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Guerrilla Wife
After the Japanese had invaded the Philippines Louise Reid Spencer and her husband had two They could stay and face certain capture or they flee and join with the guerrillas fighting against the occupation. Without hesitation they chose the second option and for then next two years they remained on the run from Axis forces. They made their way from Masbate to Fanay and finally on to “Hopevale” where they joined other men and women who were determined not to surrender. Louise Reid Spencer’s memoir of that time, Guerrilla Wife provides fascinatingly personal insight into a life of exile during the Second World War. As the months rolled on Spencer explains how basic human needs like housing, clothing, food and health, became increasingly difficult to secure and how the hope of survival was the only thing driving these men and women onwards. Louise Reid Spencer eventually survived the chilling events recounted in her book and wrote her memoir Guerrilla Wife which was published in 1945. She went to live in America after the war and passed away in 1983.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1945
141 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Louise Reid Spencer
4 books3 followersLouise Reid Spencer was a Canadian national who married American mining engineer, Frank Spencer , and accompanied him to the Philippines in 1941. The couple resided on the island of Panay. When the Japanese Empire invaded and conquered the country in May '42 the Spencers elected to retreat to the hills of Panay rather than surrender. They survived in the jungle for almost two years. In March 1944 the Spencers and 54 other civilians were evacuated by the U.S. submarine U.S.S. Angler to Australia. Shortly after Mrs. Spencer gave birth to their son. She returned to the United States with her husband and lived the remainder of her life with Frank (who died in 1967) and her family until her death in 1983. Guerilla Wife is considered to be one of the go=to books when researching the role of guerrillas during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 29, 2024
I finished this book on October 29, 2024. It's 80 years old. The Filipinos she met, who kept her and other Americans alive for years during the Japanese occupation, are gone now, as is she. I marvel that they cared so much for the Americans, and yet... the Filipinos were not the aggressors in this war. Neither were they pacifists. Many of them were instrumental in fighting off the Japanese with the Americans. I wonder how their descendants feel about Americans now.
Louise Spencer was the wife of a mining engineer from a large company; throughout her life in the Philippines, including when she was fleeing for her life across country, she had at least one servant/cook/cargadore--carrier of all the stuff she could not carry. This was alongside her husband and his man-of-all-work; his man was killed by the Japanese for helping Americans. She and her husband were well educated--she wrote a book about it afterwards--yet many of the people she met had no formal education at all. One head man had never held a pencil before.
She stayed in many, many people's homes, in heat, in cold, with rats, with cockroaches, with children who gave her no privacy. She admired some for their cleanliness and neat arrangements, then discovered they were alive with roaches. She slept in some places where only four people could cram themselves under a leaky roof; invariably she got a good spot, as a woman, as a white woman, and later as a pregnant woman. They slept close together sharing one blanket and in the mountains they still shivered with cold. Their cargadores, baggage haulers, slept outdoors without any blankets, because there were no blankets to be found.
They ate rice every day for years, with greens and sometimes pork. For the first year or so they had chicken eggs and occasionally killed a chicken to eat. During their last long march across the island of Panay they ran out of rice, so they ate camotes, a kind of yam, with pork. She did a lot of work for herself early in the almost two years they were there. Later she moved in with a friend who had two servants. These two servants did everything, literally, and Louise complained of boredom, almost more deadly than doing everything herself. It hurt morale to have nothing to do.
Her friend Laverne went all through pregnancy and birth while there; infections were a constant risk and all they had was water they boiled themselves, worn out clothing they cleaned themselves, and a little medicine smuggled up to them, aspirin, sulfa drugs. The baby thrived, however, and Laverne recovered in time. Louise said her friend was in bed eleven days after the birth.
My mother told me that when she was expecting in the 1950s, they were told to lay down for several days while your body knit back together. I can see some benefit in that, though eleven days seems a lot. It's true that in the Philippine mountains they did not have enough food and they had to hike to a new hiding place every few weeks; lying down probably was necessary. The doctor hired for Laverne's lying in, traveled with them to two or three hiding places over the month he stayed.
Louise didn't talk about how much things cost but said their money ran very, very low. There was a printing press printing a sort of emergency currency, constantly being moved to keep it away from the Japanese. They rejoiced to find, at one point, a banker who would accept a check. At the start of their hiding they moved to a specific spot, built a hidden settlement, and contracted with the Teniente, or head man of the nearest town, to provide them with necessaries and bearers to bring it to them. They survived this way for a long time, over a year I think, but the Japanese found their base and killed everyone who had not fled.
One night an enormous python got into their chicken coop; one of the men fought it in the coop doorway, using only pointed sticks. It was all they had that was long enough to prevent him being stricken while striking. If they fired a gun, it would be heard far away. I wondered if, after the fight, they ate the python. She didn't say.
Able-bodied American men joined the guerillas fighting against the Japanese. There were one or two pacifists who did not, and a group of missionaries, there to teach the Filipinos. Louise was friendly with them, but supported her husband. He immediately joined in the fight as an officer setting up and manning radio communications. He kept a .22 and a pistol on him whenever they traveled; she knew he was serious when they suddenly fled one of their bases without his long gun. That time they barely escaped.
She referred to the mountain dwelling people as Bukidnons who spoke differently; I gather they were in the Philippine equivalent of Appalachia, far from cities, isolated from the outside world by rough terrain. They stared at her constantly, especially the children. They allowed her into their homes, communal dwellings where 50 people might gather for a ceremony and 20 sleep in one room. Her servant--she didn't call him a servant but said he was her man or referred to him by name throughout the book--cooked and carried, gathered supplies, fed the fire. They cooked separately from the family in the homes they stayed in. One family her man warned her about; they welcomed her and her retinue but stole some of their food. They stayed with that family for a couple months and she found she couldn't get angry about the theft, because they allowed these strangers to stay with them, in danger the whole time.
She learned which direction to lie down on bamboo slats; one way the bumpy surface would hurt and the other way one's hips could fit into the grooves. When they stayed briefly with a family that had soft beds, she found it hard to sleep!
I enjoyed learning from this book; it's well written and edited, straightforward and forthright. It's not pretentious but tells what she was thinking without a lot of sentimentality; there's enough emotion expressed to know she went the gamut of everything, but it isn't maudlin. I'm glad she tacked on the results of her pregnancy. On the way out of the Philippines she rejoiced over coffee with real cream, and lots of cigarettes available... I had forgotten that nearly everyone smoked or lived with someone who smoked, in the 1940s. On the submarine I winced at the arrival of, her term, "an American Negro". It felt like, everything she had been through, all the working with whomever was willing to work with her and her husband, all the equality and almost begging for help in any form, was about to fall away. The slots people fit into in America, were still there, waiting for her to get back.
Louise Spencer was the wife of a mining engineer from a large company; throughout her life in the Philippines, including when she was fleeing for her life across country, she had at least one servant/cook/cargadore--carrier of all the stuff she could not carry. This was alongside her husband and his man-of-all-work; his man was killed by the Japanese for helping Americans. She and her husband were well educated--she wrote a book about it afterwards--yet many of the people she met had no formal education at all. One head man had never held a pencil before.
She stayed in many, many people's homes, in heat, in cold, with rats, with cockroaches, with children who gave her no privacy. She admired some for their cleanliness and neat arrangements, then discovered they were alive with roaches. She slept in some places where only four people could cram themselves under a leaky roof; invariably she got a good spot, as a woman, as a white woman, and later as a pregnant woman. They slept close together sharing one blanket and in the mountains they still shivered with cold. Their cargadores, baggage haulers, slept outdoors without any blankets, because there were no blankets to be found.
They ate rice every day for years, with greens and sometimes pork. For the first year or so they had chicken eggs and occasionally killed a chicken to eat. During their last long march across the island of Panay they ran out of rice, so they ate camotes, a kind of yam, with pork. She did a lot of work for herself early in the almost two years they were there. Later she moved in with a friend who had two servants. These two servants did everything, literally, and Louise complained of boredom, almost more deadly than doing everything herself. It hurt morale to have nothing to do.
Her friend Laverne went all through pregnancy and birth while there; infections were a constant risk and all they had was water they boiled themselves, worn out clothing they cleaned themselves, and a little medicine smuggled up to them, aspirin, sulfa drugs. The baby thrived, however, and Laverne recovered in time. Louise said her friend was in bed eleven days after the birth.
My mother told me that when she was expecting in the 1950s, they were told to lay down for several days while your body knit back together. I can see some benefit in that, though eleven days seems a lot. It's true that in the Philippine mountains they did not have enough food and they had to hike to a new hiding place every few weeks; lying down probably was necessary. The doctor hired for Laverne's lying in, traveled with them to two or three hiding places over the month he stayed.
Louise didn't talk about how much things cost but said their money ran very, very low. There was a printing press printing a sort of emergency currency, constantly being moved to keep it away from the Japanese. They rejoiced to find, at one point, a banker who would accept a check. At the start of their hiding they moved to a specific spot, built a hidden settlement, and contracted with the Teniente, or head man of the nearest town, to provide them with necessaries and bearers to bring it to them. They survived this way for a long time, over a year I think, but the Japanese found their base and killed everyone who had not fled.
One night an enormous python got into their chicken coop; one of the men fought it in the coop doorway, using only pointed sticks. It was all they had that was long enough to prevent him being stricken while striking. If they fired a gun, it would be heard far away. I wondered if, after the fight, they ate the python. She didn't say.
Able-bodied American men joined the guerillas fighting against the Japanese. There were one or two pacifists who did not, and a group of missionaries, there to teach the Filipinos. Louise was friendly with them, but supported her husband. He immediately joined in the fight as an officer setting up and manning radio communications. He kept a .22 and a pistol on him whenever they traveled; she knew he was serious when they suddenly fled one of their bases without his long gun. That time they barely escaped.
She referred to the mountain dwelling people as Bukidnons who spoke differently; I gather they were in the Philippine equivalent of Appalachia, far from cities, isolated from the outside world by rough terrain. They stared at her constantly, especially the children. They allowed her into their homes, communal dwellings where 50 people might gather for a ceremony and 20 sleep in one room. Her servant--she didn't call him a servant but said he was her man or referred to him by name throughout the book--cooked and carried, gathered supplies, fed the fire. They cooked separately from the family in the homes they stayed in. One family her man warned her about; they welcomed her and her retinue but stole some of their food. They stayed with that family for a couple months and she found she couldn't get angry about the theft, because they allowed these strangers to stay with them, in danger the whole time.
She learned which direction to lie down on bamboo slats; one way the bumpy surface would hurt and the other way one's hips could fit into the grooves. When they stayed briefly with a family that had soft beds, she found it hard to sleep!
I enjoyed learning from this book; it's well written and edited, straightforward and forthright. It's not pretentious but tells what she was thinking without a lot of sentimentality; there's enough emotion expressed to know she went the gamut of everything, but it isn't maudlin. I'm glad she tacked on the results of her pregnancy. On the way out of the Philippines she rejoiced over coffee with real cream, and lots of cigarettes available... I had forgotten that nearly everyone smoked or lived with someone who smoked, in the 1940s. On the submarine I winced at the arrival of, her term, "an American Negro". It felt like, everything she had been through, all the working with whomever was willing to work with her and her husband, all the equality and almost begging for help in any form, was about to fall away. The slots people fit into in America, were still there, waiting for her to get back.
February 17, 2015
I read this memoir of wartime survival and escape because one of the major characters was the grandfather of my brother-in-law. This man was a key employee as a mining engineer with the international gold mining company managed by the author's husband on one of the smaller islands south of Manila.
They and a good number of other foreign nationals - both business managers and agents like the mining engineer and colleagues, and missionaries - took off into the bush upon the fall of the Philippines (Bataan and Corregidor) to the Japanese invasion in early 1942. They subsisted with the help of the local population for two years avoiding patrols and search parties.
Mrs. Spencer's prose gets better and better as the book goes on. I particularly enjoyed her description of quasi-animist ceremony on pages 129-132 which had probably never before been seen by an Anglo audience.
They and a good number of other foreign nationals - both business managers and agents like the mining engineer and colleagues, and missionaries - took off into the bush upon the fall of the Philippines (Bataan and Corregidor) to the Japanese invasion in early 1942. They subsisted with the help of the local population for two years avoiding patrols and search parties.
Mrs. Spencer's prose gets better and better as the book goes on. I particularly enjoyed her description of quasi-animist ceremony on pages 129-132 which had probably never before been seen by an Anglo audience.
May 1, 2020
Courage, Convition, and Human Bonding
Throughout two years being on a capture island Mrs. Spencer with husband, who was guerilla fighter, and friends bonded together to overcome true adversity. As team they focused on others in their mist and ignored, or at least minimized, their personal problems. By doing so they endured and overcame hardships that would wilt lessor people. A fantastic read that pulls you into her world at her darkest hours. After reading this book i am sure your own problems will be gretly diminished. I know it put mine into perspective. Thank you Louise, wherever you are.
Throughout two years being on a capture island Mrs. Spencer with husband, who was guerilla fighter, and friends bonded together to overcome true adversity. As team they focused on others in their mist and ignored, or at least minimized, their personal problems. By doing so they endured and overcame hardships that would wilt lessor people. A fantastic read that pulls you into her world at her darkest hours. After reading this book i am sure your own problems will be gretly diminished. I know it put mine into perspective. Thank you Louise, wherever you are.
May 15, 2020
A well written book about the survivors of the WW2 Islanders
I really don't know where to start . I was really thrilled reading this book it was so hard to put down. A group of Americans that just would not give up to the Japs. They lived through trials that was to hard to believe.
I really don't know where to start . I was really thrilled reading this book it was so hard to put down. A group of Americans that just would not give up to the Japs. They lived through trials that was to hard to believe.
January 2, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this most engaging book. Mrs. Spencer brought me to her life and the life shared by millions who were with her. I could feel I was there and almost experiencing that experience day to day as I read. She gives great insightful awareness to the personal plight and sacrifices all who were there experienced. She enlightened me on the exemplary character of the Phillipino people and those expatriots who fought on for years to survive at all costs as well as to fight back against the ruthless invaders of their land at home and abroad. This history allows the reader to come very close to experiencing all of this time and place first hand, just like being there at the same time and place. It is an emotional involvement that is very unique. This book can be and should be taken at all levels. A real must read for generations to come...
November 29, 2022
Good tale and easy read by the author who tells her own story of survival as a guerilla's wife in the mountains of Panay during the Japanese invasion and their brutal occupation of the Philippines. Lots and lots of surprises and interesting details that are not in other similar WW2 books written about the various different guerilla groups on the islands. Her ordeal reminds me of the quote about Ginger Rogers doing everything that Fred Astaire did but in high heels and backwards. As a supplement, John Keats' "They Fought Alone" is a good read about her friend's famous guerilla brother-in-law Wendell Fertig on the neighboring island.
September 16, 2020
Great story
Interesting story about what it would be like to live in the hills and jungles , constantly moving in order to stay one step ahead of the Japs. The author does a credible job but at times goes into too much detail about minor characters etc. The
Also, one must admire her moxey, but she clearly has a high opinion of herself and it appears she embellished her role a bit
Interesting story about what it would be like to live in the hills and jungles , constantly moving in order to stay one step ahead of the Japs. The author does a credible job but at times goes into too much detail about minor characters etc. The
Also, one must admire her moxey, but she clearly has a high opinion of herself and it appears she embellished her role a bit
June 8, 2021
Mission impossible!!
What a story! What spirit!! Such determination! The undaunted lives of the grit of the human spirit
to overcome unheard of challenges. Gutsy, fragile women, who found a strength they never knew they had!
Must read, well written, he prepared to shed a few tears!
What a story! What spirit!! Such determination! The undaunted lives of the grit of the human spirit
to overcome unheard of challenges. Gutsy, fragile women, who found a strength they never knew they had!
Must read, well written, he prepared to shed a few tears!
February 9, 2020
The trials and tribulations of Americans caught in the
Philippines as WW2 began and the Japanese began their occupation and subsequent harassment of any and all Americans who had not submitted to them.
Philippines as WW2 began and the Japanese began their occupation and subsequent harassment of any and all Americans who had not submitted to them.
March 7, 2020
A different view of being caught in a war by a noncombatant
Easy reading that shows a mostly positive outlook and how they coped, unable to get away, while touching on the real stress and strain of war being right next to you.
Easy reading that shows a mostly positive outlook and how they coped, unable to get away, while touching on the real stress and strain of war being right next to you.
April 25, 2020
An interesting glimpse into a dangerous time.
I enjoyed the details of how these refugees were able to survive over two years moving and hiding out. I expected more drama and close calls in their moving and hiding of but generally a good story.
I enjoyed the details of how these refugees were able to survive over two years moving and hiding out. I expected more drama and close calls in their moving and hiding of but generally a good story.
April 26, 2020
Great read
I just couldn’t put this book down I read it almost nonstop sacrifices made by these Americans that were left behind just amazing should be a must read for the younger generation today
I just couldn’t put this book down I read it almost nonstop sacrifices made by these Americans that were left behind just amazing should be a must read for the younger generation today
May 10, 2021
Fabulous
I loved reading this book. It's hard to imagine going thru this. I was on the edge of my seat wondering how Louise and the others would escape the Japanese and live throughout the war. Excellent book for fans of WW2 . It is a great read.
I loved reading this book. It's hard to imagine going thru this. I was on the edge of my seat wondering how Louise and the others would escape the Japanese and live throughout the war. Excellent book for fans of WW2 . It is a great read.
May 8, 2020
One of my favorite books even before I knew the significance of what was going on with these men and women at this place, at this time.
June 20, 2020
Amazing Diary of 2nd WE Philippines
Better than fiction history of survival and the generosity of the And caught in the island and the amazing Philippinos who helped them to live.
Better than fiction history of survival and the generosity of the And caught in the island and the amazing Philippinos who helped them to live.
August 5, 2020
Escape
Interesting story of evasion by American civilians caught in the Philippines in World War 2. Their survival was truly remarkable.
Interesting story of evasion by American civilians caught in the Philippines in World War 2. Their survival was truly remarkable.
April 5, 2021
If one discribes it, it will sound boreing but is far from that. Only a woman could write this. The little details were so boring and soooo terrible and soooo good in the same sentences.😂
March 28, 2020
Unimaginable what they went through. I only wish that she had written an epilogue as to what happened to the two men that they had to leave behind. I sincerely hope that they made it.
October 12, 2020
Interesting, but more of a daily journal than a history of guerrilla operations. Writing style is not particularly engaging. My wife appreciated it more than did I, so boosted it a star. It is a unique insight to living as a guerrilla family after the PI fell To Japan in 1942.
May 18, 2020
A good account of survival during the Japanese occupation.
Louise Spencer provides a detailed account of her experiences while in Japanese occupation of the Philippines and the group she was with.
Louise Spencer provides a detailed account of her experiences while in Japanese occupation of the Philippines and the group she was with.
May 19, 2009
The writing is not great but the story is so compelling. Living in the jungle, moving around all the time to stay ahead of the Japanese, relying on rumor and shaky information, bad food, wild terrain and pregnant on top of it all.
September 13, 2015
I am amazed at her resolution, determination, & perseverance. In the face of such adversity & heartbreak, she still managed to find beauty, hope, & laughter. Beautiful lesson in courage & grit in the worst circumstances. I will want my daughter to read this book when she is older.
April 10, 2017
What an incredible story. I loved hearing about a new perspective of what life was like for some people during war world II. Such strong women and what a group that had a pretty positive attitude throughout the whole ordeal, this book is a hidden gem that could have a movie made about it!
December 12, 2009
Great story(true) that takes place during World War II.
May 12, 2010
Thorne gave me to read. Found in the book 2 articles frm 12/10/41 with maps of the area in the book.
May 9, 2016
First hand account of the trials a young Canadian woman went through in the Philippines during WWII.
December 17, 2016
A rather abrupt ending.
September 16, 2018
A good depiction of war time (WWII) in the South Pacific. Very eye opening to the hardships of the civilian personnel.
June 7, 2020
just ok, felt it was not complete, should have followed up with those left behind, it was like they did not matter
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews