Gordon Seagrave
Encyclopedia
Gordon Stifler Seagrave born 18 Mar 1897 in Yangon
, Myanmar
; he died March 1965 in Redlands, CA. His parents were American Baptist
missionaries Rev. Albert Ernest Seagrave and Alice Vinton. Seagrave followed their path and became a missionary and medical doctor in Burma. He was sometimes referred to by the title of his book, "Burma Surgeon", or as Gordon Surgeon Seagrave. His first language as a boy was Karen
.http://genforum.genealogy.com/seagrave/messages/436.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1iMZeK4aH0&t=29m29s
He was married on 11 Sep 1920 to Marion Grace "Tiny" Morse. They had 4 children: Leslie Mae, b. 1921 in Baltimore, MD; Weston M.; John H.; and Sterling V.
The latter is a journalist and author of "The Soong Dynasty" and "Lords of the Rim".
Seagrave graduated from Denison University
in 1917 and Johns Hopkins University
in 1921. He practiced medicine and surgery on the China border of Burma for nearly 20 years. He joined the US Army Medical Corps in 1942, worked with Gen. Joseph Stilwell
and served with the Chinese New 6th Army
through the Burma Campaign
in the China-Burma-India Theater. He helped Stillwell's walking retreat into India
in 1941.http://www.worldwar2history.info/Burma/Road.html He walked back in to work in 1945. He served as chief medical officer for the Shan State
s of Burma with the British military government from 1945-46.http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675033599_General-Joseph-Stilwell_Gordon-Seagrave_Naga-hills_Fiji-soldier-on-a-radio
He was arrested and charged with treason by the newly-independent Burmese government in 1950.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,821364,00.html He choose to stand trial rather than be perceived as fleeing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1iMZeK4aH0&t=26m44s He was sentenced in January 1951 to six years at hard labor, on charges that he wrote a letter that helped Karen
rebels arrest a government commissioner, and that he gave medical help to the Karen rebels. The sentence was later reduced to six months, and in November 1951 the verdict was overturned by Burma's three-man Supreme Court and he was declared not guilty. He suffered dysentery and malaria in part from his time in jail.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,821447,00.htmlhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,857040,00.html
Seagrave wrote six books: "Waste Basket Surgery" 1930 (ISBN B00085KS2C); "Tales of a Waste Basket Surgeon" 1939/1942 (ISBN B000N2D88Q); "Burma Surgeon" 1943 (ISBN 9780103000664); "Adventure in Burma told in pictures" 1944 (ISBN B0007F3I5C); "Burma Surgeon Returns" 1946 (ISBN B0007DM8VY); and "My Hospital in the Hills" 1955 (ISBN B0007DN35Y); and he co-authored "The life of a Burma Surgeon" with Chester Bowles 1961 (ISBN B0007E0X1A).
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
; he died March 1965 in Redlands, CA. His parents were American Baptist
American Baptist
American Baptist may refer to:* American Baptist Association* American Baptist Churches USA* Baptist who is an American...
missionaries Rev. Albert Ernest Seagrave and Alice Vinton. Seagrave followed their path and became a missionary and medical doctor in Burma. He was sometimes referred to by the title of his book, "Burma Surgeon", or as Gordon Surgeon Seagrave. His first language as a boy was Karen
Karen languages
The Karen languages are tonal languages spoken by some three million Karen people. They are of unclear affiliation within the Tibeto-Burman languages. The Karen languages are written using the Burmese script. The three main branches are Sgaw, Pwo, and Pa'o. Karenni and Kayan are related to the...
.http://genforum.genealogy.com/seagrave/messages/436.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1iMZeK4aH0&t=29m29s
He was married on 11 Sep 1920 to Marion Grace "Tiny" Morse. They had 4 children: Leslie Mae, b. 1921 in Baltimore, MD; Weston M.; John H.; and Sterling V.
Sterling Seagrave
Sterling Seagrave is author of The Soong Dynasty, The Marcos Dynasty, Gold Warriors and numerous other books which address unofficial and clandestine aspects of 20th Century political history of the countries in the Far East....
The latter is a journalist and author of "The Soong Dynasty" and "Lords of the Rim".
Seagrave graduated from Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
in 1917 and Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in 1921. He practiced medicine and surgery on the China border of Burma for nearly 20 years. He joined the US Army Medical Corps in 1942, worked with Gen. Joseph Stilwell
Joseph Stilwell
General Joseph Warren Stilwell was a United States Army four-star General known for service in the China Burma India Theater. His caustic personality was reflected in the nickname "Vinegar Joe"...
and served with the Chinese New 6th Army
New 6th Army
New 6th Army was a Chinese combat command involved in the Burma Campaign of World War II, and later, the Chinese Civil War.They operated in the Shan States and the Karen State of eastern Burma...
through the Burma Campaign
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
in the China-Burma-India Theater. He helped Stillwell's walking retreat into India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1941.http://www.worldwar2history.info/Burma/Road.html He walked back in to work in 1945. He served as chief medical officer for the Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
s of Burma with the British military government from 1945-46.http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675033599_General-Joseph-Stilwell_Gordon-Seagrave_Naga-hills_Fiji-soldier-on-a-radio
He was arrested and charged with treason by the newly-independent Burmese government in 1950.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,821364,00.html He choose to stand trial rather than be perceived as fleeing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1iMZeK4aH0&t=26m44s He was sentenced in January 1951 to six years at hard labor, on charges that he wrote a letter that helped Karen
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
rebels arrest a government commissioner, and that he gave medical help to the Karen rebels. The sentence was later reduced to six months, and in November 1951 the verdict was overturned by Burma's three-man Supreme Court and he was declared not guilty. He suffered dysentery and malaria in part from his time in jail.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,821447,00.htmlhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,857040,00.html
Seagrave wrote six books: "Waste Basket Surgery" 1930 (ISBN B00085KS2C); "Tales of a Waste Basket Surgeon" 1939/1942 (ISBN B000N2D88Q); "Burma Surgeon" 1943 (ISBN 9780103000664); "Adventure in Burma told in pictures" 1944 (ISBN B0007F3I5C); "Burma Surgeon Returns" 1946 (ISBN B0007DM8VY); and "My Hospital in the Hills" 1955 (ISBN B0007DN35Y); and he co-authored "The life of a Burma Surgeon" with Chester Bowles 1961 (ISBN B0007E0X1A).
External links
- Burma, Buddhism, Neutralism CIA Archives, 1957 film