior Instructor. Jimmie Dozier, the A. G., asked if I would like to continue there. However, I [Page 77] 205 wanted to keep in closer touch with my profession by taking the advanced course at the Infantry School, and the course at the General Service School at Ft. Leavenworth Kansas. I, therefore, applied for the course at Fort Benning and was ordered there for the 1927-28 course, beginning in September. Mother and I lived in Spencer home on 2nd Ave., in Columbia, while I attended school. Although I was kept quite busy with my school work, mother and I enjoyed the many post and city social activities. I was able to continue the sport of golf with three of my class-mates, Bill Purdy, Virgil Bell and George Kraft. It was quite an unusual occurrence in the army, but this same foursome played golf during the following year at the General Service School at Fort Leavenworth. One of the favorite sports at Benning is the hunt with hounds. The Hunting Club there owned two packs of fine hounds and used them for fox hunts, wild cat hunts and drag hunts. [Page 78] I participated in several of these hunts on Sunday mornings. We usually had breakfast at the hunt club and then followed the hounds, behind the Master of the hounds in red coat and cap, for the remainder of the morning. I generally used rode my school mount, ‘Brown Boy’ who was pretty sure-footed and active. In September 1928, I went to the General Service School at Fort Leavenworth, for as a student. The course there was strenuous and kept me busy. Ruth, you were only two years old then and I remember you in the winter snow in your new red coat. This was the coldest weather you had experienced - about 12° above zero at one time. One day an officer passed by you and your nurse and said, “Hello, Little Red Riding Hood”. Without hesitation, you replied, “Hello, Wolf.” You also made your first appearance on the stage by singing a song by yourself to the Sunday School congregation. Mother and I saw and heard [Page 79] 207. our first sound moving that year in Kansas City, Mo. We also bought some of the furniture, the living room suite which we now have, in Kansas City, Kansas. With the Leavenworth course behind me, I went to duty at Fort Sam Houston. Upon reporting for duty there in August 1929, I was asked whether I preferred assignment to the 9th Infantry (my World War regiment) or to the 23rd Infantry regiment. Since I knew the C. O. of the 23rd Inf., - Col. Austin A. Parker who had been Instructor of the North Carolina National Guard while I served with the S. C. N. G. -, and did not know anyone in my old regiment, I stated my preference for the 23rd Inf. For the first year I commanded Co. “D” (M. G. Co.) and lived in the city. The following year I was made Adjutant of the regiment, and we moved into spacious and comfortable quarters in The Infantry Post. there We enjoyed service at the Southern Post. San Antonio is so hospital and is [Page 80] a fine city. We were visited here by some of the home-folks - Ernest and Estelle Easterly, Lucy Dial and Lucile Gray. Our roomy large house gave us plenty of room for all to be comfortable. Although I was not able to do much for our visitors and still feel as if, at times, I was not even hospitable. I had received orders for a tour in Hawaii, and had this more on my mind. I hope they enjoyed their visit in spite of my seeming inhospitality. We did do some sightseeing together. Laura Anne, it was here, at the Fort Sam Houston Hospital, that you joined our family and added more happiness to our home by your arrival. I remember you in your crib at the Ft. Sam Houston, and your white nurse, Ida, as giving us little or no trouble. You were just a little more than one year old when you began to travel. About September August, 1931, we received orders for duty in Hawaii. This was my first foreign service duty since [Page 81] 209 the World War. We drove through to San Francisco in November, by easy stages and took our first sea voyage together on the Transport, Republic. This was the first trip of the Republic as an Army transport and it had been remodeled into a comfortable ship. When we were two days out of Honolulu, I received a radio stating, “Aloha, you are assigned to National Guard duty at Hilo.” We arrived, experienced the warm and cordial reception for which Honolulu is noted, and spent one week in that city before going to Hilo. Captain and Mrs. Arch Fall were especially nice to us during this stop-over. Col. & Mrs Smoot (the A. G.) were also very cordial to us at this time. They gave a dinner for us at their home and had on the table, as an arrangement, a miniature of our Transport, the Republic which was made by one of the Smoot boys. It even had smoke coming from the smoke stack - a very clever arrangement. To choose our dinner partner, we had a jigsaw puzzle to match with the partner’s. After one week here, we caught the Hualial (or the Wialale) and traveled the 200 miles to Hilo. There was not much to our liking at Hilo, or on the big island of Hawaii. Hilo is a city of about 20,000 population, mostly orientals. There was hardly a day [Page 82] without rain which made for us a gloomy surrounding. The only other Army couple on this island was the Hedden’s - later relieved by the Archers - who were at the Volcano Camp. We visited the volcano and the camp often, that being about the best drive from Hilo. This camp is about 30 miles up Monoa Loa and 4000 feet higher than Hilo. On one occasion we went up to see the volcano, Haule’ Mauman in eruption. I have some photographs which I took of the eruption on this trip. The tourist hotel (Volcano House), next to the Army rest camp, has hot steam baths piped in from the volcanic steam. At some of the crevices in the ground in this area, one can light a stick from the heat coming out of the ground. The Old streams of lava on the opposite side of the island from Hilo mark former eruptions which flowed to the sea. On the few clear days around on the east side of the island, [Page 83] 211. Mauna Loa, the snow capped peak of Mauna Loa this (14,000 feet) mountain can be seen. Mauna Kea is the other high volcanic mountain on the northern part of the island. Other places of interest which we visited are were the old prince’s palace and the deserted village on the (Kona) west opposite from Hilo coast, black sand beach and Parkers Ranch, and the deserted village. Large sugar cane plantations and many tropical fruits grow around Hilo. At one place where we lived, we had in our yard, a lime tree, a banana tree, papia trees, coconut trees, and one other tropical fruit an alligator pear tree, - all bearing. At another place at which we lived in Hilo, we had a huge alligator pear tree of wonderful fruit. There were several pastime pleasures on this tropical isle. I was able to continue golf although many of the games were played part of the round in the rain. We visited most of the incoming ships. Several around-the-world tourists ship came to pay Hilo a visit, including the luxury liner, The Empress [Page 84] of Britain; also a big German liner. The little Army transport, the Royal T. Frank, came from Honolulu each week. We got most most of our groceries from the commissary in Honolulu via this transport. The few white people in Hilo were very good to us. Among those were Dr. & Mrs. (Major) Orenstein, and Col. & Mrs. Spalding, Dr. & Mrs. Sorensen (Sorenson). Our next door neighbor in Hilo were from Georgetown, S. C. Ruth, the little Wessel’s girl gave you your Aloha ring at Hilo. Do you remember losing it in the sand on the beach there? and of you finding it the next day? For your first Christmas, Santa Claus came along with us from San Francisco. You have some kodak pictures of some of the dolls and other toys that traveled on the ships with you to Hilo. If you remember, my saddle horse, Dixie, also went as far as Honolulu on a ship following ours. I sold him to the government there while I was in Hilo. In August 1932, after about eight months at Hilo, I moved back to Honolulu to take up the duty of [Page 85] 213 Instructor of National Guard in that city. I had spoken for this detail when I was assigned to Hilo, and got the assignment there as soon as a vacancy occurred. Perhaps you remember living at the Pleasanton Hotel for awhile, until we found a home near that hotel. This change was like going back to civilization after spending some time on an isolated island. Honolulu was very much like our own cities except that it is in a tropical setting. All of us enjoyed the tour there. Ruth, you began your school days at the Lincoln School. Do you remember riding to school each day on an army bus? You took Laura Anne to school on the bus one day and then came home and left her at school. I made haste to go for her and found her in your classroom playing with your classroom toys. The teacher was still there, and Laura Anne didn’t know that you [Page 86] had gone home without her. You were in several cute school plays and mayday celebrations. You also continued ukele [sic] and hula lessons from the Bray Troop that you started in Hilo. You learned to play this instrument, and to dance the Hawaiian dance well and you were real cute and clever with your performance at that young age. There were many things to see and enjoy in Honolulu. For all of us, the beach at Fort DeRussey furnished the pleasant sport of swimming and sun bathing. We spent part of nearly every afternoon there. I had my regular game of golf at Fort Shafter; Capt. Fall, Capt Wood, Capt. King & I played about three times a week. I also played a few games with this foursome at the Oahu and Wialai Country Clubs, and with Capt. Paul Hudson at the Schofield course. We often bathed at Wai Kiki, and watched the bathers and tourists at that beach. We also drove around the island several times. A favorite pastime was to go to meet visitors as each ship came in. Honolulu has a way of welcoming and bidding farewell to visitors that no other city has. Beautiful [Page 87] 215. flower lei’s are presented to visitors by their friends. These leis are made and sold near the docks where the ships anchor. Each ship was welcomed by the Royal Hawaiian Band, and transports were given the additional welcome by an army band from Schofield Barracks. The Bray Troop of Hawaiian dancers performed at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel each week and mother and I often went to see them. The flowers and tropical foliage and fruits are plentiful and beautiful in Honolulu and on Oahu. The Royal Ponciauna trees in bloom, the Hibiscus bushes, the Royal Palm trees, and other tropical flowers and plants add to the enchantment of the island. Tropical fruits are also abundant there including bananas, pineapple, papia, guavas, coconuts, etc. The chief industries are sugar and pineapple. There are large plantations of each of these employing many Phiippine [sic] and Japanese laborers. We were able to buy and eat plenty of delicious pineapples along the roadside toward Schofield Barracks. Ernest and Estelle Easterly paid us [Page 88] a visit in Honolulu. Our friends were especially nice to them and helped to make their visit enjoyable. The Berefords gave them and us a Luau of roast pig, poi, etc. served in typical Hawaiian style. The Smoots, (Col. & Mrs.) the Adjutant General of Hawaii, Major & Mrs Turner, Major & Mrs Chillingsworth, Robert and Jane Witherspoon and the Goodknights were our closest island friends. Laura Anne, you remember your and Ruth’s little English bull dog, Kam. Major Turner gave Kam to us as a little puppy (English Bull). Most of our social activities were with the army people in the city; the Fall’s, the Faris’s, the Smither’s, the Offley’s, the King’s, and others. Also the Dills, the Simons and the Hudson’s, at Schofield Barracks. President Roosevelt visited this foreign tropical city while we were there and we were able to witness the royal reception which was accorded him. It was a wonderful spectacle which we first saw from the Punch Bowl heights. He stayed about a week and there were festivities all the while. [Page 89] 217. My office was in the Armory building just across the street from the capitol. Since part of my work was instructing the Guard during their drills at night, I only worked in the office until one o’clock each day. This permitted us to spend the afternoon on the beach as I have mentioned. Finally, after two pleasant years of duty here, orders came for us to return to the U. S. and for me to go to duty at Fort Sulling, Minnesota. We were to travel again on the Transport Republic which sailed on Aug. 17, 1934. The National Guard was in camp at this time. As a farewell gesture to me, Col. Smoot invited me to the camp for dinner a day or two before we sailed. While waiting in his tent for dinner, he had the band to assemble around the tent and play some of those enchanting pieces of Hawaiian music for my entertainment. These included the sad piece of ‘The Song of the Isle’, and ‘Aloha Oi.’ The officers then presented me with the [Page 90] Koa bowl which I have, a silk lei and several flower lei’s. Also, while I was in his tent, he had one of the officers make a profile sketch of me to go with the news account of my departure. This sketch and the news article is in my files at home. I neglected to mention that I had received a promotion to the grade of Major, dating from about July 1, 1934. Then the day arrived for us to sail. Your nurse, Hiruka (Japanese) went to the ship with you. An Army Band from Schofield and the Royal Hawaiian Band were present to bid us a fond farewell. Many other officers and their families were leaving with us, including the former Commander of the Army Air Forces of Hawaii. All four of us were heaped with many colors of leis around our necks while we listened to the bands take turns in playing enchanting parting music. For the first half hour of our leaving the harbor, we were entertained from the air by many Army and Navy [Page 91] 219. planes which were doing honor to their departing former Commander (Navy planes joined as a mark of courtesy). These planes flew low over our ship first in groups and then in single file making an exciting spectacle. Then, following a Hawaiian tradition, we threw our leis into the sea, sailed by Diamond Head, and out to sea and homeward. Our family was assigned two adjoining state rooms for this voyage. ‘Twas fortunate that we had plenty of space because we were to live on the ship for twenty-eight days. Mother and I occupied one cabin, and you girls used the other. This voyage was a long but pleasant one. There were many things to see and do along the way. You girls spent a few hours each day in coloring the sketches and cartoons of the ship’s news bulletins. We also spent much time on the sun-deck, and walking on the promenade deck. You also played games on the sun-deck. Movie pictures were shown nearly every night. We stopped at San Francisco for about two days, and then sailed for New York via the Panama Canal. Our ship was late in arriving at Panama. We had planned to do some shopping there where [Page 92] foreign goods can be bought duty free. Fortunately, our troop commander radioed ahead and succeeded in having the Post Exchanges and Commissaries remain open until 11:00 P. M. - they usually closed at 5:00 PM. We arrived about 6:00 P. M. and, through a down-pour of rain, did some hasty shopping. We bought a set of Wedge-Wood Chinaware, several Oriental rugs, silks, linens and perfumes. You girls, stayed onboard ship while mother and I shopped until about 11:00 P. M. and then were guests of Major and Mrs. Walsh of the Air Corps - Maj. Walsh was a class-mate of mine at the C. & G. S. School at Ft Leavenworth in 1928-29 who had taken me on my first airplane trip there; we got last in the air and were up about an hour longer than we expected to be up. They took us to their home, to the Alibi Club, the Miramar Club, where we were introduced to the Planters Punch drink, and entertained us until about 3:00 A. M. next day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Journal of Roy C. Hilton, Note Book C: Food and Drink Recipes & A Personal Letter, 1943-1944 Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Recipes World War (1939-1945) Description An account of the resource The third part of Hilton's letter to his daughters. This journal continues his service in World War I through his time in Hawaii in 1934. It also contains food and drink recipes, thoughts on the history and serving of wine and the menu for a farewell dinner in 1941. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Citadel Archives & Museum Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/830 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date Valid Date (often a range) of validity of a resource. 1940-1949 Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/4befd7b8af574709af099e6a3e155601.pdf?Expires=1789603200&Signature=UoVZH9MYMTBhMOl-x5ImJwqqm4lqfBLsKly7d7ucJNqSxgWnBRuStWGFLRGGE2YMAMlIpHXobf49Fs-nWBynurL%7EmEGgqwhXkyEk9TB5dHuF13l%7EDId97Q8caLwPUuDEAv%7EnX9O0bUutQNa%7EuItOj8Fl2iP5VsZNJfL2i1Qkhnq9ZGJ-eQtqMSi9K-Yl-u5PXZ7yXXnE2l6XaCPDJz2TQ4RJHFvLbkGjDaxTy4ZdGGfAg4IxPEq9M9NyMnxbqzOkzw4YO1D8BV5P1mkpHzfK4sRsePj7rYq4xBBrPXFuci-P1Cx1T50MA1FI%7EqCvDnOEITolCqhYonAPTESCzl4zkQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM ced3d883c58166f5a2d2697baba8cdfe PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hilton, Roy C. Collection Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 World War (1939-1945) World War (1914-1918) Prisoners of war Description An account of the resource Roy Hilton was born in Greenwood, South Carolina on November 7, 1892. He entered The Citadel in 1911. As a cadet, he was a member of the Polytechnic Literary Society and during his senior year, he held the position of Cadet Lieutenant of Company A his senior year. He majored in English and graduated in 1915. On June 7, 1917, he entered the U. S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and served in France and Germany. He was assigned to The Citadel from 1938-1941 as an assistant professor of military science. In 1941 he was stationed in Bataan, Philippine Islands. When the United States forces on Bataan surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942, Colonel Hilton was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese until the liberation in 1945. This collection contains several journals written by Hilton while he was a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II. The journals are arranged in chronological reading order; however, some of the dates would appear to contradict this. The journals should be read in the following order: 1. Note Book A, October 12, 1943 2. Note Book B, 1943-1945 3. Note Book C, 1943-1945 4. Journal, August 23, 1945 5. Note Book No. 8, June 7, 1943-November 7, 1944 6. Note Book No. 9, November 9, 1944-October 27, 1945 7. Philippine Campaigne, 1941-1942 8. Note Book #2, May 10-August 10, 1942 9. Note Book #3, May 10, 1942-April 2, 1943 10. Journal Entries, Charts and Other Thoughts, 1941-1945 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/29 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document [Page 1] Note Book “B” Roy C. Hilton Col. G. S. C. (Inf). Laurens, S.C., USA A Personal Letter (cont’d) [Page 2] [Blank page.] [Page 3] 79. (cont’d from page 71 Book A) Punishments for delinquencies were sufficiently severe to produce desired results. These ranged from an admonition to a dishonorable discharge from the institution. In between these extremes were such punishments as the following: awarding of demerits, the accumulation of which beyond an authorized maximum caused dismissal from college; restriction to quarters during leave periods; walking of punishment tours on the quadrangle during leave periods; and, for cadet officers and non-commissioned officers, reduction to the grade of private; or, combinations of the above mentioned punishments. By February 22nd of each year the corps of cadets had reached such a state of perfection in military drills that it could be placed on exhibition. At this time our weekly [Page 4] Dress Parades were started and were held each Friday afternoon following the drill period. The uniforms for these ceremonies were full dress coats of the long-tail, brass-button, gold-braid style, white trousers, white cross-belts, white gloves, and for headgear the tall shako with black plume or pom pom. The Cadet Band, which had also developed into a fine organization, played an important and a conspicuous part in these ceremonies. There usually were a large number of visitors present which was an additional incentive for us to put forth our best efforts. The visitors stand usually included the sweethearts of many of the cadets. The smart dress of the cadets, combined with snappy movements and perfect [Page 5] 81. unison in executing the marches and the manual of arms, made a spectacular exhibition. These ceremonies also proved of value from the standpoint of training in that they added to the espris of the cadet corps. Toward the latter part of each college year field training, to include two weeks of encampment, was held. These periods were looked forward to as pleasant outings. A chance to fire our rifles and to win a marksmanship medal was given us during field training. During one of these periods we marched to Orangeburg - about 80 miles distant, - camping along the route of march and completing the training while in camp at that town. On another occasion we went into camp at Fort Moultrie and [Page 6] operated the Coast Artillery weapons there as part of our training. By this method, our year of military training was made more comprehensive and more popular. * (see page 87) So far, I have discussed chiefly the military features of my college life. There was no lessening of academic requirements nor lowering of scholastic standards on account of military requirements. The work of gaining an education is a slow and tedious one under any circumstances - and we found that constant study, attention to lectures, and periodic reviews were necessary to pass successfully the examinations for advancement from class to class. Of the two degrees given by the Citadel to her graduates, the B.S. and the A.B. degrees, [Page 7] 83. I selected studies leading to the Bachelor of Science degree, and elected Advanced English as my major subject. During Christmas holidays and summer vacations I returned to Greenwood and boarded in the home of my step-mother. Wallace and Helen also boarded in this home. When work was available during summer months, I took advantage of such opportunities to pay for living expenses. One summer i was fortunate enough to get employment with some of my college professors on a job of surveying the Congaree River below Columbia. I made from $50.00 to $70.00 per month at this work while living pleasantly on a house-boat which we floated down the river. On other occasions I was able to find short-time employment [Page 8] as clerk, or in distributing advertising literature, for store-keepers in Greenwood. Along with the serious work of gaining an education there were also lighter and pleasanter activities of college life. Athletics and social functions were most prominent among these. In my class (class of 1915) and in the class of 1916 were two of the best athletes who had attended the Citadel for some time. These were Bill Folger and Johnnie Weeks. Our football, basketball, and track teams ranked with the best in the state due chiefly to the ability of these two players. For one year in my four years, The Citadel won the state football championship. For a few of the best out-of-town games we took the whole student body along in a chartered “Citadel-Special” train. [Page 9] 85 Basketball, and track events, were important as minor athletics providing healthful exercise for participants and amusement to others. Chief among our social functions were the weekly dances and formal Hops. For the informal dances we made use of the mess-hall and invited Charleston girls for dance partners. There was a certain group of these girls who showed preference to Citadel dances over those of Charleston College, or the Medical College - these were excellent dancers and were called by us ‘The Citadel Girls’. Formal Hops were held two or three times each year, usually preceding Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Commencement exercises. These being much more elaborate affairs, a hall in the city was engaged and cadets invited [Page 10] their best girl friends. Special orchestras, favors and refreshments helped to make these Hops more enjoyable. Another enjoyable function was the Cadet Picnic. This was held in the Spring, and at one of the beaches where swimming furnished part of the entertainment. Lunches were furnished by our mess, and again the Charleston ‘Citadel Girls’ were invited. I played favorite to two of these girls, Elizabeth Leathers and Charlotte Whaley. Extra curricular activities in which I participated were class athletics, military competitions and the literary society. I planned to play varsity football and was called back for early Fall-practice in my sophomore year. Unfortunately, during [Page 11] 87. the first two weeks of practice I received a blow over my kidneys which incapacitated me for the remainder of the season. After this, except for track events, I confined my athletics to class events. I took part in our varsity track competition, running in the mile-relay event. As a side event for further mental training, almost everyone joined one of the literary societies. I was a member of the Polytechnic Literary Society and have a diploma from this society along with my college diploma. I enjoyed participating in debates and feel that I was benefitted [sic] thereby. (* Insert on page 82). Our military system was run as an organization of cadets, by cadets, and for cadets. It was an Honor System and any dishonorable act [Page 12] such as making a fake official-statement, cheating on examinations, failure in performance of duty, etc., meant dismissal. The college motto was, “Duty in the Sublimest word in the English Language.” To the unmilitary type of cadet it was more appropriate to change the motto and say, “X.M.D. (excused military duty) are the sublimest words in the English language. Cadet leaders were selected and appointed from the most efficient students of each class. Corporals, the lowest rank of leaders were members of the Sophomore class; Sergeants were members of the Junior class; and officers- Captains and Lieutenants were members of the senior class. By constant effort and attention to duty, I was fortunate enough to reach the grades of Corporal Sergeant-Major, and First Lieutenant, [Page 13] 89. ranking near the head of my class in my last three years of college.) Finally, after four years of study and the discipline of military life, such as I have described, I graduated in eleventh place among my classmates of forty four members. Graduation was another happy event for me. To celebrate this occasion we attended a class Banquet given by Allan Moore, of Charleston, to his class. After separating from friends at this elaborate banquet we were free, happy over our success and, as we said, ‘educated.’ I must not close the subject of my college career without honorable mention of some of my closest friends. I have mentioned Allan Moore whose hospitable home in Charleston extended open doors to me, and who was my [Page 14] room-mate for several semesters. Several years after graduation, Allan did me the honor to ask me to take the part of best-man at his wedding. Unfortunately for me, I was then stationed at San Antonio, Texas, and was unable to comply with his request. Another fine Charlestonian was Jimmie Holmes who graduated as Senior Captain of the Cadet Corps and who gave his life for his country in World War Number One. My bridge partners were Toney Jackson, Hughey Tindal and Cheney Moore. Another room-mate for several semesters was Samuel Reid, of Rock Hill, now deceased, who later married Betty Leathers - an old girlfriend of mine. Pete Hudgens and Bob Porter and, lest I omit someone, I refer you to my college annual of 1915 - for others [Page 15] 91.a whom I count as my friends. WIth the above account, I shall close the discussion of my college career. *(See p. 91b) x x x x x Taking advantage of two opportunities which were open to me while I was a cadet, I found that my immediate future was provided for. Upon hearing that the Federal government was holding an examination in Charleston for civil service applicants, I went to the Post Office one Saturday morning and stood this examination. Later, I was notified by the Civil Service Commission that I had passed the examination successfully and that my name was placed on file for future reference. Before anything further was heard of this, I was offered a position as teacher, upon graduation, in the Laurens City Schools. I accepted this offer and, [Page 16] during the Summer after my graduation, made plans accordingly. In September, 1915, I located at Laurens, S.C. and started my first employment job as teacher of the 7th grade boys. My arrangements included engaging a room in the home of Burke Clardy and table board next door in the Bennett home. I found that the boys in my class were inclined to be unruly and, having been accustomed to strict discipline myself, I often resorted to the rattan as means of instilling discipline into them. The superintendent, Mr. B.L. Parkinson, upheld me in my method in which I must have set a new record for this school. In addition to teaching, I also organized two military companies of boys in the high school and coached the football team for the school. Both of these undertakings proved [Page 17] 91-b Other than a college education, my equipment to start the big task of making a living included an inheritance of practical knowledge and a strong physique. It also included, by inheritance and early training, a strong belief in our Heavenly Creator and in the Christian way of living as demonstrated by Christ on earth. As previously stated, my parents had insisted on honesty and truthfulness in our dealings with others. This inheritance had imbued us (my family) with a high standard of self-respect. Therefore, whenever I indulged in any acts which I considered below the Christian standard, I was ashamed of such acts and did not care to mention them, much less to boast of them. I also inherited my father’s trait of persistence in my undertakings and was oftimes complimented for persevering in small tasks, or problems, until I had mastered them. Although my ambitions were [Page 18] not definitely formed in my own mind, I was inclined toward the profession of law. Next to law, the military profession appealed to me. At any rate, during an intermediate period of work I found that my second choice of professions fitted into threatening international conditions of the time. x x x x x [Page 19] 93 successful and popular. Our football team was unbeaten and the military companies did well. It was at Laurens that the big event of my life was made possible. I met, and immediately fell in love with, one of Lauren’s charming debutants, Ruth Easterly who later became my wife and is now your mother. I taught two of Ruth’s brothers, Tom and Ambrose during the time that I was in Laurens and this furnished an opportunity for some of my calls at Ruth’s home under the guise of home-contact calls in the interest of my pupils. At first, in face of much competition, I did not appear to make a very favorable impression on the Easterly Family. However, I was persistent in my attentions and, ‘as distance makes the [Page 20] heart grow fonder’, I continued my courtship by mail while I was in the trenches overseas. I even arranged with my brother, Walter, to send flowers to Ruth on certain occasions during my absence. My perseverance finally won as I shall mention later. Completing my first year at Laurens at $70.00 per month - for nine months-, I accepted an offer to teach High School history in the same school for the following year at $90.00 per month for the school year. After three months of my second year’s work I received a letter from the War Department, in Washington, offering me a position as Departmental Clerk in Washington at $1000.00 per year - this as a result of the Civil Service Examination which [Page 21] 95 I have mentioned. I accepted this offer, resigned as a school-teacher, and reported for duty in The Adjutant General’s office during Christmas Holidays of 1916. In Washington I was assigned to duty as File Clerk in the Reserve Officers’ Section of the War Department. My office was in the stately State War Navy Building on the White House side. Several times I was able to look out of my office window and see President Wilson getting into his automobile while on his way to the Capitol. On account of the imminence of war, work in my office grew by leaps and bounds. Government clerks were often requested to volunteer for two hours of additional work at night in order to catch [Page 22] up with unfinished work of the day. My desk-partner and newly made friend, one Ormond from Wisconsin, and I rented a room together in the 1900 block of “I” street for which we paid $25.00 per month. I arranged for morning and evening meals at a convenient boarding house and ate lunch at a nearby lunch room during our one half hour lunch period. My work was of the ‘white collar’ type and, normally, required seven hours each day. However, it was very confining and when I saw around me men who had spent the best part of their lives in this endless work, with little chance of advancement, I decided to avoid this ‘rut’ and to look for employment out in the open. Many of the [Page 23] 97 older clerks, by attending night classes at Georgetown or George Washington Universities, had obtained degrees in law and medicine but lacked courage to venture out in a profession, and followed the path of least resistance by continuing their jobs as clerks. One morning during a fifteen-minute break in our work period, the chief of my section announced, “I have been at this work for fifty-two years today.” He was grey headed and I believe was receiving a salary of $1800.00 per year at that time. Fate came to my rescue and presented an opportunity for me to do better for myself and, at the same time, to serve my country. The War Department, in preparation for what seemed inevitable participation in the World War, was building a large Army and was looking for leaders for this Army. [Page 24] Examinations were being held to select qualified leaders from civil occupations and to appoint successful candidates as Second Lieutenants. Considering that my training at the Citadel qualified me for appointment as Second Lieutenant in our Army, I arranged to take the examination which was held at Fort Meyer, VA., in January, 1917. This examination required about two weeks of written tests but, on account of my college diploma, I was exempt the elementary tests and underwent about one week of written tests on advanced subjects. While awaiting the result of this examination, I continued my clerical work in Washington. Employment in our capital city offered many advantages. There were innumerable places and activities of [Page 25] 99. interest and of educational value. I spent many of my evenings in the capital listening to debates of our Congressmen, or in patronizing some of the fine theatre offerings.”The Birth of a Nation” was one play being presented at that time to arouse patriotism in citizens of a nation which was on the verge of war. Other evening events included social gatherings of government employees, by States, usually including dinner and a dance at one of the hotels. The beautiful parks, monuments and museums, and public buildings furnished a variety of interests for our week-ends. I was able to witness my first Presidential Inauguration - that of President Wilson, in 1917 - and the magnificent parade up Pennsylvania Avenue which is a part of the inauguration. The Inaugural Parade was rivaled by [Page 26] Admiral Dewey’s Funeral Procession which I also witnessed. x x x x x In the meantime war was declared on April 6, 1917, and all other activities were subordinated to our war effort - the Army then become all-important. I had a friend in the office of the War Department where our examination papers were being graded. On June 7th he notified me that I had passed the examination and was eligible for a commission in the Army. I thereupon walked across the hall from my office, accepted an appointment as Second Lieutenant, returned to my office and resigned my clerical position. My salary for this appointment including a promotion which dated from June 7th, became larger [Page 27] 101. than that of the chief of my section in the War Department, - and I thus secured an outdoor profession of my liking. Since applicants for this examination were from the United States, at large, - some as far away as the Philippine Islands - and successful applicants were to be ordered as a class to a training camp, it required several weeks to notify, and receive acceptance of appointments, of all candidates. I therefore left my address so that I could be reached by mail and returned to Greenwood to await orders. My commission was dated June 5th, 1917, and I accepted the appointment on June 7th. In due time I received orders to report to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for training, as a member of the Third Provisional Officers’ Battalion. [Page 28] All appointments in the Regular Army from civil life at that time were provisional for two years - two such classes had preceded us to Fort Leavenworth. The first class, being composed of fifty seven members, brought onto itself and to future classes the sobriquet of ‘Pickle Classes’ - from Heinz famous 57 varieties of Pickles. The important distinction between members of the provisional officers’ classes and officers of the later training camps was that all members of the Provisional Officers Battalions were appointed as officers in the Regular Army prior to their being ordered to training camp; while members of Officers Training camps, who successfully completed the course of training, received emergency commissions in the Army of the United [Page 29] 103. States at the termination of their training periods. Both types of these new appointees were sometimes facetiously referred to by older officers as ‘90-Day Wonders.’ My introduction to the Army was made at Fort Leavenworth when the Third Provisional Officers Battalion assembled there about July 15th for a period of intensive training. There were about five hundred of us from almost every state in the Union. The training schedule started at 7 o’clock each morning and continued until 5 o’clock in the afternoon, followed by a study period of two hours each night. An effort was made to teach the latest methods in tactics and technique which were being used on the battlefields of France. It was a strenuous period, including such exhausting [Page 30] work-outs as bayonet practice across a trench system in July and August heat reaching to 110 degrees. Many of our instructors later held important positions in our overseas Army. The hardships of training were broken by intervals of pleasure and recreation. The nearby metropolis of Kansas City furnished many places of amusement which we patronized on week-ends. The only class social function was the Graduation Hop which was held near the end of the training period - about the middle of September. This Hop was held in the Post Auditorium. Debutants [sic] and fiances from far and wide were extended invitations. My dance partner was an acquaintance from Kansas City. When the time arrived to terminate the dance, about 3 o’clock in [Page 31] 105 the morning, a vote was taken to decide whether to end a joyful gay affair or to continue it until daylight. The vote was unanimous for continuing he dance. We danced until daylight, and just allowed time to change to work clothes and report to reville formation. For my part, I thoroughly enjoyed the all-night dance but, having worn new dress shoes for the occasion, my feet were sore for several weeks thereafter. In August, 1917, all members of our class (The Third P.O.B.) were promoted to the grade of First Lieutenant with rank and pay dating from original appointments (in my case from June 7th.) Our training period ended about Sept. 20th and we were sent in every direction for duty with organizations. My first assignment was to the 61st Infantry, then stationed in Gettysburg [Page 32] National Park, Pa. Arriving there about Sept. 22nd, I was assigned to duty with company “E.” My tent in our tent-camp in the park was only a short distance from ‘Bloody Angle’ of that historic battlefield. The regiments there - the 4th, 7th, 58th, 59th, 60th, and 61st. Infantry regiments - had been recently recruited and were heavily engaged in organizing, equipping, and training these recruits. About one month after my arrival at Gettysburg, orders were received to organize a Machine Gun Battalion and a Mortar Battalion from personnel to be selected from Infantry regiments there. These new battalions were for the purpose of completing the organization of the Second Regular Division which was enroute overseas. I was selected as one of the officers for the [Page 33] 107. Machine Gun Battalion. Transfers and organization of the new units, started about Nov. 1st. I was assigned to Company “B” of what was later designated as the Fourth Machine Gun Battalion - under Captain W.R. White. Our enlisted personnel were largely Poles, from Pennsylvania coal mines, and many of them could hardly speak the English language. During November, as a severe winter approached, we were quite busy in our efforts to organize, equip, and partly organize and train a new unit. Machine guns were not available and the organization tables were provisional and subject to changes. Shortly after December the first, we found ourselves in a tent-camp with fourteen inches of snow around our tents and with the inadequate heating equipment of small Sibley stoves. A [Page 34] severe winter was upon us; that is the two new battalions found themselves in this predicament, because the infantry regiments had gone to training camps in South Carolina. Each day and night a number of our tents were burned by fire caused by sparks from the small stoves which we stoked continuously in an effort to keep warm. Believing that our small units had been overlooked by the War Dept., in its stupendous task of organizing, equipping and training an Army, our battalion commander telegraphed to the War Dept., stating our predicament, and requested that we be moved either to a Southern camp or overseas. Within about a week after this request we were enroute to Portland, Maine, by troop train to embark for duty overseas. [Page 35] 109. For the next few weeks we were being transported by various means to the Second Division training area in France. Arriving in Portland, we embarked on the transport, H.M.S. Canada, with a group of Canadian officers of the Royal Flying Corps, and sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Halifax had just experienced a terrible and tragic explosion* of mysterious origin, and wreckage of buildings could be seen from our ship. We anchored offshore and found that other troop transports were being assembled there. Then, on Dec. 24th, 1917, a convoy of about eleven transports set sail from Halifax to some port overseas. The sea voyage, being my first, was thrilling to me. Possible attacks by enemy submarines on our convoy made black-outs necessary from the *A shipload of explosives was detonated in the harbor at Halifax in the Fall of 1917, causing many deaths and much property damage. [Page 36] beginning of the voyage and kept us on the alert. Several days at sea were so foggy that it was necessary for each ship, of the eleven in our convoy, to sound its foghorn about every fifteen minutes in order to avoid collisions. The weird sound of fog horns during the black of night impressed us with the serious and grim reality of the occasion. When we were about two days out from England, a naval escort of four or five Destroyers - submarine chasers - joined our convy and furnished protection for the remainder of the voyage. During one of these last days, it was thought that a German submarine was sighted on our port side. The sub-chasers raced to the spot where the submarine was believed to have appeared, circled that area until [Page 37] 111. the convoy had passed safely by, and then resumed their positions around our convoy. On about the thirtieth of December we landed at Liverpool and spent one or two nights in a miserable debarkation camp at that port. The weather was extremely cold, most of the comforts of life were lacking, and our temporary stop-over was all but pleasant. I remember sleeping on a bunk made of wooden frame with chicken-fence wire for a mattress and wrapped, fully clothed, in eleven dirty army blankets. In spite of this covering, I spent a cold sleepless night. Some of us were able to visit the city of Liverpool and to experience our first food rationing at the eating places. Of certain items of food, we were allowed limited quantities and no more. From Liverpool we travelled by [Page 38] troop train to Southampton and embarked on a small cattle boat for the short trip across the English Channel. This travel was made at night and was an unpleasant experience. Our officers managed to get a little sleep on the floor or tables of the one cabin, while the enlisted men occupied dirty cattle stalls on a lower deck. Thus we landed at La Havre, France, on Jan. 2, 1918. From La Havre we travelled by the French troop train, 40 - hombres, 20 Chevaux type, to the training area of the American Second Division around Bourmont, France. This train had a dilapidated, unheated coach for officers and box cars for enlisted men. The cold weather and missing window panes in our coach made this trip very uncomfortable but, as the French [Page 39] 113. said ‘C’est la Guerre.” Several of our men rebelled at the idea of travelling in box cars but they were soon persuaded to get aboard. A few months later, after weary hikes along the battle area, these same men were happy to travel in such a train. Our destination was the small twin French towns of Graffigny-Chemin, near Bourmont, in the Haute Marne Province. In this area near the Verdun battle front, officers of our battalion were billeted in homes of the villagers and enlisted men occupied vacant halls, hay lofts, and vacant sheds wherever space could be found. My room was in the home of two elderly French women in the town of Graffigny. This room was plainly furnished but was quite comfortable. In this area we received combat [Page 40] equipment to include Hotchkiss Machine Guns (french weapons), and Ford trucks for transporting weapons and men. Our battalion was here designated as the Fourth Machine Gun Battalion - the Divisional Battalion - and was reduced to two companies. My real war training started here as second in command of Co. “B”, 4th M.G.Bn. Training included familiarizing our personnel with the mechanics of their new weapons, with machine gun firing, marching and combat problems. On account of cold weather and snow-covered ground, training was difficult. The snow proved of advantage in our firing problems for the reason that we were able to make patterns with our fire and see them patterns on the hill-sides with our fire. Our personnel were kept physically fit by marches over slushy [Page 41] 115. roads. After returning from these hikes my kindly hostesses usually had a small glass of Cognac and a warm fire ready for me. Even in wartime one must have relief from a strenuous grind of training. For diversions our battalion officers held dances once or twice each month. Not far from Graffigny was an American Hospital with nurses from Indianapolis, Indiana, whom we invited as our guests and partners for the dances. Our Ford trucks were used to bring our guests to the dance and to carry them back. These affairs left us in better humor for work for the following weeks. With progress made in preliminary training, the time arrived when we should complete this training in a quiet trench sector. About March 17, 1918, - just about the time that the German High [Page 42] Command decided to make it’s desperate victory offensive - we moved into the trenches near Verdun and took over a part of their long battle line. This sector had experienced some of the severest fighting of the war when in 1914, and again in 1916, the German Army had made gigantic but unsuccessful efforts for a break through the French line and the French had made good their slogan, “ils ne passe pas” (they shall not pass). These attacks had cost the Germans about half a million men, the flower of her army. After these. After the failures by the German Army in this area, the Verdun sector had become a quiet one for both opposing armies. At this point I want to digress long enough to state that it is not my intention, or desire, to bore you [Page 43] 117. with strategical and tactical military maneuvers which you would not understand, anyway, and which can be found in histories in my small library under the following titles: ‘The Second American Division in the World War’; ‘The Ninth U.S. Infantry in the World War’; and, from the War Department records, of ‘The Fourth Machine Gun Battalion in the World War’. I shall therefore limit my discussions to experiences which were interesting to me and which I hope will prove of interest to you. In the Verdun Sector the opposing trenches at some points were so close together that handgrenades could be thrown from one trench to the other. At some points along the trenches, French sentries looked at German sentries at short distances from each other without [Page 44] any attempt of either sentry to fire upon his adversary. By silent agreement this had become a rest area for both sides. However, this arrangement did not suit the fresh American troops. We had not undergone hardships and crossed the ocean to look at our enemy; to use the vernacular of that time, we said: ‘wherever American troops entered the battle line, business picked up.’ To help business pick up our troops were somewhat reckless and careless in exposing their movements to German observation, they thus let it be known where they were, and they fired at any enemy who exposed himself to view. From the German viewpoint, their High Command wanted to capture American prisoners in order to determine what manner of men [Page 45] 119. their new enemy was composed of. ‘No Man’s Land’ therefore became active with patrols, and raids were made by both opponents into positions of their enemy. During one of the German night raids on our position here in which a portion of trenches held by units of the 9th Infantry, and supported by my machine guns, was raided. Sgt. Deardon - who commanded a machine gun section of my company lined his men up behind the dugout they occupied and had them fire a pistol barrage toward the German lines. Since this was done in darkness, it could not possibly do any harm to the enemy. The next day when I visited this sectioned, learned of his action, and inquired the reason for this queer action, he stated that [Page 46] he knew that he should do something, that he could not endanger our troops by firing machine guns into their area, so he had his men elevate their pistols and fire all of their pistol ammunition toward the German lines. About the first of May (1918) I received a promotion to the grade of Captain (temporary). Captain White was transferred to another duty and thereafter I became Commander of Co. “B” 4th M.G.Bn. I made, what I considered, a few improvements in the daily operation of the company. These included, to the gratification of my platoon leaders, a bicycle messenger from my headquarters to each of the platoon leaders every morning and afternoon. The company commander was required to make one inspection of his company each day. Upon receipt of notification of my promotion I celebrated by giving a champagne party to the officers of my battalion near our headquarters. Even as we were celebrating, German artillery [Page 47] (121) shells were being fired over the small house in the woods which we were temporarily occupied. Life in the trenches was quite different from that in a training area. My company covered a considerable frontage and required several miles of travel on foot and through trenches to visit all of the platoons. Our positions and movements had to be concealed from enemy view and everyone must be on the alert for enemy positions and movements. As a platoon leader, I had lived for a short time in a small dugout with my platoon sergeant. This position was damp, congested, and lacked all the comforts of life. Some of the discomforts, including trench lice, were ever present. As company commander, I had a more comfortable headquarters in a woods just back of the trench system. Meals to the platoons were sent up in Marmite cans to the trenches and these cans were [Page 48] then carried by hand, or astride a small burrow, to the platoon positions. Food consisted chiefly of army stew, french bread, jam or marmalade, some vegetables, and coffee. Canned meats and bread were oftimes stored in the trenches for use between meals, or in emergency. Concerning the discomforts, trench lice were ever present in some parts of the travel system. The soldiers estimate of these creatures, which we called cooties, expressed mathematically, was: ‘They added to one's troubles, subtracted from one’s pleasures, divided one’s attention, and multiplied like hell.’ With the experience of trench life and small combat activities, our training advanced to a stage in which we gained confidence in ourselves and in our units. We felt able to compete in more difficult situations. [Page 49] 123 The German High Command, after discovering that their new enemy was a formidable one, decided to make a final grand effort for victory before we had arrived in France in sufficient numbers to have a decisive influence. Their big offensive had started in March, 1918, and continued with unabated fury to about July. To oppose their attacks required all available allied troops - the partially trained ones as well as the Veterans. Our first emergency call to assist in stopping German attacks came the latter part of May. My battalion was at that time in a rest area near the Marne River generally west of Verdun. All members of the battalion had indulged in a bath by plunging into the river and thirty or forty of us, including myself, had developed a fever [Page 50] within a few hours of this bath. Knowing that a move was about to be made by our unit, the surgeon at once evacuated those with fever to hospitals. I was transported by an ambulance, driven by a Scotch chauffeuress, to an American hospital in Paris. During the five days that I remained in Paris, Big Bertha was firing into the city from about 75 miles distance. As the shells were heard to approach, I noticed nurses in the hospital shrink in anxious suspense until the explosions were heard. When I was able to walk around, I visited the scene of one of these explosions a few blocks from my hospital. This shell had exploded in a second-story room of a brick building and had crumbled the part of the building [Page 51] 125. into the street. In the meantime my battalion had moved with the Division to assist in stopping a German drive on Paris. This was the beginning of our Chateau-Thierry campaign. When I took command of my company again I found it in reserve, and my Division was hastily deploying astride the Paris-Metz Road between Meaux and Chateau-Thierry (about May 31st). The roads along my approach were congested with French refugees and stragglers from the disheartened French troops. Their distressing greeting to us was “La Guerre est finis (the war is over). American troops reached this position just in time to save the town of Meaux - and Paris about 25 miles west of that town. As German assault units reached our [Page 52] lines, they were mowed down with a withering fire from guns of all calibers. This stopped them, and Paris was saved for the second time in this war: For the month of June and the early part of July, the Chateau-Thierry campaign continued by our counter-attacks in driving the enemy back. In these counter-attacks the Marines of my division made themselves famous at Belleau Woods and the Third Brigade captured Vaux and other prominent terrain features. My company was employed to relieve other machine gun units, first, in the early part of June, in support of units of the Third Brigade, and again in the latter part of June to support units of the Marine (4th) Brigade in Belleau Woods. This woods became a hotly [Page 53] 127. contested position for both opposing forces. In entering Belleau Woods to relieve a Marine machine gun unit, my company was guided into position by night, and by squads. In approaching the woods we crossed several gassed ravines near the town of Lucy and were forced to use gas masks. A guide took my company headquarters unit to its position and I did not know until the following day just where my platoons were located. While I was on the first visit to my platoons I was about to pass through a thinly held, poorly defined, line of Marines when a young Marine officer drew his pistol on me and had me to demanded that I raise my hands and identify myself. After I had presented my identification card containing a photograph of myself, he warned me that I was heading straight into [Page 54] the German lines, and pointed out to me one of his men, immediately ahead, who had just been wounded by an enemy bullet. I was easily persuaded to make a detour and continued my mission by passing in rear of our line. I remained in Belleau Woods in support of the Third Battalion, 5th Marines, about two weeks, being relieved on July 4th: During the period I only removed my clothing to take a bath which was done by daylight and by use of a canteen cup of water. Our food was sent up by night in cans from my kitchen which was about four miles to the rear of me. In addition to army stew and coffee brought to us twice each night, we had french bread and some canned meat and [Page 55] 129. marmalade stored in the trenches we occupied. German 77mm guns and Minnenuverfers made the days and nights hideous. There was a stench of dead human bodies in fields around the woods. Each time that our chaplain took a burial detail into these fields by daylight, German artillery opened fire on the detail and stopped their work. These dead consisted of both German and American bodies. To drive out the enemy from a corner of this woods which he persisted in holding, our troops were withdrawn for a distance of 1000 yards while a heavy artillery concentration was placed on his position for 24 hours. Then, on June 26th, after this terrific blasting, my company followed the 3rd. Bn. 5th Marines and took the woods almost without opposition. [Page 56] In passing through the area which the Germans had held, following the advance of our troops, I saw many enemy troops dead and dying, - some of those who were dead still held their automatic weapons to their shoulders as they had died. During the heavy bombardment some of my company headquarters personnel captured two German soldiers who were moving away from the shell fire. These were the first prisoners my men had taken and they were quite excited and thrilled when they brought the prisoners to me. Having stopped the German drive on Paris at Chateau-Thierry, and having exhausted her strength along other parts of the long battle line while allied strength was increasing by the addition of an American Army, our allied [Page 57] 131. armies were now ready to assume the offensive against Germany to bring her to her knees. The first big allied counter-offensive of 1918 started at Soissons. My division was to play a prominent part in this attack - along with the first American and first Moroccan divisions. For this offensive we moved by motor transportation to positions of concealment in a large woods just in rear of our jump-off line. My battalion arrived in this woods by night on a road that was litterally [sic] jammed with transportation, and on a night so dark that one could not see his hands before him. It was the night before the attack - July 17th. The congestion of traffic, and total darkness did not permit us to advance to our position in reserve and we were forced to await daylight [Page 58] on the road a few mile short of our assigned position. However, assault units reached their line of departure with difficulty and launched an attack at dawn on July 18th. At daylight my company moved forward, by marching, to a reserve position near Division Headquarters at Vente Fuelle Fume. (Green Leaf Farm). As customary in reserve positions, I had my guns mounted for anti-aircraft fire. During the day of July 18th we did lots of firing at enemy airplanes. Several times during this day I took over the gunner’s position myself and fired many rounds at enemy aircraft which was flying low over division headquarters. Unfortunately, I did not bring down a plane. While we were at Vente Fuelle Fume, and sometime after the early [Page 59] 133. morning attack had started, a crack French Cavalry regiment passed along the road by our position. It looked as if it were going on parade. I watched this regiment debouch from the woods, form hastily in a bowl-shaped open field while enemy aircraft was harassing it with fire, and then deploy and disappear from sight toward the German lines. I never saw any of the Cavalrymen again but heard that they suffered heavy casualties in their attack. About four (4:00 P.M.) o’clock that afternoon Col. Preston Brown came to me and said, “Captain, is this your company?” I saluted and replied, “Yes Sir.” He then said, “You will take your company down this road about 2 ½ miles from here and report to the commanding officer of the 9th Infantry, immediately.” I knew Col. Brown was Chief of Staff [Page 60] of my division but did not know him by sight. Having been warned to check on orders received, I ask, “And who is this giving orders, please?” He replied, “This is Preston Brown, Chief of Staff, is that sufficient?” I replied, “That is sufficient.” I then formed my company and lead it in the direction indicated. My men were carrying their machine gun equipment by hand. After advancing a short distance we were out of the woods and into an open field which showed some of the sears of battle. As we continued marching, we passed several pieces of our light artillery placed in the open with only light overhead camouflage to conceal them from enemy view. These artillery pieces were firing at German [Page 61] 135. artillery pieces, similarly placed, near the edge of a woods about two miles away. The puffs of smoke from their guns could be seen as they fired. These opposing artillerymen must have been engaged in direct counter-battery fire. Several enemy planes were circling and firing upon our artillerymen as we passed. I arrived at my destination shortly before five o’clock and found the 9th Infantry in a deep ravine, near Vierzy, in the process of reorganizing. Upon reporting to Col. R.O. Vaushorn? (Col. Leroy S. Upton ?) I was told, “This is my regiment (pointing), we jump off in attack in ten minutes, make your dispositions to support us.” As reformed, the regiment appeared about the size of a battalion. I therefore disposed my platoons to follow in support of the infantry, and moved [Page 62] forward with my company a short distance ‘over the top’ to check its formation. I then established my headquarters near that of the 9th Infantry in the ravine. In this ravine had drifted many wounded American from the day’s fighting. The suffering, bleeding and gnawing from them was heart rending. I sent a messenger to our nearest first aid station to report this deplorable condition and offered to assist in getting some of the wounded back for treatment. My messenger returned with a report from the aid station that the wounded were being cared for as rapidly as possible and that the aid station would move forward as soon as it could possibly do so. The attack that afternoon was another bitter one. Our assault troops drew heavy fire as soon as they [Page 63] 137. left the cover of the ravine. The 9th Infantry was again badly shot-up and my company lost three of its twelve machine gun crews by casualties. However, we made an advance. On the morning of July 19th I took a messenger and started forward to locate my platoons in the battle line. While moving forward we were continuously fired upon by an enemy sniper from a woods a few hundred yards to our left. His range was good but his direction was a trifle off: dust from his bullets was constantly kicked up about twenty feet ahead of me. I warned my messenger against pointing at any of these dust spots and thereby giving the sniper the correction he needed. I also passed through a grain field in which were many wounded Moroccan troops. [Page 64] I had to pass them by without being able to relieve their suffering. Having located my platoon, which had become scattered and disorganized, I had them to reorganize and then redistributed them to better support the thinly held 9th Infantry line. Two of my officers and three complete machine gun crews, including two faithful old sergeants had been killed or wounded in this attack. One of these officers suffered from shell-shock, the first real case of this phobia which I had witnessed. He was speechless and acted as if he were terribly frightened. In his condition, he was worse than useless on the battlefield. About dark on July 19th word came that we would be relieved during the night. Orders and relief came in due time and we moved, [Page 65] 139. under cover of darkness, to a reserve position in a woods to our rear. For my part in this engagement, I received two decorations, the American Silver Star and the French Croix de Guerre. Many of my men also received decorations and citations upon my recommendations. After a few days in this reserve position, we moved farther to the rear for rest and reorganization. From this location, on about July 27th, I was transferred and, by Division orders, was assigned to command the Machine Gun Company of the Ninth Infantry - then located at Courtisols. This was an animal drawn unit, so I gave up my Ford Truck Company and took over a company equipped with about sixty animals, including the company quota of the Service Company animals. [Page 66] In looking over the horses assigned to this company, with a view to selecting one for my use, I admired a fine looking, sorrel colored, spirited animal which the soldiers had named Dynamite. My old first Sergeant, ‘Buster Brown’, warned me against this horse saying that he was dangerous. However, I had him saddled for a try-out. After a little pitching and rearing which he displayed, I rode him for awhile at a full gallop across country and got rid of his surplus energy. I found Dynamite to be a fine saddle horse and selected him for my future private use. He served me faithfully through our marches during the remainder of the war, for the 200-mile march to the Rhine River after the war, and for the time that I served [Page 67] 141. with the Army of Occupation in Germany. At Courtisols, a training schedule under supervision of the Divisional Machine Gun Officer was carried out. This training ended near the middle of August when we moved by rail to Nancy for a tour in the trenches in Luneville Sector. For this move the M.G. Companies of the 9th Infantry and the 23rd Infantry regiments occupied one train. Upon arrival of our train at Toul, about thirty miles west of Nancy, a French railway employee informed me that the train would stop at Toul for about forty five minutes. Since my animals had not been watered for some time, I desired to water them during this stop. Leaving my hat and coat in the coach, I walked toward the station house to inquire about the location of water. When I had [Page 68] gone only a short distance, the train began to move forward. I watched it for a minute and, seeing that it was apparently pulling out, I attempted to catch it. No luck. My officers saw that I was left behind and waved a farewell to me. I then returned to the station house and inquired if there were any American troops located in Toul. Being informed that an air unit headquarters was a few blocks away, I went direct to this headquarters. I informed the Adjutant of the air unit of my predicament and asked for transportation to Nancy. He told me that a mechanic was working on a car nearby and as soon as the car was repaired that I could use it. In a few minutes I was in this car urging the driver to speed towards Nancy. I thus arrived at the station in [Page 69] 143. Nancy, still without hat and coat, a few minutes ahead of my train and waved a greeting to my officers as the train pulled into the station. Duty in the Luneville Sector was rather quiet, - routine trench duty which my regiment performed by reliefs of battalions. I took advantage of this period for a leave of absence and spent seven days in Bordeaux while a large part of Paris had moved there. It was a pleasant diversion to be away from the battle area for awhile and I enjoyed the visit to Bordeaux. Other than this diversion and routine trench duty, the time here was spent in training. Early in September there was talk of a big American offensive. Some units even rehearsed the part they were to play in the offensive. Troops were [Page 70] mobilizing for the St. Mihiel Offensive and we found our units soon moving in that direction. Then orders for the attack were received and final preparations were made. For this attack my company was attached to the 3rd Battalion of my regiment which was commanded by Maj. Robert L. Denig, a Marine officer. My division was given a spearhead position with Thiacourt as its objective. On the night of September 11th-12th my company followed the Third Battalion through the shell-battered town of Limey, then through muddy communication trenches to an advanced trench designated as our line of departure. A slow rain was falling, there were obstacles across the trenches, and my men were carrying their heavy machine gun equipment, [Page 71] 145. all of which added to the difficulty of getting into position on this dark night. Through the rain and mud we reached our jump-off position about mid-night. A check showed that our assault troops were in position for the attack. Promptly at one o’clock our artillery units, supported by French Artillery commenced a devastating bombardment - probably the heaviest ever delivered by American Artillery. A continuous deafening roar sounded in every direction as if from a heavy thunder storm. Shortly before five o’clock, with the roar of artillery still sounding, our gas and flame units, howitzer weapons and many machine guns joined in firing upon the German position. It looked and sounded as a glorified National Fourth of July celebration. This [Page 72] sound and visible fire display must have been as terrifying to our enemy as it was encouraging to us. Then at 5:00 A.M., just at dawn, in the midst of this fire support, the assault units left their jump-off positions and went ‘over the top.’ Our pioneer troops had cut lanes through barbed wire entanglements ahead of us during the night and, as the first faint light of dawn permitted, an endless line of small columns of attacking troops could be seen advancing. As the light and visibility increased the length of our attacking line seemed to increase - and still the ends could not be seen. Artillery fire was lifted and proceeded the assault with creeping barrages of fire as the assault troops advanced. The continuance of fire support and [Page 73] 147. the great number of troops which could be seen advancing in attack were again reassuring of success. This was the first large-scale offensive by an American force and our high command was determined that it should be successful. There was very little resistance encountered to our advance. Our direction of attack took us through a heavy woods, Bois du Four, and it was along the edge of this woods that my first machine gun fire was directed to dislodge enemy troops who were slowing up the advance of our assault units. We took many prisoners, and I collected several valuable trophies, in this woods. As we entered an open field just beyond this woods a dappled grey saddle horse, with full saddle equipment, galloped excitedly towards us. Some of my men [Page 74] caught the horse and brought him to me. Since we were not being fired upon, I mounted this horse and rode him several hundred yards while advancing - until Major Denig reminded me that I made a conspicuous target for the enemy - then I sent him back to my company train. This horse was evidently a German officer’s mount which had been saddled to take his rider to the rear, and had broken loose: his equipment even included such articles as cigars. We reached our objective at Thiacourt without meeting serious resistance. More prisoners and equipment were captured near Thiacourt. Since our advance was so easy, all of us wanted to keep going, but we were informed that no ad- [Page 75] 149. vance would be made beyond this objective. Shortly after our advance stopped, the Germans made several counter-attacks around Thiacourt and Jaulny. Jaulny was taken and retaken several times before we finally broke up these counter-attacks. My machine gunners did good work in assisting to break up the enemy attacks near Jaulny. During their firing Lt. Beach had one gunner who was killed by a bullet through his head. Lt. Beach took the gunner’s position and continued the fire against a German force forming for counter-attack. For this act Lt. Beach received a decoration upon my recommendation. Among the war trophies I collected at St.Mihiel were two Luger pistols and two pair of German field glasses, also many ‘Got Mit Uns’ belt buckles. [Page 76] The trophy which I prized most was one of the Luger Pistols which I had taken good care of and brought with me to the Philippines. Now this weapon, like myself, is in the possession of the Japanese. I gave a pair of the field glasses to Walter and one of the belt buckles to Victor on my return from overseas. (my brothers). Lt. Smith, the adjutant of the 3rd Bn., 9th Infantry, had a premonition that he would not survive the St. Mihiel drive, and made such an announcement to several of us at the jump-off line. Poor fellow, he was right because he was killed in Bois du Four within a few hours after the attack had started. Relief had come to us at Thiacourt about September 17th, and we again moved back of the lines for rest [Page 77] 151. and reorganization. The first big offensive by an American force had been a huge success, and our prestige and confidence in our own troops, were greatly enhanced. Our next call to battle was not far off in point of time. This time we were attached to the French Fourth Army to participate in the Champagne (Meuse-Argonne) offensive. For beginning this campaign we marched to a battle scarred sector near Somme-Py where a French guide was to meet and guide us into attack position. As might have been expected, the guide could not be found and we were forced to moved to attack position by map and compass, and by night. All night long we were marched for short distances to points designated by our own personnel who [Page 78] were posted ahead of our marching column by a compass in the hands of some of our field-officers. Our position was reached about five o’clock in the morning of Oct. 3rd - only about one hour before we went over the top in attack. My personnel had carried heavy machine gun equipment all night, by hand. The French troops whom we relieved here on Oct. 3rd had made an attack a few days before our arrival and had been driven back to their original position. They were of the opinion that our attack would fail. However, after a short rest, the troops began forming for attack. Even as we formed the German Artillery placed a devastating concentration of fire on us. This hastened [Page 79] 153. our preparations and caused us to move forward out of this fire. We had several casualties from the enemy artillery fire. One of my officers, Lt. Allen, was killed here while he was rendering first aid to one of his men who had received a wound. I wrote a letter of condolation [sic] to Lt. Allen’s parents in New York and had a letter of appreciation and inquiry in reply. Mr. Allen wanted to know the last words of his son, saying that he knew Lt. Allen would leave a message for his mother. My division advanced ahead of French troops on both sides of us which exposed us to enemy fire on both flanks as well as from our front. Furthermore, our tanks which were to precede assault troops did [Page 80] not arrive on time and the attack was launched without them. After following assault troops with my company headquarters personnel for a short distance, I came to a sunken road which was receiving heavy enemy machine gun fire from our left flank. We halted short of this fire for a few minutes but, seeing that the fire did not decrease, I ordered my men to run across this road by small groups. Fortunately, we crossed through this band of enemy fire without a casualty. A little farther forward we crossed a trench sector and a road beyond. Just as the last of our assaulting troops had crossed the road, an enemy machine gun fired into us from the trenches to our rear. We were pinned to the ground here when, fortunately, our belated [Page 81] 155. tanks approached us moving along the road. We signalled to the tanks, by handkerchief signals, pointing out the direction of the enemy machine gun. The leading tanks immediately mounted the bank by the roadside, moved toward the machine gun, firing as they moved, and in a few minutes had killed the enemy gun crew and crawled over their gun. We were then able to continue the advance to our objective near Mediah Farm. Arriving at the objective, I was able to direct some of my gunners on an enemy battery of artillery which was hastily preparing to move out. We caused them casualties in men and animals and expedited their departure. (Continued in Note Book no. “C” with food & drink recipes - p. 157) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Journal of Roy C. Hilton, Note Book B: A Personal Letter, 1943-1944 Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina World War (1939-1945) Description An account of the resource The second part of Hilton's letter to his daughters. This journal covers the remainder of his time at The Citadel through his service in World War I. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Citadel Archives & Museum Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/829 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date Valid Date (often a range) of validity of a resource. 1940-1949 Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/f077be03e7710d8c99b59a8efb30fea9.pdf?Expires=1789603200&Signature=cO3WnLPUBjdzBsSrypOdgoa86VG8WLbO6Wmf4Fwx53NMj9vEpBzdeP154JEo1bbBZ5G3AvnJhRRWE1%7ERC419WBDaGT2Rkt%7EDJ41dBuiCn6HwXMdIdEJgdGOaYwAyQNJluMYcjRts6UKeNvvVNbTZ9fpczkenbK1yAP7v%7EGX2oYrolY1CSU4NiKpo1vb0miJ6V7zk7t%7EvunZdBmjlWp2dFpheKsbtaQQNU-v5F6suzpDqbGw6Qisu0Pb6YmEdtY2SRpMSDvwBTtR9lo9ndpSPEurOoOv2BYkz6UFEp8F4GBzTvYDMUNkFqyquaM42KMhId08Oh6qo2BwRB1iiyNT57A__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 8a59b5de7050ec63bf5ddbedaa911e92 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hilton, Roy C. Collection Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 World War (1939-1945) World War (1914-1918) Prisoners of war Description An account of the resource Roy Hilton was born in Greenwood, South Carolina on November 7, 1892. He entered The Citadel in 1911. As a cadet, he was a member of the Polytechnic Literary Society and during his senior year, he held the position of Cadet Lieutenant of Company A his senior year. He majored in English and graduated in 1915. On June 7, 1917, he entered the U. S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and served in France and Germany. He was assigned to The Citadel from 1938-1941 as an assistant professor of military science. In 1941 he was stationed in Bataan, Philippine Islands. When the United States forces on Bataan surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942, Colonel Hilton was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese until the liberation in 1945. This collection contains several journals written by Hilton while he was a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II. The journals are arranged in chronological reading order; however, some of the dates would appear to contradict this. The journals should be read in the following order: 1. Note Book A, October 12, 1943 2. Note Book B, 1943-1945 3. Note Book C, 1943-1945 4. Journal, August 23, 1945 5. Note Book No. 8, June 7, 1943-November 7, 1944 6. Note Book No. 9, November 9, 1944-October 27, 1945 7. Philippine Campaigne, 1941-1942 8. Note Book #2, May 10-August 10, 1942 9. Note Book #3, May 10, 1942-April 2, 1943 10. Journal Entries, Charts and Other Thoughts, 1941-1945 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/29 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document [Page 1] Note book A Roy C. Hilton Colonel, U.S. Army Laurens, S.C., U.S.A. A Personal Letter [Page 2] A [Page 3] 1 Taiwan (Formosa) October 12, 1943. To: My Daughters, Ruth and Laura Anne Hilton, Laurens, S.C., U.S.A. Dear Girls:- You are to be the recipients of the longest letter I have ever written and, I’m sure, the longest you have ever received. I shall try to make it interesting because its pages contain the story of my life and I should like you to enjoy reading the story as much as I have enjoyed living the life. There are several things which induce me to undertake this prolonged conversation with you even though it be one-sided and from the opposite side of the world from you. First among these inducements is my desire [Page 4] to spend pleasantly some of the many otherwise monotonous hours which bore me in my present miserable state. Then, having reached that age in life at which it seems that ‘my race is run’, there is a desire to look back upon the rungs of life, to delve into the circumstances which attended the lives of my fore-parents, and to live my life again by discussing past experiences with others. Before I departed from you at the railway station in Charleston on October 26, 1941, for a tour of duty in the Philippines, I had planned to work on a History of the Hilton Family during my absence from you. For this purpose I had collected information of my family and had placed it with my baggage. The best source of information which I had been able to find was our kinsfolk in Oxford, Alabama - Cousin Mary [Page 5] 3. Byrd (formerly Mary Cooper), and the Cooper family at Oxford. Unfortunately, my plans were frustrated and my material was lost when I became a prisoner of war under Japanese control with the surrender of the Luzon Force on Bataan on April 9, 1942. Now I can enjoy a prolonged indulgence by telling my own story and, by doing so, may answer some future inquiries of yours, and perhaps by getting this story out of my system, I may relieve others of a boredom of listening to me later. In my present unfortunate predicament, I feel that any chance which I might have had to reach the high goal which I had set for myself is stymied. Events are transpiring on a scale unsurpassed in the history of the world while I am held a prisoner and almost out of communication [Page 6] with the rest of the world. The only claim to distinction which I am likely to attain, therefore, is my present attainment of having served my country honorably in two World Wars and in two hemispheres. I believe it was Shakespeare who said, “There is a destiny which shapes our ends roughhew them as we may.” I am convinced that there is a Diety who controls our destiny and who places forces in our paths to guide us to our end. Chief among these forces, or influences, are ancestry, environment and opportunities. Again-Shakespeare said “the evil that a man does lives after him, the good is oft interred with his bones.” I shall, therefore, confine my story to events and experiences of virtue and let the vices speak for themselves. [Page 7] 5. My life’s story is included under the general headings of ancestry and early environment, early life, and boyhood days in a rural community, college life, preliminary occupations, and my military career. I hope that my inclination to live this life again will not cause me to indulge into details beyond your interest. In attempting to trace the lineage of our family I have found, as many other Americans have found, that there are a few missing links which are difficult obstacles to a complete lineage. However, according to my best authority, the first Hilton of our line came to America from England at an early period in the development of our country and settled in the state of Virginia. From there, the family migrated to North Carolina. My grandfather, [Page 8] W. R. Hilton, came from North Carolina and acquired a plantation in Fellowship Township of Greenwood County about four miles s. west of the town of Ninety Six, South Carolina. During a successful career as a Southern farmer, he raised a family of five children whom are accounted for, as follows: my father, James Griffin Hilton (Jim Hilton); one other son, Cooper, who died in early manhood as a bachelor; and three daughters, - Emma, Minnah, and Lula. Emma was married to William Henry Moore of Cokesbury, S.C.; Minnah married James C. Griffin who owned a plantation adjacent to my father’s; and Lula married Samuel Osie Harvey, a live-stock dealer in Greenwood, S.C. My grandmother was [Page 9] 7 My father married Ann Adams of Trenton, S.C. He was about six feet and one inch tall, weighed about 180 pounds, and was erect and athletic in figure. He was dark complected, had thick black hair, a well trimmed mustache, and clean cut features. He practiced, and insisted on, honesty and truthfulness in his and our dealings with others. [Written on side of page 9] He was a stern disciplinarian and a believer in the practical way of life -- the doing of things. [Page 9] Although I do not remember my mother, I have been informed that she was little over five feet in height and rather stout. She was a charming Christian character and exerted a Christian influence over us. She died at about forty years of age in child-birth with her twelfth child, including twins who died at birth. Our family consisted of seven boys, of whom I am the youngest, and three girls - one (Gladys) by a second marriage to Mamie Chatham of Greenwood Country. My brothers in order of birth were: Walter, [Page 10] Wallace, Clair, Jim, Victor and Arthur. My sisters in the same order were: Leila, Helen and Gladys (half-sister). My father inherited part of his house plantation, added other acres, by purchase, and built his home - our home - in the midst of these farm lands on the Ninety Six- Epworth Store road. This location was in the heart of a prosperous form community. In every direction there lived well-to-do farmers in comfortable homes. The nearest of these neighbors were Daniel Tompkins, Jeff Martin, James C. Griffin, Noel Paysinger, and Lawson Kinard. Next beyond these were the interrelated Kinard families - Mike, Pierce, Long Mike, Pick, Quincy, Henry and Tom Kinard - whose plantations encircled those of our closer neighbors. Each of these farmers owned his plantation on which he lived in [Page 11] 9 ease and contentment and from which he derived a yearly profit. They were proud of their holdings and their efforts at improvement placed them in a position of friendly competition. Our home and our plantation were typical of other homes and plantations of the community. Edgar Guest said, “It takes a lot of living in a house to make a home.” Under this qualification, I consider that our house well deserved the title of ‘home’. My recollection of this home was of a T-shaped wooden-framed building of eight large rooms. There were two stories in front, and a single story for the stem of the T. Spacious porches extended on four sides of the building. It was finished in white with green trimmings which gave a clean, attractive appearance. The knoll upon which the residence was constructed lacked sufficient shade [Page 12] so my father provided shade by planting water-oaks in a horse-shoe shape around the front and sides of the building. When I was old enough to observe them, these oaks had grown large enough to furnish excellent shade, and to beautify the surroundings. In our back yard, just behind the kitchen, there was a deep well over which towered a wind-mill to a height of sixty feet. The wind-mill operated a pump to store water into an elevated tank which stood above and nearer to the kitchen. Around the horse-shoe of trees was a white paling fence which enclosed our yard. At the front gate was a large flat stepping stone, at easy height to assist persons in and out of buggies; and close by this stone was a hitching post. Inside and outside of the yard fence was a heavy turf of Bermuda grass. A circular drive-way inclosing flower beds was constructed so as to be tangent to [Page 13] 11 the outside of the front gate. Just beyond this close-up of our home, and to the right of it, was a large vegetable garden enclosed by a tall paling fence. A roadway along the residence side of this fence led to the buggy house to the right rear of our residence. (A single-horse buggy-rubber tired- and a two-horse carriage were kept inside of this house). Passing along this road beyond the buggy house one entered the horse-lot, enclosed by a heavy plank fence, and in the center of which stood the horse barn with hay loft. Other farm buildings - the gear house, the corn crib, and the pig shed - were arranged around the horse lot. To the left rear of the residence were the smoke house and dairy, the chicken house, and a large cow barn with hay loft. The cow barn was enclosed by a pen constructed in part by a plank fence and the remainder by an old-fashioned [Page 14] rail fence. Both sides and the rear of these out-houses were bordered by orchards of peach trees, apple and pear trees, and a grape vineyard. Our plantation, which was dependent chiefly upon the cotton crop, extended in all directions from the residence. Besides large areas under cultivation, there were several pine timber areas, and pasture lands which extended along both sides of a creek. A portion of these pastures was inclosed by a rail fence. The general appearance created by hills and valleys may be described as rolling country. Negro cabins were located at various places on the plantation to serve the purposes of portioning out sub-divisions of the farm lands to renters or share-croppers. We, and others of the community were dependent upon negro laborers to produce the crops. [Page 15] 13. On the other hand, the negroes having been relieved from slavery by one generation, were equally dependent upon the farmers. The negroes were poor, ignorant, thriftless, and lacked ambition but, when properly managed, they worked well, seemed contented with their lot and made good laborers. They were employed by the plantation owners in one of four general ways, viz: as renters, as share-croppers, as wages hands, or day laborers or job laborers (domestic servants). The renter was fortunate enough to own one or more mules. He reuted a given number of acres - about thirty to forty acres per mule - and paid the landowner in 500-pound bales of cotton the rent which was agreed upon. Except for the requirement to use fertilizer and to plant a specified acreage in cotton, this type of laborer was fairly free to cultivate his land [Page 16] as he chose. The share-cropper furnished labor only. He planted, cultivated and harvested a crop as specified by the landowner and the crop was divided equally between them. The wages hand was employed by the year at specified monthly wage. This wage varied from $7.00 to $15.00 per month, depending upon demand for labor and upon the industry and reliability of the laborer. Day laborers and domestic servants were usually members of families of other classes of laborers. By one or more of these means of employment, work was provided for all members of labor families. There were many faithful and reliable negroes among these laborers but their dependence upon their white “boss” was as evident as it had been during the enslaved lives of their foreparents. x x x x x [Page 17] 15. Our community was populated by church-going, God-fearing families. Our plantation was founded on the West by Fellowship Baptist Church and on the East by Kinards’ Methodist Church. Each Sunday all members of the families dressed in their Sunday Best and assembled at their respective churches. These congregations also became social gatherings where visits and local news items were freely exchanged on the churchyard grounds. x x x x x Thus was the condition and the environment of the community of which I became junior member on November 7, 1892. Since six brothers and one sister had preceded me, my arrival probably created no great sensation. Providence seemed to have ordained that, after spending my youth in this rural district, I should be the only member of my family [Page 18] for several generations to pursue a military career. In portraying my life’s history I must relate some of the details of farm life as I knew them in my youth. In case I make farm life seem too rosy, it must be remembered that I am now thinking from an advantageous position regarding time and space. Long-ago experiences of toil and drudgery have mellowed with age to ameliorate unpleasant memories of them. Then, too, after having spent more than two years in a primitive, destitute country, deprived of liberty and privileges, any type of life in any part of the United States seems as a heaven in contrast. One of my first recollections was a tragic one. My dear mother died before I reached the age of six years. My younger sister, Helen, was only three [Page 19] 17. years old at that time so my father arranged with a kindly widow-aunt of ours, who lived in Greenwood, to care for Helen and me for a year or more in her home. Accordingly, Helen and I were taken into the humble but hospitable home of our Aunt Lizzie Hackett. Her two grown daughters, Cousin Lizzie and Cousin Sarah, were very kind and their attentions to us were a great comfort. I still remember the careful daily attention of my cousins to Helen’s head of hair. At first they trained it into beautiful ringlets and, later, into long hanging curls about her head. Helen rebelled noisily against the amount of patience required of her to undergo this daily ordeal. I also recall the pleasant evenings that I spent playing with neighboring children under the electric street light in front of our new home; and of [Page 20] my habit of following the electric light man each morning as he came to lower the street lamp and replace the burned carbons. He usually presented me with some of the burned carbons. I further remember my Aunt’s home dog, Mack, who was my playfellow. After about one year at Aunt Lizzie’s, my father remarried and Helen and I were taken back to our home and family. We were happy to rejoin our other sister and brothers. It was comforting to be a member of a large family. There were always ready companions to join us whether we were engaging in work or in play. Each of us benefitted by the ideas and deeds of the others. There was a sufficient number of us to arrange our own games and sports, and to provide companions [Page 21] 19. and assistants in the various chores which were required of us. There was one feature of our large family to which we sometimes objected, viz., the wearing of hand-me-down clothing which an older member had outgrown. The only school available to us was the one-teacher school at Fellowship. My brothers and sisters and I walked the quarter-mile to school for eight or nine months of each year. Here we recited, or studied while others recited, from nine o’clock each morning until four o’clock in the afternoons. The long daily session made it necessary for us to carry lunch boxes and the noon recess for lunch and recreation was the chief event of those days. Drinking water for the pupils was secured from a nearby spring, a fresh supply of this cool water being [Page 22] kept on a shelf just outside of the doorway. One of our daily diversions was to go to the spring in pairs, to replenish the water supply. The school heating system consisted of a wood-burning stove in center of the schoolroom. Pupils who were seated too far away from the stove to keep warm could get permission to stand by the stove for short intervals between classes in wintertime. This one-teacher type of school, where one person must instruct all classes in all subjects, was not the most satisfactory one but it was the best that the community afforded. As members of my family outgrew this school, they were sent by horse and buggy to Ninety Six High School - four miles away. Shortly after I started to school another sad event occurred in my family. Arthur, my next [Page 23] 21. older and closest companion died, just before reaching the age of twelve years. The little monument to his grave at Fellowship Cemetery bears an inscription which I hope to deserve for my epitaph, viz., “He was faithful to every duty.” Being the youngest boy in my family, I seem to have been somewhat favored by my parents. My father was fond of music and, since my older sister had shown neither inclination nor talent for music, he endeavored to make a musician of me. His inspiration in this direction came from an agent of The International Conservatory of Music of Boston, who called at our home. This agent induced my parents to include me on a list of students to take a course in piano lessons by mail. Therefore, during my early school days, I studied and practiced at the piano. [Page 24] This course included the usual instructions for beginners together with special sheets of music. Each note on this special music contained a number to correspond with a like number on a mechanical instrument. My teacher was this mechanical ‘Revealer’ which was placed across the keyboard of the piano. The music was reproduced by the simple process of striking the keys indicated by numbers on the notes and pointed out by arrows from corresponding numbers on the revealer. ‘Tis needless to say that, without assistance of a musician, this method of instruction would produce a mechanical musician. My step-mother was an accomplished pianoist [sic] and was a great help to me in this course. However, after memorizing thirty-odd pieces of music by this method, [Page 25] 23 my interest waned and I discontinued the course after about one year. The chief benefit which I derived from the course was an appreciation of music and a realization of the great amount of practice required to become a musician. Other means were also provided for me to follow my interests and utilize my time gainfully. I was allowed to raise chickens and rabbits. I chose the Plymouth Rock breed of chickens and grey rabbits - Belgian Hares. My chicken farm was started by ordering one setting of eggs from a poultry farm which advertised thoroughbred stock in The Progressive Farmer magazine. I built a chicken house and pen in a peach orchard beside our garden and provided some modern arrangements for raising chickens. Additional chickens were added to my flock annually and I soon built up a flock large [Page 26] enough to keep me busy. My rabbits were kept in a pen which included a sunken house. Even with the convenience for them, they did a lot of burrowing. From these two small-scale projects I derived much pleasure and felt that I was accomplishing something worthwhile. x x x x x One of the inconveniences of a rural community is the inadequacy of medical care. In case of sickness in our family requiring attention of a doctor, it was necessary to secure this attention from Ninety Six. I recall several occasions when I rode horseback to Ninety Six, galloping my horse most of the way, to call in Doctor Blake for members of my family. Although the doctor would respond promptly to the call, anxiety about our sick loved-one would make the [Page 27] 25. time of his arrival seem unduly long. My horse was usually foaming with sweat when I reached the doctor’s house but I would give him a chance to cool off on the return trip. x x x x x One of our chief pleasures and recreations was that of going to town. We especially liked going to Greenwood which was farther and larger than Ninety Six. Business trips to one of these towns were required about once each week and all of us boys were eager volunteers for the trips. Whether the business required a four-mule wagon team, or a horse and buggy, made little difference to us. The towns themselves were intriguing. Besides the wonders which each store held, each trip furnished a chance to purchase articles of clothing or novelties which we desired, and the bringing home of fruits and candies. [Page 28] During watermelon season, several of us would take a load of melons to town, spend a happy day in selling them, and then spend much of the proceeds of our sales in purchasing needed articles. To us everything pertaining to the towns seemed good. We did not realize that townspeople also have their hardships and inconveniences. As my older brothers reached maturity, they left home to begin their separate careers. My oldest brother, Walter, first began work in the mercantile store of Uncle Willie Adams in Edgefield. During his vacation periods, he returned home to pay us a visit. When I was about twelve years of age, I was given the mission of driving by horse and buggy to Edgefield to bring Walter home for a summer vacation. [Page 29] 27 Since the distance to Edgefield was twenty five miles each way, this assignment was quite a venture for me. I was also delighted with this opportunity to visit my cousins, George and Willie Adams, who were about my age. My instructions for making this trip were very specific even to include a stop along the way to rest our family buggy mare. Although Edgefield was small and old, with a branch of the Augusta Railroad coming to a dead end there, I was quite elated over the romance of making such a long journey alone. Arriving safely at Edgefield, I was permitted to enjoy the hospitality of my uncle’s home and of the village for a day or two before starting homeward with Walter. Uncle Willie’s store also included a counter of candies and cookies of which I was easily and often persuaded to partake. My social activities included [Page 30] occasional visits to other cousins - the Griffins, who lived near us, and the Harveys in Greenwood. Billy Griffin and Hilton Harvey were about my age and exchanges of visits among us were very pleasing to me. The shortest route to Billy’s home, by foot, was about one mile in distance and lead through a pasture which enclosed many cattle including a vicious Jersey Bull. When this bull was not in sight, I dared to take the route through the pasture. On one occasion Billy and I walked down to the pasture fence when this bull was quite near. He met us at the fence and began to paw the ground and to bellow in fury. We felt safe outside of a frail wire fence and tantalized the bull by throwing stones at him. This made the bull more furious and added to our delight. We finally won [Page 31] 29 the contest by continuing to pelt him on his head and body until he turned away. When I look back on this prank of ours, I now realize that our position was not altogether safe. My visits to Hilton Harvey took me to the city and a different type of life. Hilton and I would take in the city and visit many of the stores. We made a point of being at one or more of the railway stations when trains arrived. It was interesting to me to see passengers getting on and off of these trains. We also spent much of our time at Uncle Osie’s livery stable, where sales of horses and mules were taking place. x x x x x The business of farming will not interest you, probably, but it was a part of my early life. It seemed to be the general opinion [Page 32] that little brain and much brawn were the requisites of the farmers. For the small struggling farmers, this opinion was somewhat true, but judging from my experience as a young participant in this industry, it is my belief that farming requires and develops as much mentality as does most other industries. Furthermore, the independent and practical life which pertains to the farms, have a wholesome influence on one’s character. The proximity to nature, and the necessity of conforming to nature’s laws, keep one from going far astray. The daily and continuous performance of assigned tasks, the act of doing things and observing results, develops a practical mind. The necessity of performing assigned tasks regularly also develops a sense of responsibility and builds character. Farming on our plantation [Page 33] 31. seemed to begin with the calendar year. At this time harvesting of crops was about completed leaving the fields drab with empty stalks. The only sign of crop life were patches of winter grain. The first operation to start new crops was to knock down, or cut down, the dead cotton and corn stalks and clear the land. The soil was then turned over with plows to pulverize it and to cover any remaining dead vegetation. The next plowing built up rows of the soil on which the planting was to be done. All of this work was done prior to Spring season - or in early Spring. Hauling of fertilizer (guano) was done along with the preparation of soil. Negro teamsters seemed to derive special pleasure in handling our mule teams. My father took pride in his livestock and tried to keep the best obtainable. By insist- [Page 34] ing that the animals be kept in best of condition, always groomed and trimmed, he instilled pride for them in the minds of the laborers. After returning from the hauling trips teamsters gave vent to their love for bragging by the stories of praise for their teams. Such faithful Negroes as Nels Martin, Tom Moton, or Henry Smith would laugh and talk for hours of how their teams, although drawing a heavier load than a neighbor’s team, passed the neighbor’s team and left it well behind; or, how their wheel team, Doll and Rody, worked their ears differently as they easily moved forward with a heavy load; or, how their lead team, Mary and Maggie, only needed the crack of the long lash of the wagon whip above their ears to cause them to walk away from the best of teams. They also bragged [Page 35] 33 of the ease with which each of them handled the 200-pound sacks of guano in contrast with the difficulty with which neighbors’ hands labored with them. However their chief subject of braggadocia was the superior pulling ability of their teams. Hills and mud-holes along the roads furnished many tests of the ability of the teams. We Southerners considered the negro and the mule as an perfect indispensable working team, each one seeming to sympathize with, and derive a certain amount of satisfaction from the other. If the mule is spirited and likes to move fast, the driver worker is pleased and does lots of work; if the mule is lazy, the driver worker easily conforms; if the mule is mean, he give his master a wanted opportunity to expell [sic] his whole vocabulary of profanity [Page 36] without offending the mule. In either case, this combination was the farmer’s main reliance. The first sign of Spring was nature’s warning to begin planting. All hands became busy in final preparation of the soil and getting seed into the ground. The male members of my family took an active part of all farm work. For this reason, the large number of boys in my family was a big asset. Negroes have an expression to the effect, “Gal babies and bull calves are a poor man’s luck.” My father spent most of his time on his saddle horse riding over the plantation, supervising and planning work. When we boys were not in school, there was plenty of farm work to keep us busy and, as my father said, “to keep us out of devilment.” Each of us in turn [Page 37] 35. became a specialist in some type of work, e.g., operating the cotton gin, the steam engine, the cotton or hay press, the sawmill, or the corn or grain binders. One of my older brothers acted as foreman and pace-setter for groups of laborers while the rest of us worked on another part of the farm. Spring was always a welcomed season for me. As a youngster I looked forward to this season as a release from the discomfort of heavy Winter clothes, as a period to enjoy barefootedness and as a period of fresh vigor to such an extent that I wanted to run at work or play. The fresh Spring air seemed to invigorate human beings as much as it did plant life. All nature seemed to waken from hibernation and to hum with new life. It was not many days after planting had begun that [Page 38] the fruits of our own labor began to appear. Row upon row of new cotton and corn burst forth from the fresh earth. This growth required attention and the stage of cultivation was initiated. Thinning out the plants and ridding them of their enemies, grass and weeds, required many mow-hours of labor with hoes and plows. Pulverizing and changing soil around the plants required more labor with plows. All the while these plants were responding to sunshine, rain and the careful attention which was being given to them. Where response was considered inadequate, additional food in the form of guano was supplied. Planting and cultivation of gardens and patches of potatoes and lesser crops advanced simultaneously. Finally, the crops reached a stage of maturity beyond which further [Page 39] 37 cultivation became harmful. This was the lay-by period which came the latter part of July. Crops were left alone to complete their maturity while laborers awaited the time for harvest. In the meantime grainfields had turned yellow with maturity and had been harvested. This included early corn which we cut with a binding machine and shredded, ear and all, to use as forage for animals. It was a matter of wonder to our neighbors that we boys, in our early teens and at the bare-footed age, were able to handle a heavy three-mule team and operate the complicated corn or grain binder. Both of these crops were first shocked in the fields to await their time for shredding or threshing. This operation was done after a short period of drying, or curing. Other activities during the [Page 40] months of July and August were of the lighter and pleasanter type. These included both work and recreation. Fruit and melons had ripened and were harvested and disposed of. Melons were sold at the markets and were also plentiful for home consumption. Fruits were sufficient for current enjoyment and also to supply canned food throughout winter. Several days at a time were spent in gathering and canning these fruits. Cutting and baling hay was another of the lesser tasks to be done at this time. Horses and mules were less in demand and were often turned into pastures after lay-by period. Before relating some of our recreational activities, the routine of a day on the farm during cultivating season might be of interest. The [Page 41] 39 day’s work began at dawn with the sounding of the big farm bell. This signal was given by one of my brothers or by a faithful servant and was the call for all hands to rise from slumber and prepare for work. Certain of the servants came at once to our barnyards to assist in feeding the animals. Early morning feeding is an interesting experience of communion with the dumb domestic friends. At the first sound of footsteps or the opening of a gate the symphony of the barnyard began. All animals began to bestir themselves and, in a language peculiar to their breed, they sounded messages of welcome, of impatience, or of anxiety lest they be overlooked. Horses and mules began a chorus of whimpering; cows moved around nervously in their stalls and some of them began to low; hogs were the most [Page 42] ill-mannered as the squealed loudly and appeared to be actually suffering from hunger; chickens flew down from their roosts and began to assemble at their feeding place- some of them sang as if they were happy at the approach a new day. When feeding was completed there was the sound of grinding corn by the work animals and the shuffling of hay by the cows; hogs ate noisily and fought as they ate. Then, when all animals completed their breakfast, there was a silence of contentment. While the animals were eating, breakfast for human beings was also prepared and eaten, and morning chores were done. Our cook arrived shortly after the sounding of the bell and prepared breakfast by lamp light. Milking and dairying chores were done by designated personnel. [Page 43] 41. Breakfast for country folks was a good substantial meal. A typical one consisted of hominy with bacon or ham gravy, biscuits and corn breads, butter, bacon or ham, eggs, syrup or molasses, and coffee or milk. As soon as working personnel had completed breakfast, all workers assembled at what they called the ‘big ‘ouse’ (our home), where they received instructions for the day’s work. Work animals were then bridled, groomed and harnessed and ridden to the fields where work began. Other animals were released to pastures. Then the steady grind of work in the hot sun continued by plow or hoe hands. During part of each day negroes could be heard singing as they moved somewhat in rhythm to their songs. Each hour showed an advance in work as crops [Page 44] were cleared of grass, or as fresh dirt was thrown to growing plants by plows. Work was interrupted by the farm bell about eleven thirty each day at which time animals were brought home for water and the noon meal. Again, at one o’clock the bell called workers to resume work. The day’s work lasted until nearly sundown allowing remaining daylight for feeding and bedding down of animals and for the evening chores. These chores included dairying, housing and feeding of animals and providing fuel (wood) and water for night. After supper was over and darkness, or moonlight, had started the night, we began our favorite game while our parents sat and talked and observed us from the front porch. This game was called “mad-dog.” Using the steps [Page 45] 43. of our home as bases and with one member at a time representing the mad-dog, the other players advanced clockwise around the house, endeavoring to reach the next base without being caught by the mad-dog. The dog, in the meantime, had concealed himself some place around the house between bases. As soon as any player was caught, he became the dog and the game continued. Jest and interest was added to the game by a knowledge that there were at times actually a few mad-dogs around during Summer months. Thus ended a day on the farm. x x x x x During melon season my parents had occasional melon parties to entertain friends and neighbors. After gathering a dozen or more of our choicest water-melons and cantelopes [sic] and [Page 46] cooling them in a cellar, neighbors and friends were invited in to help us enjoy them. For these occasions tables were placed end to end under shade trees to make an inviting setting. Some of the luscious melons were so ripe that, once the knife was started through them, they opened ahead of the blade. Such parties lasted for several hours and were a means of a pleasant social gathering. During the month of August each year our church held a week of protracted meeting. The best available preacher was engaged to assist our minister and, to get the most out of his week’s engagement, services were held both morning and afternoon. Between services, basket lunches were served on the church grounds. These [Page 47] 45 services produced many converts whose baptism - including my own - took place in an out-door pool near the church. Aside from the religious aspect of these meetings, they were a source of pleasant social gatherings. As a growing boy our feature of these meetings which appealed to me was the abundance of delightful foods which was served between services. Long tables were placed under huge oaks and were laden with the choicest of foods from which we were permitted to select as we chose. In my present destitute, semi-hungry condition as a Japanese prisoner of war, the large dishes of brown fried chicken, of deviled eggs, of peach and lemon pies, and of delicious heavily-iced chocolate and lemon layer cakes still loom prominently before me. Although I ate as much as [Page 48] I could uncomfortably hold, I now wonder that I did not eat more. In order to get relief from hot August days we boys constructed a ‘swimming hole’ in our pasture by damming a portion of the creek. This provided a pool of water quite adequate to our requirements and was a means of pleasant sport. Since it was a private lake, we were permitted to ‘hang our clothes on a hickory limb’ and swim in the suit which nature provided. There was supposed to be a suck-hole near the center of this pool which would carry a poor swimmer to the bottom. Whether this was only a ruse to keep youngsters away from the deep water I do not know but I did not dare to venture to that portion of the pool. During these hot days cotton [Page 49] 47. began to open and the fields were putting on a pretty white appearance. This was the beginning of the harvest period of our big crop. Early each morning thereafter groups of negroes arrived at our cotton house equipped with burlap sacks strapped over one shoulder. Here they were supplied with large baskets of split white oak which they turned over their heads and moved to the cotton fields. All day long they moved up and down the rows as they gathered cotton and packed it in their sacks. Some of them moved on their knees while others bent over the rows. As the sacks were filled, they were emptied and packed into baskets. Behind these groups of pickers were left dark green patches of the matured cotton stalks which would produce pickings of white cotton. [Page 50] Just before sunset each day wagon teams were sent out to to [sic] haul the day’s harvest to the cotton house. Here the cotton was weighed and the pickers were paid for the day’s work. Payment ranged from about thirty cents to seventy-five cents per hundred pounds according to the time of year and to the demand for labor. As soon as one field was gathered another was ready for gathering - thus this process continued until about Christmas when gathering was completed. At intervals during gathering season the gin was put into operation. Rainy days were sometimes used for this purpose. Ginning days were long busy ones. One of my brothers fired and operated the steam engine, one supervised the ginning machine, and another supervised the cotton press. By daylight the [Page 51] 49 steam from the engine could be heard and, shortly thereafter, the whistle was sounded and ginning was in full operation. Bales of cotton were spread on the ground around the gin house where they awaited a favorable market to be hauled away and sold. When the market indicated, from four to six bales were loaded on wagons and were hauled to market by four-mule teams. This was the big harvest and meant the realization of many dreams which had awaited the result of cotton harvest. New clothing, additional farm machinery, needed supplies and some luxuries were brought home on the wagons. This was the first money crop which the tenants had harvested. Their morale was high if they were able to pay accumulated debts and to purchase needed articles. Oftimes [Page 52] tenants were furnished transportation to take their entire families to town to celebrate the harvest. When ginning had been completed the year’s profit could be completed. x x x x x Hog killing was another important event with us. The first of these events usually came after a heavy frost and prior to Thanksgiving Day. Having decided to slaughter hogs, word was given to the hands and before sun-up on the appointed day several hands arrived at our house and built a big fire around a large scalding pot. Soon thereafter water was steaming in the pot and everything was in readiness for the slaughter. The setting was typical for a winter morning in the country. The woodyard, tops of buildings and surroundings were white with ‘jack frost.’ Negro laborers were [Page 53] 51. grouped around the scalding pot with their backs to the fire, or were warming and rubbing their hands while talking and laughing. Then, at the word from one in charge, they moved to the hog pen, singled out one hog at a time and lifted him out of the pen against the loud protests of all the others. Once out of the pen the hog was struck down by a blow on his head with the back of an axe which act was quickly followed by slashing the throat and piercing the heart with a large butcher’s knife. Having made the kill for the day in this manner, the butchered hogs were then dragged to the vicinity of the scalding pot. Here, each hog was placed, head down, in a leaning half-sunken barrel and scalding water was poured over him. The next step was to remove the hog from the barrel, [Page 54] place him on boards and remove the hair from his entire body by rubbing with knives and pricks. This operation transformed the hairy black animals to clean white ones. The carcus [sic] was then hung by its hind legs and the operation of dissecting, trimming, etc., was performed by the butcher. Other hands stored or hung the various assortments of meats. Each helper was rewarded for his work by being given certain parts of the trimmings, the livers, etc. Several days were required to put the meat in useable condition by experienced hands. This included grinding sausage, rending lard, grinding parts for hogshead cheese or souse and preparing the main parts by salting, or by seasoning and smoking. In this way our table was supplied throughout winter with fresh and smoked hams or shoulders, [Page 55] 53. well seasoned sausage, bacon, or hogshead cheese and souse. The residue of rending lard was used to make delicious cracklin bread. x x x x x Along with cotton and pork harvests went the harvest of timber. New farm land was added each year by clearing portions of our timber land. This timber, mostly white pine, was used for both lumber and fuel. My older brothers, in turn, operated our sawmill and for this purpose the steam engine was moved from its accustomed place near the gin house to the timber areas. For weeks at a time selected timber was felled and sawed into building materials while the timber which was unsuitable for lumber was cut into cord wood for fuel. Fuel wood was cut and stacked at about one dollar per card - to cut and stack a cord of wood was considered a good day’s work for one laborer. x x x x x [Page 56] Winter months required less use of work animals and was the time of year for trading old or worn out animals for young ones. Occasionally, a dealer from Kentucky or Tenn. drove a fine lot of animals overland and traded with farmers along his route. My father secured a fine and beautiful pair of horses from Mr. Collins, a travelling dealer. Both of these horses were bays with white markings - fat and sleek. One of these we named ‘Beauty’ and gave her the place of honor as buggy mare for the family. Her gentle nature and beautiful style and conformation attracted favorable attention wherever she was seen. Trading for young stock was usually done with Uncle Osie Harvey in Greenwood. In this way the farm year started out with fresh and lively stock. x x x x x [Page 57] 55 Winter on the plantation also brought a pleasant pastime - the hunting sport. Wild game in our community included quail, doves, wild turkeys, rabbits, squirrels, coons and o’possums. In my early teens I was the proud owner of a single-barrel shot gun and enjoyed squirrel shooting as my most profitable sport. Later, I learned to shoot birds on the wing and quail shooting became my favorite sport. Rabbit hunting with and without guns was also an interesting sport. A pack of beagle hounds and a group of hunters armed only with sticks was one of the most exciting of our sports. For such occasions there were too many hunters along to make it safe to have guns. The dogs and sticks usually provided enough of these little animals to furnish all of the hunters a supply of meat. x x x x x [Page 58] When the cotton crop was gathered the plantation appeared drab and dull. The only farming activity to be done at this time was the planting of winter grain. Once this was done the grain was left to survive the winter and furnish patches of green among brown fields. Thus was the routine of work on the farm. Time had now arrived for a repetition of this routine. x x x x x In 1908 I had reached the age of fifteen years and most of my brothers had left home to begin their own careers. My father was declining in health and felt unable to continue the operation of his plantation. He therefore accepted an attractive offer and sold out home and farm to a Mr. Motte Payne. Before doing so, however, he arranged to purchase an older and [Page 59] 57 smaller estate - the Whitlock Place - on the outskirts of Greenwood. A public auction was held to dispose of the surplus farm chattels and animals which were not needed on the smaller plantation. We were both sad and glad to make this change - sad because we were leaving our old home and friends and glad to move so near the city. Many of our friends said that we sold the finest plantation in the county and bought the next finest. Our new home was of the colonial type, an eight-room two story building with large columns. It was surrounded by several acres of beautiful oak trees. There was also a windmill and water tank, two large barns, a garden, an orchard, several tenant houses and enough land to operate a small farm. The location and facilities here [Page 60] including pasture land were almost ideal for the dairying industry. My father took advantage of this condition, bought a herd of registered Jersey cows - paying up to $150.00 for some of the milk cows - and opened a dairy business. We installed a DeLaval cream separator, set up a gasoline engine to operate a churn, and sold cream, milk, and butter. Much of the separated (skimmed) milk was used to fatten hogs. This business together with the small farm was sufficient to keep Victor, myself and several farm hands busy. Victor and I entered Greenwood High School while Helen attended grammar school in the High School building. I usually rode horse-back to school to train and exercise a saddle horse while Victor and Helen went by horse and buggy. [Page 61] 59. Shortly after moving to Greenwood our buggy mare, Beauty, presented us with a ‘little beauty’ - a replica of her mother. When this colt was about a week old she met with a near-serious accident which left a permanent scar on her. While frisking around in the stable she kicked through a plank and got her leg caught in between planks. In attempting to free herself, she rubbed flesh off to the bone. My father thinking the injury more serious than it really was, wanted to kill this colt to free her from suffering. I prevailed on him to let me try to cure and raise her. With special care and treatment and a diet of separated milk, her leg healed nicely and she developed into a beautiful animal. During feeding time I trained her to answer and run to me when her name, Alma, was called. I also taught her to kneel and to pick up a handkerchief. In spite of a permanent scar on [Page 62] her leg, I won first with her, two years, at our county fair in competition with other fine colts. When she was 2 ½ years old and was partly broken to harness and saddle I sold her for $250.00. In 1910 Victor left home to engage in other work, leaving me as the only boy to manage our business. I graduated from Greenwood H.S. this year and was out of school one year while managing our affairs. My father continued to decline in health (Bright’s disease), and in June 1911, he passed away and was buried in our family plot at Fellowship Church. After his death we decided to sell our plantation and to divide the estate. Accordingly, we held an auction sale in the fall of 1911, disposed of all property, and each of us went our separate ways. x x x x x [Page 63] 61. In July 1911, just following my father’s death, I took advantage of announcements in the newspaper and stood examinations for scholarships in two of our state colleges - The Citadel and Clemson. I was fortunate to win second place in the one-year scholarship to Clemson and was more fortunate in winning first place in the four-year scholarship to the Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. When the result of the latter examination came to me by mail, I was in the field helping to harvest corn. Helen ran out to bring me the wonderful news of my success and, in my joy at this news, I ran back home with her to discuss my plans for entering college. Thus, by grasping a passing opportunity provided by Providence, my destiny was guided to its end. [Page 64] Then began my college career. My plans for entering college were simple and, of necessity were promptly made. Instructions mailed to me from the Citadel stated that I should report to the Registrar at that institution on the opening date of college. Clothing and other articles with which I should equip myself were also mentioned. Therefore, after arranging for someone to take over the management of affairs at home, I registered as a cadet at the Citadel early in September, 1911. This was a happy and a memorable occasion for me. The Citadel, founded in 1842, had built up an enviable reputation dating from the days of our Civil War. Her alumni had played prominent parts in war and in peace. As a military college it had won the sobriquet of the West Point of the South. This institution was located [Page 65] 63 on Marion Square in the center of the historic city of Charleston. The building was constructed of masonry and on plans of a Spanish (Moorish) fort. [Written on side of page 65] The rectangular walls enclosed a quadrangle the entrance to which was through an arched sally-porte secured by heavy iron gates. [Page 65] The building and its immediate surroundings presented a solemn dignified military appearance. A statue of John C. Calhoun stood at the front entrance at Marion Square to serve as an inspiration to cadets and as a reminder of one South Carolinian who had achieved greatness. The famous chimes of St. Michael’s Church could oftimes be heard from within our barrack rooms - and the chimes of St. Matthews Church, just across the street, reminded us each Sunday of the Lord’s day and of time to go to church. The two principal streets of Charleston - King and Meeting streets, were crowded with cadets on week-ends to add color and life to the city. The beautiful Battery, where the Ashley and Cooper rivers join and flow [Page 66] out to sea, was also a popular area for cadet recreation. Although cadets had much to gain by contact with Charleston and its environs, Charleston also benefitted [sic] by The Citadel being located in its midst. When my class had assembled, there were about one hundred of us to begin our college careers together. While most of us were from South Carolina, several other states were also represented - in fact, China had a representative in my class in the person of Wu Ying. My first room-mates were Hugh Thompson, a freshman from Chattanooga, and his cousin, William Glasgow Thompson (Cadet Corporal) of New York City. Corporal Thompson selected his cousin and me as his proteges. Following Citadel policy, we were at once levelled to equality in treatment and in dress. The first step in this direction was the [Page 67] 65 requirement that we wear the cadet cap with civilian clothes until complete uniforms could be provided. This odd dress labelled our class as ‘Citadel Rats’. A very strict code of conduct was prescribed by cadet Regulations and published in the Blue Book. This book contained a long and detailed list of do’s and don’ts for our guidance and compliance. Punishments for violation of cadet Regulation were published in another book - a penal code. So that no offense could be omitted, there was a general article which read, in substance, as follows: “any act or omission not otherwise covered in these regulations which tends to bring discredit upon a cadet or upon the institution, or which is considered to be prejudiced to good order and military discipline, will be punished according to the nature of the offense.” Thus, [Page 68] since we could be physically confined by iron gates within the strong walls of our barracks, and were morally bound to a prescribed code of conduct, we were bound by strong ties to our institution. Compliance with the many details of cadet Regulations was our introduction to military life. At first it seemed that there was no end to these details, many of which seemed silly in their simplicity. However, with careful coaching and the aid of disciplinary punishments, it was not long before we adjusted our conduct to conform to this new life. Among the many regulations to produce uniformity, order and neatness in barracks were such details as the following: arrangement of clothing, toilet, articles, bedding, and other articles on [Page 69] 67 wall hooks, in clothes presses, and in spaces provided for each. A definite space was provided for each small articles such as tooth brush, handkerchiefs, socks, etc. Several inspections were made daily to insure that each article was in its prescribed place. Work and recreation schedules were published and were announced by bugle calls. A day’s schedule was something like this: at six o’clock in the morning a bugle call sounded Reville at which time we rose, dressed and attended a check formation. After this formation we policed our rooms and our persons before breakfast. Room cleaning included folding of bed clothing and arranging it neatly on top of clothes presses, placing of mattresses in open presses provided for them, and folding of iron cots and placing them against the wall, on edge. Any dust left in rooms sufficient [Page 70] to soil the white gloves of cadet inspecting officers was sure to bring punishment to the offender. Breakfast was announced by mess call at 6:30 A.M. at which time we formed in companies, marched to the mess hall and remained standing for the senior cadet officer to invoke a blessing before being seated. When all had finished eating, we were again formed and marched to the quadrangle and dismissed. About one hour of liberty of the campus followed breakfast and then the bugle announced chapel formation. We formed and marched to chapel for morning devotional exercises. Returning from chapel, we were dismissed about time to hear the bugle sound school call. At this call the serious academic work of the day began. Except for dinner period [Page 71] 69 classes were held from 9:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. daily, except Saturdays and Sundays. Classes began on the hour and lasted until a steel signal which sounded at ten minutes before the next hour. The remaining ten minutes were allowed to permit classes to be marched to the rooms for their next subjects. One or more class periods were devoted to indoor military instruction conducted by the Commandant. Outdoor military instruction was held daily from 4:10 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. on school days with the addition of parades or reviews on Friday afternoons (about 5:20 P.M.) and formal inspections by our Commandant on Saturday mornings. Most all military instruction out of doors was done by cadet officers and non-commissioned officers. These leaders were trained to require of their units a high standard of proficiency in appearance and performance. [Page 72] Starting as green recruits, we were rapidly advanced to a stage of training sufficient to place us for further training with upper classmen. Their, by daily repetition and improvement the cadet corps reached the high standard of proficiency for which the Citadel was noted. However, that stage of training was not so easily attained as I may have made it appear. There were many trials and heart-aches along the route for both the instructors and the recipients for proficiency in a military organization were known and were put into practice by our cadet instructors. Briefly, these requirements were, and are, as follows: The setting of a high standard; the utilization of well qualified instructors; frequent tests and inspections [Page 73] 71. to determine progress on deficiencies; and a system of rewards for work well done and punishments for delinquents. Daily room inspections and formal Saturday inspections provided a means for applying appropriate rewards or punishments. Saturday inspections included examination of personnel for individual perfection in cleanliness of persons, clothing, arms and equipment and the examination of barrack rooms for cleanliness and orderliness of arrangement. There were few, if any, irregularities overlooked and woe to the cadet who did not come up to standard. (see Note Book “B” for continuation) [Page 74] [Back cover.] Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Journal of Roy C. Hilton, Note Book A: A Personal Letter, October 12, 1943 Subject The topic of the resource Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina World War (1939-1945) Description An account of the resource This journal, written as a letter to Hilton's daughters during his captivity in 1943, covers his childhood in South Carolina and his entry to The Citadel. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilton, Roy C., 1892-1950 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Citadel Archives & Museum Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-10-12 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/828 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived A2010.26 Relation A related resource Roy C. Hilton Collection Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date Valid Date (often a range) of validity of a resource. 1940-1949 Audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. Citadel Class of 1915