| Scope and content |
The bulk of the collection concerns Griffin's internment in Los Banos. Correspondence concerns conditions at the internment camp, efforts of the U.S. Department of the State and the National Council of the Protestant Episcopal Church to exchange the internees, and the rescue by American forces. Correspondence and legal papers document Griffin's efforts to secure reimbursement for losses incurred because of the war. Additional material pertains to the work and internment of missionaries and the war in the Pacific. Collection also contains financial material; affidavits pertaining to purchases made by the Missionary District of the Philippines and conditions in Manila during the period of internment; information sheets for internees returning to the United States; speeches; and a program for the unveiling of the Los Banos Internment Camp plaque. Printed material consists of clippings, issues of Manila Free Philippines, copies of the USS Eberle newsletter, and books. Other items pertain to Ellegood Vaughn Griffin, a private in the 1102nd and 638th Aero Squadrons of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. His letters written at St. Maixent, France, briefly describe camp life, St. Maixent, and the area. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Elizabeth Gordan Griffin Papers (#416), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mrs. V. W. Herlevich. |
| Biographical note | Elizabeth "Lizzie" Gordan Griffin of Elizabeth City, N. C., was an Episcopalian missionary to the Philippine Islands. She was working in Manila in 1942 when she was interned by the Japanese army. Griffin was one of approximately 7,000 non-combatant Allied citizens confined as civilian internees throughout World War II at Camps Santo Tomas and Los Banos in Manila. After the war, Griffin resumed her work in the Philippines. Upon her retirement in 1955, she moved to New Bern, N.C. |
