Oral History Interview with Jack Moss, July 19, 1970 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Jack Moss, July 19, 1970

Interview with Jack Moss, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran from Amarillo, Texas, who served and was captured with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion.") Moss discusses joining the the Guard and deployment to the Pacific, the fall and capture of Java, his experiences in internment at Bicycle Camp in Batavia, internment at Changi Camp in Singapore, partaking in forced labor on the Burma-Thailand "Death" Railway, and liberation.
Date: July 19, 1970
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Moss, Jack
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Arthur B. Clark, September 29, 2000

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Arhtur B. Clark, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Abilene, Texas, who was captured with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery. Clark discusses joining the National Guard, training and maneuvers, deployment to the Pacific, the fall of Java and surrender to the Japanese, experiences in internment at Tanjong Priok in Batavia, internment at Changi Camp in Singapore, labor on the Burma "Death" Railway, and liberation. The interview includes an appendix with a reference page and a written flight log by Col. Tom Sledge.
Date: September 29, 2000
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Clark, Arthur B.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Lanson B. Ditto, October 11, 1996

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Lanson B. Ditto, clothier and Navy veteran regarding personal experiences about the Pacific, Atlantic, and Mediterranean Theaters during World War II. Ditto talks about his education, enlistment in the Navy V-7 Program, midshipman training, assignment to the USS Langley, pre-war duty in the Philippines, coming of war and combat around the Philippines and Netherlands East Indies, the sinking of the Langley and his transfer to the USS Pecos, the sinking of the Pecos and his rescue by the USS Whipple, various naval battles and assignments, antisubmarine patrols off the Solomons, various escort duties, and his promotion to captain of the O'Toole.
Date: October 11, 1996
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Ditto, Lanson B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interviews with Charley L. Pryor, 1972-1973 (open access)

Oral History Interviews with Charley L. Pryor, 1972-1973

Interview with Charley L. Pryor, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Lubbock, Texas, who survived the sinking of the USS Houston (CA-30). Pryor discusses the sinking of the Houston, his capture, experiences in imprisonment at Serang, Java, experiences at Bicycle Camp in Batavia and Changi Camp in Singapore, building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway, American air raids, and liberation.
Date: 1972-11/1973-02
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Pryor, Charley L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Robert Gregg, March 24, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Robert Gregg, March 24, 1971

Interview with Robert Gregg, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Decatur, Texas, who was captured with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion"). Gregg discusses mobilization and deployment to the Pacific, the fall of Java and his capture, internment at Bicycle Camp in Batavia and Changi Camp in Singapore, building the Burma-Thailand "Death" Railway, and liberation.
Date: March 24, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Gregg, Robert
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Jess Stanbrough, April 15, 1985 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Jess Stanbrough, April 15, 1985

Interview with Jess Stanbrough, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran from Wichita Falls, Texas, who served and was captured with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion.") Stanbrough discusses his time in the Guard before the war, deployment to the Pacific, the fall of Java and being captured, experiences in internment at Tanjong Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, operating a clandestine radio, transfer to Japan, being an iron smelter at Kamaishi, Honshu, American air and naval bombardment, and liberation.
Date: April 15, 1985
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Stanbrough, Jess
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Lester C. Rasbury, June 1978 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Lester C. Rasbury, June 1978

Interview with Lester C. Rasbury, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Decatur, Texas. Rasbury discusses his experiences as a captured member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion"), including: joining the service and training; the Louisiana Maneuvers; deployment to East Asia in 1941; diversion from the Philippines to Brisbane after December 7th; assignment to Malang, Java; the Japanese attack and American surrender; internment and labor at Tanjong Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Thanbyuzayat and several camps on the Burma "Death" Railway, and Tamarkan; liberation.
Date: {1978-06-10,1978-06-15}
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Rasbury, Lester C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Thomas A. Whitehead, February 2, 1977 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Thomas A. Whitehead, February 2, 1977

Interview with Thomas Whitehead, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Wichita Falls, Texas. Whitehead discusses his experiences as a member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, the "Lost Battalion" captured on Java in March 1942, including: joining the National Guard; participation in the Louisiana Maneuvers; departure for the Philippines and diversion to Brisbane; assignment to Sangosari Airfield near Malang; the surrender of American forces; internment at Tanjong Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Prison in Singapore, several camps on the Burma Railway, and Non Pladuk and Ubon Airfield, Thailand; and liberation.
Date: February 2, 1977
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Whitehead, Thomas A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Thomas Spencer, February 5, 1979 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Thomas Spencer, February 5, 1979

Interview with Thomas Spencer, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Joplin, Texas. Spencer discusses his experiences with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, the "Lost Battalion" captured on Java in March 1942, including: joining the service; training; deployment to East Asia; diversion to Brisbane and Malang; the Japanese attack on Java; the American surrender; experiences in internment and labor at Tanjong Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, several camps on the Burma Railway, and Saigon; liberation.
Date: February 5, 1979
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Spencer, Thomas
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Frank Fujita, November 9, 1970 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Frank Fujita, November 9, 1970

Interview with Frank Fujita, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Abilene, Texas. Fujita recounts his experiences as a captured member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "the Lost Battalion"), including: joining the Guard and deploying to East Asia; diversion to Brisbane and assignment to Malang, Java; repelling a Japanese infantry assault; attempted evasion of Japanese forces before being captured; and internment and labor at Surabaja, Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Nagasaki, and Omori Camp in Tokyo. Fujita recorded his POW experiences in an encrypted diary.
Date: November 9, 1970
Creator: Marcello, Ronald & Fujita Jr., Frank
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with George P. Lawley, November 3, 1973 (open access)

Oral History Interview with George P. Lawley, November 3, 1973

Interview with George P. Lawley, an Army WWII veteran and POW from Odessa, Texas. Lawley discusses his time with the so-called "Lost Battalion" on Java and his experiences as a Japanese prisoner-of-war, including: joining the National Guard in 1940 and training, deployment for East Asia with 2nd Battallion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment; diversion to Java at the start of the war; the Japanese attack and his unit's capture; and his experiences in internment and labor at Tanjong Priok in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Thanbyuzayat and several camps on the Burma Railway, and near Nagasaki.
Date: November 3, 1973
Creator: Teague, William J. & Lawley, George P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Granville T. Summerlin, June 9, 1981 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Granville T. Summerlin, June 9, 1981

Interview with Granville T. Summerlin, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Hughes Springs, Texas. Summerlin discusses his experiences as a captured member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, or the "Lost Battalion" of the 36th Infantry Division, including: being drafted in 1940 and training; deployment to East Asia and diversion to Brisbane after December 7th; assignment to Sangosari Airfield, Malang, Java; the Japanese assault and American surrender; internment and labor at Tanjong Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi in Singapore, Thanbyuzayat and several camps on the Burma "Death" Railway, and Bangkok; liberation, and recovery in Calcutta.
Date: June 9, 1981
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Summerlin, Granville T.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Cleon Stewart, March 18, 1993

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Cleon Stewart, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Tulia, Texas, who served and was captured with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (known as the "Lost Battalion"). Stewart discusses joining the National Guard, training and the Louisiana Maneuvers, deployment to the Pacific in November, 1941, diversion to Java after December 7th, Japanese air strikes and the invasion, the American surrender and initial internement by the Japanese, experiences in internment at Bicycle Camp in Batavia, transfer to Changi Camp, Singapore, and life in captivity there, and liberation.
Date: March 18, 1993
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Stewart, Cleon
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with M. T. Harrelson, May 9, 1985 (open access)

Oral History Interview with M. T. Harrelson, May 9, 1985

Interview with M. T. Harrelson, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Wichita Falls, Texas, who was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion"). Harrelson discusses National Guard training and operations before the war, deployment to the Pacific and diversion to Java, the Japanese invasion, surrender and initial confinement, internment at Tanjong Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, transfer to Changi Camp in Singapore, and the end of the war.
Date: May 9, 1985
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Harrelson, M. T., 1919-
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Gale E. Nevill, March 23, 1999

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Gale E. Nevill, a Army WWII veteran from Houston, Texas. Nevill discusses his family background and upbringing, jobs in the oil business, joining the National Guard, attending Rice University, getting commissioned, overseeing a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, working through the Depression, activation and assignment to 6th Army HQ, deployment to Brisbane, 6th Army operations in the South Pacific and Philippines, the end of the war and life afterwards.
Date: March 23, 1999
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Nevill, Gale Erwin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interviews with Pete Evans, 1984 (open access)

Oral History Interviews with Pete Evans, 1984

Interview with Pete Evans, a Texas National Guard veteran and POW from Hamby, Texas. Evans discusses his time as a member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion") which was captured by the Japanese in March, 1942, including: his upbringing; entering the Guard and training; mobilization, the Louisiana Maneuvers, and deployment to East Asia; diversion from the Philippines to Brisbane and then Java, after December 7th, 1941; assignment to Sangosari near Malang; the Japanese invasion and the American surrender; and experiences in internment at Surabaya, Tanjong Priok in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Nagasaki, and the Orio district of Kitakyūshū.
Date: {1984-02-15,1984-02-29,1984-03-07}
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Evans, Pete
System: The UNT Digital Library
Personal Diary of Frank Fujita, Jr. (open access)

Personal Diary of Frank Fujita, Jr.

A copy of Frank Fujita Jr.'s war diary, obtained by Dr. Ron Marcello to accompany Fujita's oral history interview. Fujita was an Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment captured on Java in March 1942. Included is Fujita's original bound diary, and a rewritten version he made in a Japanese logbook in internment and continued. They contain daily activities, doodles, lists of dozens of servicemen and captives encountered, and the key to an encoded script Fujita developed for sensitive information. Also included is a postwar newspaper clipping about Fujita's unit.
Date: December 19, 1970
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Fujita Jr., Frank
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Keith Naylor, April 2, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Keith Naylor, April 2, 1971

Interview with Keith Naylor, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Vernon, Texas, who was captured with 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion") on Java by the Japanese. Naylor discusses joining the Guard, deployment to the Pacific and the war's start, operations at Malang on Java, the American surrender, experiences in internment at Tanjung Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, transfer to Changi Camp in Singapore, work on the Burma Railway, internment at Chungkai and Linson in Thailand, and liberation. In appendix are an excerpt from a radio broadcast of Norton McGriffin in the News, three letters to Naylor's mother regarding his MIA status, and two cards from Naylor while interned.
Date: April 2, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with B. D. Fillmore, October 9, 1973 (open access)

Oral History Interview with B. D. Fillmore, October 9, 1973

Interview with B. D. Fillmore, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Jacksboro, Texas, who was captured with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion") by Japanese forces on Java. Fillmore discusses joining the Guard and mobilization, deployment to the Pacific, diversion to Java and operations at Malang, the Japanese invasion and American surrender, internment at Tanjung Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, transfer to Changi Camp in Singapore, transfer to Thanbyuzayat and work on the Burma Railway, and liberation. In appendix are Fillmore's Japanese prisoner records, and War Department reports on his missing status and health.
Date: October 9, 1973
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with James W. Gee, March 13 and March 19, 1972 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James W. Gee, March 13 and March 19, 1972

Interview with James W. Gee, a sales executive, a Marine Corps veteran, and a survivor of the sinking of the U.S.S. Houston, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Gee 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), the hell ship to Japan (1944), coal mining near Nagasaki (1944-1945), and his liberation.
Date: [1972-03-13,1972-03-19]
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Gee, James Wallace
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with M. L. Rea, April 14, 1980 (open access)

Oral History Interview with M. L. Rea, April 14, 1980

Transcript of an interview with M. L. Rea, a Texas native, Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard), and a member of the "Lost Battalion." Rea discusses his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II.
Date: April 14, 1980
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Rea, M. L., 1917-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Frank W. Ficklin, January 16, 1987 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Frank W. Ficklin, January 16, 1987

Transcript of an interview with Frank Ficklin, a businessman, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion." Ficklin discusses his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Ficklin 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), Changi Jail (1944), and his liberation.
Date: January 16, 1987
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Ficklin, Frank W., 1922-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Herbert R. Morris, May 8, 1989 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Herbert R. Morris, May 8, 1989

Transcript of an interview with Herbert Morris, 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. Morris 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), Changi Jail (1944-1945), and his liberation.
Date: May 8, 1989
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Morris, Herbert R., 1919-
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Ralph W. Nelson, April 18, 1996

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Transcript of an interview with Ralph W. Nelson, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences while aboard the submarines USS Batfish and USS Parche in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Submarine School, San Francisco, California, 1942; early torpedo problems; his responsibilities as a fire controlman; assignment to the Batfish, 1944; various patrols in the Luzon Strait and Makassar Strait; lifeguard duty off Palau for downed airmen; transfer to the Parche, 1945.
Date: April 18, 1996
Creator: Maglaughlin, Barry & Nelson, Ralph W.
System: The UNT Digital Library