On Saturday afternoon, October 26th, the long awaited day arrived for these 3,000 people to face the test of a Japanese bomb raid. At 1:23 the air raid alarm was blown. Due to one or two previous false alarms, no great concern was felt, - with the result that the enemy planes were almost overhead and discharging their bombs before the workmen and staffmen had left their living areas and before the American personnel had left the Dormitory and houses. Approximately 155 bombs were released within an area of one mile. While none of the American personnel were injured, it is sad to relate that 40 deaths and 67 injuries resulted from this bombing. The Condor transport and 5 Ryans were totally destroyed. Some of the manufacturing buildings were seriously damaged and more than one death resulted amongst Chinese Staffmen, workmen or guardsmen who stood at their posts in the hour of danger. Special mention should be made of one Chinese staffmen who stood fast to his ideal of duty and remained in the power house to sound the siren. He sounded a blast that would have awakened a mummy and gave us three precious minutes of warning. As he turned to run to a dugout nearby a bomb hit him and there was nothing left of his body but bits and fragments.

Other results of the bomb raid were several craters on the runway, a considerable amount of damage to the commissary, the burning of 104 workmen's homes and extensive damage to the transportation building, final assembly building and foundry. Approximately 100 more homes were either totally destroyed or damaged but did not burn. The American personnel responded nobly to this emergency. All cars were voluntarily put into service carrying the wounded to the hospital and performing many other duties to alleviate the distress and suffering of those who had been wounded and made homeless. Arrangements were promptly made to house over 500 men, women and children whose homes had been destroyed. At the hospital heroic service was rendered by Dr. Seagrave and Dr. Yu.

Dr. Seagrave, director of the CAMCO hospital, rushed from his own hospital at Namkham, over which the Japanese bombers flew both inbound and outbound, and brought with him Mrs. Seagrave to act as anaesthesist and 22 of his capable and efficient Burmese nurses. All the hospital personnel deserve great credit for the manner in which they performed their duties, as do Mrs. Hunter, Mrs. Porritt, and Mr. Garrold for the service they rendered to the hospital staff. An interesting case was that of a pregnant woman through whose womb a piece of shrapnel passed, wounding the unborn baby on the foot. An emergency operation was performed, and at this date, mother and child are rapidly recovering. The Government and the Management finally decided to evacuate the area. A complete disruption of all former working and living routine ensued. The hours of work changed, for a time, from 5 at night until 6 in the morning. The duties and trying conditions were such that many of the American personnel slept but little day or night. All credit must be given to these men and some of the Chinese personnel who slaved feverishly and untiringly to remove the assets of the Chinese Government from the danger area to points of safety to protect them from further damage in ensuing raids.

In this connection as well as in the bubonic plague situation, tribute should be paid to a non-American, - Mr. R. F. K. Jones, a Britisher by birth and an accountant by profession, who has been at Loiwing for some months. In view of his professional status, it would not have been amiss nor resented had he, during these trying periods, either departed from Loiwing, or remained in his own quarters. His conduct, however, was exactly contrary. On each occasion he rolled up his sleeves and pitched in as if he were a regular member of the American personnel of CAMCO, to whom he has endeared himself by such conduct and by his ability to take at times an unmerciful amount of ribbing in good part, and give as good as he got.

The Chinese personnel took up residence in bamboo houses. temporary buildings and in other quarters which could be obtained in the towns and villages within a radius of twelve miles. The American personnel promptly had bamboo matshed houses constructed for themselves in two groups. One group is located near the golf course on the Burma side approximately four miles from the factory site. The other group is located at Manwing about seven miles from the factory site. A great deal of individuality and ingenuity was displayed in the original designs of the various structures, all of which, when finished, presented a pleasing appearance.

Personally, I joined a group of four other Americans: Mrs. Porritt, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Garrold and Mr. Sobol in a sort of community camp. Each person has a separate house composed of a living room approximately 15 x 20 feet, a bedroom - 10 x 20 feet and a small wash room. The houses are built in a semi-circle, across the open end of which a building containing the communal dining room and living room is situated. Each one supplied his own furnishings, augmented with a certain amount of furniture and equipment borrowed from the factory premises. A Diesel generator was supplied from the factory and this community owes a debt to Mr. Felio for his untiring service in setting up the generator and supervising the work of erecting power lines, etc. to the various houses in the entire community. The group of houses in which I live is known as Magwampas Lodge, the first word is the name being composed of letters in the names of the people living in our little group. "Magwampas Lodgers" are especially indebted to Messrs. Garrold and Sobel for their untiring energy and versatility in making Magwampas Lodge a happy place to live. The executive office has been temporarily established in a sheet metal garage adjacent to the Pangkham Post Office and office routine had recommenced on a full day basis. This precluded either Mrs. Porritt or myself from contributing very much toward the construction of our community home. Mr. Anderson, a Wright Aeronautical expert, who, since his arrival in China, has diverted from his regular calling and kept all of CAMCO'S transportation in motion, pending the erection of an aeronautical engine assembly building, was also precluded from rendering much assistance in the construction of Magwampas Lodge, due to the fact that the demands on his department were multiplied 100%. as a result of the bombing and his thereby having to work both day and night.

So here we are. Back in the grass shacks. In the early stages of the construction of CAMCO, the growing community of American personnel resided in grass shacks where many happy occasions and stirring incidents in their community life took place. They watched the manufacturing buildings, the houses, dormitories and barracks for all the personnel grow before their eyes into a complete picture. Now the factory has had a setback, and they have returned once more to living in grass shacks. Do not let this impress you in any way as a mark of defeat, for, as a result of my stay in CAMCO, it is my personal impression that the indomitable American spirit of this group will be equal to any situation which they may be called upon to face, and will result in success in whatever program is adopted for the future of this factory.

This letter, which has been too long in being written, is completed just as my visit comes to an end. It can be truly said that I am both glad and sorry to leave. Naturally, the same as anyone here would be, I am glad to return to America. However, I must confess that when my visit to Loiwing was first contemplated, it would have been impossible for me to believe that saying goodbye to Loiwing, to CAMCO, to the Chinese and the American gang would cause me the pangs of regret which I now feel and which will only increase as the time to leave draws nearer. The lessons here have been many and some of them have been hard but the memory of Loiwing and its people is one which I am happy to know will remain with me all the rest of my life.

P.A. Mathews

January, 1941