The
Record Keepers
Clifford Condon and the sailors who rescued the memories of bilibid's prisoners of war
Start the Journey
I am writing this letter, hoping that it will never be necessary to send it to you . . .
U.S. Navy Pharmacist Clifford "Cliff" Kain Condon died in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp on June 2, 1945. Like so many Allied POWs of the Pacific War, he was a victim of starvation and malnutrition—though the injuries and strain caused by three Japanese "hell ships," which transported him from the Philippines to Japan, may have dealt the real final blow. Condon died two weeks past his fortieth birthday, three months to the day before Imperial Japan surrendered. His wife Eva would not learn of his fate for another two months after war's end.
This exhibit is the story of Cliff and Eva. It is the story of Bilibid Prison in Manila, where Cliff and thousands of other POWs spent much of their war. And it is the story of how the memories of these prisoners survived...
Prelude
prelude:
The Glass Worker's Son
Despite the 1903 date etched in stone on his Arlington National Cemetery marker, Clifford Kain Condon was born on May 14, 1905, to Nesley and Bertha Condon in Point Marion, Pennsylvania. Point Marion lies just above the Pennsylvania-West Virginia state line, only 10 miles north of Morgantown, West Virginia—where the family later moved. “Cliff,” as he was known by friends and loved ones, was the youngest of three siblings. Marguerite, the eldest, was born in 1897, while older brother Carl was born in 1903. A fourth child, James, did not survive past infancy. Cliff's mother Bertha looked after the home, while his father Nesley worked in a glass factory in Point Marion. Nesley was more than just a provider for his family, however—he was also a union official.
Part 1: From Pennsylvania to the Philippines
part 1:
From Pennsylvania to the Philippines
Chapter 1 In the Navy Now
Chapter 3 Married Man
Chapter 4 California Interlude
Chapter 5 The Eve of War
Chapter 2 Career Man
Part 2: Prisoner of War
part 2:
Prisoner of War
Chapter 12 Grains of Despair
Chapter 13 POWs of the Philippines
Chapter 8 Across an Ocean
Chapter 9 Santa Scholastica
Chapter 10 Pasay and Bilibid
Chapter 11 Parcels of Hope
Chapter 6 First Strike
Chapter 7 Invasion
Part 3: No Way Home
part 3:
No Way Home
Chapter 16 Fleeing the Wreck
Chapter 17 Enoura Maru
Chapter 18 Fukuoka
Chapter 14 MacArthur's Return
Chapter 15 Oryoku Maru
Chapter 20 Arlington
Chapter 19 A Family in Waiting
Epilogue
epilogue:
Condon's Legacy
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgements
Return to Exhibit Hub
Workers show off a giant glass tube at Marilla Glass Factory, Morgantown, c. 1910s. Rolled glass tubes like these were a stage in the production of window glass. West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries
Chapter 19
A Family in Waiting
Civilian POWs recently liberated from Bilibid in March 1945 gather around children born within the prison. National Archives, 111-SCA-Album_2902_166
Morgantown Glass Factory eventually became Economy Tumbler Glass, pictured here in 1920. Nesley Condon was employed at Morgantown Glass during the time he lived in Morgantown. West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Chapter 4
California Interlude
Part 1
Timeline
1905
May 14
Clifford Condon born.
1914-1918
World War I
1922
Washington Naval Treaty curtails size of major navies. The Condon family moves to Morgantown, WV.
1923
Cliff enlists in the Navy in Baltimore.
March 19
1931
may 1
Frances Eva Limerick marries Cliff in Rockville, MD.
1937
Japan invades China.
july 7
1938
December 12
Cliff achieves promotion to Chief Pharmacist's Mate.
1939
september 1 december 22
Nazi Germany invades Poland. Promotion to Pharmacist. Assignment to Manila, Philippines.
1941
november december 1 December 7 december 8
Eva is evacuated from the Philippines during a visit to Cliff. Date of Cliff's final pre-war letter to Eva. Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. First Japanese attack on the Philippines.
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Hover over an image for its caption. Click on the image for full screen.
Chapter 1
In the Navy Now
Hover over an image for its caption. Click on the image for full screen.
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Chapter 13
POWs of the Philippines
Marker denoting Clifford Condon's section in Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by Kyle Warmack
Chapter 18
Fukuoka
Chapter 3
Married Man
Chapter 12
Grains of Despair
Chapter 2
Career Man
Chapter 17
Enoura Maru
Cliff's Last Letter Home
The text here is transcribed from Clifford Condon's final letter to Eva, scribbled hurriedly and given to a fellow POW who was remaining behind—soon to be liberated by MacArthur's advancing forces, unlike Cliff. Cliff wrote in November 1944, when there was still hope that no more hell ships would escape Manila. He was almost right.
CONTENT WARNING:This letter contains an offensive slur referring to African Americans. It has been intentionally censored, but we have let the reference stand for the sake of historical accuracy and informed discussion. See the end of the letter for a contextual note.
Bibliography
Chapter 8
Across an Ocean
Part 2
Timeline
1941
December 10 December 25
Japanese aircraft bomb Cavite Navy Yard. Cañacao Hospital is flooded with casualties. General MacArthur declares Manila an "open city" and withdraws American combat forces.
1942
January 2
Japanese troops capture Manila. Cliff becomes a prisoner-of-war.
Cliff is moved from Santa Scholastica to Pasay Elementary School. After 3 weeks, Cliff is moved from Pasay to Old Bilibid Prison in the heart of Manila. Pharmacist Robert Kentner is assigned to serve under Cliff.
May
9 29 30
June
4-7
October
Battle of Midway decisively halts Japanese expansion, allows U.S. to take the offensive.
November
First "hell ships" begin removing Allied POWs to Japan to utilize as forced labor.
Bilibid prisoners receive their first Red Cross parcels.
1943
May 1 October 31
U.S. Navy confirms Cliff is a POW currently held in the Philippines. Eva receives word of Cliff's radio broadcast.
1944
Battle of the Philippine Sea establishes U.S. Navy superiority in the region. MacArthur's liberation of the Philippines begins with amphibious landings on Leyte.
June 19 october 20
Chapter 11
Parcels of Hope
Dec 1944 - Feb 1945
PArt 3 map
Condon's final months included a harrowing journey with 1,619 Allied POWs aboard three "hell ships"—the last to be slipped out of the Philippines by the Japanese before liberation. In one of the war's great tragedies, most of these POWs would be killed by American aircraft before reaching Japan. Condon was wounded but survived, only to arrive in such a weakened state that his body could not endure until rescue. Maps originally from The Chicago Daily News, reproduced from Mansell.com
One of a handful of postcards Cliff was permitted to send to family from inside Bilibid Prison. For the remaining postcards, see the Act 2 gallery below. West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries
Standalone Narrative
Prefer to read Clifford Condon's story in a continuous document?
We all have preferences when it comes to the reading "experience." The exhibit you are about to view breaks Condon's full biography into individual chapters. If you prefer to read everything in a complete, undivided document (like a book), the link below is for you. Or perhaps you've got a big screen (maybe even multiple monitors)? You can open the narrative on one side, and browse the images and media for each chapter in another window. The choice is yours!
Click on the button to read Condon's full biography in a separate link (Google Doc).
About the Team
The Record Keepers was a collaborative endeavor, no part of which was possible without multiple contributors. Below is merely a list of primary roles on the project. For a full list of other contributors, please visit the Acknowledgements page.
Design: Kyle Warmack Creative Editors: Kristen Bailey and Kyle Warmack Copy Editing: Debby Sonis Authors Part I: Zach Eliot Part II: Abbi Smithmyer Part III: Montana Williamson Consulting Scholars: Dr. Melissa Bingmann, Dr. Jason Phillips, West Virginia University.
Info and Disclaimer
West Virginia National Cemeteries Project
This biographical exhibit is part of the West Virginia National Cemeteries Project (WVNCP), a program of the West Virginia Humanities Council. The WVNCP is funded by a Veterans Legacy Grant Program grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The following pages contain graphic images and descriptions of war, violence, physical abuse, illness, and starvation. Reader discretion is advised.
West Virginia National Cemeteries Project
The images and other visual content contained within this digital work are the copyright of their respective owners. This project is educational and fair use in nature, and makes no copyright claims to any photographs, maps, or other images herein. Wherever possible, links to the original owner's website have been provided.
West Virginia Humanities Council
Veterans Legacy Memorial
Veterans Legacy Grant Program
Since he was two months short of his eighteenth birthday, Cliff would have needed his parents' permission to enlist in March 1923. Why he chose to add two full years to his birth year, however, remains unclear. The false date, once lodged in Navy records, has remained with him long after death. BELOW is a copy of Cliff's "delayed" birth certificate, filed by his mother in 1946 to obtain the benefits of his life insurance policy. It states his correct birth year of 1905.
Chapter 5
The Eve of War
Point Marion
Condon's early years
Confluence
Occupying the south bank where the Cheat River flows into the Monongahela, Point Marion has historically been very closely linked with Morgantown, West Virginia, only ten miles away. When Clifford Condon was growing up, the quickest way to travel the short distance to Morgantown was via the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which hugged the east bank of the Monongahela.
Monongahela R.
B&O RR
Cheat R.
Morgantown
Hover over each map label with your cursor to view additional details.
Chapter 10
Pasay and Bilibid
Manila
Cliff may have spent most of the war behind Bilibid's imposing walls, but a number of other local locations were important to him and fellow POWs. This 1945 map detail demonstrates the spatial relationship between sites that played a role in Condon's Manila POW story. Map source: Two combined maps from the collections of the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
LEFT General Tomoyuki Yamashita arrives for the commencement of his war crimes trial in Manila, October 1945. Most Japanese officers were held in New Bilibid Prison, a much more comfortable and sanitary facility than had been offered to Cliff and his comrades in Bilibid. NARA RG111 RIGHT Lt. Walter Hinkle shows the diary he kept at Bilibid to a soldier from the unit that liberated the prison. Hinkle kept the diary concealed in his wooden leg. Diaries such as Hinkle's were essential tools in the prosecution of war criminals like Yamashita. NARA RG342
Chapter 16
Fleeing the Wreck
Front
back
Cliff's Bilibid
ca. 1942-44
Postcards
No dates are included on these postcards. They have been arranged in the most likely chronological order. All three were sent from Bilibid Prison, and thus were written between June 1942 and November 1944, though the real window of time is probably smaller. It is important to remember that Japanese military censors reviewed these before mailing, so Cliff was unable to discuss any details of the abuse and starvation he and the other POWs were experiencing in the Philippines. All images courtesy of the West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries, A&M 3338
Vallejo
After Cliff's assignment to the Mare Island Naval Hospital in 1934, the Condons moved to neighboring Vallejo. The California coastal town, tucked deep inside San Francisco Bay, became Eva's permanent home until her death in 1966. The Condons' three known Vallejo residences are marked on this 1940 map, which was used to demonstrate U.S. Census districts. Map source: NARA
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Grafton High School students (seated) and West Virginia National Cemeteries Project researchers (standing) study maps and city directories to identify the Condon family's Morgantown neighborhood. This photo was taken in November 2023 during a field trip to the West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC) at West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown. Janet Limerick Kincaid's donation of Eva and Cliff's documents to WVRHC in 1999, which comprise collection A&M 3338, formed the core of this exhibit from which the team expanded to include countless other sources. Without the WVRHC's material, however, most of which is not duplicated in any other repository, this exhibit would not have been possible. Photo by Kyle Warmack
Chapter 7
Invasion
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Part 3
Timeline
1944
November 2
Cliff writes his final letter to Eva after learning another "draft" of prisoners will be sent to Japan.
December
1,619 POWs (including Cliff) are loaded onto the ship Oryoku Maru. Oryoku Maru is badly damaged by American planes while fleeing Manila and runs aground in Subic Bay. The Japanese evacuate the ship. Most POWs must swim ashore to Olongapo Point. POWs transported by truck to train depot at San Fernando, Pampanga province. Cliff and other survivors loaded onto trains and taken to San Fernando La Union on Lingayen Gulf. POWs embarked onto new transports, Enoura Maru and Brazil Maru, and depart for Taiwan.
13 14 15 20 24 28
1945
Enoura Maru and Brazil Maru arrive in Takao harbor, Taiwan. American air raids are frequent. Brazil Maru prisoners are moved onto Enoura Maru.
January 1
January
9 14 28
American invasion of Luzon begins with landings in Lingayen Gulf. Carrier planes from USS Hornet bomb Takao harbor, destroying Enoura Maru with great loss of POW life. Brazil Maru departs Taiwan for Japan. Cliff and the POWs arrive in the port of Moji, on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
February
American troops liberate Bilibid Prison in Manila, freeing Pharmacist Robert Kentner.
March- April
Cliff and about two dozen American POWs arrive at Fukuoka No.22, Tadakuma. Eva receives Cliff's last letter from November 1944. All but a handful of the Americans from Fukuoka No.22 are moved to Korea. Cliff is alone.
15
28
June
Clifford Condon dies in the hospital at Fukuoka No.22. Eva receives instructions on how to write to Cliff at Fukuoka.
2 23
September
The Empire of Japan surrenders, ending World War II.
November
Eva receives official notice of Cliff's death.
1948
October 20
Clifford Condon's remains are interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
First two pages of the February 1946 Liberty magazine article that tells Robert Kentner's story. Kentner himself is shown at upper right, at far left of the three men pictured. Kentner stated in this interview that he had kept the log on Clifford Condon's orders. The article itself, while sensationalized at times, is cited in several Navy documents about the Bilibid POW camp. West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries, A&M 3338
1903-1941
Part 1 map
Clifford Condon's travels in the Navy carried him around the world before World War II.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
USS Asheville (PG-21), one of Clifford Condon's first seagoing assignments. Asheville operated between the Philippines and China. Her small size and shallow draft were emblematic of the "Yangtze gunboats" that formed the basis of the Asiatic Fleet in the interwar period. During World War II, the ship met a tragic end just miles from where Cliff was imprisoned in Manila. (Naval History & Heritage Command)
Chapter 20
Arlington
An artist's rendition of Point Marion in 1902, three years before Cliff's birth. Note the two glass factories shown at the bottom of the image. The glass industry was a major employer throughout north-central West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania during this era. Library of Congress
Chapter 6
First Strike
Bilibid's Navy Medical Officer Corps
Clifford Condon had not been previously identified in this August 1942 photograph of the Cañacao Hospital staff officers—who had recently been reconstituted to command the medical wing at Bilibid Prison—with their Japanese captors. Buildings of Bilibid Prison are clearly visible in the background. The West Virginia National Cemeteries Project team believes that the man at left (marked with the red "1") is Clifford Condon, based on side-by-side comparison with other portraits and uniform insignia. Image courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
1941-1944
Act 2 map
From the Japanese attacks in December 1941 onward, Clifford Condon would never again leave Manila until he was placed on a Japanese hell ship in December 1944. A number of additional locations around Manila Bay, however, were important to the many POWs who would pass through Bilibid during the war. Their stories became intertwined with Condon's.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
Chapter 9
Santa Scholastica, Bataan, and the Fall of Corregidor
Chapter 14
MacArthur's Return
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Chapter 15
Oryoku Maru
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
WVNCP: The Record Keepers
Kyle Warmack
Created on July 26, 2024
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Discover Your AI Assistant
View
Vision Board
View
SWOT Challenge: Classify Key Factors
View
Explainer Video: Keys to Effective Communication
View
Explainer Video: AI for Companies
View
Corporate CV
View
Flow Presentation
Explore all templates
Transcript
The
Record Keepers
Clifford Condon and the sailors who rescued the memories of bilibid's prisoners of war
Start the Journey
I am writing this letter, hoping that it will never be necessary to send it to you . . .
U.S. Navy Pharmacist Clifford "Cliff" Kain Condon died in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp on June 2, 1945. Like so many Allied POWs of the Pacific War, he was a victim of starvation and malnutrition—though the injuries and strain caused by three Japanese "hell ships," which transported him from the Philippines to Japan, may have dealt the real final blow. Condon died two weeks past his fortieth birthday, three months to the day before Imperial Japan surrendered. His wife Eva would not learn of his fate for another two months after war's end.
This exhibit is the story of Cliff and Eva. It is the story of Bilibid Prison in Manila, where Cliff and thousands of other POWs spent much of their war. And it is the story of how the memories of these prisoners survived...
Prelude
prelude:
The Glass Worker's Son
Despite the 1903 date etched in stone on his Arlington National Cemetery marker, Clifford Kain Condon was born on May 14, 1905, to Nesley and Bertha Condon in Point Marion, Pennsylvania. Point Marion lies just above the Pennsylvania-West Virginia state line, only 10 miles north of Morgantown, West Virginia—where the family later moved. “Cliff,” as he was known by friends and loved ones, was the youngest of three siblings. Marguerite, the eldest, was born in 1897, while older brother Carl was born in 1903. A fourth child, James, did not survive past infancy. Cliff's mother Bertha looked after the home, while his father Nesley worked in a glass factory in Point Marion. Nesley was more than just a provider for his family, however—he was also a union official.
Part 1: From Pennsylvania to the Philippines
part 1:
From Pennsylvania to the Philippines
Chapter 1 In the Navy Now
Chapter 3 Married Man
Chapter 4 California Interlude
Chapter 5 The Eve of War
Chapter 2 Career Man
Part 2: Prisoner of War
part 2:
Prisoner of War
Chapter 12 Grains of Despair
Chapter 13 POWs of the Philippines
Chapter 8 Across an Ocean
Chapter 9 Santa Scholastica
Chapter 10 Pasay and Bilibid
Chapter 11 Parcels of Hope
Chapter 6 First Strike
Chapter 7 Invasion
Part 3: No Way Home
part 3:
No Way Home
Chapter 16 Fleeing the Wreck
Chapter 17 Enoura Maru
Chapter 18 Fukuoka
Chapter 14 MacArthur's Return
Chapter 15 Oryoku Maru
Chapter 20 Arlington
Chapter 19 A Family in Waiting
Epilogue
epilogue:
Condon's Legacy
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgements
Return to Exhibit Hub
Workers show off a giant glass tube at Marilla Glass Factory, Morgantown, c. 1910s. Rolled glass tubes like these were a stage in the production of window glass. West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries
Chapter 19
A Family in Waiting
Civilian POWs recently liberated from Bilibid in March 1945 gather around children born within the prison. National Archives, 111-SCA-Album_2902_166
Morgantown Glass Factory eventually became Economy Tumbler Glass, pictured here in 1920. Nesley Condon was employed at Morgantown Glass during the time he lived in Morgantown. West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Chapter 4
California Interlude
Part 1
Timeline
1905
May 14
Clifford Condon born.
1914-1918
World War I
1922
Washington Naval Treaty curtails size of major navies. The Condon family moves to Morgantown, WV.
1923
Cliff enlists in the Navy in Baltimore.
March 19
1931
may 1
Frances Eva Limerick marries Cliff in Rockville, MD.
1937
Japan invades China.
july 7
1938
December 12
Cliff achieves promotion to Chief Pharmacist's Mate.
1939
september 1 december 22
Nazi Germany invades Poland. Promotion to Pharmacist. Assignment to Manila, Philippines.
1941
november december 1 December 7 december 8
Eva is evacuated from the Philippines during a visit to Cliff. Date of Cliff's final pre-war letter to Eva. Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. First Japanese attack on the Philippines.
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Hover over an image for its caption. Click on the image for full screen.
Chapter 1
In the Navy Now
Hover over an image for its caption. Click on the image for full screen.
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Chapter 13
POWs of the Philippines
Marker denoting Clifford Condon's section in Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by Kyle Warmack
Chapter 18
Fukuoka
Chapter 3
Married Man
Chapter 12
Grains of Despair
Chapter 2
Career Man
Chapter 17
Enoura Maru
Cliff's Last Letter Home
The text here is transcribed from Clifford Condon's final letter to Eva, scribbled hurriedly and given to a fellow POW who was remaining behind—soon to be liberated by MacArthur's advancing forces, unlike Cliff. Cliff wrote in November 1944, when there was still hope that no more hell ships would escape Manila. He was almost right.
CONTENT WARNING:This letter contains an offensive slur referring to African Americans. It has been intentionally censored, but we have let the reference stand for the sake of historical accuracy and informed discussion. See the end of the letter for a contextual note.
Bibliography
Chapter 8
Across an Ocean
Part 2
Timeline
1941
December 10 December 25
Japanese aircraft bomb Cavite Navy Yard. Cañacao Hospital is flooded with casualties. General MacArthur declares Manila an "open city" and withdraws American combat forces.
1942
January 2
Japanese troops capture Manila. Cliff becomes a prisoner-of-war.
Cliff is moved from Santa Scholastica to Pasay Elementary School. After 3 weeks, Cliff is moved from Pasay to Old Bilibid Prison in the heart of Manila. Pharmacist Robert Kentner is assigned to serve under Cliff.
May
9 29 30
June
4-7
October
Battle of Midway decisively halts Japanese expansion, allows U.S. to take the offensive.
November
First "hell ships" begin removing Allied POWs to Japan to utilize as forced labor.
Bilibid prisoners receive their first Red Cross parcels.
1943
May 1 October 31
U.S. Navy confirms Cliff is a POW currently held in the Philippines. Eva receives word of Cliff's radio broadcast.
1944
Battle of the Philippine Sea establishes U.S. Navy superiority in the region. MacArthur's liberation of the Philippines begins with amphibious landings on Leyte.
June 19 october 20
Chapter 11
Parcels of Hope
Dec 1944 - Feb 1945
PArt 3 map
Condon's final months included a harrowing journey with 1,619 Allied POWs aboard three "hell ships"—the last to be slipped out of the Philippines by the Japanese before liberation. In one of the war's great tragedies, most of these POWs would be killed by American aircraft before reaching Japan. Condon was wounded but survived, only to arrive in such a weakened state that his body could not endure until rescue. Maps originally from The Chicago Daily News, reproduced from Mansell.com
One of a handful of postcards Cliff was permitted to send to family from inside Bilibid Prison. For the remaining postcards, see the Act 2 gallery below. West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries
Standalone Narrative
Prefer to read Clifford Condon's story in a continuous document?
We all have preferences when it comes to the reading "experience." The exhibit you are about to view breaks Condon's full biography into individual chapters. If you prefer to read everything in a complete, undivided document (like a book), the link below is for you. Or perhaps you've got a big screen (maybe even multiple monitors)? You can open the narrative on one side, and browse the images and media for each chapter in another window. The choice is yours!
Click on the button to read Condon's full biography in a separate link (Google Doc).
About the Team
The Record Keepers was a collaborative endeavor, no part of which was possible without multiple contributors. Below is merely a list of primary roles on the project. For a full list of other contributors, please visit the Acknowledgements page.
Design: Kyle Warmack Creative Editors: Kristen Bailey and Kyle Warmack Copy Editing: Debby Sonis Authors Part I: Zach Eliot Part II: Abbi Smithmyer Part III: Montana Williamson Consulting Scholars: Dr. Melissa Bingmann, Dr. Jason Phillips, West Virginia University.
Info and Disclaimer
West Virginia National Cemeteries Project
This biographical exhibit is part of the West Virginia National Cemeteries Project (WVNCP), a program of the West Virginia Humanities Council. The WVNCP is funded by a Veterans Legacy Grant Program grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The following pages contain graphic images and descriptions of war, violence, physical abuse, illness, and starvation. Reader discretion is advised.
West Virginia National Cemeteries Project
The images and other visual content contained within this digital work are the copyright of their respective owners. This project is educational and fair use in nature, and makes no copyright claims to any photographs, maps, or other images herein. Wherever possible, links to the original owner's website have been provided.
West Virginia Humanities Council
Veterans Legacy Memorial
Veterans Legacy Grant Program
Since he was two months short of his eighteenth birthday, Cliff would have needed his parents' permission to enlist in March 1923. Why he chose to add two full years to his birth year, however, remains unclear. The false date, once lodged in Navy records, has remained with him long after death. BELOW is a copy of Cliff's "delayed" birth certificate, filed by his mother in 1946 to obtain the benefits of his life insurance policy. It states his correct birth year of 1905.
Chapter 5
The Eve of War
Point Marion
Condon's early years
Confluence
Occupying the south bank where the Cheat River flows into the Monongahela, Point Marion has historically been very closely linked with Morgantown, West Virginia, only ten miles away. When Clifford Condon was growing up, the quickest way to travel the short distance to Morgantown was via the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which hugged the east bank of the Monongahela.
Monongahela R.
B&O RR
Cheat R.
Morgantown
Hover over each map label with your cursor to view additional details.
Chapter 10
Pasay and Bilibid
Manila
Cliff may have spent most of the war behind Bilibid's imposing walls, but a number of other local locations were important to him and fellow POWs. This 1945 map detail demonstrates the spatial relationship between sites that played a role in Condon's Manila POW story. Map source: Two combined maps from the collections of the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
LEFT General Tomoyuki Yamashita arrives for the commencement of his war crimes trial in Manila, October 1945. Most Japanese officers were held in New Bilibid Prison, a much more comfortable and sanitary facility than had been offered to Cliff and his comrades in Bilibid. NARA RG111 RIGHT Lt. Walter Hinkle shows the diary he kept at Bilibid to a soldier from the unit that liberated the prison. Hinkle kept the diary concealed in his wooden leg. Diaries such as Hinkle's were essential tools in the prosecution of war criminals like Yamashita. NARA RG342
Chapter 16
Fleeing the Wreck
Front
back
Cliff's Bilibid
ca. 1942-44
Postcards
No dates are included on these postcards. They have been arranged in the most likely chronological order. All three were sent from Bilibid Prison, and thus were written between June 1942 and November 1944, though the real window of time is probably smaller. It is important to remember that Japanese military censors reviewed these before mailing, so Cliff was unable to discuss any details of the abuse and starvation he and the other POWs were experiencing in the Philippines. All images courtesy of the West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries, A&M 3338
Vallejo
After Cliff's assignment to the Mare Island Naval Hospital in 1934, the Condons moved to neighboring Vallejo. The California coastal town, tucked deep inside San Francisco Bay, became Eva's permanent home until her death in 1966. The Condons' three known Vallejo residences are marked on this 1940 map, which was used to demonstrate U.S. Census districts. Map source: NARA
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Grafton High School students (seated) and West Virginia National Cemeteries Project researchers (standing) study maps and city directories to identify the Condon family's Morgantown neighborhood. This photo was taken in November 2023 during a field trip to the West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC) at West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown. Janet Limerick Kincaid's donation of Eva and Cliff's documents to WVRHC in 1999, which comprise collection A&M 3338, formed the core of this exhibit from which the team expanded to include countless other sources. Without the WVRHC's material, however, most of which is not duplicated in any other repository, this exhibit would not have been possible. Photo by Kyle Warmack
Chapter 7
Invasion
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Part 3
Timeline
1944
November 2
Cliff writes his final letter to Eva after learning another "draft" of prisoners will be sent to Japan.
December
1,619 POWs (including Cliff) are loaded onto the ship Oryoku Maru. Oryoku Maru is badly damaged by American planes while fleeing Manila and runs aground in Subic Bay. The Japanese evacuate the ship. Most POWs must swim ashore to Olongapo Point. POWs transported by truck to train depot at San Fernando, Pampanga province. Cliff and other survivors loaded onto trains and taken to San Fernando La Union on Lingayen Gulf. POWs embarked onto new transports, Enoura Maru and Brazil Maru, and depart for Taiwan.
13 14 15 20 24 28
1945
Enoura Maru and Brazil Maru arrive in Takao harbor, Taiwan. American air raids are frequent. Brazil Maru prisoners are moved onto Enoura Maru.
January 1
January
9 14 28
American invasion of Luzon begins with landings in Lingayen Gulf. Carrier planes from USS Hornet bomb Takao harbor, destroying Enoura Maru with great loss of POW life. Brazil Maru departs Taiwan for Japan. Cliff and the POWs arrive in the port of Moji, on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
February
American troops liberate Bilibid Prison in Manila, freeing Pharmacist Robert Kentner.
March- April
Cliff and about two dozen American POWs arrive at Fukuoka No.22, Tadakuma. Eva receives Cliff's last letter from November 1944. All but a handful of the Americans from Fukuoka No.22 are moved to Korea. Cliff is alone.
15
28
June
Clifford Condon dies in the hospital at Fukuoka No.22. Eva receives instructions on how to write to Cliff at Fukuoka.
2 23
September
The Empire of Japan surrenders, ending World War II.
November
Eva receives official notice of Cliff's death.
1948
October 20
Clifford Condon's remains are interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
First two pages of the February 1946 Liberty magazine article that tells Robert Kentner's story. Kentner himself is shown at upper right, at far left of the three men pictured. Kentner stated in this interview that he had kept the log on Clifford Condon's orders. The article itself, while sensationalized at times, is cited in several Navy documents about the Bilibid POW camp. West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries, A&M 3338
1903-1941
Part 1 map
Clifford Condon's travels in the Navy carried him around the world before World War II.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
USS Asheville (PG-21), one of Clifford Condon's first seagoing assignments. Asheville operated between the Philippines and China. Her small size and shallow draft were emblematic of the "Yangtze gunboats" that formed the basis of the Asiatic Fleet in the interwar period. During World War II, the ship met a tragic end just miles from where Cliff was imprisoned in Manila. (Naval History & Heritage Command)
Chapter 20
Arlington
An artist's rendition of Point Marion in 1902, three years before Cliff's birth. Note the two glass factories shown at the bottom of the image. The glass industry was a major employer throughout north-central West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania during this era. Library of Congress
Chapter 6
First Strike
Bilibid's Navy Medical Officer Corps
Clifford Condon had not been previously identified in this August 1942 photograph of the Cañacao Hospital staff officers—who had recently been reconstituted to command the medical wing at Bilibid Prison—with their Japanese captors. Buildings of Bilibid Prison are clearly visible in the background. The West Virginia National Cemeteries Project team believes that the man at left (marked with the red "1") is Clifford Condon, based on side-by-side comparison with other portraits and uniform insignia. Image courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
1941-1944
Act 2 map
From the Japanese attacks in December 1941 onward, Clifford Condon would never again leave Manila until he was placed on a Japanese hell ship in December 1944. A number of additional locations around Manila Bay, however, were important to the many POWs who would pass through Bilibid during the war. Their stories became intertwined with Condon's.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
Chapter 9
Santa Scholastica, Bataan, and the Fall of Corregidor
Chapter 14
MacArthur's Return
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue
Chapter 15
Oryoku Maru
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Record Keepers: Prelude
The Record Keepers: Part I
The Record Keepers: Part II
The Record Keepers: Part III
The Record Keepers: Epilogue