CORREGIDOR’S NAME

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 May 1942, Page 3

CORREGIDOR’S NAME

INTERESTING LEGEND

The story of how Corregidor got its name was given in an interview by Mr Clark Lee, of the Associated Press Agency, one of three American war correspondents now in Wellington. It is named, he said, as the result of a Ideal myth or legend. Facts may have been distorted with the passage of years, as the tale comes from the early days of the Spanish occupation of the Philippines, perhaps as far back as 1600. The legend is that a priest eloped with a nun, and were pursued by the “corregidor” or alder-* man, a title which has dropped out of, Spanish nomenclature for some half-'j century. It was a title that was form- ■ erly applied to an “alcade” who was given such a position because he displayed more than the ordinary attri-

butes for maintaining order and good {conduct. It was the righteous action of this officer at the spot which gave. the settlement its name. In support of the ancient tale two islands just: off Batan are still named “Fraile” I (priest) and “Monja” (nun), while the names Maravales and Maria j Velez, participants in the ancient i scandal, are given to two islands in; the vicinity. Corregidor lies about two miles from the entrance to Manila Bay. The island is on three levels, and reaches a height of about 850 feet above the sea, said Mr Lee. From the I beach and docks the ground rises to the middle of the island, where there is a small flat area, while at the back there is a big hill. Into this the main tunnel reaches about a quarter of a mile, and off that there are lateral i tunnels, which were used as hos-' pitals, and for quartermasters’ stores, etc. In the same hill there are 13

I supplementary tunnels, which were {used for military and naval supplies ; and other purposes. The fortifications iwere started some 30 years ago, and ! everything was underground except I the water supply, which being exposed, came in for heavy enemy aerial | and artillery attacks. The rock is not 1 limestone, it is very hard, and this ; made excavation the more difficult. One of the chief difficulties of the garrison was observation, as after. the capture of Batan the fortress was under the Japanese guns from two sides. - A shortage of medical stores was a great drawback. As many as' 13 raids a day were made by the Japanese, but owing to the buried quarters of the garrison, the damage was small.