Subject: Solange MacLean - Celebration of Life - Sept 22, 2025

Hi All,

I hope you are having a good summer. I wanted to follow up on details about Solange's Celebration of Life on September 22, 2025.

Following her burial at Arlington National Cemetery, we will have a reception at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in West Falls Church, VA. This is the same church where we celebrated her husband Bill, and her son Mark, and we are grateful to family friend, Mariko, for helping to coordinate this location to celebrate Solange's amazing life.

This celebration will begin at 6pm, and at 6:30pm we have some live musical selections and a few short tributes, followed by time to mingle with family and friends while reminiscing about Solange. We will have light food and, of course, a toast of wine (or other beverage) in honor of Solange - a larger than life and extraordinary woman.

If you are able to attend the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and/or her Celebration of Life at St. Patrick's, we would be most honored to have your attendance. Please understand, however, that we have no expectation for those living out of the area, state, or country to travel for this occasion. Solange's network and influence was far-reaching, and as her family, we feel your love and comfort no matter how far. For those that do live in the area and would like to attend, again, please do not feel that you need to attend both Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) and the Celebration of Life at St. Patrick's Church. We realize it falls on a Monday, and not everyone can take time off work for the ANC ceremony. Your presence in the evening at the Celebration of Life is a treat for us already.

If you do plan to attend one or both ceremonies, please RSVP to cbindac@gmail.com by Monday, September 8th.

Here are all the details about the day, in one place, for your reference:

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY CEREMONY
When: Monday, September 22, 2025 at 2:45pm
Where: Old Post Chapel, Fort Myer, Arlington, VA. Entry to the Fort Myer Base (where the Chapel is located) is via the Hatfield Gate. There will be a security check, so please plan to arrive with time for check-in.
Details: There will be a short chapel ceremony at Old Post Chapel, Fort Myer, Arlington, VA, beginning at 2:45pm.
Following the chapel service, attendees will individually drive their own car to the site of the actual burial, section 70 grave #464, where there will be another short ceremony.

Please Note:
• Attendees should plan to be at Old Post Chapel on the base of Fort Myer 45 minutes prior to the chapel service (in other words, arrive to the Chapel at 2:00pm).
• All Old Post Chapel funeral service attendees will be required to have a valid DoD-accepted identification (such as a Common Access Card, Retiree ID Card, etc.) OR require pre-vetting to gain access to JBMHH and attend an Old Post Chapel service. You can complete the pre-vetting process by visiting https://pass.aie.army.mil/jbmhh/. Failing to complete the pre-vetting process will require funeral attendees to report in person to the JBMHH Visitor Control Center for vetting. The vetting process may be time consuming and it is highly recommended that attendees arrive early.
• Everyone above the age of 18 must have a valid Real ID or Government ID to enter the base, and above age 16 must have a photo ID.
• Entry to the Fort Myer Base (where the Chapel is located) is via the Hatfield Gate. There will be a security check, so please plan to arrive with time for check-in.
• There is parking in front of the Chapel, and to caravan to the gravesite, everyone will drive their own car. If you arrive without a car, please make arrangements to carpool to the gravesite with one of the other attendees.

ST PATRICK'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH - CELEBRATION OF LIFE
When: Monday, September 22, 2025 at 6:00pm
Where: St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, 3241 Brush Dr, Falls Church, VA 22042
Details: At 6:30pm we will have live music and a few speeches. Light food and beverages will be provided.

With Love,
Carinne and Family

Sent: Friday, July 25, 2025 6:51 PM
To: Leopold PANDER

Subject: Re: Self-introduction from a historian interested in Weihsien

Dear Leopold,

Thanks so much for your reply, and for forwarding my initial query to the group. That's an amazing story about how the website came together, and of lugging the bag full of Norman Cliff's notebooks from England to Belgium and back again. I've been fascinated reading around on the website and can only imagine how many hours and days of work you have put into creating and maintaining it.

I wish I had a trip to Europe planned in the near future, because I'd love to pay you a visit if you'd be open to that. If I wind up doing a book on the Weihsien camp I will certainly try to track down the Norman Cliff scrapbooks at the Imperial War Museum, and maybe could find my way to Belgium on the same trip. Failing a visit in person, would you be open to talking on the phone or by Zoom sometime? I'd love to hear more about your work to preserve the memory of the Weihsien camp and connect the community of survivors and their children to each other.

Thanks again, and all best,
Steve

From: Brian Kerry
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2025 11:46 AM
To: Leopold PANDER

Subject: Re: Self-introduction from a historian interested in Weihsien

Good morning Leopold,

I trust you are keeping well.
I saw your email regarding the contact from Stephen Platt. Both my sister, Joyce (94) and I (92) are still here!
I have been in touch with Stephen, and we plan to have a FaceTime or Zoom conversation some time soon.

Kind regards,
Brian

From: LC Thompson
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2025 12:37 PM
To: Leopold PANDER

Subject: Re: FW: Self-introduction from a historian interested in Weihsien

I wasn't an internee.
I'm only a passive reader of Weihsien Paintings but I would hate to see this slice of history disappear from the web. As a result of my interest, I've bought many books featured on the website and written or contributed to Wikipedia articles about interned civilians in the Philippines and China.
Weihsien Paintings is a fabulous website full of the most fascinating recollections of people under stress (to borrow Gilkey's phrase). Keep up the good work! Or if it's too much work, do whatever is needed to keep the website in existence.

Larry Clinton Thompson.

From: pierre.ley@pandora.be Sent: Friday, July 25, 2025 2:57 PM To: 'Leopold PANDER'

Subject: réponse aux futures historiens !

HI there !

Still alive, 85 years old, still many pertinent memories from a child’s point of view …
Also, I am Leopold’s sister (Jeanne Pander) it was lovely to have been able to help him out in his wonderful internet adventure.
Weihsien’s story is a precious time capsule. Thank you to all future Historians !
Janette Ley

From: Leopold PANDER
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2025 9:44 AM
To: 'Leopold PANDER'
Cc: 'stephen.r.platt@gmail.com'

Subject: FW: Self-introduction from a historian interested in Weihsien

Forwarded by:
http://www.weihsien-paintings.org

Dear Maida,

… many thanks for your message.
May I ask: (…) who else ― of our ex-prisoners ― are still alive and well and reading all these messages?
Must I continue sending them to you?
So many questions !!

Best regards,
Leopold

From: Roy Campbell
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2025 6:55 PM
To: Leopold PANDER

Subject: Re: Self-introduction from a historian interested in Weihsien

I am 95 and a survivor of Weihsien internment camp and was 15 years old when we were liberated in 1945

Sent from my iPad

From: Leopold PANDER
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2025 6:15 PM
To: 'Leopold PANDER'
Cc: stephen.r.platt@gmail.com

Subject: RE: Self-introduction from a historian interested in Weihsien

Dear Stephen,

… many thanks for your message and interest for our Weihsien website.

All this website story is really an infinite succession of opportunities. It all started 26 (already) years ago with just a few painting reproductions I wanted to share with a few ex-prisoners chatting on a website called Topica.

Our national TV company (RTBF) had programmed a series of documentaries with old films and interviews about China and a particular documentary that evening showed photos of the Kailan Coal Mines.
Next day, while walking with my dog, I crossed a neighbour (with his dog too) who I knew worked at the RTBF and told him that my dad had a 16 mm film he took at the mines in 1941 just before I was born.
Less than 24 hours later, the whole RTBF-team were at our place to view the film that I had saved two or three years previously on a VHS.
Unfortunately, the original copy of the film (a Kodak black and white film) had the smell of vinegar and was slowly decomposing.
http://weihsien-paintings.org/hanquet/FirstMeeting/Kailan4-1.mp4

They took the film with them and made an expensive restoration in a London laboratory.

They showed the restored movie in a further documentary about China and organised a meeting with “old China Hands” living in Belgium.
Of course, I was invited.
I met a man, Emmanuel Hanquet, who told me: “Hahaha I held you in my arms in Weihsien !!!” I was two and he was over thirty … in 1943.
He was a Roman Catholic Missionary working for the SAM and he now lived just 10 minutes away from my home in Belgium.

For his age, he was very vivid and he told me a lot about our camp life (…) the way a priest can tell it.
(He rubbed out all the bad stuff).

In the meantime, I was receiving painting reproductions and documents from various countries → the USA, England, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
No originals.
All was virtual, of course.
No money and no copyright dues.
Our website is free access and non-profit. (…)

And, as I had a lot of spare time ahead of me ― I learned how to build a website — HTML and all that stuff.

One special opportunity occurred.
I received a message from Norman Cliff who wanted to share all he had about Weihsien but I had to come and get it in England.
So, we went. By train.
The bag was so heavy that we more dragged it than carried it back to the hotel, the train and back home in Belgium.

It took me more than two years to exploit the whole and when we returned it all to Norman, we went by car and across the channel by boat.
Two big IKEA boxes and a special A3 cardboard file for the paintings.

I learned later on that father Hanquet had taught French to Norman when they were in Weihsien.
The learning stopped all of a sudden said Father Hanquet, and he never told me why! I finally got an implicit answer from the website:
http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/NormanCliff/Aftermath/GordonMartin/p_GordonMartin.html

They exchanged many letters from thereon and both continued their missionary work in China. Then, Father Hanquet died and so did Norman Cliff a few years later.

And now, most of the ex-prisoners who contributed to this website are dead. Only the ex-babies are left. We are well over our eighties (and nineties) but honestly ― we don’t remember Weihsien as well as the grown-ups could.

Dear Stefan. You ask for the “original documents”? Norman’s papers ― I have been told ― are at the Imperial War Museum in London.
All the rest are family possessions and as time passes the contacts disappear.
New contacts and new stories about Weihsien are practically non-existent now.
I know that diaries still exist but, even nowadays, people want to “forget”. I must understand that.

As for my website, there is a backup copy of it at the IWM in London. All won’t be lost forever.

… bien amicalement,
Leopold

From: Nicholas Kitto
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2025 10:29 AM
To: stephen.r.platt@gmail.com
Cc: Leopold PANDER

Subject: Re: Self-introduction from a historian interested in Weihsien

Hello Steve,

Your name in the email forwarded by Leopold immediately jumped out at me as I have read two of your books, Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom and Imperial Twilight, and enjoyed both very much.

Two of my great-great uncles (William May Howell and Lionel Harrington Howell) and their respective wives were both interned at Weihsien. Unfortunately, William (or Willie as he was generally called) didn’t make it through as he died on Christmas Day, 1944. And his younger brother, Lionel, never fully recovered from his experience there. But I mention this only to explain my interest in the Camp’s history.

While I would be unable to assist your research in any meaningful way, if you were to develop such into a book, I do have several high-res’ photos of the camp as it is, or at least was, if not today then certainly recently. I took these in April 2016 as part of my project to photograph the surviving Western-influenced buildings in China’s former treaty ports. And, of course, you would be welcome to use any of these photos should you so wish.

I am also in regular contact with one of Lionel’s granddaughters and know she has a few mementos and stories from her grandparents’ time there.

Best regards,
Nick

Nicholas Kitto ARPS
Hong Kong
tel. +852 94692584
Photographing Heritage
Book: https://www.treatyports.photos
https://www.nicholaskitto.com

From: Stephen R. Platt
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 6:48 PM
To: weihsien@proximus.be

Subject: Self-introduction from a historian interested in Weihsien

Dear Leopold,

My name is Stephen Platt, and I am a historian of China at the University of Massachusetts in the United States. I recently learned about the Weihsien Internment Camp from Jonathan Wright (son of Arthur and Mary), who lives in the same town as me and reached out because he knows that my most recent book was about an American in China in WWII. We also have a connection because his mother, Mary Wright, was the teacher of historian Jonathan Spence, who was in turn my PhD supervisor, so in a sense she was my grand-teacher.

After talking with Jonathan about his parents' experiences at Weihsien, and then talking with Anthony Hamins about those of his own parents, I am starting to think about doing further research with an eye towards possibly writing a book about the internment camp in the future. Both Jonathan and Anthony said I should contact you, as the curator of the weihsien-paintings website -- they said you would know more about the community of former internees and their children than anyone.

I have been greatly enjoying reading around on the website, which is an absolutely magnificent collection of historical sources and reminiscences. I've also been reading the published accounts of the camp (Shantung Compound, Chinese Escapade, etc.) and am curious how many of the survivors of the camp are still alive. I am also curious where the originals of some of the documents excerpted on the website might be (such Normal Cliff's scrapbooks) -- whether they are in libraries, or in the possession of individual family members. I don't know if these are questions you can answer, but either way I wanted to get in touch, and to thank you for collecting such a touching, poignant, and vast collection of sources relating to the camp and its survivors. It really is a wonderful commemoration of the camp's existence, and of the experiences of those who were interned there.

All best,
Steve

From: Leopold PANDER
Sent: Thursday, July 3, 2025 10:04 AM
To: contact@extreme-orientalisme.com

Subject: RE: About Artists and Weihsien

Forwarded by:
http://www.weihsien-paintings.org

Many thanks for contacting our free access and nonprofit website.

With your permission I will gladly add these beautiful “aquarelles” to our website. Just give me time to do it.
… bien amicalement,
Léopold

GoTo:
http://weihsien-paintings.org/KatharineJowett/Grid/index.php

――――――――――――――――――――――――

From: contact@extreme-orientalisme.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 2, 2025 4:56 PM
To: weihsien@proximus.be

Subject: About Artists and Weihsien

Dear Sir,

I've just discovered your website about Weihsien, which includes an "artists" section. I'd like to give you some information about Katharine Jowett, an artist known for her works of Beijing around 1930, but who also produced some watercolors of the Weihsien camp where she was imprisoned. You can find this information on the website I created:
https://far-orientalism.com/collection/jowett-katharine.html

I hope this will add to your very interesting collection.

Jacques Dumasy
jdumasy@gmail.com

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