The Wilmington morning star., 1945-08-29

been a far greater disaster, was
forced on May 6, 1912, to tender to
1t. Gen. Homma of the Japanese
Army the surrender of my forces
in the Philippines.
my gallant troops had perhaps
made defense against more
overwhelming odds and under
more disadvantageous circum-
stances than troops of the Ameri-
can Army had been confronted
with in the history of that army.
Il had very little direct contact
with my country or official agen-
cies thereof. for over three years
but such contacts here and there
as 1 had crossed caused me to be-
ieve the admin stration, the War
Department and the American peo-
pie had accepted my dire disaster
with the forebearance and gener-
osity which are perhaps unique in
the experience of any defeated
commander.
Wainwright disclosed that follow
ing the capitrlaton of Corregidor,
he was first moved to Manila,
thence to a prison camp in the
Philippines thence to three diff
ferent camps in Formosa and two
in Manchuria.
After he was found, his rescuers
had "a great deal of difficulty gett-
ing out of that little place in the
sticks.
I'm fact, fl ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'm fact, we finally got out under
escort provided by Russian
troops" he said. From there we
were able to join some 1,500 to
1000 American officers and enlist.
ed men concentrated in Mukden. -
On his arrival in Sian yesterday,
he said, he was given a picture OF
his wife which had been radioed
there - his first word from her
in a year and a" half.
when Wedemeyer handed me
the acknowledgement of my wife
with the message written in long.
hand-well, you know how l felt
about that" he said. Nov when
1 hear of my boy I'll feel all right.
He's a sea captain and has been
hauling troops back and forth
across the North Atlantic the past
few years. I haven't heard thing
from him yet"
Among the released British Of
ficials who arrived here were Sir
Shenton Thomas. former Governor
of Singapore; S-r Mark Young,
former Governor of Hong Kong;
1t. Gen. A. E. Percival, command
er in Malaga; Maj. Gen. B. w.
Key, commander of the 18th Indian
Division; Maj. Gen. Michael
Maltby, stationed at Hong Kong;
Sir Percy McElewain, stationed at
Singapore and Major. Gen. F. X.
Simmons.
A number of liberated Dutch of
ficers, many carrying Japanese
swords which had been given
them by the Russians, also arrlv'
ed.
King said his liberation and that
of his companions came on Sun
day, Aug. 10, when the Japanese
sentries told their prisoners they
no longer were guarding them but
were protecting them.
Gen. Sharp said that when the
Russians arrived they gave Amsrl'
cans prisoners the job OF guarding
their former Japanese sentries.
"A Russian captain ordered the
japanese -sentries to stack their
arms and asked for one American
captain and 10 buck privates," he
said. THE Russian grabbed a rifle
and thrust it into the hands OF an
American private and said: from
this dav you are free-now march
these Japanese around and take
them off to the guardhouse.'
The British Generals and Off
Gals had known nothing OF what
was going on outside their prison
enclosure.
1--WE knew nothing about Hitler S
collapse, Roosevelt's death OF
Churchill defeat in the British
election Sir Shenton Thomas told
newsmen.
General Percival said he was
proud of the manner in which Brl'
fish officers and men had taken
captivity.
| 'They were dignified, correct i,
proper and cheerful, y he SAID. IA
no time were we satisfied with oui
treatment and most of the time we
were dissatisfied
SHIP LAUNCHED
4 oJrYN1CV Macs AIO Ok -(P)-