British Civilian Internees Held In Manila

Information kindly supplied to COFEPOW by Mr. Roderick Hall

Mr Roderick Hall's father was a British civilian who was interned at Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila, Philippines during the years 1942-45. Although Mr Hall and his mother were also in the Philippines they were not interned in the prison, but allowed to stay outside the camp.

Mr Hall sent COFEPOW a copy of the Appendix from the book SANTO TOMAS INTERNMENT CAMP by Frederick H. Stephens which was printed in the USA by Stratford House Inc, in 1946 as a limited private edition. Mr. Stephens was the Chairman of the American Community Committee formed before December 7th 1941 to help co-ordinate the efforts of the US Army and Navy and the US High Commissioner and the civilian population.

The list of Civilian Internees that Mr Hall sent is divided into three sections:

1. The first section includes the names of the British civilian prisoners in Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila.

2. The second section is a list of the British civilian prisoners at Los Banos Internment Camp, south of Manila. During the war a second internment camp was opened approximately 42 miles south of Manila, to ease the crowded conditions in Santo Tomas.

3. The third list consists of British civilian prisoners held in Baguio, the pre-war summer capital of the Philippines located some 150 miles north of Manila, in the mountains.

Mr. Hall adds "believe that this list is probably the most comprehensive list of British civilian prisoners held in the Philippines during the war"

The list has now been donated to the Far East Prisoners of War Memorial Building at the National Memorial Arboretum.