April 3, 1942
April 3, 1942
Exciting news swept the camp! The Commandant informed us that a neutral ship would leave for the States at the end of this month after
Tressa Cates
(September 14, 1903 — May 6, 1991). Nurse at Sternberg General Military Hospital. Interned with her future husband in Santo Tomas, 1942-45.
April 4, 1942
April 4, 1942
Easter was in the air! From my window I watched and listened to the women’s choir practicing in the Father’s garden. Women and children were
April 5, 1942
April 5, 1942
We went to sunrise services and communion in the Father’s garden, and it was like no other church I had attended on Easter Sunday. The
April 6, 1942
April 6, 1942
A three-hundred-pound teen-age girl came to our room this morning with a pair of shoes that she wanted to raffle off at twenty centavos a
April 7, 1942
April 7, 1942
During the night we were awakened by the roaring sound of many planes speeding toward the west. How could we sleep after that? We knew
April 8, 1942
April 8, 1942
An earthquake of considerable intensity awoke the camp, and the Big House shook like a shimmy dancer. Frightened and half-dressed, women rushed out of their
April 10, 1942
April 10, 1942
Though we refused to believe the Nishi-Nishi headline, Troops ON EASTERN FRONT OF BATAAN OFFER SURRENDER, We were unreasonably depressed. One could see small groups
April 11, 1942
April 11, 1942
Seven civilians were brought in from Bataan today! All their stories were the same. Hardships, malaria, dysentery, inadequate equipment and food. While hungry and exhausted
April 12, 1942
April 12, 1942
The Nishi-Nishi had this cheerful information: “F.D.R. in his press-conference speech admitted the impossibility of sending aid to the Philippines to relieve the critical situation
April 14, 1942
April 14, 1942
On previous occasions we had witnessed Japanese flogging Filipinos whom they had brought into the camp. This afternoon several Japanese tied a young Filipino to
April 15, 1942
April 15, 1942
The morning headline filled us with dread. Bombs DEMOLIsH CORREGIDOR GUNS. We felt the heat more than ever today as we dragged mattresses and other
April 16, 1942
April 16, 1942
A long line of elderly and ill-fed American men filled the front lobby of the Big House. They had come from the outside to register
April 17, 1942
April 17, 1942
Corregidor Resistance Weak. A Nishi-Nishi correspondent at the Philippine front gave the following description of a fierce raid on Corregidor: I had the thrill of
April 19, 1942
April 19, 1942
The Japs had always been camera-crazy, but here in camp they had gone completely shutter-happy. Every day was a field day for them, as officers,
April 20, 1942
April 20, 1942
Pura, my little nurse friend, was still permitted to come in and out of the camp. If there ever was a harbinger of good cheer,
April 21, 1942
April 21, 1942
U. S. Is No Match For JAPAN! “Japan is about to secure full contro] of the Indian Ocean and consequently will be able to meet
April 22, 1942
April 22, 1942
FASTER-THAN-SOUND PLANES IS AIM OF THE JAPANESE SCIENTISTS. The morning rag certainly loved to startle and impress us. Another one of my roommates was Jane,
April 23, 1942
April 23, 1942
Just as I gathered my frying-pan, dishes, and other utensils from under my bed in preparation for lunch, three American men entered the room, armed
April 24, 1942
April 24, 1942
The Commandant finally consented to a nine o’clock curfew. How happy and grateful we were to be able to stay in the front ground and
April 26, 1942
April 26, 1942
The lovely strains of “Rock of Ages” floated into my room as I watched the Protestant services in the Father’s garden. To the right of
April 27, 1942
April 27, 1942
Our men were building large dining sheds made of wood, and soon they would be completed for the dreaded rainy season. There was an air
April 28, 1942
April 28, 1942
The Nishi-Nishi was most informative and educational. For the last few days it was filled with instructions on how to make the Rising Sun flag.
April 29, 1942
April 29, 1942
We were not permitted to forget the Emperor’s birthday! The pictorial section of the Nishi-Nishi showed victorious soldiers shouting as they dramatically planted the Rising
May 1, 1942
May 1, 1942
Many of the young belles of the camp wore hibiscus leis and flowers in their hair to celebrate May Day. My two Spanish and Dutch
May 2, 1942
May 2, 1942
No more bread was to be served in the line. This spelled hardship and hunger for those who had no money to buy the bread
May 3, 1942
May 3, 1942
Shocking and horrible stories were being repeated in the camp about the suffering of our captured forces. Forced marches without adequate food and water! Atrocities
May 4, 1942
May 4, 1942
Catesy was promoted from his garbage detail! He now helped at the front gate by handing out packages brought to internees from the outside. For
May 5, 1942
May 5, 1942
We listened to the happy and gay music of Gilbert and Sullivan recordings in the plaza. Usually, their music and rollicking lyrics cheered me, but
May 7, 1942
May 7, 1942
No other topic interested us. Had Corregidor fallen? On my way to get breakfast I stopped when I saw five men grouped around another man
May 8, 1942
May 8, 1942
Corregidor Fars. Despite the morning headline, people still refused to believe. But when on the next page of the Nishi-Nishi they saw a picture of
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin