The Liberation Bulletin of Phillipine Internment Camp No:I at Santo Tomas University

Cartographer(s): Peter E. Richards
Date: 1945
Place: Not listed
Dimensions: Pages are 8.5 x 11 inches
Condition Rating: VG

Out of stock

Rare WWII P.O.W. Ephemera, from the estate of a Santo Tomas survivor. Complete with an internment camp plan.

Details

This is a rare and remarkable historical document celebrating the liberation of American prisoners of war held at Philippine Internment Camp No. 1, located on the campus of Santo Tomas University in Manila.

Internment Camp No. 1 was established in early January 1942, soon after Gen. Douglas MacArthur had declared Manila an open city, effectively surrendering it to the Japanese, in order to prepare an orderly retreat to the south (though the battle for Corregidor Island in Manila Bay would not be resolved until May). American prisoners of war, captured in the opening days of the Philippines Campaign in the weeks following the Pearl Harbor attacks, were the first group of internees, with others arriving as the Japanese progressed down the archipelago.

This pamphlet contains a chronology of events at the internment camp, including escape attempts and subsequent executions, deaths from other causes, and the arrival of new internees (not only prisoners of war but also civilians of multiple nationalities). It further details the provision of supplies and rations (which became increasingly limited as the war dragged on), numerous other facets of daily life and survival, and hopes for the impending arrival of Allied forces to liberate the camp.

The pamphlet also features a map of the layout of the Santo Tomas Camp on the back page. Surprisingly, small advertisements for local businesses and some larger companies, such as General Electric and Mobiloil, are also included.

 

Census

This pamphlet is dated February 3, 1945, at the very start of the Battle for Manila, which would rage for the next month and destroy most of the city. It is copyrighted to Peter C. Richards, while the cover illustration is attributed to Poppy Lyman. It is only listed in the OCLC among the holdings of three institutions: Stanford University, San Diego State University, and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center.

Cartographer(s):

Condition Description

Four yellowing sheets, each one printed both sides (total 8 sides) printed via some combo of typewriter and early copy machine/stencil? Pages are separated (were once held together by a staple); document is complete, with edge chipping and a few marginal tears.

References