Natalie Crouter

(October 30, 1898 — October 15, 1985). Resident of Vigan and later Baguio in the Philippines. Interned by the Japanese with her family in Baguio, then Bilibid Prison in Manila.

Sept. 27, 1942

September 27, 1942

Jerry brought sub-coffee, fried mush, and pomolo in sugar for early breakfast. I tied my hair back, unbraided, which seems to make me look younger,

Oct. 15, 1942

October 15, 1942

By chewing on my front teeth I can enjoy one peanut at a time. A number of New England habits have been invaluable in this

Nov. 19, 1942

November 19, 1942

During Special Diet serving, eight booted officers, including a real live general, inspected camp with a bodyguard of eight soldiers with bayonets. These last pressed

Nov. 27, 1942

November 27, 1942

A type of rugged camp humor: One man raved about marriage and his love for his wife, which grows with the years like a flower.

Dec. 1, 1942

December 1, 1942

During lunch, after several days buildup of watching and trailing Mr. Menzies, the guards beat him. They found a five-gallon can and four bottles of

Dec. 14, 1942

December 14, 1942

It is a constant struggle to get spoons enough to set the table, bowls in line, to keep track of tins or soap. Once a

Jan. 1, 1943

January 1, 1943

A New Year is here, and we hope again, as we hoped all of 1942, but we are still concentrated, our teeth crumbling, our bodies

Jan. 2, 1943

January 2, 1943

I sat in the common room waiting for Jerry to make cocoa after checkers. All around were couples, pitiful couples, hungry for each other and

Feb. 1, 1943

February 1, 1943

Jerry made a Parmesan-cheese omelette with the things from [outside] and four eggs, with rice flour to give it body. A taste of cheese after

Feb. 27, 1943

February 27, 1943

The chef is in a bad mood. He gave one and a half stuffed cabbage rolls to the men, which miscalculation deprived thirty-five women of

May 7, 1943

Jerry is still chuckling over an episode in the shop. He was sharpening his small knife on the small whetstone when he was sudden confronted

May 29, 1943

The guards saw Eric and his wife eating together at the shop. They asked if it were husband and wife, and they said yes. A

July 3, 1943

While Jerry took a long sleep, I went to the handicraft exhibit until he joined me. It is unique. It combined county fair, arts and

Aug. 1, 1943

August 1, 1943

June says the little kids stomp about saying “God damn” over and over. Buddy on potty remarks, “I hope God will give me a good

Aug. 10, 1943

August 10, 1943

High school grads are learning a new song by Father Gowan, not like the usual Alma Mater. It expresses this thought—“We hope it won’t be

Sept. 25, 1943

September 25, 1943

There were five or six parties, one of about fifty guests for a husband’s birthday. A guard with his nose pressed against the wire watched

Dec. 25, 1943

December 25, 1943

Like spiders crawling in every direction from the center of a web, all of the 450 internees were coming from the bodega with carts, sacks, poles, ropes—anything

Jan. 1, 1944

January 1, 1944

It still burns me up that we have no letters, no message of any kind from America as we enter the third year of confinement.

Jan. 5, 1944

January 5, 1944

Nida [The Crouters’ former cook] sent us bananas, a pomolo, cigarettes, red radishes, and four baskets of big red strawberries, which we hulled and washed

Jan. 7, 1944

January 7, 1944

There are many infections now—thumbs, feet, boils in many areas. Lack of some vitamins is causing trouble with vision for a few who cannot see

Jan. 10, 1944

January 10, 1944

Yesterday the four military police left and were replaced by fourteen regular army. In town also the military police have gone, the army is in

Feb. 14, 1944

February 14, 1944

Damn the enemy. Even Germany permits bags and letters from home. I don’t want these officers killed, I want them isolated and incommunicado in a

Apr. 14, 1944

April 14, 1944

Special Section on Bill, Gene, and Jim in jail. Bill was strung up by his thumbs four times in four hours. They tied his hands behind

Apr. 18, 1944

April 18, 1944

Tomibe is very human. When he heard the children call the dog Tojo, he says they can call the dog Roosevelt!

April 29, 1944

Moving and hammering all this day too which surged around couples who refused to move. They remain obturate islands, but Tomibe said to go by

April 30, 1944

Mac came for coffee with us. His wife took a trip to Manila where people are either leaving to return to the provinces because they

May 1, 1944

Practice for Maypole dancing, rope wreaths made of evergreen, monotonous piano tunes inkling for days—will soon be ended after today’s program. At quarter to six

May 2, 1944

Another rumor says that the Japanese have named 8 open cities in Japan and Roosevelt had reported “we will not bomb Tokyo but—we give you

May 3, 1944

The dentist has brought in the panels from his office which, with other boards, he is making into a paneled apartment for his wife, taking

May 5, 1944

We had a casual conversation with Father Barter last night in which we told him of Bedie digging under the house. He said he had