Collection Title: David Nash Diary
Series Number: MS85-02
Processed and Cataloged by: Processed by Dieter C. Ullrich on June 14, 2010.
Date Listed: June 14, 2010
Date Span: 1941-1946
Size of Collection: 0.25 linear feet.
Number of Boxes: 1 letter size document case; 1 item.
Type of Material: Journal.
Condition of Material: Good.
Arrangement: Chronological arrangement.
Biographical / Historical Information: David Nash was the Executive Officer aboard the U.S.S. Mindanao just prior to and during the Second World War. After the declaration of war, his gunboat was sent to the Philippine Islands where it performed patrols from the Island of Corregidor. On May 6, 1942, Corregidor surrendered and the next day Lt. Nash was made a prisoner. He was interned at several prison camps including those at Bilibid, Davao, Dapecol, and Cabanatuan. During the final months of the war, he was removed from the Philippines to Korea and later China. He was released on August 9, 1945 at Mukden, China by Russian troops. Lt. Nash received the Navy Cross for his actions in the Philippines prior to his capture.
Scope and Content: Collection consists of transcripts from a diary kept by Lieutenant David Nash, United States Navy, from December 1, 1941 to May 29, 1944. The diary begins with Lt. Nash aboard the patrol boat U.S.S. Mindanao at Hong Kong and the ship’s departure to the Philippine Islands. A day after the declaration of war, he mentions the capture of a Japanese fishing trawler and the taking of prisoners (the first prisoners taken by U.S. troops during the war). He describes the Battle of Corregidor and patrol missions of the U.S.S. Mindanao east of Bataan. After the fall of Corregidor, he discusses his internment in Japanese prison camps, encounters with prison guards and his relationships with fellow prisoners of war. Included with the transcripts are a list of prisoner names and a letter dated after the war explaining his activities during the final months of the war.
Subject Headings / Descriptors:
Nash, David, 1914-2007.
Mindanao (Gunboat : PR-8)
World War, 1939-1945 – Personal narratives, American.
World War, 1939-1945 – Prisoners and prisons, Japanese.
World War, 1939-1945 – Campaigns – Philippines – Corregidor Island.
Bataan, Battle of, Philippines, 1942 – Sources.
Prisoners of War – United States.
Additional Sources: See Father Found: Life and Death as a Prisoner of the Japanese in World War II by Duane L. Heisinger.
Research Notes: Collection was originally located in MS85-02 as a partial collection. The collection was donated by James Hammack on October 16, 1984. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Box List:
- December 1941
- January-February, 1942
- March-April, 1942
- May-June 1942
- July-September, 1942
- October- December, 1942
- January- April, 1943
- May- December 1943
- January-May 1944
- Correspondence 1945-1946
- Miscellaneous Attachments 1942-1944
