Leonora Febre Papers, 1941-1945
(Manuscript Collection #454)
Descriptive Summary
| Title: | Leonora Febre Papers |
| Creator: | Febre, Leonora |
| Repository: | ECU Manuscript Collection |
| Languages: | English |
| Abstract: | Papers (1941-1945) including autobiographical sketch, Tagalog Language, Filipino hardship during World War II. |
| Extent: | 0.073 Cubic feet, 3 items , (55 leaves) consisting of an autobiographical sketch (24 1.), a letter (1 1.), and Tagalog language instructions (30 1.). |
Administrative Information
Accessions Information
November 8, 1982, 55 pages; Autobiographical account of life in the Philippine Islands (1941-1945) and a "Tagalog-English" glossary. Gift of Mrs. Janice Buck, Greenville, N.C.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions
Copyright Notice
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Preferred Citation
Leonora Febre Papers (#454), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Acquisition Information
- Gift of Mrs. Janice Buck
Processing Information
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Processed by G. Batts, December 1982
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Encoded by Apex Data Services
Description
This collection was produced as a result of the friendship between Leonora Febre, a native Filipino, and Sergeant Merrin Buck, whom Mrs. Febre met during World War II. The papers are important chiefly as a source of information concerning Filipino hardships during World War II.
The Japanese bombed the Philippines on December 8, 1941, intending to drive out the Americans. Within a month Manila had fallen to the Japanese, and shortly thereafter Bataan and Corregidor fell. The Filipino government, led by President Quezan, was forced to move to Washington, D.C. The Filipinos, treated harshly by the Japanese, did whatever was necessary to survive. A Filipino "republic" was established under Japanese sponsorship in October, 1943, and fell when the Americans landed in Leyte in October, 1944. Forces commanded by General Douglas MacArthur recaptured the islands during 1945.
In her narrative Leonora Febre gives a short description of her early life and education on the island of Corregidor in the Philippine Islands. She discusses her family's flight from Corregidor, in avoidance of Japanese attack, at the outbreak of World War II. She provides detailed accounts of such hardships as cramped or inadequate living quarters, lack of food and water, robbery by the Japanese, diseases and fear of physical abuse by the Japanese during her family's travels from Corregidor to Mariveles, Orion, Bataan, Bulacan, and Zambales. Leonora also expresses her family's joy at the time of the Japanese surrender.
A short letter from Leonora Febre to Sergeant Merrin Buck, whom Ms. Febre tutored in Tagalog, is also included in the collection. In it she gives her regards to Buck's family, expresses the hope that he will enjoy staying in her home, and thanks him for magazines.
Also in the collection are Leonora Febre's notes describing the fundamentals of the Tagalog language: vocabulary, phrases, sentence structure, parts of speech, and some verb conjugation.
Subject Headings
Online access to this finding aid is supported with funds created through the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). These funds come through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services which is administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. This grant is part of the North Carolina ECHO, Exploring Cultural Heritage Online, Digitization Grant Program.
