Degree Department

Oral History Interview with Jean Balch, October 12, 1996

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Navy veteran Jean Balch, including Balch's personal experiences about the Pacific theater, being a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II, boot camp, radio, radar, and gunnery school, operations during the Leyte invasion, missions over Luzon, and raids on Japanese installations on Formosa and Saigon, French Indo-China. Additionally, Balch talks about his plane being shot down on a raid to Hong Kong and his capture on January 16, 1945, interrogations and beatings by the Kempei-tai, imprisonment at Ofuna, Honshu, solitary confinement for six months and continued interrogation, beatings by Japanese prison guards, starvation diet, the end of the war and liberation, and his participation in the war crimes trials held by the International Military Tribunal.
Date: October 12, 1996
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Balch, Jean
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Sketches from the Hintok POW Camp, 1943-1944

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Postwar sketches of life as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese at Hintok, Thailand, 1942-44, created by John Wisecup, Marine Corps veteran and a survivor of the sinking of the cruiser USS Houston. Bridge-building details; "Pack of Cards" bridge; Japanese cruelties and atrocities; tropical diseases; burial details. Includes six leaves of a poem titled, "Saga of Bamboo Jim," an introduction, and a foreword.
Date: 1999
Creator: Wisecup, John
Object Type: Artwork
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Horace Chumley, April 3, 1974 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Horace Chumley, April 3, 1974

Interview with Horace Chumley, retired law enforcement officer, U.S. Army WWII veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard), and member of the “Lost Battalion.” Chumley discusses his experiences while being held as a prisoner-of-war by the Japanese during World War II. Fall of Java and capture; Bicycle Camp, Batavia, 1942-45; liberation.
Date: April 3, 1974
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Chumley, Horace, 1916-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with George Burns, March 12, 1974 (open access)

Oral History Interview with George Burns, March 12, 1974

Interview with George Burns, a postal worker, farmer, U.S. Army WWII veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard), and a member of the "Lost Battalion," about his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Burns talks about the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Bangkok, Thailand (1945), and his liberation.
Date: March 12, 1974
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Burns, George, 1917-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with John Rich, October 12, 1996

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Transcript of an interview with John Rich, journalist and Marine Corps veteran (4th Marine Division), concerning his experiences as a Japanese language interpreter/interrogator in the Pacific Theater during World War II and his observations as a journalist while covering the proceedings of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Rich discusses his pre-war career in journalism; U.S. Navy Japanese Language School, University of Colorado, 1942-43; assignment to the 4th Marine Division, 1943; Roi-Namur and Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, 1944; interrogation of Japanese prisoners-of-war; Saipan and Tinian, Mariana Islands, 1944; Iwo Jima, 1945; coverage of the Tokyo war crimes trials for International News Service, 1946; reminiscences about covering Franklin D. Roosevelt's meeting with the press after the Atlantic Conference with Winston Churchill off Argentia, Newfoundland, August 10-15, 1941.
Date: October 12, 1996
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Rich, John, 1917-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Kelly Bramlett, November 2, 1976 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Kelly Bramlett, November 2, 1976

Interview with Kelly Bramlett, U.S. Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Bramlett discusses the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Saigon, French Indo-China (1944-1945), and his liberation.
Date: November 2, 1976
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Bramlett, Kelly
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Edward Fung, December 21, 1977 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Edward Fung, December 21, 1977

Interview with Edward Fung, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Fung talks about the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Nakom Paton, Thailand (1945), and his liberation.
Date: December 21, 1977
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Fung, Eddie, 1922-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Grover Reichle, January 22, 1979 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Grover Reichle, January 22, 1979

Interview with Grover Reichle, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Reichle talks about the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944-1945), Bangkok, Thailand (1945), and his liberation.
Date: February 22, 1979
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Reichle, Grover, 1920-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Paul Bunch, December 7, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Paul Bunch, December 7, 1971

Interview with Paul Bunch, a New Mexico National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Atlanta, Missouri. Bunch served in I Troop, 111th Horse Cavalry, which became F Battery, 200th Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft); he recounts going to the Philippines before the war in 1941, his action during the bombing of Clark Field on December 8th, the fight for Bataan, and his capture and internment at Camp O'Donnell, after which he was held at Cabanatuan #2, Bilibid Prison, and then Yodagawa Steel Mill, Osaka, Japan.
Date: December 7, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Bunch, William Paul
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Eldridge Rayburn, January 16, 1980 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Eldridge Rayburn, January 16, 1980

Interview with Eldridge Rayburn, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Rayburn discusses the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944-1945), Saigon and Da Lat, French Indo-China (1945), American air raids, and his liberation.
Date: January 16, 1980
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Rayburn, Eldridge L.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Lawrence Brown, March 13, 1974 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Lawrence Brown, March 13, 1974

Interview with Lawrence Brown, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Decatur, Texas. Brown was a captured member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment (the "Lost Battalion"): he recounts working during the Depression; mobilization; deployment to the Philippines and diversion to Brisbane after December 7th, 1941; arrival at Sangosari, Java; the Japanese invasion and American surrender; experiences in internment at Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, several work camps on the Burma "Death" Railway, and Saigon; and liberation.
Date: March 13, 1974
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Brown, Lawrence
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with John Wisecup, July 28, 1987 (open access)

Oral History Interview with John Wisecup, July 28, 1987

Interview with John Wisecup, a Marine Corps veteran and a survivor of the sinking of the USS Houston, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Wisecup talks about the sinking of the Houston (1942), his capture and imprisonment at Serang, Java, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Changi Jail (1944-1945), and his liberation.
Date: July 28, 1987
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Wisecup, John
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Willie V. Jordan, June 1987 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Willie V. Jordan, June 1987

Interview with Willie Jordan, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Jordan talks about the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Bangkok, Thailand (1944-1945), and his liberation.
Date: 1987-06-01/1987-06-03
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Jordan, Willie V., 1922-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Philip Brodsky, December 11, 1989 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Philip Brodsky, December 11, 1989

Interview with Philip Brodsky, a pharmacologist, a civil servant, an Army veteran, and a survivor of the Bataan Death March, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Brodsky discusses the Japanese bombing of Nichols Field, the fall of Bataan and his capture, the Bataan Death March, Camp O'Donnell (1942), Palawan Island (1942-1944), the hell ship to Formosa (1944), and his liberation.
Date: 1989-12-11/1989-12-13
Creator: Burlage, George & Brodsky, Philip
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Martin Chambers, April 8, 1982 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Martin Chambers, April 8, 1982

Interview with Martin Chambers, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Chambers discusses the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Bangkok, Thailand (1945), and his liberation.
Date: April 8, 1982
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Chambers, Martin
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Jack Kenner, April 4, 1980 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Jack Kenner, April 4, 1980

Interview with Jack Kenner, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Kenner talks about the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), the hell ship to Japan (1942), Hakodate, Sapporo, and Muroran, Hokkaido (1942-1945), and his liberation.
Date: April 4, 1980
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Kenner, Jack W., 1920-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Huddleston W. Wright, November 1989 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Huddleston W. Wright, November 1989

Interview with Huddleston Wright, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Wright discusses the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944-1945), Phet Buri, Thailand (1945), and his liberation.
Date: {1989-11-02,1989-11-14}
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Wright, Huddleston W., 1905-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with George Detre, August 17, 1978 (open access)

Oral History Interview with George Detre, August 17, 1978

Transcript of an interview with George Detre, a Navy veteran from Warren, Ohio, and a survivor of the sinking of the USS Houston. Detre discusses concerning his experiences during World War II, including as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese.
Date: August 17, 1978
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Detre, George
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Fiske Hanley, October 13, 1999

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Transcript of an interview with Fiske Hanley, an aeronautical engineer and Army Air Forces veteran (398th Bomb Squadron, 504th Bomb Group, 313th Bomb Wing, 20th Air Force), concerning his experiences during World War II, including as a flight engineer aboard B-29s in the Pacific Theater and as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese.
Date: October 13, 1999
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Hanley, Fiske, II, 1920-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Ernest Gordon, March 19, 1995

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Ernest Gordon. Gordon was born in Scotland and joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1939 at Stirling Castle. He was sent to Singapore in January 1940 before the Japanese invaded. Gordon recalls defending the Malay Peninsula starting in January 1942. Gordon was the last to go over the causeway into Singapore before it was destroyed. As Singapore fell, Gordon escaped to Sumatra. When Sumatra fell, Gordon escaped on a sailboat but was captured asea and sent back to Singapore where he entered Changi. He was sent north to build the Death Railway. He describes the conditions along the railway and the work environment.
Date: March 19, 1995
Creator: Byrd, Richard W. & Gordon, Ernest
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with John Bumgarner, March 18, 1995

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with John Bumgarner, a physician and an Army veteran, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese following the fall of the Philippines during World War II. Bumgarner discusses the fall of Bataan and his capture, Bilibid Prison in Manila (1942), Cabanatuan (1942-1944), the hell ship to Japan (1944), Hakodate, Hokkaido (1944-1945), and his liberation.
Date: March 18, 1995
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Bumgarner, John R.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Ken Towery, March 19, 1995

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Ken Towery. Towery joined the Army in early 1941 and was sent to Corregidor to join a coast artillery unit. He recalls several details about life under siege at Corregidor before he was captured by the Japanese and taken to Cabanatuan. He left the Philippines later that year and was taken to China. Towery shares his opinions about being a POW as well as several anecdotes. He also comments on being liberated by Russians and how the Russians and Chinese communists cooperated right after the war. When he was liberated, Towery was put aboard a hospital ship at Port Arthur.
Date: March 19, 1995
Creator: Byrd, Richard W. & Towery, R. Ken
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Wade H. Webb, February 7, 1997

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Wade Webb, U.S. Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Webb discusses the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944-1945), and his liberation. The Appendix includes a photocopy of a photograph of Wade Webb and other prisoner-of-war survivors in Calcutta, India shortly after their release [1 p.] and an addendum to Mr. Webb's oral history interview [1 p.].
Date: February 7, 1997
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Webb, Wade H.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Marvin E. Tilghman, September 6, 1978 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Marvin E. Tilghman, September 6, 1978

Interview with Marvin Tilghman, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Tilghman discusses the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Saigon and Da Lat, French Indo-China (1944-1945), American air raids, and his liberation.
Date: September 6, 1978
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Tilghman, Marvin E., 1917-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library