| Battery Ramsey | 3 x 6” Coast Artillery Guns |
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Corregidor Travel Diary
by Allan Kelly
Thursday 19 March
We took part in the obligatory guided tour once off the boat. The highlight of this was meeting a Japanese navy veteran who had served in China, but whose younger brother and friend had died on Corregidor. Up on Topside Dad and I had a look at the ruins of the married quarters behind the HQ building. After the tour, which didn’t cover anything new apart from the old Spanish fort and a nearby Fort Mills building, we went for a walk west along the beach at South Dock, and in the cliffs there found two concrete installations. One was a shaft, and the other was a bunker suitable for housing anti-boat guns. On the way back to the hotel we saw an unexploded 240mm shell in the grass.Friday 20 March
The day’s exploration kicked off with the cold storage plant and powerhouse followed by a trip up a trail following the old trolley track and road. There were small ruins off to the left at the beginning of the trail. We emerged on the dirt road below Middleside Barracks and it was in this vicinity that the old Philippine Scouts barrio existed. Dad explored a large concrete building (warehouse?) below the road while Mum and I looked over foundations including those apparently of an office. We continued along a road off to the right.Battery Morrison
(2 6” coast artillery guns), first encountering the battery commander’s position. Substantially underground, this is in good condition, apart from the aboveground portion which had been collapsed by shelling or bombing. Here we had our first sighting of the giant geckos (about 200-250mm) that live in these underground shelters. Both of Morrison’s guns are present, plus a spare barrel lying on the ground at the entrance to the battery. From Morrison we followed a trail to Battery James, and about halfway along there is a building which may have been a radio point, or battery point – we found smashed acid bottles, a thermometer, a tracer bullet, and parts of batteries.Battery James
Four 75mm anti-aircraft guns, but these are no longer here. The number 2 gun position has been destroyed by shelling/bombing. We then descended along the gravel road into James Ravine, finding the infamous Japanese pillbox at the hairpin. It has a pedestal mount for a heavy machine gun. At the bottom there is an old concrete water tank, and a pumping station. A trail leads down to the beach and there is a cave entrance about two metres above the beach in the cliff to the right. The cave roof has collapsed about five metres from the entrance.We returned to the Battery Morrison road junction (a long haul up out of the ravine and then relatively flat for about two km) – along the way there is a long, roofless concrete building resembling a garage, set back into the hillside. We set off into the jungle at the RJ in a vain search for Battery Chicago, and quickly found an old road or trolley line. Steps lead up to a compressor station, then stretching off to the east is a huge fuel reservoir and foundations for oil tanks. Downhill from the extremity of these is a large concrete building (probably a magazine) which has been extensively gutted (to the point where the supporting pillars are no longer there). Heading back west along the old trolley line we found four ordnance stores and a small heavily damaged building before ending up back at the warehouse that Dad had explored earlier in the day.
Saturday 21 March
We set off this morning along a road above the south beach. The road quickly deteriorated to a small walking trail, and after a short time we turned right uphill along another trail, and emerged at the Fort Mills incinerator. Nearby were the remains of stables.
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From Ramsey we headed back down past the incinerator, following a road which deteriorated into a crude trail. Along here we found a water tank, evidence of other concrete structures, Japanese caves, and an American pillbox. When the trail ended at a thick clump of bamboo, we back-tracked a few metres, and scrambled up the steep hillside, emerging at Battery Crockett (which we saw on the first day).
Sunday 22 March
We kicked off at Topside this morning, having been given a lift up the hill, and first had a look through the cinema, then the HQ building which still has a safe in one of the rooms. A trip through the married quarters opposite led us to the bottom of the parade ground and we cut across to Topside Barracks, then turned left and headed down past the remains of the Quartermasters Corp HQ and the ordnance repair shop.Battery Grubbs
(2 12” disappearing rifles). The battery commander’s position is relatively intact despite it being above ground. It seems that the Japanese defenders in 1945 established themselves here, as many of the shell rooms had been fortified with dirt-filled fuel drums. From Grubbs we walked along the road, then along a trail to a concrete tunnel leading to Battery Smith.
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Battery Sunset
(4 x 155mm guns these were mobile, and are not here now), then a little further on, after taking the left fork in the trail.Battery Hanna
(2 75mm antiaircraft guns). There was a nice view out over the bay here, and below was a small island that appeared once to have had military installations on it. Inside the battery’s splinter-proof shelter someone has dug a deep shaft. Further along the trail is a single 75mm gun position that is not mentioned on any of the maps we have. Neither Hanna nor this position has their guns now. We then returned to the intersection in the trail and headed off towards Rock Point.The Rock Point tunnel
An extensive Japanese construction, is impressively large, with three entrances (one has caved in). Not so impressive is the “Beach Sentry Position” which is a concrete sentry box at the bottom of a steep trail. I will long remember the formidable climb back to the main trail.Battery Rock Point
Two bomb-proof shelters revealed the location of Battery Rock Point (4 155mm guns – these were mobile, and the guns are not here now) although all that remains now is a few chunks of concrete and other debris among the craters.From the battery position we retraced our steps to the sealed road, and made our way past the old Commissary to the Hospital. Here there are still tiles on some of the floors and walls and even signs admonishing patients to turn off the taps, and wash their hands. By now it was late afternoon and time to head back to the comfort of the hotel – cold air and cold beer after a shower to remove the day’s grime. Along the trail down the hill we saw more ruins (the NCO quarters) and the entrance to the Japanese Middleside Tunnel. These were ear-marked for future exploration.
Monday 23 March
Today we explored Batteries Wheeler and Cheney, which included Wheeler Tunnel. This was most impressive, being constructed on two levels. Part of the original tunnel had been collapsed by the bombing/shelling and a new one had been carved to join the two levels. It also appeared as though some sort of crawlway/escape tunnel had been dug – we didn’t follow that one. I exited the tunnel by climbing up one of the ventilation shafts. There was also another tunnel through the ridge, downhill from Wheeler. We searched unsuccessfully for Batteries Flint and Monja, and elected not to seek Battery Boston.Lunch was at Middleside near the YMCA, and while Mum did some painting, Dad and I set out to explore the Japanese Middleside tunnel. It went some 150m into the hill, in parallel tunnels that joined near the entrance and at the rear. In the left-hand tunnel there was evidence of a fierce fire where some sort of stored material had burned and melted. After the tunnel, Dad and I continued our exploration, forcing our way through thick scrub to check out a line of buildings – the SNCO quarters. One of the buildings had had a safe, and there were washtubs and so on.
After rejoining Mum we headed over to show Dad Battery Ramsay (three 6” guns). From there we returned to the hotel via the hibiscus trail, checking out more buildings on the way, including one which had a safe in it with the inner door still attached. We also diverted through the “village” to have a look at the remains of the old Spanish fort, a large American building and an observation post that looked out over South Dock.
Tuesday 24 March
This morning we hiked up Malinta Hill, which wasn’t particularly challenging, although the sections where we had to pull ourselves up along the ropes were interesting and fun. There was debris all the way up the trail, and at the top we found three observation posts, a solid latrine, the No 8 searchlight tunnel, an emplacement for the 1.1” quad pom-pom and an underground shelter. Back down to the road, and we hitched a lift to the airstrip (Kindley Field). Nearby are a bombproof shelter and a twin75mm or 3” gun position.On the walk back to the hotel we stopped off to have a look at the Monkey Point tunnel, said to be inhabited by poisonous snakes, and definitely guarded by sharp thorn bushes. Nearby was a concrete pad, presumably for a 155mm gun.
Next was a search for Water Tank Hill and Battery Denver, and while Ma and Pa went along the road, I elected to head up the hill. I ended up doing some unscheduled exploration during the course of which I visited a beach, travelled along overgrown pre-war roads and passed by the ruins of Fort Mills buildings. Ultimately I emerged at the Filipino Memorial, after scaling a sheer cliff, and rejoined Mum and Dad. To add insult to injury, I didn’t find the Battery.
Before dinner we were given a tour of the other parts of Malinta Tunnel, including the hospital laterals, MacArthur’s escape tunnel, and some huge fuel storage tanks.
Wednesday 25 March
This was our last day and Dad and I visited the local Admin. Office this morning. The local chief of security showed us some ruins nearby, up behind the cold storage building. These included a water tank, ammo bunker, US twin gun position and a Japanese 75mm DP gun.Just before lunch we headed off to Morrison Hill, and aided by the maps we’d been shown, we were able to follow a compass bearing to the elusive Battery Chicago, finding the underground shelter, two of the gun positions and numerous defensive positions. There was an observation post with “C-60th SEC 1941” engraved in the concrete.
All in all it had been a great trip, with plenty of discoveries. One thing we learnt was that there is still a lot more to see.
