Wilders Weihsien

4.

AWEIHSIEN B THE TEST@

(March 25 -September 14,1943)

AWeihsienBthe testBwhether one=s happiness depends on what one has, or on whatone is; on outer circumstances, or on inner heart; on life=s experiencesBgood and badBor on what one makes out of the materials thoseexperiences provide.@

Hugh Hubbard[1]

Excerpts from books describing lifein the Weihsien Aassembly center@ by three of the Wilders= fellow internees: Langdon Gilkey,David Michell, and Norman Cliff. Also see Howard GaltÍs description of howlife in Weihsien was organized.

Langdon Gilkey,ShantungCompound[2]

Greeted at the Gate

The compound looked likeany other foreign mission station in China, dull gray and institutional. Itseemed roughly the size of most of them C about one large city block. There were thefamiliar six-foot walls that surround everything in China; there were the roofsof Western-style buildings appearing above the walls; there was the welcomesight of a few trees here and there inside the compound; and, of course, thefamiliar great front gates. Stretching endlessly on either side, was the bare,flat, dusty Shantung farmland over which we had just come. We turned to take alast glance at that landscape. The guard on our truck barked at us, and we startedup the slope toward the gate.

The first sight thatgreeted us was a great crowd of dirty, unkempt, refugee-like people, standinginside the gate and coldly staring at us with resentful curiosity. Theirclothes looked damp and rumpled, covered with grime and dust C much as men look whohave just come off a shift on a road gang.

Still looking about uscuriously, we were led from the gate past some rows of small rooms, past theEdwardian-style church, out onto a small softball field in one corner of thecompound. Here we were to be lined up and counted. For the first time Inoticed the guard towers at each corner or bend of the walls. I felt a slightchill as I noticed the slots for machine guns, and the electrified barbed wirethat ran along the tops of the walls. Then a considerably greater chill sweptme as I saw that the machine guns were pointing our way....

We deposited our gear onthe cold cement floor, and found mats, for our beds. Then some of us went outto look for the toilet and washroom. We were told they were about a hundred andfifty yards away: AGo down the left-handstreet of the camp, and turn left at the water pump.@ So we set off,curiously peering on every side to see our new world.

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A Stroll through theCamp

After an open space infront of our building, we came to the many rows of small rooms that covered thecamp except where the ballfield, the church, the hospital, and the schoolbuildings were. Walking past these rows, we could see each family trying toget settled in its little room in somewhat the same disordered and cheerlessway that we had done in ours....

As we entered the doorof the menÍs room, the stench that assailed our Western nostrils almost droveus back into the fresh March air. To our surprise, we found brand-new fixturesinside: Oriental-style toilets with porcelain bowls sunk in the floor overwhich we uncomfortably had to squat. Above them on the wall hung porcelainflushing boxes with long, metal pull-chains, but C the pipes from the water tower outsideled only into the menÍs showers; not one was connected with the toilets. Thosefancy pipes above us led nowhere. The toilet bowls were already filled tooverflowing C with no servants, noplumbers, and very little running water anywhere in camp, it was hard to seehow they would ever be unstopped. We stayed there just long enough to do oursmall business C all the while gratefulwe had not eaten the last thirty-four hours C and to wash our hands and faces in the ice-coldwater that dribbled out of the faucets.

Back outside, westrolled around for our first real look at the compound. 1 was again struck byhow small it was C about one hundred andfifty by two hundred yards. Even more striking was its wrecked condition. Before the war, it had housed a well-equipped American Presbyterian missionstation, complete with a middle, or high, school of four or five largebuildings, a hospital, a church, three kitchens, bakery ovens, and seeminglyendless small rooms for resident students. We were told that, years before,Henry Luce had been born there. Although the buildings themselves had not beendamaged, everything in them was a shambles, having been wrecked by heaven knowshow many garrisons of Japanese and Chinese soldiers. The contents of the variousbuildings were strewn up and down the compound, cluttering every street andopen space; metal of all sorts, radiators, old beds, bits of pipe andwhatnot, and among them broken desks, benches, and chairs that had been in theclassrooms and offices. Since our Adorm@ was the basement of what had been the sciencebuilding, on the way home we sifted through the remains of a chemistry lab. Two days later we carried our loot to the hospital to help them to get inoperation.

The one redeemingfeature of this dismal spectacle was that it provided invaluable articles forthe kind of life we had now obviously to live. Old desks and benches couldbecome wash-stands and tables in our bare quarters. Broken chairs could giveus something to sit on besides the wet floors. Clearly the same thought hadoccurred to others; as we walked home, we saw in the dim light, dingy figuresgroping among the rubble and carting off Achoice@ bits and pieces. We made up our minds to getstarted on our own Ascrounging@ operations first thingin the morning before all this treasure was gone.

Supper Time

Soon after we got backto our room, we were led over to another part of the compound for supper. Isaw stretching before me for some seventy yards a line of quiet, grim people standingpatiently with bowls and spoons in their hands. Genuinely baffled, I asked ourguide C a pleasant man fromTsingtao, with all the comfortable authority of one now quite acclimated tocamp life C what on earth they weredoing there. AOh, queuing up forsupper, of course, old boy,@ said the Englishman cheerfully. AYouÍll get yours inabout forty minutes, actually, if you join the queue now.@

Could human patiencebear such a long wait three times a day for meals? However, I joined the line,and three-quarters of an hour later, we reached the table where thin soup wasbeing ladled out along with bread. That was supper....

Our meal finished, welined up again to have our bowls and spoons washed by women from Tsingtao. Thepatterns of chores in the new situation were beginning to come clear. As Iwent out past the steam-filled kitchen with its great Chinese cauldrons, I sawthree men from our Peking group being shown how to use the cooking equipment bythe men from Tsingtao, turned into Aexperts@ by their three days of practice. Despite thattasteless meal, I felt content; I was no end proud of my job in housing andlooked forward to finding out more about this strange camp and how itworked....

Some Aspects of CampLife

When the last grouparrived in camp about a week later, we numbered almost two thousand people. The implications of such a population figure staggered us, crowded as wewere into an area hardly larger than a city block, and quite without visiblemeans of caring for ourselves. What was worse, a closer look at the compoundin which we found ourselves only increased the sense of anxiety for oursurvival. The equipment that was there upon our arrival was in such badcondition that it seemed an almost impossible task to get it started again.

With so many peopleliving in such unsanitary conditions and eating dubious food at best, weexpected a disaster in public health any day.

Health Care

The greatest need wasfor a working hospital. The doctors and the nurses among us grasped this atonce, and so began the tremendous job of organizing a hospital more or lessfrom scratch. Perhaps because the mission hospital building had contained themost valuable equipment, it was in a worse state than any of the others. Theboilers, beds, and pipes had been ripped from their places and thrown abouteverywhere. The operating table and the dental chair were finally found at thebottom of a heap at the side of the building. None of the other machinery orsurgical equipment was left intact. Under these conditions, considering thatthere was as yet no organization of labor in the camp, it is astounding thatthese medics and their volunteers were able to do what they did. Inside ofeight days they had the hospital cleaned up and functioning so as to feed andcare for patients. In two more days they had achieved a working laboratory. Atthe end of ten days they were operating with success, and even deliveringbabies.

Sanitation

Another serious matterwas the simple problem of going to the toilet. For a population of about twothousand, there was at first only one latrine for women and three for menCthe Japanese had expected a great preponderance of men over women. In each of these latrinesthere were only five or six toilets, none of them flush toilets. Needless tosay, the queues for this unavoidable aspect of life were endless. When the poorinternee finally reached his goal after a long and nervous wait in line, hefound the toil so overflowing that often he felt sick and to his despair had toleave unrequited.

The sole contact theaverage urban Western man has with human excrement consists of a curious lookat what he has produced, a swirl of water, and a refreshing bar of soap. Consequentlythe thought of wading into a pool of his fellow manÍs excrement in order toclean up a public john not equipped with flush toilets is literallyinconceivable. And so the situation grew progressively worse. It would havecontinued so had not some Catholic priests and nuns, aided by a few of the Protestantmissionaries, tied cloths around their faces, borrowed boots and mops, andtackled this horrendous job. This doughty crew stayed with it until some ofthe camp engineers, taking hold in a professional way, freed us all from thisdaily horror. After huddling long hours over this emergency C unrehearsed at M.I.T.or the Royal College for Engineers C they devised a means of hand-flushing thetoilets after each use with a half bucket of water.

Food

But of all the basicneeds of life whose resolution had to be organized, the most vital anddifficult was the problem of eating. The camp had to keep right on feedingitself while it was learning to do so. In the area of health and sanitation wehad trained personnel in the camp, but practically none of our two thousandpeople knew much about quantity cooking in cauldrons for six or seven hundred,or baking in coal ovens for two thousand. Legend has it that a restaurant ownerfrom Tsingtao taught the raw volunteers in their kitchen how to make soups andstews, and that in our Peking groupÍs kitchen, an ex-marine cook introducedour workers to the finer mysteries of the culinary art. Our food those firsttwo weeks certainly substantiated the latter story!

Meanwhile, the bakerywas also struggling to get underway. For the first week we were provided withbread baked in Tsingtao. Since this supply was to stop on a set date, ourown bakery operation had to be organized in a hurry, for bread was the onlysolid food in our life. Our population, luckily, happened to include two agedPersian bakeshop owners from TienÍtsin. These men spent forty-eight hoursstraight training two shifts of green recruits to mix, knead, and bake the fourhundred daily loaves necessary to feed everyone. Within another week, theseamateur bakers had mastered the essentials of their craft. Thereafter, whilethe good yeast lasted, our camp bakery turned out what we all proudly assumedto be the best bread in China.

Manual Labor

Thus it was with all thelabor in the camp during those first days. Jobs which had to be done were atfirst taken in hand by experienced people who alone knew how to handle them,and therefore alone saw the real need. Later, when work was organized andevery able person was assigned a task, inexperienced people were trained in thenew crafts. Thus bank clerks, professors, salesmen, missionaries,importers, and executives became bakers, stokers, cooks, carpenters, masons,and hospital orderlies. There was also a great deal of heavy unskilled worksuch as lugging supplies from the gates to the utilities and cleaning up thecompound. Work of this sort, while largely voluntary at first, was soonorganized so that in a short while everyone had a set job with a routine andregular hours. With such a thoroughgoing organizational plan, the most vitalmaterial needs of these two thousand people soon began to be met. The firstrude form of our campÍs civilization started to appear.

For about the first sixmonths, this sudden dive into the world of manual labor was for the majority ofus perhaps the most valuable experience. All manual labor in China, skilled andunskilled, was done by Chinese. Therefore the foreign population in thatland included no Aworking force.@ The majority ofinternees were either men accustomed to executive work in offices or women usedto the help of innumerable Chinese servants around the house. To be forced todo hard physical labor, often outdoors, was a new experience. We all discoveredwhat it was like to be worn out from work with our muscles and to return blackand grimy, our clothing ripped and torn, from a day of hard labor....

Housing

A word should be saidabout how we were housed.... Ironically enough, the spacious housespreviously reserved for the foreign missionary staff in a walled-off section ofthe compound were now Aout of bounds@ to the Westerninternees; these were earmarked as the residences of our Oriental captors. Themission compound had, however, possessed three or four classroom buildingsand innumerable rows of small rooms for the Chinese students of its boardingschool. Here we lived. Families, which made up the bulk of our population, werehoused in the 9-by-12-foot rooms; single men and women lived dormitory style inthe classrooms and offices of the school buildings.

DavidMichell,A Boy =s War [3]

The Weihsien Compound

One of the firstarrivals had described Weihsien as follows:

ABare walls, bare floors,dim electric lights, no running water, primitive latrines, open cesspools,a crude bakery, two houses with showers, three huge public kitchens, a desecratedchurch and a dismantled hospital, a few sheds for shops, rows of cell-likerooms, and three high dormitories for persons who are single.@

It was to this scene ofdestruction and despair that we now came in September of 1943.

Weihsien had seenhappier days. In the early years of the twentieth century the AmericanPresbyterian Mission had established a school, seminary, and hospitalthere, with a number of American-style homes for missionary doctors and teachers. In fact, two Americans, later to become famous, were born in WeihsienCPearl Buck, the popularwriter, and Henry Luce, founder of TIME magazine. When the ACourtyard of the HappyWay@ was under thePresbyteriansÍ control, it was a pleasant and well-planned campus.

When we straggled intocamp some thirty years later, however, the scene was quite different. TheJapanese had taken over the foreign residences for their quarters. The rest ofthe compound suffered badly from looting and neglect. Running up the highwooden gates at the entrance to the camp was a black cinder road we called AMain Street.@ To the right and left,in an area measuring some 150 by 200 yards, were crowded over sixty assortedbuildings. Besides an Edwardian Church and classroom buildings were rowupon row of long low huts with small rooms measuring 9Í x 12ÍCintended originally forstudents. Into this motley collection of very run-down buildings about fifteenhundred of us were to be stuffed like sardines.

Camp Governance

Weihsien was really aworld in microcosm with at least fifteen nationalities represented. Themajority were families associated with foreign business enterprises, butthe largest occupational group were missionaries, belonging to variousProtestant mission boards or denominations. There were 400 Roman Catholicpriests and nuns, although all but 30 of the priests were transferred to Pekingnot long after our arrival.

Since we were allcivilians, we fared better than the military POWs. We were even given freedomto organize our own activities, being for all practical purposes aself-governing community, with committees elected by internees.

Camp was managed by ninecommittees: Supplies, Quarters, Employment, Engineering, Discipline, Medical,Education, General Affairs, and Finance. The senior ruling body in camp wascalled the Discipline Committee. The chairman was Ted McLaren of Butterfieldand Swire, a British business concern with a long history in China. Thatcommittee was made up of a number of business people and missionaries,including some of our own staff. They were the group who spoke on behalf ofthe camp to the Japanese rulers and also were our mouthpiece to talk with Mr.Egger, the Swiss Consul, who was given permission on rare occasions to visitthe camp.

Every able-bodied personwas given regular work to do. In the kitchen most people worked a twelve-hourday shift and then had two days off. Many of the older boys took turns atpumping water up into the water tower for the camp supply. We younger childrendid things such as transporting water from one side of camp to the other andcarrying the washing, which our teachers had tried to scrub clean, oftenwithout soap or brushes. We also sifted through the ash heaps to try and findpieces of coke or unburned coal, and gathered sticks and anything elsethat would burn, to try to keep warm through the winter.

The Japanese limitedtheir own involvement in the internal work of the camp, stating that their tworesponsibilities were to see that none escaped and to supply coal and wood forcooking and heating and Aadequate@ food. Adequate was anoverstatement, as their basis for calculation was quantities for two mealsa day.

Camp Food

The camp was organizedinto three kitchens, staffed by internees. Hands that were totally unaccustomedto the culinary arts were soon turning out fancy-named items which appeared onthe daily menu board. These mysterious products completely belied their humbleorigin from turnips, eggplant and cabbage with occasional squid, fish orwhat could aptly be described as Ano-name@ meat. Actually, it had a nameCit was either horse ormule. Morning, noon and night we lined up in long queues for our portion offood and then sat down at rough-hewn tables and benches. Servers had to try andbe scrupulously fair, or there were complaints.

A typical camp menuwould be: BreakfastCtwo slices of bread(often hard and flat if the yeast supply was low) and millet or sorghumporridge, with sugar on very rare occasions; dinner or lunchChash or stew includingmushy eggplant, popularly called AS.O.S.@ (ASame Old Stew@), and occasionally dessert; and supperCusually soup, which wasoften a watered-down version of S.O.S.

AAs the diet was lackingin calcium (no milk, no cheese, no ice cream),@ Evelyn Davey remembers, Awe collected the shellsfrom the black-market eggs, ground them into a powder and fed it to thechildren by the spoonful. We also gathered certain weeds around the compoundand cooked them into a spinach-like vegetable to supplement the rations. Fruit,apart from a few apples, was almost unknown, and one little girl in schoolasked, >What is a banana?@

Secondhelpings of anything were very rare. When one five-year-old discovered that shewas allowed a second drink of water at playtime, she shouted excitedly to theothers, AHey, everybody, secondson water!@

NormanCliff,Courtyard of the Happy Way****[4]

Our mode of life wassimple and primitive. The day began with filling buckets at the pump forpurposes of cooking and washing. Firewood was collected from trees and bushes,and used in the stove in the middle of the room. From this, water was heatedfor shaving and washing, and at a later stage for cooking breakfast, that iswhatever we had privately for supplementing the official rations. We queued upin Kitchen I for a ladle of bread porridge and some bread. Into our mugswaspoured black tea ladled out of a bucket. Back we went to the bedroom to mixthe kitchen issue of food with our own dwindling resources in the most enjoyablecombination possible.

Then followed washing ofdishes, cleaning of rooms, hanging our mattresses in the sun in a bid to killthe bed hugs, washing our clothes, hanging them out to dry, and so on.

By this time theroll-call bell would ring. We would wait in four groups in different parts ofthe camp for the Japanese guards to inspect us, count us and make provision forthose who were on special duties. While waiting for the guards we read books,studied languages, shared camp rumours and speculated about the future.

GEORGE WILDER=SDIARY: MARCH, 1943 (cont.)

Sleeping on the floor with Martin.Cold. Rain and sleet.

Signed oath to obey camp rules.

Bed arrives.

A diet of bread and soup.

Mr. & Mrs. Fleet, an Englishmining engineer, move in next door.

March25

Atthe gates of the mission compound was a crowd of internees, several of whomwere friends.

Islept with Martin under one cover, along with 20 all told on a board floor andmats in the basement of a recitation building. We slept on the floor for twonights. Llewellyn Davies gave us a heavy blanket, a heavy overcoat and awadded garment which, with our steamer rugs above and below, saved our lives.

Wehad roll call in our eight groups, lined up two by two and just counted.

Gertrudehad a hard time on the floor with the other ladies on the first floor of thesame building. Fires in rooms helped a bit as a cold N.E. wind sprang up.

Mar.26

Drizzlyrain off and on all day. Had roll call. Signed an oath "to obey rulesand commit no hostile act," and declared our money. I had $717 andGertrude $1,100. We had planned to leave $200 with DeVargas for poorpreachers, but he was not at the station and we didn't see him at all on theafternoon we left Peking. I gave a Swedish lady my card asking her to give itto him B to attend tomy box. Gertrude and I, like all married couples, were assigned a room byourselves B Block 13House 10. The Hubbard's are in House 11 and no one is in the end house, 12, sowe are very secluded with no one to pass our doors.

Coldrain with some sleet kept us from moving in, as our big baggage has not comeand we are allowed to stay in the same recitation building. Martin left me,but I had enough bedding with Davies' to use on the floor. Gertrude was on acot with Dr. Brown. There was no fire except in adjoining rooms. Slept 11hours. It felt fine.

Mar.27

Coldrain all night. It wets down all the dust, which was bad, and will be packedhard for a long time. Great for the farmers.

Ourbeds are not yet here. Gertrude and I slept on the floor, warm. We areassigned a stove. Smithberger -- a former Marine and athletic coach at Fu Jen B got it set up and got thenecessary tools.

Ourbed also came and we got it set up too, so we had a good long warm night.

Thestove went out. Our baggage was under cover and got only slightly wet intransit. Poor coal Bslag.

Sunday,Mar. 28

1/4in ice, but with a bright clear sun. We are still settling in, but had asplendid eleven-hour sleep. Gertrude had no backache, thanks to the gooddouble woven wire bed and mattress that we kept from the Language School house(but it was old abandoned private property).

Severalservices - Catholic Mass at 6 and 8 A.M.; Anglican Communion at 10 A.M.; Protestantsat 4:00 P.M., with Hanson preaching on the Jews in exile and their prophets. Rather muddy in spots, but not bad.

Thefire went out, but was red hot after being rebuilt. We had a good dinner withmeat, potatoes, soup with vegetables.

Mar.29

Gotanother trunk that had been here under cover all yesterday. Young huskiescarry such stuff into our home.

Finesoup at noon with plenty of bread, just as at every meal. The bread is fromTsing tao B home-madestyle.

TheTientsin British and Americans came in with great applause from the crowdswaiting around the gate. Included were the Strongs, Dr. Nutting, Miss Buck andMr. Grimes, of our Mission.

Mar.30

Warmer,but the fire was comfortable Bcame up finely from a mere spark.

Anothergood dinner and supper of vegetable soup and boiled potatoes in jacketsbursting open.

Ihelped at the hospital to salvage good paper for an hour or so, and then cut upmeat into inch cubes with Frank Grant, John Beal and Albert Liao B about 200 lbs. of meat, 50of tendon and gristle, etc., for soup. Hard work B earned double ration, a blue card.

Pumpingwater is hard. They started in four shifts, 3 2hours a day, for strong men but it was too hard and was cut to 2 2 hours. Gertrude helps cutup potatoes, etc.

ThePeking British came in while I was at work. Their baggage was in ahead ofthem.

Mr.Grimes gave us $460 more so we have $1,886 plus $460. We now have $546 that isnot yet declared.

Mar.31

AMr. & Mrs. Fleet came into the last building in our row. He is a miningengineer. I got them a mat and A.J. Steele got them bedding. He paints andlikes birds B has readChina Journal B andhung a painting of a kestrel on his room wall.[5]

Thelast of the Tientsin contingent came in Bparents with children. It is said that there are only a few scattered folksstill to come.

Hadsquid steaks as the staple in our soup. Plenty of bread, but not quite so goodas that brought from Tsingtao. It is home-made style.

Wegot the March 28 and March 30 Chronicle. Our table of nine paid for two monthsof the paper.

New job: sharpening knives.

Report Russia declares war on Japan.

Coolie beaten for selling eggs.

Softball games.

Red Cross Acomfort loans.@

Swiss consul inspects camp, butinmates were not allowed to discuss camp conditions.

Gertrude makes one-finger mittensfor coal stokers.

Eric Liddel preaches.

Young Catholic priests are jollywith the young girls.

APRIL

April1

Gertrudecut vegetables 1 or 2 hours after breakfast. She and I went to salvage paperfrom the hospital records. We had a lot of bonfires outside and burnt muchgood kindling but we will not need a fire much longer.

Moresquids - but a very good meat noodle soup with vegetables, potatoes, etc., aswell as the squid chowder.

Bettercoal is now to be had at the public dump.

Ourlast trunk is not yet opened. Prayer meeting at 4 p.m. today, led by R.W.Cooley. The church is so cold that we stayed away.

Huband Knauff speak of hearing geese going over during the nights. I thought Idreamed it once.

Apr.2

Heavilyovercast and the east wind brought rain after lunch.

Weopened our last trunk and packed two trunks with things not needed until nextwinter, arranged along the west wall so as to make seats and a table in themiddle, made of two trunks piled on either side, with one streamer trunk orchest with suitcases set on top for a seat and back.

Worstfish chowder yet seen, full of fine fish bones Bbut plenty of bread, and it had a good flavor. Mrs. Henning learned thatGertrude could not eat the fish chowder (she is allergic) and brought her twoeggs bought here at 60 cents apiece. We gave her a tin of milk B we had eight given to usby Chinese.

Sunday,April 4

Wewere ordered to deposit all the money we had declared with the bank bySunday P.M.

Along queue for the 8:00 - 9:30 breakfast. Getting hot water at 10 a.m. and thebank took up the day until a little after church time. Gertrude and I dividedthe time in line and deposited $1,800, with a receipt to be given the next day. When we left Peking it was worth at the rate of 9 to 11 FRB to $1 U.S.

Cotterillpreached well on ATheChurch,@ it being thefourth in the series planned in Peking for Lent.

Thehospital clean-up was postponed over Sunday, but carpenters had to continuework and kitchen knives had to be sharpened, so E. L Johnson got the whetstoneand I did it at home. Sharpened about a dozen knives. L. Davies keeps thebooks of tools loaned by the hospital, and I sharpen knives right beside him onhis counter.

Apr.5

Gertrudeand I got hot water in a pail and a big dish loaned by Martin to do our washingB one sheet, oneshirt, one union suit, etc.

Gotour receipt for $1,800. Wrote and mailed letters to DeVargas and to Vetch.

April8

Thisweek I have put in 2 2to 4 hours a day sharpening knives and tools, especially 5 bread knives, 5butcher knives, 2 cleavers and the women's vegetable kitchen knives. I drop ina yellow slip giving the hours worked every day.

OnWednesday I went to look over the wall at ramps to the lookout stations onthree sides of the compound. A Japanese soldier called me off before I got tothe top of the third one, on the south side, and tried to set me and Hubbard towork cleaning up bricks and rubbish in back of our kitchen #3, near the gate. He was rather gruff and would not listen to Hub's explanation that he was incharge of labor, and that I was old. "Mei kuanse." An officer watching the work asked my ageand when I said 73 he patted my back and said "We are looking for youngmen to work."

Wesubscribed for the Chronicle for 2 months to come to Hub for the nine at thetable in the American Board Mission. Got March 26 and 28. The office clerktold me none had come since then. The Salvation Army people say that a wholeissue of the Chronicle was burned because it had big headlines B ARussia Declares War on Japan@ B and it is said that fighting continues on theSiberian front.

Gertrudeand I are on a list of old folks and parents who have a green AP@ badge giving priority in the waiting linesfor meals, dishes to be washed, and water. We don't like to use the privilege,but have done so. It is very kind of the committee.

EvacuationB i.e. repatriation B of Americans is still inthe air. All who have not registered are asked to do so, so there is stillhope for it.

OnThursday Hub and I started on the Chihli bird list again, checking up on Shaw'sbook to put his AShaw@ initial on our completelist.

Hemmingsenat Pei T'ai Ho does not want any letters. A few days ago someone got a comfortpackage by mail and had to pay $20 war tax, probably more than it was worth.

Acoolie caught selling eggs or something was beaten, and a report said that onewas given the water cure (torture). The seller of brooms B last week at $1.00, thisweek at $1.50 B sayshe is not afraid, but keeps it secret.

Chinesesay that Japan and Russia have fought for a week. A Japanese said Tokyo hasbeen bombed twice.

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Apr.9 to 15

Werenotified that stoves must be turned in by April 15 and it was done on the 13th,but families with babies and old folks were allowed to retain them. It hasbeen chilly nights and mornings as the spring seems two or three weeks laterthan it is in Peking. Poplars bloomed March 14-16 there, and by March 24ththey were shedding their flowers on us as we loafed at the American Legationlawn for examination.

TheBank opened today, April 15, to pay the monthly stipend of $30 per adult in FRBnotes for our purchases at the Canteen. A canteen opened about the 13th withlaundry soap $2.50 a bar, one bar per person, cold cream, etc. We need pails,and a long list signed up for them at $10:00. The canteen is to get them. Brooms rose from $1.00 to $1.50 and $2.00.

Softballbaseball is drawing crowds. Tientsin beat Peking (14 to 12), and Tsingtao,also winning return game in 11 innings, 10-7.

OnTuesday (April. 13) I gave three or four Badger Clark poems in a prayer meetingon "Finding God in new Surroundings." Many couldn't hear, though Ispoke loudly. Some said they heard about a half, some a third. Several askedfor his book.

Huband I worked on the Chihli bird list.

__

April16

Afine ball game, Peking 10, Tsingtao 9, in 11 innings.

Icontinue grinding knives, 5 bread, 7 butcher, 12 kitchen knives, plus privateknives, hospital scissors, carpenters' planes and chisels, 1 to 4 hours a day.

Rumorsays that the Japanese have done to Vladivostok what they did to Pearl Harbor. Russia and Japan are fighting. A Solomon Islands sea victory is claimed. There is still fighting in Tunis.

Apr.17

Chroniclesof Mar. 30 and April 1 arrived. No news except that Gabes are about to fall tothe A's. The Axis is greatly outnumbered in Africa. The right bank of theDonetz is still fought for.

Afine 11-inning game of softball was won by the Fathers (Catholic), overTientsin 4-2.

Begangetting tree specimens to identify.

Sunday,Apr. 18

ARed Cross Acomfortloan@ of $50 permonth, (U.S. $4.50), will be given to all who have applied for evacuation. Itwill be applied to our account with the Bank and we will still draw $50 amonth. (The comfort loan is $80 per couple, and less for children B $30, etc., according toage.) We only had to sign.

Therewas a two hour Palm Sunday Catholic service in the morning.

Apr.19,

Ihave an apprentice at knife-grinding, Mr. Littler of Salvation Army, who put in2 2 hours.

TheSwiss consul of Tsingtao came to inspect the camp. No one was allowed tomention camp conditions. Old Dr. Hayes, 86, went on a stretcher to see him. When asked where he would prefer to go if taken away from here he replied: (1)Heaven; (2) my old home in T'eng Hsien; (3) A larger room here; (4) America. Tokyo had cabled that he could be left at T'eng Hsien, but it was suppressed atthe office here until he was brought here.

Afine sunny wash day. After heating water for wash we let the fire go out, asthe thermometer stood at 88 degrees for the room.

__

Apr.20

ConsulAger came again, followed by a bag of mail, and we have ten more copies of TheChronicle, up to April 11 since March 26 B14 in all, with two missing. A lot of big boxes came in, some being electricrefrigerators, but the current will not run them.

Thestove is out and we probably will not build a fire again. It is hot in themiddle of the day, cool at night.

__

Apr.21

Wateris getting lower in the wells, and rationing is threatened. Nothing but washwater is to be used on plants. The big Men's W.C., closed for repairs forseveral days, is now open only for two hours a day for emptying chamber pots. Our ladies= toilet inChinese style is done every day.

MissStudley returned Badger Clark=spoems, "read from cover to cover." I took it to Bryson and foundhim in bed.

Gertrudeworked 5 hours a day or more making one-finger mittens for fire-stokers, two orthree thicknesses on the palm, made of heavy canvas B hard to sew.

Electriclight is on.

April22

Peking7, Tientsin 3 in soft ball. Many errors, but interesting.

HadCommunion service in the evening. We are reading "Intimate Papers of Col.House" aloud.

Apr.23

Thereis candy and fruit at the canteen.

Steiner'sACrucifixion@ in the evening. Crowded.

Apr.24

LeftPeking one month ago.

Gota few cheap candies for $2.40. They are now to be bought by the warden of eachblock and divided among his subjects, 26 in our block of 13 rooms.

Tientsinsoftball took revenge on the Fathers, 11-1.

Steiner'sACrucifixion@ again -- crowded.

__

Sunday,Apr. 25, EASTER

Beautifulclear fresh morning. The young peoples' Sunrise Service at 6:30 am Tokyo timeamong the trees in front of No. 23 hall was very impressive.

Shawasked me for the correction on a sundial to get mean time. I had one from mydiary of 1922 and he plans to get a dial up.

SycamoreAvenue in front of No. 23 is just blossoming, small leaves and buttons, maleand female.

FinishedVol. I of AIntimatePapers.@

Catholicshad a morning service with a Bishop from Canada preaching well in English. TheAnglicans also, and at 4:30 p.m. Eric Liddell[6] preached anEaster Sermon well B "The Significance of the Resurrection for Protestants."

Hubbardand I worked on the Hopei bird list in the evening.

Wehad extra food - good cake with orange peel sauce for dessert.

SomeCatholics helped sing and a good many attended our service, as we did theirs. The young priests are quite jolly with the young girls here, and are invitingthem to Mass.

April 26, 1943 RedCross Letter. G.D. Wilder to Theodore S. Wilder from Civilian Assembly Center,Weihsien, Shantung, China. This letter reached Geneva (via Shanghai) on Sept. 20, 1943 and theAmerican Red Cross on Nov. 11, 1943, with a typed note: "No replynecessary as inquirer returning on Gripsholm." (TSW)

__

"Hereone month, one room, double bed, stove, trunks, table, occupy space. Interneesall work. Church services, baseball, strolling inside compound. Food enough. Well."

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April26

Gotup early B 6:30 B to get hot water for abath, and went around with Hub identifying birds and trees. Hua chiao -Chinaberry - and Wulung buds are just swelling - Paulonia leaves are only onroot sprouts.

Weare ordered to get all goods out of our rooms so the floors can be painted witha germicidal wax. Some bed-bugs have been reported, but we have seen none.

Rev.Murakami came from Peking, bringing letters, flashlights, etc. The Pope hadasked that his people not be interned, or to be kept as near as possible totheir field of work, so now those from Meng Chiang and the North are allowed todecide whether to return and be interned in Peking or elsewhere. They say theywant to stay here, in the main. The Bishops are consulting.

MissMarian Speer of Yenching led the Praise Meeting, and then there was a musicalentertainment.

April27

Upearly. Hugh and I moved everything occupying floor space out into the yardbefore breakfast, then we waited around until near noon. It was reported thatthere was not enough of the paint, but it just lasted until our 3 rooms B 13-10, 11 and 12 B were all done. We had tocamp out on our mattresses spread over trunks and suitcases all afternoon.

Wentto the ball game, Tientsin vs. Tsingtao. They tied 3-3, then 5-5, and ran into14 innings, ending 7-5 for Tsingtao. Rumpf, a professional in hardball,pitched for Tientsin.

Wemoved back into our rooms after supper, but hardly got settled. Irwin andWright and Strong and Hubbard carried our trunks in.

Apr.28

Ourneighbors are compelled to put all their things out into the front yard to havetheir floors painted.

Iumpired a major league ball game, Peking 4 to Tientsin Yankees 1. It was agood, fast game, 1 2hours. Only one questionable decision on a foul past 3rd base.

Apr.30

Lostmy fountain pen. We got our flashlights back, but no binoculars.

Norman Cliff=s memories of Eric Liddell.

EricLiddell[7]

Eric Liddell, aneducational worker in the London Missionary Society, was in the forefront ofthe religious activities in the camp. Much of his spare time was spent incoaching maths and science, and organizing sports for the youth.

He was in his earlyforties, bald, quiet spoken and with a permanent smile. Born at the turn of thecentury of a missionary family in China, and educated at Eltham College (aschool for the sons of L.M.S. missionaries) and Edinburgh University, he hadreturned as a young man to the land of his birth, first to teach at theAnglo-Chinese college in Tientsin, and latterly, as the Sino-Japanese warwas beginning, to do evangelistic work in the L.M.S. stations scattered on theNorth China plain.

Eric Liddell was thefinest Christian man I have bad the privilege of meeting. When given theopportunity to preach at the camp church services his discourses wereinvariably on either the Sermon on the Mount or St. PaulÍs Hymn of Love (1Corinthians 13). His life seemed an embodiment of these two passages.

One evening he addresseda youth group (which I chaired) on his earlier athletic career. With a quiethumility which deeply impressed us he recounted how he had played rugby and runin the Olympics for Scotland. Two incidents he recalled that evening havestuck in my memory. In 1924 he went to Paris to run the hundred-metresrace for his country. But on arrival, scanning the athletic programme, helearnt to his dismay that the race for which he had strenuously practised wasto be run on a Sunday. This was contrary to his religious scruples. Nothing andnobody could make him change his mind and agree to run. Thereafter he switchedto the 400 metres, which he won with flying colours.

Years later whenteaching in Tientsin he was asked to run at the Dairen Athletic Meet. Onarrival in Dairen he found that his 400 metres race was due to be run half anhour before the depature of his boat back to Tientsin. Resourcefully hearranged for a taxi to be waiting at the tape. he would jump into it and berushed immediately to the clocks. On the day of the race all went to schedule,except that after having alighted from the taxi at the docks, he had to jumpover numerous crates and packages to reach the wharf. By now the boat wassteadily moving out. Liddell was successful in throwing his bags on to themoving ship, took a running leap, just reaching the deck and grabbing firmly toa railing.

In Weihsien Camp Liddellgave his unqualified support to every worthy cause, religious and social.If there were a call to preach. to coach, to help, to advise, he was there,however busy or tired he might be. Though he spoke of it only to his closestfriends, internment for him was a painful separation from his wife and threechildren who were in Canada, the last child having been born after theirseparation through the war.

This daughter he wasnever to see, for he died of a brain tumour in February 1945. The news of hispassing came as a shock to the entire camp community, in which he was greatlybeloved and respected. The Edwardian style church was packed for the funeral. Moving tributes to his life were paid by leaders of the camp. When his lastmortal remains were borne to the quiet cemetery in the Japanese officersÍquarters, I had the privilege of being in the guard of honour with other youngpeople.

Three accounts of the Weihsien blackmarket.

LangdonGilkey,Courtyard of the Happy Way [8]

With the advent ofSpring, a marked change came over the face of the camp. Where there had beenrubble and dirt, there were now bright patches of color in the gardens and neatpatios. These were only the physical evidences of a change that also occurredon a deeper level. Within a few months this poorly prepared and, indeed, almostdesperate group had transformed itself into a coherent civilization, able tocope with its basic material problems and day by day raising the level of itslife on all fronts. The food was almost palatable, the baseball leagueenthralled everyone; and the evenings were now warm enough for a stroll with agirl friend. The camp was almost becoming a pleasant place in which to live.

Not the least among theelements contributing to this general state of well-being were the sources of Aextra@ supplies. Of coursethere was always the camp canteen: a small store supplied by the Japanese andmanned by a Tientsin department store owner and an elderly importer. In it suchnecessities of our life could be purchased as cigarettes, soap, peanut oil,toilet paper, and mats C for which goods ingreat demand ration cards were issued. Also on rare occasions such items asdried fruits, spices, and ginger could be found there. There were never anyfresh fruits or sweets available there or in the kitchens during the two andone-half years we were in camp.

It was, however, theblack market that added the most to our life during the first six months.Although I enjoyed its fruits as much as the next man, I was never involved inthe operation of this flourishing industry. Even the most ingenuous, however,could not long remain unaware of its existence. He had only to saunter past anyrow of rooms or dorm of a morning to smell eggs frying on a newly made brickstove, or to have a friend casually press upon him some succulent jam for hisbread. When he stopped by a neighborÍs room, he was likely to be offered alittle bacon or chocolate, By-gar(Chinese whisky) or wine.

It was no time at alluntil the members of our group, too, were buying eggs, jam, and sweetsfrom Athose who knew.@ There were, as I found,a considerable number of the latter. When I inquired whom one might contact forsome of this marvelous manna, friends suggested the following: some of thetough ex-army men at the end of our row; several businessmen over near the wallin Block 54; two bachelors in Dorm 49; and so on. But the majority replied: AIf you want to get eggsand jam cheap, and in great quantity, see the Catholic fathers.@

During the middle ofthat first summer, at least two-thirds of the internees had an egg to fry eachmorning. At one point in fact, when the black market was at its height, we hadso many that an extra hot plate in the Peking kitchen had to be constructed tohandle the long line queued up for a stove. This meant that an average of about1,300 eggs a day were coming over or through the wall; an equivalent amount ofjam, peanuts, and sugar was there for the buying if one knew whom to see. Wherever there was a sheltered spot in the wall, goods seemed to pour over. TheChinese farmers were eager for cash and in summer they had plenty of produce tosell....

As it was apparent thatthe fathers were the major source, I decided to find out how they worked it. Thethree hundred or so priests and monks lived under horribly crowded conditionsin the upper floors of the hospital building and one or two adjacent smallblocks. This was an area which was next to the wall, and at the beginning quiteout of sight of the guardhouses. Each time I had been in their neighborhood, Ihad felt a slight shock, for I was not used to this monastic world. Early inthe morning or late in the afternoon, I found that the yard around the hospitalresembled a medieval courtyard. A hundred or so priests in black and monks inbrown were there slowly pacing up and down near the wall saying their prayers.

I learned from onePassionist father that the black market began at the hour of eveningdevotionals a couple of weeks after camp started. Quite without warning, acovey of cabbages flew over the wall into the midst of these praying priests. Immediately, so my friend noted with great amusement, all purely religiousconcerns receded. The priests closed their prayer books, scooped up the cabbages,and hoisted one another up high enough to talk over the wall to the Chinesebeyond it. Regular rendezvous spots and hours were fixed, and if one of themdid not work, they tried another.

The most successful andcertainly the most intriguing of the clerical egg runners was a small,bespectacled Trappist monk named Father Darby. The strict rules of his orderagainst speaking at any time were temporarily lifted so that these monkscould work with the rest of us. Thus Father Darby was able to tell us a gooddeal about his life as a Trappist. He explained to us that he had been in thesame monastery for twenty-five years. For that quarter century prior to comingto camp, he had not spoken more than three or four words to any living soul. Acharming, friendly little man, while he was with us he more than made up forlost time. He would talk by the hour with anyone who would listen to him. I amsure he was a devout Trappist, but one summer evening I came to realize he hadmany other facets to his personality. Passing by one of the campÍs more elegantpatios, I saw a group sampling By-gar. In their midst was Father Darby, dressedin a Asecular@ white summer formal,Creplete with whitejacket, black tie and black trousersCand regaling that fashionable audience withhis Irish stories!

Father Darby had aseemingly foolproof method of receiving eggs undetected. In an obscure cornerof the wall about a foot above the ground, he had pried loose a few bricks. Hewould kneel down at this spot and pull the eggs through the hole as a Chinesefarmer pushed them from the other side. If a guard happened along, two Trappistfriends down the line would begin a Gregorian chant.

At this signal, Darbywould quickly cover the eggs with his long monkÍs robe and, already on his knees,be deep in prayer by the time the guard reached him. He kept up this practicefor two or three months without being caught. Some of the guards wereapparently more than a little afraid of these Aholy men@ with their massive beards and longrobes. But finally one day a guard lifted Father DarbyÍs robe as he knelt bythe wall. To his surprise and the monkÍs embarrassment, he found one hundredand fifty eggs nestling there. Whatever the guards may have thought of theoccult powers of Western holy men, they certainly never gave them credit forbeing able to lay eggs!

Father Darby was whiskedoff to the guardhouse. The first trial of camp life began. The camp awaited theoutcome of the trial with bated breath; we were all fearful that the charmingTrappist might be shot or at best tortured. For two days, the chief ofpolice reviewed all the evidence on the charge of black marketeering,which was, to say the least, conclusive.

At the end of theelaborate trial, the chief announced his stern verdict. First, he said thatbecause he was determined to stamp out the black market, he would have to makean example of Father DarbyCadding parenthetically that it pained him Ato punish a man of thecloth.@ The camp heard thispronouncement with a shudder. And so, said the chief, he was going to sentenceFather Darby to one and one-half months of solitary confinement! The Japaneselooked baffled when the camp greeted this news with a howl of delight, andshook their heads wonderingly as the little Trappist monk was led off to hisnew cell joyously singing.

From that time on, theblack market had a strange and uneven history. During the fall of 1943, theJapanese reduced the flow of goods to a trickle. They managed to catch somemore of the internee leaders and put them in Asolitary.@ Since they were not Trappists, that wasbad enough. But then they caught two Chinese farmers. To the horror of theinternees, they stood the Chinese up before a firing squad within earshot ofthe camp.

DavidMichell,A Boy =s War****[9]

The black market reallywas a lifeline to survival for many in camp. From the accounts that circulatedin camp, the peak time of the clandestine purchasing of food and othernecessities was in the first months of Weihsien CampÍs history. The RomanCatholic fathers expanded their calling to include getting into the barterbusiness. They acted as a conduit between people in the camp and collaboratingChinese outside, exchanging cash and valuables for eggs, bacon, fruit, jamand even chocolate. One method of collecting orders was for a Chinese,with his body blackened and greased, to shinny over the wall at night and pickup the Ashopping list.@ While doing this hewould also arrange the time and method of delivery. Since the Japanese guardspatrolled the walls constantly, the system called for great ingenuity.

Five of the fathers wereTrappist monks. They had been forced to forego their vows of silence, havingbeen put by the Japanese into one of the tiny rooms. Their joviality and good Aworks@ became a byword incamp, and fortuitously their room was very close to the outside wall and madean excellent location for their food-smuggling enterprise.

One of these monks wasFather Patrick Scanlan, an Australian of Irish ancestry. He became ChiefOrganizer of the underground food supply operation. He looked the perfectfriarCin fact some called himFriar ATucker@ (Aussie slang forfood). His long brown robes just seemed to match his red hair, rotund figure,and rosy complexion.

The chief egg supplierfrom the outside was a plucky little Chinese Christian lady called Mrs. Kang.At night, with the help of her little boys, she would funnel a steady flow ofeggs into a drainage tunnel that came in underneath the wall near the priestsÍshack. If ever an egg business got cracking, this one did. Scanlan recorded allhis dealings in what he called AThe Book of Life.@ With his partners he carefully distributed theeggs and other food within the camp, making sure to escape detection by theguards.

Father Scanlan was veryadroit in every aspect of the operation. One time when he was sitting on astool by the wall, as was his daily custom, he had given the all-clear to thoseover the wall for the egg delivery to begin. Just then a guard approached.Quickly he had to stop putting the eggs into the bucket hidden under his robeand at the same time try to signal a halt to the flow coming under the wall.Unsuccessful in stopping the arrival of the eggs, he began to read hisprayer book very loudly and then, in the form of a Latin chant, called hispartners to come and help.

However, the guard wasin an unusually talkative mood and decided to stop and engage him inconversation. In a few minutes the cracking of egg shells and the telltalemess of raw eggs streaming out from beneath his gown gave him away. With angryshouts of abuse, the sentry hauled him off to the guard house, where he wasgiven a sentence of fifteen days in solitary confinement. When news ofFather ScanlanÍs punishment got back to us, it was the joke of the camp. Whatwas solitary confinement to one who had had twenty-five years of silence as aTrappist before internment?!

The priest was alwaysone step ahead of the Japanese, and even in solitary, he put one over on them.After about a week, Scanlan was lonely for company. He decided to sing hisprayers out loud in Latin, late at night. Since his cell was in one of thebuildings housing the soldiers, his booming voice was keeping them from sleep.On hearing that these noisy activities were his obligatory religious exercises,they hesitated to interfere. They put up with the same routine one morenight and then gladly sent him back to us. As WeihsienÍs egg hero was marchedback into camp under guard, the Salvation Army band fell in behind them,playing a march and soon a long train of grateful mothers and children werepart of the joyful procession. The Japanese appeared not to get the pointas the camp feted its benefactorÍs return.

The black-marketbusiness was never quite as successful thereafter as the Japanese took muchgreater precautions. After a new commandant was appointed, it became even moredifficult, and supplies were sorely missed. One Chinese was electrocutedwhile trying to smuggle in food; his body was left to hang on the wires as agruesome warning to others.

Norman Cliff,Courtyardof the Happy Way****[10]

White Elephant andBlack Market

In addition to thelimited resources of the official camp kitchens, there were other sources ofsupplies. There was the White Elephant where cigarettes, soap, peanut oil aridother provisions could be purchased. Internees without ready cash brought booksand clothes which they bartered for food. Cash for buying these commoditiescame from AComfort Money@, brought by the SwissRed Cross representative, Mr. Eggar, who took all kinds of risks to visitthe camp regularly. Internees had to sign a promissory note, undertaking torepay the money after the war. In Chinese dollars the amounts received monthlysounded large, hut with the rapidly rising inflation they in fact bought lessand less.

Another factor in thebattle for survival was the black market. I watched this delicate operation infull swing. Going to chop wood for fuel in an out-of-the-way part of camp, Istumbled on it quite accidentally.

In between electrifiedwires were three Chinese, busy passing over the wall below the wires boxes ofeggs and some crates of bigar (wine). On this side of the wires were someTientsin business men receiving the provisions and piling them behind someloose bricks. The operation depended on the vigilance of another interneea hundred yards away on Rocky Road, who was on the look out for any movement ofJapanese guards either from their residences in one direction or from thesports field in the other. Farther away another man was posted on the mainroad, watching for any movement at the guardroom just inside the main gateof the camp. If one guard appeared on any front the man watching blew his noseostentatiously. The same gesture followed down the line, and within half aminute black market operations came to a standstill till the all clear wasgiven once again.

Through this adventurousexercise families with small children were able to get eggs and other items notavailable at the White Elephant, while thirsty bachelors could drink the bigarto drown their sorrows. Initially the goods were bought for hard cash, but asthe war progressed I.O.U chits were signed undertaking settlement afterthe war.

Early one morning Iwalked past the sports field to see the corpse of a Chinese black marketeerhanging on the wires. The authorities left it there for a while as an objectlesson. On another occasion a group of Chinese traders was caught and all werebeaten up by the Japanese. On the whole the marketing was carried out withoutsuch repercussions.

Father Scanlan was anAustralian Trappist priest among the four hundred Catholics who moved to Pekingbefore my arrival. Though I never met him, stories about him abounded as wechatted in the evenings, reminiscing on the earlier years of the war. In somelonely caves outside Peking and under a vow of silence Scanlan had been livingin solitary meditation before the outbreak of war. Herded by the Japanese afterPearl Harbor, with other priests of various religious orders, he had cometo Weihsien. Receiving from his bishop a special dispensation to speak, he wassoon making up for fifteen years of silence with his storytelling, jokesand vivacious conversation.

Scanlan was one of thepioneers of the Weihsien black market. He looked on the smuggling of food overthe walls as a humanitarian mission, and being celibate he heroically preferredbeing arrested rather than the father of a small family to be. He became alegendary camp personality. On one occasion he was bringing a basket of eggsover the wall when a guard turned the corner. All the precautions I havepreviously described must have broken down. Keeping his presence of mind,Scanlan quietly took down some laundry hanging out to dry on the line,spreading it over the basket. He continued pulling down vests, shirts and socksuntil the unsuspecting guard had gone again.

On another occasion hewas standing just inside the electrified wires ready to receive some parcels offood when the Japanese guard arrived unexpectedly. He crossed himself, let outsome Latin chants which served to warn the Chinese peasant to keep out ofsight, and then proceeded to count his rosary. The last thing the guard wantedwas to he embroiled in his religious rituals.

One evening he wascaught black marketeering, was arrested and taken towards the guardroom forquestioning. Realizing that he had a lot of money in his pocket from hisnefarious activities, he staged a fall into the public toilet. Out of sight fora moment from his captors, he shed the white gown he had been wearing and withit his funds, and emerged from the W.C. in the black gown he had been wearingunder his white one. What was more, he was now surrounded by other internees,also emerging from the toilet. The guards lost sight of him in the crowd withhis sudden change of uniform.

But on a subsequentoccasion that elusive character was well and truly arrested. At the guardroom,surrounded by angry guards, his Trappist vows suddenly came into operationagain, and all questionings brought no replies. Sentencing him to six monthssolitary confinement, they put him in a room in the Japanese officersÍquarters at the opposite end of the camp.

The vows of silence werestrangely waived once again.

As tired Japanesepolicemen tried to sleep after long hours of vigil in the camp, during theearly hours of ScanlanÍs first night he began chanting loudly in Latin. Bydaybreak he had been reluctantly released.

Smuggled eggs available at $1apiece.

Now weigh 145 (vs. 154 in Peking) B Gertrude now 105.

Believe Japanese or localauthorities divide profits from bootleg egg sales over the wall.

Rumor that Tunis falls to Allies;Germans leaving N. Africa.

Trappist Father caught smugglingeggs.

Begin lectures on Chinesecharacters.

Allowance: $80/month (localcurrency) for couples.

Umpire baseball games.

Rumor that Guam, Wake Island areretaken, Dardanelles re-opened.

Rumor of naval battle of MalaccaStrait, in which Japanese scuttle their ships.

MAY

May1

Watchedthe game. The Fathers won, 12 or 13 to Tsingtao=s2. (They got 9 runs in the 1st inning).

Wentto a concert - piano and violin, a mixed quartet, and a 3/4 hour Tchaikovskypiano solo by A.C. Grimes Jr., with the orchestral parts played on a secondpiano by Ruth Stahl B very fine!

Sawa newt in the drain at the kitchen's pump. Forgot to take it to Miss Borung.

May2

RAIN- heavy in the evening.

HowardSmith preached on AThomas'Belief in Immortality@B due to hisinvincible faith in a kind, loving, just and righteous God, as Jesus had showedhim.

TheCanteen sold fruits much cheaper; finally sold off apples at 5 for $1.00.

L.Tipton was arrested and quizzed on suspicion of having dealings with the enemyin the person of a Chinese carpenter. Several people have bought smuggledeggs, 50 or 100 at $1.00 each Bbut it is dangerous.

May3

Drewa rough map of the western edge of the camp, to put in trees B found 22 species on it.

Cold,strong NW wind B 68degrees.

May4

At10:00 a.m. AAll out!@ for roll call, coveringthe athletic field. It was not fully satisfactory and we are to have anothertomorrow.

Majorleague baseball BPeking 0 to Tientsin Giants 1 in the last inning, and one that didn't count.

Eveningprayer meeting B welllead by someone from the Oriental Mission. A Japanese in civilian clothes cameto the door and finally stayed through the service.

Onthe way home a Chinese with basket of 200 or 300 eggs came in with a Japanesesoldier. When the Japanese who was at the prayer-meeting came along, the oneescorting the egg-man made the egg-man disappear into a convenient court. There is a big bootleg business going on over the wall. We think theauthorities or some of the Japanese divide the profits. Several Chinese werearrested for selling and last night one woman escaped over the wall. A sisterfollowed and saw it. A Father was quizzed as to why he bought eggs and repliedthat he didn't get enough to eat.

May5

Gertrudedid dishwashing before breakfast. She was able to get boiling water. Hub madea comfortable seat with the two end-irons of a school desk, laced together withrope.

TheAAll out@ count took from 10:00 to11:20 because one warden forgot to count himself.

Thegreat rush of bootlegging has slowed up since arrests were made of twoforeigners and some Chinese.

May6

Thelocust tree has grown 2 1/8 inches in a day and 1 1/2 in a night.

TheCatholic Fathers beat the Tientsin Yanks 8-2, shutting them out after the firstinning. There were several snappy double plays, especially by their shortstop,Kleine.

Identifiedthe beautiful fringe tree. Many go to see it.

Therewas a Congregational meeting of all Xns (except Catholics) at 8 P.m. to discussa "Union Church" or a fellowship to include all. Garvin said hewould have to leave at once if it was called a AChurch,@ but we can't see why,since he preaches, etc. at Union Church in Peking.

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May7 - 9

Boughtthree bottles of orange cider soda water @ $1.70. There is a rumor of othergoods coming. No pails as yet. Refrigerators (electric) are being set up B the best of these inJapanese residences.

Temperaturewas 68-78 degrees Thursday.

Arumor of a letter encouraging us thrown over the wall. Eggs are still sold,but not easily B 50or 100 at a time, $1.00 apiece.

TheGermans are unable to make a spring offensive in Russia, and are retiring fromAfrica by plane.

Myclass in Chinese characters gathered in vain by mistake. It is to begin onMonday.

Inbaseball, Peking 8, Tientsin Yanks 2.

Sundaysermon by Cullen of Tientsin London Mission Society was good, on AThe Problem of Evil.@

Martinread the last chapter of his book -- a good ending.

KitchenNo. 1 caught fire from fat and burned a section of the roof.

PauloniaAvenue trees are being cut by the carpenter for timber. They were 16 yearsold, some 1 2 to 2feet in diameter at the base.

May10

Nomore tree cutting today.

Ihappened in on a birthday party yesterday in back of #24, when I followed thecoolies carrying the Paulonia logs to the carpenter shop.

Hadmy first lecture to about 30 on Chinese character writing at 5 p.m. Beginnersand advanced were together. Gave the general principles of characterstructure.

Foundpannicles of small lavender-pink buds of Chinaberry tree just opening. Thefringe tree is almost white, as though covered with snow.

Thereare rumors that both Japanese and Chinese armies are losing many men in severefighting. Tunis has fallen. Soldiers who fought against Germany are internedfor fear they will revolt B also Belgians.

Allof us were weighed by doctors. I am 149 (154 in Peking). We are both lighterhere. Gertrude is only 105.

__

May11

Allmail except postcards, which were sent, is to be returned to us next Friday orSaturday.

Singlepeople are to get $50 a month for miscellaneous expenses, married couples $80,not $60 as announced before. Children of certain ages get certain allowances.

Itis not too hot - 82 degrees in the room, 72 the night before.

Baseball: Tientsin Giants lost to the Yankees, 15 to 3 or 4.

Wegot our windows screened to be fly-proof with some lace curtains and a lacelien tze on 5 or 6 split bamboo rods.

__

May12

Hadmy second lecture on character writing, beginners and

intermediates together - on etc.

Mailis in B only got theChronicle for May 1 - 7, with one or two missing. We are to get all the mailthat we have sent out back again on Friday or Saturday.

Itrained hard in the early morning after a sprinkle all night. There are manyleaks in others' roofs and the streets hold water in many places, so thatdraining had to be done, the athletic field especially.

Father?lectured on AMyLife as a Trappist@ atYang Chia P'ing. Standing room was already taken and there was no admissionfor us. It was very fine, and it is hoped to be repeated.

Pekingfolks to arrive tonight.

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May13

Wentup on the tower after the rain, but it was rather misty. I saw at a distancein the wind the great difference between Populus alba (or tomentosa), with the silvery under-surface of its leaves, and Populustremula diurdiana B.

Pekingfolks came in rickshas, etc. about 7 a.m. after a through train ride. Grabau,Ferguson, Aikins, Gillis, Leynse, et. al. are still exempted, but mostly are internedin the British legation. The Swedes were put out of the Presbyterian Mission,preparatory to looting or turning it over to the Chinese government.

Goodnews from Tunis, Bizerte with Fuelles (?) Islands B 75,000 prisoners.

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May14

Hadthe last of three lectures to my united class in Character Writing.

Muchexcitement over orders not to buy from Chinese. Rumor said a Father was caughtand warned that he would be shot on sight if caught again. He said he hopedthey would not shoot until they saw the whites of his eggs!

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May15

Baseballbetween Fathers and Tsingtao. Poor.

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Sunday,May 16

Strongpreached.

Candyand peanuts are offered in the Canteen.

Wewere notified that no letters have been sent out as yet.

Thereare still rumors of the Fathers from the North returning to Peking, but toself-support and detention just as close as here.

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May17

Beganseparate classes on Chinese Characters Bbeginners at 4:00 and intermediates at 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Istill sharpen knives every other day, changing off with Littler.

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May18

Umpired:Catholic Fathers 4 to Tientsin Giants 3. A good game with a queer case of Adead ball@ from a bunt toward firstbounding backward and then striking the bat just as the runner dropped it. Icalled it a dead ball. The bat left it on fair ground. It might have gonefoul.

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May19

GotMay 9, 12, 13 papers. Tunis is evacuated. The Riviera is all fortified alongwith the rest of the Mediterranean. Rumors are afloat that Guam and Wake areretaken and the Dardanelles opened Balso that Cinstanza is taken or attacked by the Allies.

Agood concert.

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May20

Baseball:The Tientsin combined team, (Giants and Yankees) lost to the Padres 8-2. Hada pretty young married woman to chat with.

Porterwas arrested, rebuked, and slapped -- it is said for insulting the guard. Haven't heard his story. Someone saw him standing quiet and dignified whilethe officers shouted at him and slapped him in public.

Gertrudeis under the weather. Upset by some Dutch porridge but seemingly not infectedby germs -- temperature of 100.

Coldweather B 62 & 68as a minimum in the room, to 78 as a maximum. Eastham has some sort of flurather badly.

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May21

Morerumors. The betting is 6 to 1 on the Bourse that war will end in June.

Ourmail has not gone out since we came to Wei Hsien.

Huband I are asked to take folks out birding Monday and Thursday before breakfast.

Ordersare out that the black market over the wall for eggs must be stopped on pain ofsevere punishment to individuals and to the community as a whole.

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May22

TientsinGiants lost to Yankees this afternoon, 5-2. Still sharpening the kitchenknives with Littler. We alternate days and put in about 5 hours a week.

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Sunday,May 23

Earlepreached a fine sermon.

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May24

Didnot go out with a group as the notice posted for bird walks before breakfastwas for Tuesday and Thursday, so no one appeared.

Ihad my beginners class and proposed they go into the intermediate class afteranother week.

Itwas our 48th wedding anniversary. Mary sent over some cake and we sent John abox of candy for his birthday.

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May25

Hadabout 20 for a bird walk, right on time. Cloudy.

Padresagainst the Yanks, 4-1.

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May26

Hadboth classes, from 4 to 6. It is rather hard, going so long.

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May27

Hadno ball game, the series being over, but the Catholic Fathers against theAll-Stars is posted for Saturday.

Rumorthrough the Dutch of a naval battle off Malacca Strait near Singapore andJapan's scuttling ships to prevent their being captured or sunk by the enemy!! Also that T'eng Hsien was evacuated by the Japanese on the understanding thatthe Chinese troops would move in, but Wang Ching Wei finally decided not to, soTeng Hsien is "free." This was reported by a Chinese workman who sawa Teng Hsien preacher preaching by the river near here. The schools aredismissed for the time.

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May28

Hadclass and examination of beginners B good B all got 90 -100 except one, Sister Immaculata, age 74.

Lost my large pan liang , having failedto pick it up.

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May29

Peking5, Padres 2. Only the second defeat suffered by the Fathers. Seven men andhard ball with special ground rules; on a full-sized diamond. They useJapanese rubber balls and a regulation ball at times. Lost four of the formerover the wall in the last game, but got others back.

Manyrumors.

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May30

Sermonby a Tsingtao man.

Finishedthe tree map. Miss Borung is putting the index in alphabetical order. LoanedMatthews to Wright.

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May31

Hadbird walk.

Trappist caught smuggling andwarned. Trappist life-style makes solitary confinement, bread-and-water, etc.no punishments for him. Reckless boy also caught.

Black market returns.

Barbed wire put up to preventsmuggling.

Bishop Morel reports that Saratsiirrigation canal was successful, but now neglected.

Gilkey addresses High Schoolcommencement.

Father Scanlon, head of blackmarket, arrested and jailed.

JUNE

June7

GeorgeKing of Canada preached.

Theweek is quieter because of threats to punish black marketers. The Trappist whorepeated his lecture on life at Yang Chia Ping is the leader in the blackmarket. He was caught and quizzed. When asked why he bought over the wall, hesaid, "There is not enough to eat. We need eggs and chicken for the sick. There is no other way to get it unless you sell it to us." He was toldhe would be confined in solitude and replied, "For 30 years I've been thatway at our monastery, talking to none." "You will get only bread andwater." "I=ma vegetarian and live that way most of the time at Yang Chia Ping."

Aboy, Lambert, was caught Monday morning and threatened. Caught again, he wasbeaten up and suffocated by the guard, but soon was out again boasting of historture. He is said to get it for others and will not sell or give it to hismother. Said to be a reckless, wild boy. But a Mrs. Richards speaks Japanese,and took to the officer a picture of this boy being given a medal fromBaden-Powell for having saved a Japanese from drowning at Pei Tai Ho. Theofficer recognized the boy and she gave him a tongue-lashing for requiting himin this way.

Theblack market is on again. Bought refined peanut oil at $10 for a 3-pintbottle. My Marine friend got five for us and our neighbors; also 5 lbs. ofpeanut meats at $4.50 a pound. Eggs are promised, too.

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June8

Agood softball game, Peking 3, Tientsin Giants 2, won by a sacrifice fly in lasthalf of the 9th inning with only one out.

Twoladies from K'ai chou arrived, Miss Kupper and Mrs. ______, after 6 weeks onthe way.

Rumor- a Chinese letter saying to buy soon, for barbed wire is to be put all aroundthe wall to prevent buying from outside Chinese. Davies says he saw the letterand it is genuine. They have gotten in a lot of barbed wire lately.

ACatholic Father gets a typed letter from French Catholics in Wei Hsien sent inover the wall. One says that three evacuation ships are on the way -- one totake Americans in about two weeks.

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June9

Agood class to Phonetic 70.

Wewere offered honey at $6.50 per pound at the Fathers' Black Market. Also oil,at $8.00 per bottle, and vinegar.

June10

Wentto the Fathers' market for 1 lb. of honey. The Trappist had been caught atmidnight dealing over the wall and a Chinese Awhostuck is head up@ wasshot at. The Father went home to bed and the guard called him out forinterrogation but he was let go in 10 minutes.

TheChinaberry planted by Mrs. Jackson has sprouted. It is Melia azedarach.

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June11-23

Boardis rather thin and there is general sickness B 200 are ill, and there is a lack of pep in everybody. I umpired a minor ballgame and it was characterized by lack of pep.

Theblack market had flourished, but is being severely forbidden.

Twoexpert masons came and spent half day (their time off) building a "cornstove" up on our foundation.

June 23, 1943, Red Cross Letter. G.D. Wilder to Theodore S. Wilder (in G.S. Wilder'shandwriting)[11]:

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Threemonths camp. Still good health. Two, four people, 9 by 12 rooms. Help in allcamp labor. Cool summer. Interesting life, but. See Ursula's.

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June23-30

Muchbetter food. In the evening, dinners of potatoes, fried or mashed with plentyof gravy, roast beef, one or two vegetables such as string beans (once), summersquash (three times), greens and soup. This went on all the week and into thenext.

Fromabout the 25th to 30th Hubbard and Gertrude both were sick in bed withdiarrhea. Hub had bronchitis as well. I had to do all the chores, emptyingslops, getting various kinds of water, bringing their meals from Hospital One. When they were up and out I came down with temp of 102.5, Wednesday, June 30th,and chills that night, beginning on my way home from E.T.C. Werner's lecture onAChinese History froma Sociologist's Standpoint@covering two periods, Feudal and Monarchic. I had had a full day, sitting fora pen portrait by Father Genechten for an hour. He couldn't get the likenessas he did with Porter and Britland, both in characteristic pipe-smokingattitudes.

Preparedfor class in Characters at 5 p.m. Went to Werner=slecture from 8 to 9 p.m., then it was the shakes for me. I had caught cold aweek before June 23 when it was cool and I was in a sleeveless shirt in theevening.

Ourthermometer runs from 68 at night to 78 in the daytime - our hottesttemperature in the house during this period was 84. In May it had been up to88 in the house. Our stove has an oven that is always warm, and it can bake acake with a special fire. We four west-enders use it. It is the best stovebuilt yet, to our mind.

SisterColette and another bring some new tree leaves for identification, they havinggone into the residence compound out of bounds two or three times.

Isaw Bishop Morel, whom I had met at 30 li west of Saratsi and had a talk withhim.[12] He says the irrigationcanal was a great success B washing out the alkali from the soil into the river again B never spoiling thefields, as was feared by Dr. P. But it has been neglected so that it is nowuseless, though not ruined.

Isaw Father Genechten's picture of the dead Father, who is to be buried Fridaytemporarily in the cemetery cow pasture. The Trappist Father ___,[13]who had run the black market business for the community and had been threatenedseveral times, was jailed on June 30 in the foreign residences in the cemeteryat the S.E. corner of grounds. They do not seem to have carried out the threatof a bread and water diet, but say he will be released from solitary confinementin two weeks.

Wegot 100 kao liang stalks for $5 and have stuck up our tomatoes 15 inches high,a square support around each of 50 plants.

HighSchool Commencement was a fine affair, Gilkey giving an excellent address fullof local color. Three grads, Stephen Shaw, Miss Hansen and a Tsingtao girl,got diplomas for work finished this year, and two (Nancy Pratt and another)received them for finishing last year=swork.

Avery oratorical, poetical tragic-comedy was given by the best talent of the campon June 25. Gertrude was in bed, but I went.

Havegotten eggs again at 42 cents apiece, chickens (good) at $11.00, millet at$5.00 a catty, and glad to get it at that. The Canteen is getting a lot ofgoods now and we order things like umbrellas (paper) at $11, cloth at $18, a4-story lunch set at $11.50, etc.

Rumorsgalore and no papers since the 21st, e.g. 3 victories in Burma, one in theRussell Island of the Solomons claimed by the Japanese, whose claim to havedowned a big U.S. bomber at Hanoi indicates the truth of rumors of air attacksthere. Japanese reports of our retaking Attu Island confirms rumors. AChinese claim of victory at I Chang, getting 30,000 Japanese soldiers, and theevacuation of Hankow by the Japanese is doubtful.

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June30.

Wentto Werner's lecture, 8-9 p.m.. Taken with chills on the way home, and two moretimes in the night. Just a week before I had had slight trachea trouble,gradually increasing until July 1st I began to cough up yellow sputum from thechest. Dr. Lewis started sulphapyridine, three times a day. Temperature of102.5 on Thursday. Dropped to 100. Sulphapyridine on the second afternoonmade me a little nauseated and I lost my appetite. A temperature of 99.6 and99 hung on, keeping me in bed.

Letter says Gripsholm is waiting inBoston, ready to leave to meet us at Goa.

Re-submit repatriation papers.

Report Sicily front fighting isover. Rome bombed.

Two weeks of good food.

Black market, closed for a month, isre-opened.

JULY

Sunday,July 4

OurEnglish neighbor, the mining engineer Fleet, wishes us many happy returns ofthe day and at breakfast they sang AHappyBirthday to Uncle Sam.@

Iwent to the hospital for meals today and yesterday, but my temp has risen a bitthis afternoon and I will stay in tomorrow.

SisterColette has had to leave my class, but came again with two oaks and Huai shubuds. She has made her list and writes the Chinese characters.

Reada letter from an outsider offering to take our money to Tsingtao, buy thethings we need and deliver them at the lowest prices.

Lastmonth the wires were stretched around us about six feet out from the wall, andinsulated for electric current, but the merchants were willing to risk it.

Abig shower floods our garden and washes out a bit of our compound wall but noone will try to flee!

July5 to 12

Thedoctor let me up after two days. My temperature was normal on Saturday July 10and Sunday the 11th. On the 12th I had class as usual and sharpened knives,but got pretty tired.

Wehear that repatriation is still being discussed. Letters from the U.S. of lastMarch speak of the Gripsholm still lying in Boston harbor waiting to go to Goafor us. It is due to leave about 15th, taking 38 days to Goa. The Swiss consulhere has us make out new papers for repatriation: women and children first, oldfolks 65 plus next; prisoners first of all. It is said that only about 200 ofthe 400 Americans here want repatriation. The Catholics will return to Pekinginstead.

Thelast class of the term is on July 17.

Ourfood is much better. We have eaten at our kitchen since about the 10th. Father ______ was let out OK. Cheered.

TheJapanese head says this camp will be closed before winter as the sanitationwould freeze up, the Catholics going back to Peking, the rest to places inShanghai vacated by American repatriates.

Sunday,July 19

OnJuly 18, Rev. Cooke of Wu ting fu, Tang shan and Tsingtao preached on Isaiah,"In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord" - good. Went to songservice conducted by the girls' junior choir.

Iworked sharpening knives. Ripe tomatoes were issued.

July22

Hadan extra good meal of potatoes, meat, etc. We got a second helping of potatoesand took it home to fry for breakfast.

July23

Finestbreakfast yet, and at home with fried potatoes, boiled egg, stew coffee, peanutbutter and honey, and couple of tasty foreign apples, bought yesterday.

Anothersale of tomatoes and decaying peaches. Good peaches at 4 for $1.00. Bestbreakfast yet. Good tasty hot stew for dinner with a tomato and an apple. Thefood is improving and we both have good appetites.

Acable from the State Department sets September 15 as the exchange date at Goa.

Dr.Robinson, our neighbor, took a sick person to Peking, under guard, closelywatched. He had two chances to ask, Aanyoutstanding news?@ Both said nothing in detail, but generally good news. The Sicily front isadvancing northwards. The papers cry out against the bombing of Rome B the first. The Basilicais destroyed Baccurate work. The Vatican denounces it, as do the Germans and Italians inShanghai also.

Dr.Robinson reported this morning that Hoeppli considers the repatriation of U.S.nationals to be going smoothly - all lists of both sides are in.

Baseballis scheduled two games a day, on three days of the week.

Yesterday,Thursday, we cleaned house under the bed, sunned the winter bedding, etc. Galtgave us small nails and ten squares, and I took off the bottom of the trunktray, reversed it and nailed it on again so it can travel once more.

Mr.Barr, the new helper on kitchen knives, is doing well. We take every otherday. I needed to use only an hour today. I did about 11 hours last week.

Afine breakfast (Friday the 23rd). Knife work 1 hour only.

Checkedup on the tree map, which is now posted in the Science Hall (24) for use of thepublic and a class in Biology.

Candyfor sale again but no eggs, and the black market has been closed by constantguard for two weeks.

Applefritters for supper with hash and vegetables and good potatoes B two weeks now of goodfood.

Baseball: Kitchen #3 vs. Kitchen #1 drew a tremendous crowd surrounding the diamond. It ended 6-2 in their favor. A return game was later won by Kitchen #1. Thenthey played the A8-ballers,@ who won in a tight game5-4. AWendy@ pitched for the 8-Balls onJuly 24 and sportingly said, "It was a good lose."

Sunday,July 25

Busbypreached - easily heard. American Board folks met at 7-9 p.m., discussing howto get started again. A statement by Wei Chin Yu was interesting, but most ofthe time was spent on the question, AWhatis the Church?.@

Barr'swork on knives -- WWW pattern B still works and we both follow it with all knives, vegetable, butcher, bread, andkitchen.

July28

Thekitchen ball games this week still arouse great interest. Kitchen #2 against#1.

July31.

Pekingand Tsingtao beat Tientsin 12-3, getting 9 runs in one inning, mostly after 2out.

Betterfood of late but not enough eggs. "Wall" eggs at $.50 are coming inagain after a month's cessation of the Black Market, with the guards vigilant,too. The corner tower with a red door, ladder, and grass roof has beendemolished and a new and better tile roof put on it, and a guard is there allthe time B seeGertrude's sketch.

Tracy Burr Strong born to Robbinsand Kitty.

Baseball: Padres vs. Camp All Stars.

Daisy Atterbury chalk talk.

Most Valuable Player prize to FatherKlein.

Fathers leave for Peking. Reportedly treated like criminals on the way.

Sent Index of AAdventures with Birds@ to Vetch.

Writing a piece for a Ameditation@ on the positive aspects of camplife.

Concert by Grimes, et al.

Report that Sicily falls. Italycapitulates to Germany. Berlin bombed B bombing will continue until Germans surrender.

AUGUST

Sunday,Aug. 1

Corkeypreached on AFaith(Vision) in God and Man.@ He was heard easily at back until far along in the sermon. A full house, butin the evening the "Fathers'" 7 - 9 p.m. concert competessuccessfully with our Protestant song service.

Atesupper B a good one,with roast meat, potatoes, gravy, etc. B with Miss Adams in the church door, the coolest place to be found. Thermometers read 103 in the shade, it was said. Ours stood at 90 in the room,the highest yet in the house.

Aug.2-6

Baseball:much interest in the kitchen teams. Our Kitchen No. 3 first team lost twice toNo. 1, considered the best. No. 2 Kitchen beat the "8-Balls" and No.I. We played No. 2 again on August 4th and won 6-5. Steven Shaw starred bymaking four long fly catches Bone while falling backward after a jump Band a home run in the 9th, winning the game.

RobbinsStrong caught for Father Whalen in the game yesterday, just as Kitty went tothe hospital to have her baby. He went to her after the game at 8 p.m. andstayed to see the baby born at 1:50 a.m., August 6th B ATracyBurr Strong,@hesitating some over the middle name, being doubtful if Aaron Burr was atraitor or not.

August6th went to the 29th anniversary of the wedding of Fred Pyke and Frances Taft. Six or seven of the guests were born in China.

Aftersupper our Kitchen #3 second team lost 6-3 to the Braves in soft ball, largelydue to a rank decision of Aout@ at the plate when thecatcher never touched the runner sliding feet first into the catcher, who wasreaching high over his head to catch the ball, and came crashing down on top ofthe runner, bases still loaded.

TheCanteen has laundry soap for all Bone cake each, $1.60 per cake, 4 x 2 2x 1 inch for the month of August. I got 12 cakes for us and three families inJohn Stanley's corner Block 15. His Charlie walked at the end of July and isprogressing finely.

Afterthe baseball we went to a high-grade concert of a 20-piece orchestra concert,two vocal soloists, a duet, and a mixed quartet, and a piano solo accompaniedby the orchestra. Miss Stranks, soloist, was given a bouquet from our garden.

Aug.7

Threeball games B 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 6 p.m. The Major league begins a new round on Monday. TheSaturday afternoon game B Padres 8 - Peking Tsingtao Combined 4 Bwas lost by errors. The Padres have a very fast air-tight infield, withValerian Wendelen Schott, a great outfielder in as short stop in place ofKleine B the fastestthinker, thrower and runner in the camp, a short, stocky, good-natured padre.

Spentthree days, of three hours each, with Hayes, checking up on Directory of theCamp; not finished.

Theconcert was given again, very fine for a camp with no equipment, music, etc.

Sunday,Aug. 8

Lastweek we were warned not to send orders to Tsingtao for goods if we wereexpecting to go on the repatriation ship.

Rathersultry - 88 in house.

Deweyof Chang Li preached for youngsters on ATheValue of a Man@ in avery intimate, interesting way.

Lastweek the Canteen announced that tomato season is over! Meaning they wouldsupply no more, though the country is full of them. Watermelons, deliciousthough small, were sold twice last week at $4 and $2 each, 40 one time and 100the other, two to six persons, with a certificate of sale to prevent one personbuying twice. Big baskets of plums came in yesterday. They seem to plan onesample of each fruit BAeach kind in itsseason.@

Aug.9

HeardBarr say that the meat cutters said the knives are too sharp B one cut himself. I had toput in only an hour on them Sunday morning.

Hayesand I nearly finished the check-up of the Directory as to kitchens etc., bynationalities and of working age.

The6:30 - 8 p.m. baseball game began the new series of Major League games with agame between the Padres and the ACamp.@ Peyton bets $150 to $100that the Padres do not lose a game. Only one error and a balk that lost thegame 2-1 for the Padres. Pitcher Lin, a cricketer, has not quite got the gamein his blood and lost it by a balk and by getting caught out on first base.

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Aug.10.

Idid knives and Mr. Chin cut down the high ends of our stove; then I smoothed itoff with a gravel-concrete block, so it will be better.

Goodfood today. Our big yellow tomatoes are fine, meaty and almost seedless. Oneis enough for two plates.

CampStars against the Padres lost again today 12-13 in a most exciting game. Greatenthusiasm. The field was surrounded with people. That makes two games forthe Fathers.

Prayermeeting was very difficult for the first half hour.

Aug.11

Thehead of the camp definitely declared that the Fathers are to leave for PekingAugust 16. Americans are probably to be evacuated by August 30, and 300Chefoo school children and internees will be brought here.

Hada fine Padres vs. Camp ball game Bexciting almost every inning, and 1,2,3, out in order several times. FatherSchott, a sure catch, jumped for a fly and knocked it down over his head andback into Father Andy's hands, but he dropped it. This was the only error. Leo Thomas pitched for the Camp Bthe one whose balk lost the first game. The Padres only run was in the lastinning, 1-1, followed by Troxall (shortstop) out-tricking Wendy, who had trickedthem so often. Playing for best three out of five games in successive days, 2to 1 in the Stars=favor. It was the only game the Fathers have lost since one early in season. After the game Father Fayer spoke to a group on the life of Father Libby, LuShen Fu, a remarkable little man who founded the I Shi Pao, for a long time theonly independent daily in Tientsin and Peking, which Gailey, Edwards, Pettus,R.T. Evans and I bought and incorporated and ran for a few years. He wasbroad, liberal, and against French imperialism Bprevented the French annexation of Lao Hsi Kai. The Tientsin Catholic Fathersstopped it by calling a strike. The speaker, Father Martin and two otherliberals were gotten out by his influence. He was a Chinese citizen. Tientsinwas held by the Communists for a month. He flew to Chung King and died.

Thereare pretty well grounded rumors that we will leave for America after theCatholic Fathers return to Peking for further internment there in two lots,August 16 and 23. The one who escorts them is reported to have said that hewould return after the second lot had arrived in Peking and take us toShanghai. Some Fathers are to be left here, such as Father Martin, who was inprison 6 months and is regarded as a prisoner of war!

OnFriday we had a good clean entertainment.

August15, Sunday

Hadto sharpen knives for bread, as much B1,300 loaves B hadbeen cut, and the Fathers' lunches prepared for Monday's departure.

Gilkeypreached well on Amos Bagainst spiritual and moral pride in the war business. It was a braveutterance, charging hearers with (easy) hypocrisy, but doing so constructively,(hopefully).

OnFriday night, August 13, we had a fine entertainment for the local crowd,gotten up mainly by the Americans BDaisy Atterbury giving a chalk talk, drawing notable members of the camp incartoons, and finishing portraits already prepared. They gave a prize toFather Kleine B Wendelyn, (Wendy) B aballplayer who could have made the big league teams. He is by all odds thebest on the field here. He is very modest and was overwhelmed at having tocome on stage, receive his cup Ba water pail and mop Band make a reply speech. He is a good sport all round. They got Miriam tomake a cake and get up a good feed for the ball players on Saturday, after thefinal two lovely ones on Friday, both won by the Fathers 7-2 and 6-3, butexciting.

Therumor of the Fathers leaving on Monday, August 16 was confirmed Thursday whendozens of big mule carts came and hauled away heavy baggage B no inspection. Mondaymorning all lined up on the athletic field. The Salvation Army Band came outand played familiar tunes BAuld Lang Syne, etc. The whole camp came out to say good-bye to the splendidFathers. Father Pieters who lectured at the College of Chinese Studies onChinese Religions two years ago, was group leader. Everyone turned out to seethem off. It was an ovation. Certain Fathers to be repatriated B 17(?) B were left behind here,even after their names had been on the list to go.

Anotherlot of both Fathers and Sisters will go Monday the 23rd. Their heavy baggageis to go Friday. School was dismissed and the day given to this event. Theyfeared they would have to go by ricksha, as they pay their own expenses back toPeking, and afterwards in Peking. But they had big trucks to take them 5 li tothe station. It was a great and sincere send off. I had to be sharpeningknives near the gate so I could easily time the getaway and saw it without toomuch standing idle. Father Brines took the corrected index of my AAdventures Among the Birds@ to Vetch. He is to beinterned at the Franciscan Hall.

Iam busy writing a Meditation for the Communion Service Tuesday night August 17. I remind them of some features of our camp life: (1) Congestion B 1,800 on 21 acres B and its spiritualfellowship; (2) Solution of property and labor problems B the use-possession principle recognized, andcooperation in community service and organizations; (3) The baseball field=s beginning.

Aug.18, 8 p.m.

Hubgave a fine lecture on AIntroductionto Birds of Wei Hsien.@ He drew pictures of 11 out of the 20 species nesting here, and Gertrudecolored them. I had already agreed to go to a group on Church Unity at thesame hour, so I could not go.

Galtread Gray's paper on the Unity movements - in part.

FredPyke and I worked on Kitchen #2 statistics.

Aug.19

TheSisters big baggage is getting off. They to go Monday, as per rumor. TheFathers went on the date that rumor had set.

Aug.20

Twoball games as usual. A good one of 10-9 BKitchen against Pick-ups.

Afine concert by Grimes, etc.:

A fine Male quartet B 3 numbers B Waltonbass, Parkin tenor;
Piano-violin BMiss Stranks piano and Mrs. Amory violin Bgood;
A brilliant Liszt, four movements without notes by Grimes B Miss Stahl had to useGrimes= manuscriptcopy B the lastmovement only finished at 5 p.m. that afternoon. Not a sign of hesitation.
Peking Union Church girls' junior choir sang two songs. It was probablythe last time they will ever appear.
A men's quartet: Walton and Whipple (China Inland Mission), Glede andParkin.

OnSaturday we stayed with Baby Charles Stanley while his parents went to theconcert=s secondperformance B thehouse was nearly full in spite of the Fathers=departure.

Brysonand Kitty Strong and their baby are out of the hospital after 9-10 days.

Watchedsome tennis. New balls! One went over the wall. Hayes and Helsly vs. Hub andDitmanson. They tried to get it. Two baseball games. Did knives aftersupper.

Sunday,Aug. 22

Inthe morning, 10:30 - 12:15, had a good discussion about education, into whichMission Boards might enter, and the consensus was that a limited number ofprimary and middle schools, in certain areas not adequately supplied, might becarried on by missions under the rules of the Government and with a view ofhelping the Government get a sound system.

Inthe afternoon, the service was conducted by Coburn and Clark of the LondonMissionary Society, the latter preaching to the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, whoattended in a body with their Wolf and Owl emblems. A good text on David asone of the world's greatest scouts B Samuel 26:24. Very good.

Aug.23

Twohundred twenty five (225) Fathers and Sisters were given a big send-off, goingback to Peking for further internment. One on a stretcher was taken in anauto, the rest in buses and trucks, six making two trips. Word came in latersaying they were treated like criminals last week B no windows allowed open; waited at Tsinan twohours in the sun (black clothes a torture) Bbut were well treated in Peking.

Aug.24, 25

Whilesharpening knives at the vegetable cutters awning under huai shu at #44 I heard children shout in alarm 30 yards awayat the kitchen cesspool of our kitchen. I saw the 3 year old child of Dr.Kelley (Chinese mother) just going under in the pool. He came up and went downagain. Hayes ran from the kitchen, reached in and pulled him out. He criedlustily and had not taken in much to his lungs or mouth. At 10 a.m., an hourlater, his father led him back all clean.

Wehad Techou's wild kaoliang for breakfast Bimproved by taking off the woody fibre Bat 6:30 Tokyo time. I went to the top of the main tower to see the sun riseout of a bank of cloud. While watching it, a Japanese guard came up withoutseeing me standing watching it at the N.W. corner, faced the rising sun,folded his hands, bowed his head for a minute then whistled softly a tune. Hesoon turned and saw me standing, but showed no surprise, crossed the tower tolook west and paid no attention to me.

Someonesent Hub an apple pie made of good white flour! I had a two inch section thatGertrude resigned to me without my knowing. At supper we had big individualpies, with plenty of good tart foreign apple in them. We have had twoallotments of eight of them.

Aug.26

Ourearly morning rumor was that our repatriation is delayed a month. We feelsomewhat depressed as we thought we would leave here next week the 29th orSeptember 2nd. Aggni, the Swiss consul, said the Japanese diplomats in Chilemust be sent to New York to take the Gripsholm, thus delaying us. We thinkthat cooler weather to leave here is desirable. It has been 82 minimum up to93 maximum in our room every day for a week and 106 in the shade outside, 120in the sun on the ball field. It is very trying, but there is a cool breezefrom the sea in the evening.

Goodfood again last week and this is partly due to the brain of Mrs. Dr. Clay andother food experts, and Richard Hanson's conscientious job at the kitchen #3 B 425 to feed.

Aug.27

Thetwo families expected from Peking are Mr. & Mrs. Shoemaker, whosemother-in-law died in June we just now hear - and four Dallas from Pao Ma ChangB a great jockey. TheInchan Japanese interpreter says Goa on Oct. 15.

Aug.28

Abig rain on Monday. It ended a long drought.

TheShoemakers came yesterday but I didn't call until today. We loaned thempillows until their baggage comes. They told the news. The Germans are backin the Donetz basin, having lost tens of thousands of prisoners. Sicily is allover and 20,000 captured Germans were sent to the U.S. in a week. Mussoliniwent to Berlin and was probably detained there by Germany. Italy capitulatedto Germany, is the rumor. Several islands in the Solomons were retaken. Kiska, a harbor equal to Pearl Harbor, was also abandoned by the Japanese. TheKuriles are being bombed; Berlin bombing is the worst yet and Rome has beenbombed again. The Allies announce which of Germany's best cities are to bebombed again and again until destroyed unless they surrender. Munda and someother bases on the Solomon Islands, and two on the Borneo oil coast were bombedat an immense distance from the planes=base B 1,200 miles.

Aug.29, Sunday

TheShoemakers and a letter from Mrs. Aikin in Peking say that foreigners have togive up breakfast cereal and servants can scarcely get grain food or meat atall in Peking. Things are better off here by far. Our food is better B soup or stew, meat,potatoes, squash, cucumbers and pudding at one meal.

TheChefoo crowd is to arrive at 3:30 p.m. Tangtai did not come.

TookShoemakers a pillow.

Barris at work. He said he couldn't find a stool for the stores. In the evening Ifound it in the bread room, and did bread knives.

Hubbardpreached well on ALeadership.@ I had a talk with Gilkeyabout his sermon two weeks ago or more.

Wehad a song service at the hospital in the evening led by Miss Buel B where the Fathers used tohave their jolly songs for crowds to hear.

TheChefoo folks did not come.

Aug.31

Noticeof evacuation is officially posted. We are on it, Nos. 663 and 664, USA. Everyone is asking, AIsyour name written there?@

Rainson Sunday and Monday. People came at last from Chefoo B 60, with 300 more to come B on their way to the U.S.,but not forewarned of coming here for three weeks. Young Mr. & Mrs.MacMurray, (with two 2 girls) BCanadians B and Dr.Young are the only ones we know.

OldDr. Hayes and his wife were first told that they could stay here as they wish,but then the commandant ordered them to leave Balso Cousin Llewellyn Davies, much against his wish. He never applied forrepatriation and doesn't know how his name got there on the list.

Baggage examined. Photographs,manuscripts (phonetic groups), field observation notes (1899 - 1939), Gertrude=s watercolors of Tehsien andPeitaiho B all confiscated.

Flower paintings and sketches ofcamp life overlooked.

SEPTEMBER

__

Sept.1

Wegot our things into 3 trunks, one large suitcase and a camphor wood chest, togo on as heavy baggage.

Sept.2, 3

Theexamination of heavy baggage began and most books were taken, but not all. Inthe afternoon some examiners were lax, but some cut open pillows looking forprinted matter, money, etc. We kept ours over to Friday noon. John Stanleyand Dick Irwin carried our five pieces to the church yard. A passing showertarnished the new suitcases.

Theexamination of our baggage started about 3 p.m. A nice young man, who hadwatched Gertrude painting a picture and talked with her, examined the firsttrunk, No. 3, and took her most cherished pictures B Helen's hollyhocks, done in 1888 (Helen wasGertrude's sister, who died young); Uncle Will and sheep (my best-prized); MissMillikan's oil painting of the Southwest City tower of Peking. They let me putour name and #663 on them, but there=sno hope. I tried to smuggle in my "Field Notes" and the last half ofvolumes III-VIII of Phonetic Groups of Character Analysis, but they wereconfiscated. So, too, were a lot of Gertrude's water colors of Shantung, PeiTai Ho, etc. None of her flowers, however, or her sketches of camp life werefound.

Theywere more severe the second day at first because Mr. Hansen had $400 USTravellers' checks in his daughter's cloak, which he had put in the lining inPeking and could not find when he got here. They took typewriters and almostall printed matter. They took all of Prof. Bodde's scientific materials, tohis amazement B theywere not at all hidden. They took Gertrude's Bible, given by her father atage15, and mine because of marginal notes. They let me take a Moffatttranslation after tearing out the fly-leaf presentation note.

Theyfinished ours about 4 p.m.. Shaw and John Stanley helped Gertrude and me packup, all roped, and #3 with a strap besides. While examining ours, big mulecarts hauled away those stored in the church, which had been denuded of seats. Our trunks were taken to carts in front of the church and by 6 p.m. all wereout and shipped to the Shanghai Station Master. We hope for access to onesuitcase and one trunk at Goa but can get along the whole voyage without them. A rumor says that Portugal has declared war, so that Goa can't be used toexchange nationals.

Theyshowed much skill in carting away all the mountain of baggage to the station. Llellwyn Davies= caseis not yet decided and his baggage is marked Aspecial,@ to be sent back if he doesnot go.

NoFriday and Saturday entertainment, as the church was denuded of seats to giveplace to the baggage.

Sunday,Sept. 5

Sailerpreached along his favorite line of determinism and free will B very interesting in spots. Hoeppli came from Peking. He had a verbal message from Vetch that he had mycorrected Index for "Adventures among Birds" that Father Bruns hadtaken to Peking; also word from Dr. Grabau in Peking. I sent no word back. His message was written, read to us, and the writing handed back to the Japaneseguard so that no secret message or news could be passed. He could take noletters.

Hubbardmentioned to Hoeppli and the General Affairs Committee the loss of my fieldnotes on birds, 1899-1939, and last half of APhoneticGroups.@

Wehad another session of the American Board from 10:30 to 12 noon.

Sept.8., Evening

Wehad another meeting and picnic supper under the awning at Helen Burton'sexchange, where we discussed indemnities. Should we give our opinion to theBoard as to asking for them? Private loss is an individual personal matter. Mission or institutional loss is different. Replacement indemnity for this wasfavored by a minority. No one favors punitive indemnity, and few favor privatepersonal indemnity.

__

Sept.9

OnMonday I had my teeth put in shape, cleaned and 2 fillings patched up orreplaced by Prentice. He gave me to read Pere Teilhard's AHow I believe,@ the scientist=s apology for his faith inChrist, 1934.

Thosewith initials M to Z had three inoculations at a time for Cholera, Typhoid andSmallpox as requested (i.e., required) of all repatriates by both U.S.and Japanese governments.

Mr.Christian has persuaded the authorities to give us a chance to recover ourprecious pictures, documents, etc. after the war is over. We had 2 p.m. as atime to claim. I got my Field Notes Vols. III-VII, and 1899-1939 complete, andput them in a Time envelope, and then in the official's, tied with string andlabelled No. 300 (Camp number), name, and Boston, 14 Beacon Street as theaddress. In a second envelope I put my Phonetic Groups Vols. III-VIIIcomplete, and also my photographs. A later chance may be given for books andpictures other than photos. My picture of Uncle Will and his sheep was notthere, but had been seen by the attendant somewhere.

The300 Chefoo people, several over 80, came dragging in, very weary.[14]

Norman Cliff on theChefoo-ites Arrival at Weihsien[15]

. . . We rattled andbumped along a dusty road for several miles past Chinese farm fields. What wegathered must be Weihsien Camp sprang into view. Rows of juniper trees, longlines of dormitory blocks, the red-tiled roof of an Edwardian style churchCall surrounded by a wallwith electrified wires and with cement boxes here and there.

The lorry bounced alongthe rough road and turned a corner through some trees. We were now drivingtowards the entrance of the campCa large Chinese gate, over which were threeChinese characters meaning ACourtyard of the Happy Way@. Japanese guards withbayonets were standing on duty.

We were driven throughthe gate, past the guardroom on the left, and up the hill; the lorrystopped on the central road of the camp. On our right was the church buildingand beyond it a sports field.

The streets were linedwith hundreds of internees staring at us curiously. The men wore only khakishorts, were bare-foot, tanned with working in the sun, and looked likecreatures from another world. As we clambered off the lorries they cheeredand surrounded us excitedly, asking all kinds of questions. Their accents wereAmerican, Russian, Greek and British, a cosmopolitan group indeed.

We were herded through aMoon Gate into a courtyard which was outside the administrative offices.There we stood listening while the chairman of the campÍs Discipline Committee,a fellow internee, read out the camp rules and regulations.

The story of our arrivalin Weihsien as seen by the local inhabitants is recounted in the followingpoem, entitled AThe Two Hundred andNinety-seven@:

AHooray! The Chefooiteshave all arrived at last!

Right heartily wecheered them as through the gates they passed.

They trudged upGuardhouse Hill, their baggage in the lead,

We >ServersÍ nudged eachother: >Great Scott, more mouthsto feed!Í

ThatÍs not a niceexpression but our rations were so low

And they had come fromwhat weÍd call luxury, you know.

They joined the TsingtaoKitchen, school-children big and small;

We fed them on breadporridge, and they ate it, one and all!

We felt sorry for themwhen we filled their cups with bitter tea,

But they said, >If you can drink itwithout sugar, so can we.

Then came a realcalamity, the camp ran out of yeast.

Our manager said, >Doughnuts! Make twelvehundred at least!Í

The boys soon took to >PumpingÍ and other hardwork too;

Some girls became dishwashers,others joined the kitchen crew.

WeÍve grown fond ofthese school-children who so bravely stood the test

And should they everneed our help, weÍll gladly do our best!@

(G. E. Norman)

G.D. Wilder Diary (cont.)

Sept.10

Hada well-acted, not too good play, "Night Must Fall," on Friday andSaturday.

Baseball,"Goers vs. Stayers," 3-2 for Camp. A balk was declared for thewinning run in the 10th.

Wewent to the headquarters office and found all our pictures, Bibles, etc. andmade up three parcels for keeping by Japanese authorities to the end of thewar.

Sunday,Sept. 12

Sundaymorning we had the final American Board get together. Twelve or 14 were there.In the afternoon Bryson preached and I baptized Robbins and Katherine Strong'sbaby boy Tracy Burr, born Aug. 6.

CurtisGrimes conducted the oratorio ASt.Paul@ well in theevening.

Sept.13

Packedthree suitcases and a bedding roll to be examined and sent off at 11 a.m.Tuesday.

Sept.14

E

Three accounts of the Americans= departure from Weihsien.

Langdon Gilkey,ShantungCompound[16]

I found that themissionaries who represented the major churches of Britain and America were onthe whole a rather remarkable group of people. Endowed with both humor andtalent, they had had to provide their own entertainments in the course of theirnormal life in the Far East. It was natural, then, that they were the ones whotook the lead in our intellectual, dramatic, and musical enterprises.

When over one hundredAmerican missionaries departed in the first evacuation, many laymen in ourPeking kitchen maintained that our kitchen community had lost not only itsbrains but its zest as well. As one Britisher admitted ruefully, AAll weÍre left with noware the business folk and we British. My word, old chap, they canÍt eithercook or laugh, what?@ It had surprised manylike him to find that these liberal missionaries were not only interesting andcapable people, very much aware of the modern world, but fun to be with.

DavidMichell,A Boy =s War[17]

Within a week of ourarrival a number of Americans and Canadians left camp. They had been selectedto be repatriated on the Gripsholm in exchange for Japanese prisoners . . . . The day of departure for those being repatriated was one of mixed feelings forus all. For those going it was hard leaving behind old friends, who had beenassociates in missionary work or in business. For us in school it meant sayinggood-bye to a lot of our classmates. We were left with a very forlorn feelingas we waved good-bye to them from our perches overlooking the wall,wistfully watching the trucks move off.

As our captivityextended from months to years, the sight of that exodus on September 14,1943, lived on vividly in our memories. Their going was a great loss to thecamp work force as our school**** was a poor substitute in terms of manpower.Other people who carried the work load realized that with our coming, the ratioof children to the total camp population had risen to about one child to twoadults, entailing heavier duties for older people.

The next day we met theCanadians and Americans who had preceded us from Chefoo. They were excited atthe prospect of getting to their home countries.

Norman Cliff,Courtyardof the Happy Way[18]

A week after we arrivedthey lined up outside the church. The authorities had stipulated that theycould take with them no printed matter except one Bible per head, withoutmarkings or notes.

Japanese officials tookthem into the church building where they were carefully screened, and strippedto the waist. By an arrangement made by the International Red Cross they wereto travel in a Japanese ship to Goa, where they would be exchanged for Japaneseprisoners from North America, and continue from there home . . . .

Then followed what wasto us who were left behind a sad farewell just inside the front gate . . . . Loaded with excited travelers, the lorries drove off through the gate, down theavenue of trees and round the corner towards the station. We returned to ourduties with heavy hearts. They were going to freedom and plenty while we had tocontinue business as usual for some indeterminate period behind the electrifiedwires.

[1] Quoted both in Norman Cliff, Courtyard of theHappy Way , p. 68,and in David Michell, A Boy =__s War , p. 120.

[2] Langdon Gilkey, Shantung Compound , p. 6 - 16.

[3] David Michell, A Boy =__s War , p. 60 - 67. Both David Michell and Norman Cliff,were among those arriving in Weihsien from the Chefoo boarding school just aweek before the Wilders were repatriated to the U.S. on The Gripsholm.

[4] Norman Cliff, Courtyard of the Happy Way , p. 71.

[5] Ed. Note. Fifty-seven years later I wrote to NormanCliff (author of Courtyard of the Happy Way , a book about his Wehsienexperiences) sending him copies of 22 watercolors of the Weihsien camp paintedby Gertrude Wilder, asking if he could identify their locations on a mapcontained in his book. In response, I received a letter from Mr. and Mrs.Fleet=s grandson, R.W. Bridge, a friend ofMr. Cliff=s who, after the Wilders wererepatriated in September 1943, moved with his parents and younger brother intoBlock 13, Rooms 10 and 11, the very rooms that had been occupied by the Wildersand Hubbards, a picture of which was included among the paintings I had sentNorman Cliff. A copy of Mr. Bridge=s letter noting this Aremarkable coincidence@ is contained in the Appendix.

[6] Eric Liddell, the Olympic champion who was one of thetwo runners featured in the film AChariots of Fire.@ He later died of a brain tumor and was buried in theWehsien camp. (See Norman Cliff=s and David Michell=s descriptions at end of Aprildiary entries.)

[7] Norman Cliff, Courtyard of the Happy Way , p. 81.

[8] Langdon Gilkey, Shantung Compound, p. 35ff. Gilkey changed the namesof all those whom he mentions. AFather Darby,@ for example, is referred to as AFather Scanlon by both Michell andCliff.

[9] David Michel, A Boy =__s War , p. 86f.

[10] Norman Cliff, Courtyard of the Happy Way , p. 72f

[11] This letter was stamped by the American Red Cross Jan.15, 1944, with the note. "The name of the sender of this message appearedon a list of repatriates returning on the Gripsholm." (GSW)

[12] In August, 1931, GDW had temporarily substituted forthe regular supervisor of construction for major irrigation canal divertingwater from the Yellow River near the city of Saratsi in north-west China.

[13]Gilkey, who disguises people=s actual names in his book, ShantungCompound , refers tohim as AFather Darby.@ Both David Michell and NormanCliff refer to him by his real name as AFather Scanlan.@

[14] The Chefoo group included several young people wholater wrote about their experiences in Weihsien: David Michell, A Boy =__s War , published by the OverseasMissionary Fellowship (formerly China Inland Mission), Singapore, 1988; NormanCliff,Courtyard of the Happy Way , Arthur James Limited, Evesham, Worcs, 1977; Mary TaylorPrevite, Hungry Ghosts , Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1994.

[15] Norman Cliff, Courtyard of the Happy Way , p. 65f.

[16] Langdon Gilkey, Shantung Compound , p. 178f.

[17]David Michell, A Boy =__s War , p. 65.

[18] Norman Cliff, Courtyard of the Happy Way , p. 67.

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