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Living Hell: The Prisoners of Santo Tomas
Santo Tomas Internment Camp.
Once a university campus in Manila, from 1942 to 145 it was the largest prison camp in the Philippines, a place where civilians were placed by the Japanese.
But to the women locked up there it was something else.
A Living Hell.
More than 4,000 internees were held there from January 1942 until February 1945.
'Living Hell' is their harrowing story.
The book is based on the diaries of Isla Corfield.
An Englishwoman whose comfortable life in Shanghai was suddenly disrupted by the outbreak of World War Two, she fled with her daughter Gill on an evacuee ship.
But the ship was captured by the Japanese -- and Isla and Gill would have to struggle to survive as prisoners of war in both Santo Tomas and Los Banos internment camps.
In the communities of the camps, Isla and her daughter experienced the extremes of both friendship and loss. Cut-off from information about the war and with no end to their internment in sight, the pair experience starvation, disease and desperation.
Finally liberated by the Americans after four years, Isla's story is both humbling and life-affirming - the story of one brave Englishwomen's battle to survive against terrible odds.
It is one of the great untold stories of World War Two.
"An incredible story of bravery and will-power." - Robert Foster, best-selling author of 'The Lunar Code'.
Celia Lucas is a writer of children’s fiction and biography. She is a journalist, feature writer and public relations consultant. Winner of Tir na Nog Prize 1988 she has also collaborated on a TV series with husband Ian Skidmore.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher.
Once a university campus in Manila, from 1942 to 145 it was the largest prison camp in the Philippines, a place where civilians were placed by the Japanese.
But to the women locked up there it was something else.
A Living Hell.
More than 4,000 internees were held there from January 1942 until February 1945.
'Living Hell' is their harrowing story.
The book is based on the diaries of Isla Corfield.
An Englishwoman whose comfortable life in Shanghai was suddenly disrupted by the outbreak of World War Two, she fled with her daughter Gill on an evacuee ship.
But the ship was captured by the Japanese -- and Isla and Gill would have to struggle to survive as prisoners of war in both Santo Tomas and Los Banos internment camps.
In the communities of the camps, Isla and her daughter experienced the extremes of both friendship and loss. Cut-off from information about the war and with no end to their internment in sight, the pair experience starvation, disease and desperation.
Finally liberated by the Americans after four years, Isla's story is both humbling and life-affirming - the story of one brave Englishwomen's battle to survive against terrible odds.
It is one of the great untold stories of World War Two.
"An incredible story of bravery and will-power." - Robert Foster, best-selling author of 'The Lunar Code'.
Celia Lucas is a writer of children’s fiction and biography. She is a journalist, feature writer and public relations consultant. Winner of Tir na Nog Prize 1988 she has also collaborated on a TV series with husband Ian Skidmore.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher.
- GenresHistory
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 17, 2013
121 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 14, 2020
So many typos!
I am a fan of WW2 books so the synopsis of this book spoke to me. The reason I give this book a 3, is that although there are many great sections and worth the read, for me, it really never took off. I was always waiting for the climax, but it just chugged along. The other reason were the typos! The camp they were transferred to , Los Banos, was sometimes Los Baiios or Los Bafios. I had to keep going back to double check! The Final straw was at the end the main characters, the Corfields, were referred to as the Garfields. There were other typos and I found them totally distracting. All in all worth the read.
I am a fan of WW2 books so the synopsis of this book spoke to me. The reason I give this book a 3, is that although there are many great sections and worth the read, for me, it really never took off. I was always waiting for the climax, but it just chugged along. The other reason were the typos! The camp they were transferred to , Los Banos, was sometimes Los Baiios or Los Bafios. I had to keep going back to double check! The Final straw was at the end the main characters, the Corfields, were referred to as the Garfields. There were other typos and I found them totally distracting. All in all worth the read.
January 27, 2018
I chose this book because I had read "Rescue at Los Banos" in May and about Davao immediately after, and wanted to know about Santo Tomas, purportedly the largest of the Japanese Internment Camps in the Philippines. The author primarily used the numerous war diaries of Isla Corfield, who was interned with her 14-year-old daughter, Gill. The book is divided into chapters in consecutive date ranges, which allowed her to organize the material in the best way for the reader, probably without boring us with the repetitions of the same kind of thing being recited day after day when things are unchanging. Isla Corfield not only related her own problems of getting housing, food, clothing, but also relates her neighbors problems and their magnanimity or pettiness and their personalities, so that we had a real feeling for how hard it was day after day to endure the same people, the same arguments, the same problems without being able to get away from them, even for a short time. The author clearly sought out other sources when it came to the rescue at Los Banos because Isla would not have known most, if any, of it and that knowledge would be important to the reader to gauge what a miracle the Americans and the guerillas pulled off. A worthy read.
Unfortunately, the Kindle edition of this book has many, many typographical errors in it. They were very annoying and unnecessary. It was as if the edition were OCR'd into ebook format and never cleaned up. Disgraceful.
Unfortunately, the Kindle edition of this book has many, many typographical errors in it. They were very annoying and unnecessary. It was as if the edition were OCR'd into ebook format and never cleaned up. Disgraceful.
July 26, 2022
There should be a movie... the untold story of thousands of civilian prisoners
Incredibly well written and documented story told On a personal level about the thousands of internees in Japanese prison camps in the Philippines Most people don't know of1,000s of men women and children from America, Australia, Great Britain and Europe who were imprisoned, Starved, tortured beaten and sometimes Killed. My great aunt Elizabeth " Bess" Donnelly was one of them. We heard some stories but she didn't speak much about it in later years. We knew all her teeth had fallen out From the starvation, this book is a stark revelation of what they went through.
Incredibly well written and documented story told On a personal level about the thousands of internees in Japanese prison camps in the Philippines Most people don't know of1,000s of men women and children from America, Australia, Great Britain and Europe who were imprisoned, Starved, tortured beaten and sometimes Killed. My great aunt Elizabeth " Bess" Donnelly was one of them. We heard some stories but she didn't speak much about it in later years. We knew all her teeth had fallen out From the starvation, this book is a stark revelation of what they went through.
August 1, 2023
The book is based on the diaries of Isla Corfield, and Englishwoman who was imprisoned with her daughter, Gill for four years in first Santo Tomas Internment Camp and then Los Banos. She chronicles the deprivation, their hope for rescue and the starvation and disease in stark terms. We meet her fellow prisoners, the quirky, the dishonest, the opportunists and the generous. When push comes to shove self preservation often wins. Well written and thus very readable. It was worth my time.
December 1, 2019
Interesting reading
This book gives a first hand account of the life within an internment camp run by the Japanese. This is a subject that is hardly discussed and therefore takes a back seat in the history of the second world war.
I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.
This book gives a first hand account of the life within an internment camp run by the Japanese. This is a subject that is hardly discussed and therefore takes a back seat in the history of the second world war.
I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.
October 20, 2020
Great story, terrible edits
The storyline kept me coming back and held my attention. The writer and editor need to rethink their profession. The misspellings, terrible grammar and the fact that Los Banos was sometimes spelled differently on the same page is uncalled for and someone does not deserve to be editing stories.
The storyline kept me coming back and held my attention. The writer and editor need to rethink their profession. The misspellings, terrible grammar and the fact that Los Banos was sometimes spelled differently on the same page is uncalled for and someone does not deserve to be editing stories.
May 19, 2024
Great read!
A most remarkable story of surviving a turbulent internment during World WR II. Immensely readable and hard to put down once started. Wonderfully descriptive, especially of the good and bad that come out of people in the face of potential death. Written with remarkable compassion, even for those holding them captive. So enjoyed it!
A most remarkable story of surviving a turbulent internment during World WR II. Immensely readable and hard to put down once started. Wonderfully descriptive, especially of the good and bad that come out of people in the face of potential death. Written with remarkable compassion, even for those holding them captive. So enjoyed it!
February 6, 2017
A Great Read
A very interesting book well worth reading .The way these people sacrificed everything they had ,and organized themselves into a fair system of rule that overcame all the laws they were forced to obey
A very interesting book well worth reading .The way these people sacrificed everything they had ,and organized themselves into a fair system of rule that overcame all the laws they were forced to obey
February 21, 2020
It WAS a Living Hell
The riveting story of one woman and her daughter surviving as Japanese internees during WWII. Nearly dead of starvation, they were rescued by Allied forces during the Battle of the Philippines. An inspiring tale of survival.
The riveting story of one woman and her daughter surviving as Japanese internees during WWII. Nearly dead of starvation, they were rescued by Allied forces during the Battle of the Philippines. An inspiring tale of survival.
February 7, 2023
A easygoing read. Interesting time during WWII Philippines 🇵🇭. It would be a good movie showing how the internee’s organized their daily activities and how they communicate with the Japanese during 4 years of captivity.
August 18, 2017
Enjoyable read, things have not changed those who have it all want to do nothing those without anything do it all.
July 15, 2020
Awesome read!
The realities of war -- what a revelation of the human spirit. Read and learn so it's never repeated. Remember!
The realities of war -- what a revelation of the human spirit. Read and learn so it's never repeated. Remember!
April 21, 2021
WWII
I enjoyed this book and the history behind it, although I personally found it difficult to keep track of all the players
I enjoyed this book and the history behind it, although I personally found it difficult to keep track of all the players
May 26, 2020
Interesting, easy read.
July 31, 2020
Not too exciting or interesting.
January 28, 2016
1942, Manila, teenager Isla ends up with other women imprisoned in a Japanese camp. The first camp she was in held 5,500 internees. Both sexes were interned in the same camp which makes this quite a bit different from most other camps. There is a morality squad to make sure the two sexes don't interact and have babies.
The first camp was apparently one of the best ones the Japanese had as the conditions were no where near as bad as the Tenko-like run camps. There were a lot of internees that shirked their duties and made it more difficult on the others. There was the typical rich bitch vs. regular women division in the camp. Another oddity was that the Red Cross packages actually got to the internees unrifled by the Japanese guards.
Then they move to another camp where conditions are much worse, like the 'regular' internee camps run by the Japanese. Food rations are continually being cut. There's major problems with disease. There are also some problems with the Filipinos who rob the camp from time to time.
Their caloric intake gradually goes down to 800 calories per day. Eventually, like the other camps, they are rescued by the Allies.
It's an interesting book especially in the material about how different the two camps were.
The first camp was apparently one of the best ones the Japanese had as the conditions were no where near as bad as the Tenko-like run camps. There were a lot of internees that shirked their duties and made it more difficult on the others. There was the typical rich bitch vs. regular women division in the camp. Another oddity was that the Red Cross packages actually got to the internees unrifled by the Japanese guards.
Then they move to another camp where conditions are much worse, like the 'regular' internee camps run by the Japanese. Food rations are continually being cut. There's major problems with disease. There are also some problems with the Filipinos who rob the camp from time to time.
Their caloric intake gradually goes down to 800 calories per day. Eventually, like the other camps, they are rescued by the Allies.
It's an interesting book especially in the material about how different the two camps were.
September 23, 2015
The author created 22 pounds of diaries during her and her teenage daughter's three plus years of internment by the IJA in the Phillipines during WWII. The result is a very well written and comprehensive story of a terrible experience.
October 14, 2015
Excellent reading
A good in-depth look at life as a civilian POW. The authors did well in presenting facts mixed with human emotions
A good in-depth look at life as a civilian POW. The authors did well in presenting facts mixed with human emotions
May 3, 2017
Started out really interesting but by 53 per cent I could not read any more. The internment camp sounded more like a one star holiday camp with hookers sorting out their grievances in a camp court. Food although never plentiful never seemed to be lacking and the inmates resorted to petty bickering and fighting over bed space. One of my favourite war books was the white coolies by Betty Jeffrey later made into a film. These ladies, many of them Australian nurses, were in a camp in Malays and suffered real hardships under the Japanese. Their ingenuity and fortitude during the war years was nothing short of inspirational.
Update. I went back and finished this book and while thinking the first camp was a one star holiday camp, the second camp was an absolute hell hole. The internees are an absolute credit to doing the best they could under such trying circumstances. Brilliant.
But why were there so many typographical errors littered throughout this book.
Update. I went back and finished this book and while thinking the first camp was a one star holiday camp, the second camp was an absolute hell hole. The internees are an absolute credit to doing the best they could under such trying circumstances. Brilliant.
But why were there so many typographical errors littered throughout this book.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews