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Post by dmether on Jan 24, 2011 12:09:25 GMT 8
If anyone has read Dr. Paul Ashton's book "Bataan Diary" or "Tears in the Darkness" by Michael Norman, they both talk about one of the deadly work details the American POWs out of Camp O'Donnell were put on. Their job was to build a road. The detail arrived at the work site on 29 May 1942 with 300 men. Around 1 July 1942 Dr. Ashton and two medics arrived. On 28 July 1942 the Japanese ended the work detail, only 187 men were still alive. During the work detail, the POWs had no place set up to sleep, so had to sleep on the rocks next to the river. All their food was cooked out of a rusty wheelbarrow. In 2007 I went to Basaid to find this site. Not much is left, the original bridge can be seen in the pictue, the concrete slabs in the river. Just above those slabs, on the right side of the river are the rocks the POWs slept on. It's quite a drive to reach the site. From Manila it took us around 6 hours, however the roads are pretty good most of the way. Not much to see at the site because a rice field has been built over it, extending almost to the river. Attachments:
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Post by dmether on Jan 24, 2011 12:14:09 GMT 8
A page from the IDPF of Martin Arlin, still MIA from the work detail. Attachments:
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2015 14:31:36 GMT 8
I realize this is an old post, but would the GPS coordinates of this location be available? I am currently writing about the Tayabas Detail. The available resources give conflicting information as to the actual location of the site. Also, are any more pictures available?
Thanks, Bob Arvin
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Post by chadhill on May 17, 2015 19:06:12 GMT 8
Good job finding this location, dmether. Somehow I missed this thread earlier. Thanks for your research and posting it.
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