Bill reports that everyone is suffering a hangover. The previous night they attended a celebration put on by the towns people1 for the US Troops. He notes he received the programme from that year’s “School Nite” (at U of T), and then he becomes philosophical. I think it’s a hard time of year for him, and maybe battle is wearing on him, although it is unclear what action he has seen, he can’t be completely oblivious to the events around him.
- On December 25, 1944, the 8th Cavalry Regiment, part of the 1st Cavalry Division, was engaged in operations on Samar Island in the Philippines. After landing on Leyte Island on October 20, 1944, the regiment advanced through Leyte and moved to Samar in early December. By December 5, they were ordered to seize the town of Wright, capturing it on December 13. Subsequent operations led to the capture of Catbalogan and Taft by December 21, effectively concluding the campaign on Samar. In the Leyte and Samar regions, larger towns such as Tacloban and Catbalogan may have had Evangelical congregations or mission stations by 1944, though detailed records from that era are limited. ↩︎