Resource Type

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 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
Object Type: Book
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.
Object Type: Book
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.
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 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 Charles A. Cates, March 14, 1974 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Charles A. Cates, March 14, 1974

Interview with Charles A. Cates, a businessman, 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. Cates 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 (1943-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Bangkok, Thailand (1945), and his liberation.
Date: March 14, 1974
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Cates, Charles A., 1908-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Howard Charles, March 25, 1998

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Howard Charles, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Partridge, Kansas. Charles discusses growing up in the Great Depression; joining the Marine Corps and training; assignment to the USS Houston (CA-30) at Manila as a heavy machine gunner and events before the war; the Battle of Sunda Strait and sinking of the Houston; capture by the Japanese and being held at Serang, Java; experiences in internment and forced labor at Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, various camps along the Burma Railway, and Saigon; liberation; psychological treatment, trauma, and adjusting to civilian life. In appendix is a letter written by Charles to Marcello including additional information for the interview.
Date: March 25, 1998
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Charles, Howard R.
Object Type: Book
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.
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 E. Benjamin Dunn, November 16, 1999

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with E. Benjamin Dunn, a Army WWII veteran and POW from Gorham, Illinois, who was captured by the Japanese on Java with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion.") Dunn discusses training in the Army, transfer to 2-131 and deployment to the Pacific, the fall of Java and being captured, experiences in internment in Batavia and later Changi Prison Camp in Singapore, building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway, and liberation.
Date: November 16, 1999
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Dunn, E. Benjamin
Object Type: Book
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
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Jack Feliz, February 28, 2000

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Navy veteran and survivor of the sinking of the USS Houston. The interview includes Feliz's personal experiences about being a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II, the sinking of the Houston, imprisonment at Serang, Java, the Changi Prison Camp, hell ship to Japan, prison camp at Ohasi, Honshu, and liberation.
Date: February 28, 2000
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Feliz, Jack
Object Type: Book
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-
Object Type: Book
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
Object Type: Book
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
Object Type: Book
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
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Ilo B. Hard, March 26, 1980 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Ilo B. Hard, March 26, 1980

Interview with Colonel Ilo Hard, 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. Hard 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), Singapore (1944-1945), and his liberation.
Date: March 26, 1980
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Hard, Ilo B., 1923-
Object Type: Book
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-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with J. B. Heinen, Jr., October 29, 1973 (open access)

Oral History Interview with J. B. Heinen, Jr., October 29, 1973

Interview with J. B. Heinen Jr., an independent oilman, U. S. Army WWII veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard), and a member of the "Lost Battalion." Heinen discusses his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II, including the fall of Java and capture; Bicycle Camp, Batavia, 1942; Changi Prison Camp, Singapore, 1942; building the Burma Thailand Death Railway, 1942-44; Kanchanaburi, Thailand, 1944; and his liberation in Bangkok.
Date: October 29, 1973
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Heinen, J. B., Jr.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with James W. Huffman, April 11, 1990

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with James W. Huffman, a Navy WWII veteran and POW from Los Angeles, California, who survived the sinking of the USS Houston (CA-30). Huffman discusses joining the Navy; service aboard the Houston and changes in training as war neared; early operations in the war; the Battle of Sundra Strait and sinking; surviving in Java; capture by the Japanese; various experiences in internment at Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Thanbyuzayat, several camps on the Burma Railway, and Tamarkan in Thailand; and liberation.
Date: April 11, 1990
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Huffman, James W.
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 Sidney C. Matlock, September 9, 1981 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Sidney C. Matlock, September 9, 1981

Interview with Sidney Matlock, 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. Matlock 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), railroad maintenance work in Burma (1944), Phet Buri, Thailand (1945), and his liberation.
Date: September 9, 1981
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Matlock, Sidney C., 1917-
Object Type: Book
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-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library