Diary, Letters and Notes on the
Life and Service of
Chaplain Ralph W. D. Brown

Your are on Page 2 - Links Directly to Chapters
Page 1 of 3:
 Chapter 1 - Family History and Pre-War Service
 Chapter 2 - Pastor Brown Joins the Army Air Forces
 Chapter 3 - December 8, 1941 - Manila and the Philippine Islands Attacked
 Chapter 4 - "From The Battle Front" In the Field, Bataan, P. I. February 7, 1942
 Chapter 5 - A Letter From Prison Camp #1 Cabanatuan, November 6, 1942
Page 2 of 3:
 Chapter 6 - Easter and - - - - Surrender
 Chapter 7 - "THE MARCH OF DEATH"
 Chapter 8 - Cabanatuan - Corregidor Camp
 Chapter 9 - A letter written in Cabanatuan Prison Camp #1
 Chapter 10 - In Bilibid Prison, Manila
Page 3 of 3:
 Chapter 11 - The Cruise of Death - 50 Days in Hell
 Chapter 12 - Chaplin Ralph Brown is Called "Home"
 Chapter 13 - Letter From Chaplain Duffy to Mrs. Brown
 Chapter 14 - Letter From 2nd LT Frank Forni To Mr. Arthur Brown

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  April 4, 1942, Saturday night, Easter eve I came down with a 106 fever and a bad case of Malaria. The Doctor dosed me up and about 3am I broke out into a sweat and really soaked everything. I had seven Easter services scheduled and insisted I must go. They kept me doped so I didn't wake up (Start of PDF Page 3) till 7am. Missed my first two services, hurried to the 5th Interceptor Command for 8:00am service, got through it some how. Then Bill Kennard and Col Churchill (who replaced General George in command) gave me a "Direct Order" to proceed to my camp and go to bed and hold no more Easter services. I was licked and SICK. I didn't argue. I didn't leave my bed till Wednesday (April 8). Went out to the toilet, was chased off by bombers and the place where I was 1/2 a minute before was blown to bits. Went back, got my clothes on. Then came back. I got in my fox hole. A 500 pound bomb hit 25 yards behind it, another detonated in a tree just over it. My tent was riddled and my bed was torn to pieces. I helped care for the wounded. The Doctor came and ordered me back to bed "before I had to be carried back." That was 4:30pm. At 7:30 we got orders to evacuate our camp, that the lines had disintegrated and the Japs were coming.
  I took two wounded officers and left for hospital #2. My car had a hole in the gas tank. It was all shot anyway (the third car I'd gone thru on Bataan, Ponty, Chev, and Ford V8). We went in an awful jamdown a back trail. The tanks were on the main road. My car finally quit and I pushed it into the ditch and went on a 31st Infantry truck, got my men to the hospital and went on to report to our Headquarters which were at the 169th. Just before I got there at 11:30 they blew our magazines through which I was to go to get to our headquarters. They blew till 4:00am. Then I was with the first to go past. Decided to go to Marivales and find the 20th Persuit Squadron, was picked up by the 16th Bomber Squadron and got to Marivales at 5:00am. No one knew anything.
  Thursday April 9th. Confusion was wild. We heard that surrender would be at 6:00am but we were bombed and machine gunned mercilessly all that day. In the afternoon we got word to go to Km. 180 where Air Corps would surrender. We marched the three Kms under a white flag. I got my first good meal for three months, C type canned rations. Our men broke in and took them. That night the Japs came in while we slept.

Surrender of American troops at Corregidor, Philippine Islands, May 1942
(Photo National Archives)

  Friday, April 10, 1942. 8:00 am. We went back to Marivales Field where we lined up and started marching. We were constantly plundered by Jap soldiers and a bayonet thru you was the penalty of objection. The ring was yanked off my finger before I had gone the first kilometer. We marched all day and into the night, no food, and very little water. I was beat with a canteen once, cause, the amusement of a Jap Private. Otherwise I was lucky. My wallet was taken. That night late we were crowded into a rough plowed paddy. We drank foul, stagnant water and it was wonderful to get it. Didn't have room enough to stretch out.
  Saturday, April 11. Early we started marching again. Marched all day. No food again. We were promised food at Balanga, but instead we were lined up and started marching again. We marched on to Orani. Got in between 2 and 3 AM. Were crowded into a filthy pen with thousands of Filipinos and again there wasn't room to lie down. Many of our men fell out exhausted. That got them a beating, later shot.

This picture, captured from the Japanese, shows American prisoners using improvised litters to carry those of their comrades who, from the lack of food or water on the march from Bataan, fell along the road. Philippines, May 1942 (Photo National Archives)

  Sunday, April 12. The next day we sat in the sun all day, no shade, terribly hot. More men went down. I worked all day trying to help the sick. Worked my arm band and got out of the stockade and at 3:00pm they gave us half a cup of rice. It got to two-thirds of our men. I begged and pleaded for the rest. Came near getting it (a beating) but finally they came through and served the rest. I buried a Captain and an Air Corps boy there. Had to run to catch my column as they marched at 6:00pm. We marched double time for the first two hours. Guards rode bicycles. Then we walked a snails pace the rest of the night which was harder than the double time. Allowed no water that night.
  Monday, April 13. Morning found us in Lubao. A 10 minute stop and we were on the road again. No food. That was the worst day. We got to San Fernando at 3:00pm completely done in. Put in another crowded, filthy stockade in the middle of town. Got rice at 6:00pm.
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  Tuesday, April 14, 1942. At 4:00am we were on our way again. Put in box cars and went to Capas, then marched to O'Donnell, a P.I. army camp. The Americans on one side and the Filipinos on the other side. It was as near hell as a man can concoct on earth. We buried 1,650 men at O'Donnell in seven weeks. Dysentery and Malaria. I had Dysentery twice but had gotten enough medicine to save me. God was good to me and seemed to want me for something yet. So I'm still here. The first month was the worst. Then the terrible conditions shocked even the Japs and food and conditions picked up a little. But the damage was done for many of our men.

  June 4, 1942. I was taken by truck to camp #1 about 10 Kms. east of Cabanatuan. Another P.I. swaley shack camp. June 8th I was ordered to Camp 3, East 12 Kms more. There I lived until October 31st. P.I. army camp. Good drainage. Men from Corregidor, Navy and Marine. They were well and strong, had not seen as much starvation and hardship as we had. I bought extra food with the money I got and started to build back my weight and strength. That camp was heaven on earth for me. We buried 68 men there, while our O'Donnell men at camp 1 were burying 2,200 more.
  I kept quite busy there, was Senior Chaplain, had Navy Chaplain Quinn (Epis.) and three Catholic Priests. The camp was in three groups, about 2,000 to a group to start with. I handled groups 1 and 2. Quinn, group 3 (Navy and Marines) and a little hospital. I held Bible classes three nights a week and 200 to 300 present. It sure surprised me. At our Sunday services we had 400 to 500 present. I had to write my sermons each week and submit them for Japanese approval. Occasionally parts were red penciled.
  My cemetery at camp 3 was the best in the island. Located on a little knoll, with good drainage. I got the Japanese cooperation and a glass bottle with full data on each body was buried at the head of each grave. No other cemeteries here have any permanent identification buried with the bodies.

      
A former POW's drawing of one prisoner giving a drink to another at the Cabanatuan camp. (Photo from U.S. Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division)

  November 6, 1942. I am now at Camp 1. It is not so good but will be all right. I am glad to be back with Harry Packard. He is running a kitchen and I get extras that help, through him. We eat rice three times a day, with greens soup made from potato (comodie) tops. We got caraboa [domestic water buffalo] once or twice a week, about a one inch cube each. The last month the meat ration has been tripled I bought the canned meat and fish I could get. That is why I have kept up so well. Men that didn't get it are now going blind, getting paralysis, sores, etc. Americans can't live on rice alone. The vitamin deficiency is continuing to kill our men off. We have hopes we may get paid by the Japanese. We have been promised pay several times since the first of August, but none yet.
Our rainy season this year was late but has continued thru October. The last few days it seems to be clearing up. Rainy today. It has been disagreeable at times but we have gotten thru pretty well.
  We sure would like to know what's doing in the outside world and how long this thing will continue.

[The Japanese used Cabanatuan prison camp to house American POWs and was designated for holding sick detainees. For more information and history on this camp follow this link to Wikipedia "Raid at Cabanatuan"]

  Chaplain Perry O. Wilcox writes, "I had some splendid visits with Ralph in Bilibid Prison where I was a patient as well as a prisoner at the time just prior to his sailing for Japan. He was in as good health as any prisoner of war. He had taken part in the chapel services, conducting some, there being a number of other chaplains in the same position he was in."

  From his last letter (written hurriedly by candle light) "December 12, 1944." "We are leaving for Japan on a boat, we hear, at 8:00 in the morning. We have been in Bilibid for two months. Our planes have kept the bay cleared and we hoped our troops would take us here and we'd soon be home but we have seen no American planes for 16 days now we seem to be on our way. This means the duration of the war IF we make Japan. Chaplain Wilcox can tell you our story, Oliver also - see them. They will be home soon I hope. I hope and believe I'll make it thru. I've been thru some bad spots and the last three years and am still alive. I can say I have always been true to you and to my God. God has been my help and strength thru all these years. I believe he will still see me thru."