Florence Finch (1915-2016) risked her own safety to bring aid to American forces imprisoned by the Japanese during World War II.
Florence Finch (1915-2016) risked her own safety to bring aid to American forces imprisoned by the Japanese during World War II.
This month, we’re highlighting Women of Resistance. Whether fighting tyranny, oppression, sexism, racism, reproductive control, or any number of other ills, these women created paths for change.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
All month, we’re highlighting women who led extraordinary lives of resistance. Whether fighting tyranny, oppression, sexism, racism, or reproductive control, these women created paths for change.
Today, we’re talking about a woman who risked her own safety to bring aid to American forces imprisoned by the Japanese during World War II. Let’s talk about Florence Finch.
Florence was born on October 11, 1915 in the Philippines. Her mother was Filipino. Her father was an American – he fought in the Philippines during the Spanish American war, and stayed after the war ended. When Florence was growing up, the United States had colonial power over the Philippines.
After Florence graduated high school, she began work in Manila, at the U.S. Army Intelligence Headquarters. She was a stenographer. There, she met Charles E. Smith, a chief electrician’s mate in the Navy. In the summer of 1941, they were married.
Four months later, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor - and America entered the Second World War. On January 2, 1942, the city of Manila fell to Japanese forces. The occupying army began rounding up American citizens, putting them in prisoner-of-war camps.
Meanwhile, Florence’s husband Charles reported for duty. He ferried supplies by boat to stranded American and Filipino troops. During one of these trips, Charles’s boat was hit by Japanese forces, and he was killed in action. Florence became a widow after only six months of marriage.
Florence continued living in Manila, under Japanese occupation. She hid the fact that she was an American citizen, and started working at the Philippine Liquid Fuel Distributing Union. On paper, her job was to help the Japanese distribute gasoline, diesel fuel, and oil.
But Florence had other plans. She began diverting fuel supplies to the underground resistance -- sometimes up to 250 gallons of fuel a week. She also sabotaged shipments meant for Japanese troops.
Then, Florence reconnected with her boss from the US Army Intelligence Headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel Engelhart. The Japanese had imprisoned him in a POW camp, along with thousands of other Americans. He told her about the dire living conditions in the camps: ,there were often severe food shortages , and there wasn’t enough medicine, soap or clothing. So Florence began smuggling supplies to the prisoners, often using her own money to do so.
In October of 1944, Florence was caught and arrested. Japanese troops imprisoned her in a two-by-four foot cell. It was so small there wasn’t enough room for her to stand up. Florence had to spend her days squatting. She was given just one bowl of rice gruel a day.
During this time, Florence was repeatedly interrogated. Her interrogators would attach metal clamps to her fingers and repeatedly deliver electric shocks during questioning. Despite this torture, Florence never revealed any information.
Florence was sentenced to three years of hard labor at the Women’s Correctional Institution, right outside Manila. She was there for months. When American forces freed Florence in February 1945, she weighed just 80 pounds.
Soon afterward, Florence moved to Buffalo, New York, where her aunt lived. There, she joined the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s reserve – which she said was to “avenge the death of my husband.”
After World War II ended, Florence left the Coast Guard and enrolled in secretarial school. She married Robert Finch, a U.S. veteran, and together they moved to Ithaca and had two children. Florence worked as a secretary at Cornell University.
Her time in the war earned her important accolades. She was one of the first women to receive the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon. And in 1947, she received the Medal of Freedom. But, for decades, no one but her close friends and family even knew that she was a decorated war hero. Her daughter, Betty Murphy, later said: “Women don’t tell war stories like men do.”
That changed in the early 1990s, when the Coast Guard sent out a survey to women in military service. When they read Florence’s story, they were blown away. And in 1995, the Coast Guard named a new building in Hawaii after her.
Florence died on December 8, 2016, at the age of 101.
All month, we’ve learned about women of resistance. Join us on Monday as we start a new month, highlighting some of our favorite episodes featuring villains, troublemakers, magic, and mystery in honor of October.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you Monday!