Lucy Hardee Olsen War Diary - Accession 87 - M38 (51)

Authors

Lucy Hardee Olsen

Files

Identifier

Accession 87 - M38 (51)

Inclusive Dates

1941-1945, 1977

Restrictions

Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections

Collection Size

80 pieces

Language

English;

Historical Note

Lucy Hardee Olsen (1896-1985) was a teacher and a Prisoner of War in the Philippines for 37 months during World War II. She was a teacher in the American school in the Philippines from 1929 until 1931 when she married Carl Olsen, who managed a shoe factory there. She and her husband lived in Manila until the Japanese invaded.

According to her obituary: "She was captured in January 1942 by the Japanese and was held captive until February 1945 in the Santo Tomas Interment Camp in the Philippines, along with her husband and two children.

One of her daughters, Esten, died while at the prison camp from tubercular meningitis.

The remaining family was rescued by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, but during the rescue, one of Mrs. Olsen's legs was seriously injured by an exploding shell. She was awarded the Purple Heart.

Mrs. Olsen had secretly kept a diary during that time on little scraps of paper. It was later published and titled My War Diary."

Scope and Content Note

The Lucy Hardee Olsen War Diary consists of a photograph, newspaper clippings, and a diary titled My War Diary, which was written from December 7, 1941 to February 3, 1945. A typed copy was presented to Mrs. Olsen on the occasion of her eightieth birthday. It is a diary of her experiences as an American held in occupation in the Philippine Islands during the Second World War.

Provenance

The Lucy Hardee Olsen War Diary was donated to the Archives by Lucy Hardee Olsen on March 23,1977.

Keywords

Diaries, World War II, Internment Camps, Santo Tomas Internment Camp, Phillipines

Copyright

For information concerning copyright please contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University.

Finding Aid Citation

Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University, "Lucy Hardee Olsen War Diary - Accession 87 - M38 (51)". Finding Aid 144.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/144