466ce3a6-3d5e-4d96-a5f6-4dee73a52900

Emsley, Beatrice_WAPA-246_WAPA 4170_OralHist_Video.mp4

Beatrice Florence Emsley, in December 1941, was 12 years old and worked part time as a house girl for a Japanese family. She and about 100 young Guamanian girls were sent in a truck to go up to Merizo to plant vegetables for the Japanese. They stayed up there for 30 days before being sent home, because they started seeing some “shiny things” way up in the sky. When they got home to Agana the air raids started. Beatrice and her family started running up to Sablong. They were there for two or three days until hearing that the Japanese got the island and they have to surrender. They left and went to stay with her aunt, along with another family in her aunt’s ranch. One of Beatrice’s uncles who was working at the Naval Hospital had been rumored to have left with the Americans, so the Japanese came to the house looking for him. They demanded that someone find him or they would kill the rest of the people in the ranch. Beatrice’s family asked her to go. She went over the mountain to Mangilao and was given a pass to be in Agana to search for her uncle. Beatrice found her uncle hurt and hiding in a foxhole. Another person came along, Juan Cabrera and he hid in the foxhole with them until the Japanese soldiers soon came and made them come out. They were put in a tunnel with 8 other people. They were questioned and tortured for not giving the right answers. Later they made them march into the woods where there was a bomb hole. The men were separated out and murdered with bayonets behind some bushes. The women were taken one by one and tortured and killed with the bayonets. When it was Bea’s turn, she remembers being hit hard and passed out and woke up partially buried. She managed to unbury herself and crawl out of the hole. Beatrice managed to leave the woods and go in search of medicine. Her wound was crawling with maggots. Soon she ran into a family friend who helped her find food and water and hid her from the Japanese. At one point they find a house with drums of rain water and apples and bananas to eat. They are glad to eat and drink, but Beatrice is very feverish. While searching for help, they run into another uncle of Beatrice’s. Then they come across some of the 3rd Division Marines who tell them where to get help. They manage to get to the camp where her mother is and they get some nurses to help clean Beatrice’s wound. The Marines start moving everyone out and Beatrice is taken to Agat where she goes to a Naval Hospital. They clean her up there and stitch her wounds and get her to Bradley Hospital. Beatrice is at the hospital for three weeks before being released. While there she sees Japanese patients and is very afraid, but the doctors and nurse help keep her calm. She had many nightmares. Later her infection came back and she went to the Naval hospital for more treatment. December 10th 1991, there were commemoration activities in recognition of the events that happened on Guam during that time. This was the first time that Japanese veterans came to the island. Beatrice was asked to be a guest. She found it in her heart to forgive and not hate, but she is still scared and still had nightmares. She knows that the new generation of people need to know what happened and hopes that they won’t let it happen again.

U.S. National Park Service, War in the Pacific National Historical Park

This digital asset is in the public domain. This digital version was made possible through the National Park Service by a grant from the National Park Foundation through generous support from the Mellon Foundation. When using this asset for any purpose, including online, credit 'Courtesy U.S. National Parks'.

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Video

War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Code: WAPA

Guam , Guam
War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Guam , Guam
Latitude: 13.3905000686646, Longitude: 144.654006958008

ICMS (Interior Collection Managment System) : WAPA-00246
NPS Museum Number Catalog : WAPA 4170

War in the Pacific Oral Histories

2025/03/07

T. Stell Newman Visitor Center, Collections room, Safe and Shelf SLF D-01

Public Can View

Rose Manibusan, Jennifer Craig

Organization: American Memorial Park
Role: Chief Interpretation
Address: Micro Beach Road, Garapan, Mp 96950
Email: wapa_interpretation@nps.gov

Sunday, April 6, 2025 1:10:07 AM

Sunday, April 6, 2025 1:10:07 AM

Emsley, Beatrice_WAPA-246_WAPA 4170_OralHist_Video.mp4

mp4

1339.9 MB

Historic

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