Iliff David Richardson
Encyclopedia
Iliff David "Rich" Richardson (April 9, 1918, Denver, Colorado - October 10, 2001, Houston Texas) was simultaneously a US Navy Ensign
and a US Army Major whilst fighting with the Philippine resistance during World War II. He recounted his exploits to author Ira Wolfert
, who published them in the book American Guerrilla in the Philippines in 1945. A character based on Richardson was played by Tyrone Power
in the 1950 film of the same name
.
Iliff studied at Compton Junior College, then travelled through Europe, the Near and Middle East, returning to the US after the fall of France in World War II
.
in the US Navy and was posted to the USS Bittern
, a minesweeper
in the Philippines
. He later transferred to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three
, commanded by John D. Bulkeley
. Richardson was the executive officer of PT 34
. After it was sunk by the Japanese, Richardson served with the Army, setting off demolition
charges in Cebu City
.
Richardson and a dozen Americans attempted to sail a native outrigger
to Australia, but the boat was sunk in a storm. Richardson swam for 24 hours to the island of Mindanao
, where he was chased by the Japanese. The men eventually joined the Philippine guerrilla forces. Richardson, a former ham radio operator, set up a radio network to keep the various bands in touch with each other and Allied forces in Australia. For his work, Richardson was made a US Army Intelligence
major by General Douglas MacArthur
, holding commissions in the army and navy simultaneously.
-winning war correspondent and author Ira Wolfert of the North American Newspaper Alliance. Wolfert turned it into a book, An American Guerrilla in the Philippines, which became both a Book-of-the-Month Club selection and a condensed book in the March 1945 Readers Digest. Darryl F. Zanuck
of 20th Century Fox
bought the film rights and had Lamar Trotti write a screenplay by August 1945. The end of the war led Zanuck to shelve all films with a World War II theme. It was eventually made five years after the end of the war. The name of the central character was changed to "Chuck Palmer" and he was given a fictional love-interest for dramatic purposes.
for several Hollywood films.
Richardson also attempted to manufacture and sell a single shot slamfire
"Philippine Guerrilla Gun" shotgun
through his Richardson Industries in New Haven, Connecticut
, that he set up in 1946. With a wide variety of shotguns brought back from Europe and American manufactured weapons, it did not sell very well. Thomas F. Swearingen noted in his book World's Fighting Shotguns, "The American market would not tolerate such a primitive firearm, even as a curio."
Many years later, Richardson told a meeting of Eagle Scout
s that he learned how to live as a guerrilla through his days in Los Angeles Boy Scout Troop 92.
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
and a US Army Major whilst fighting with the Philippine resistance during World War II. He recounted his exploits to author Ira Wolfert
Ira Wolfert
Ira Wolfert was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent and writer.He was born and grew up in New York City. In 1930, he graduated from the Columbia University School of Journalism with a bachelors degree....
, who published them in the book American Guerrilla in the Philippines in 1945. A character based on Richardson was played by Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
in the 1950 film of the same name
American Guerrilla in the Philippines
American Guerrilla in the Philippines is a 1950 war film starring Tyrone Power as a U.S. Navy ensign stranded by the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II...
.
Early life
Richardson was the only surviving child of Methodist Minister Royal Richardson, who died when Iliff was three years old. His mother Velma Weston Richardson taught Latin and music and raised Iliff in a variety of Colorado towns and her father's Nebraska ranch. After his death, the Richardsons went to live in Los Angeles.Iliff studied at Compton Junior College, then travelled through Europe, the Near and Middle East, returning to the US after the fall of France in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Wartime career
In 1940 he was commissioned an EnsignEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the US Navy and was posted to the USS Bittern
USS Bittern (AM-36)
USS Bittern was a in the United States Navy. She was named after the bittern, a bird of the heron family.Bittern was launched 15 February 1919 by Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co., Mobile, Alabama; sponsored by Mrs. C. R. Doll; and commissioned 28 May 1919, Lieutenant W. P. Bachmann in command...
, a minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. He later transferred to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three was a United States Navy squadron based at Cavite, Philippines, from September 1941 to mid-April 1942. It was commanded by then-Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley and made up of six motor torpedo boats: PT 31, PT 32, PT 33, PT 34, PT 35, and PT 41, the last as the...
, commanded by John D. Bulkeley
John D. Bulkeley
John Duncan Bulkeley was a Vice Admiral in United States Navy and was one of the most decorated naval officers. Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II...
. Richardson was the executive officer of PT 34
PT 34
Motor Torpedo Boat PT-34 was a commissioned on 12 July 1941.The commander of PT-34 was Ltjg. Robert B. Kelly, the executive officer of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, based in the Philippines from late 1941 through April 1942....
. After it was sunk by the Japanese, Richardson served with the Army, setting off demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
charges in Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
.
Richardson and a dozen Americans attempted to sail a native outrigger
Outrigger
An outrigger is a part of a boat's rigging which is rigid and extends beyond the side or gunwale of a boat.In an outrigger canoe and in sailboats such as the proa, an outrigger is a thin, long, solid, hull used to stabilise an inherently unstable main hull. The outrigger is positioned rigidly and...
to Australia, but the boat was sunk in a storm. Richardson swam for 24 hours to the island of Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, where he was chased by the Japanese. The men eventually joined the Philippine guerrilla forces. Richardson, a former ham radio operator, set up a radio network to keep the various bands in touch with each other and Allied forces in Australia. For his work, Richardson was made a US Army Intelligence
Army Intelligence
Army Intelligence may refer to:* The intelligence component of a given nation's army.* In the United States, Army Intelligence is usually referred to as Military Intelligence .-Further reading:...
major by General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, holding commissions in the army and navy simultaneously.
Memoirs
After the liberation of the Philippines, Richardson transcribed his memoirs to Pulitzer PrizePulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning war correspondent and author Ira Wolfert of the North American Newspaper Alliance. Wolfert turned it into a book, An American Guerrilla in the Philippines, which became both a Book-of-the-Month Club selection and a condensed book in the March 1945 Readers Digest. Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
bought the film rights and had Lamar Trotti write a screenplay by August 1945. The end of the war led Zanuck to shelve all films with a World War II theme. It was eventually made five years after the end of the war. The name of the central character was changed to "Chuck Palmer" and he was given a fictional love-interest for dramatic purposes.
Post-war career
Following the war, Richardson married Coma Noel and lived in Houston, Texas, where he worked as a business executive, life insurance salesman and a consultant, as well as acting as technical advisorTechnical advisor
A technical advisor is an individual who is expert in a particular field of knowledge, hired to provide detailed information and advice to people working in that field...
for several Hollywood films.
Richardson also attempted to manufacture and sell a single shot slamfire
Slamfire
A slamfire is a premature, unintended discharge of a firearm that occurs as a round is being loaded into the chamber. Slamfires are most common in military firearms that have a free-floating firing pin, as opposed to a spring-loaded one...
"Philippine Guerrilla Gun" shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
through his Richardson Industries in New Haven, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, that he set up in 1946. With a wide variety of shotguns brought back from Europe and American manufactured weapons, it did not sell very well. Thomas F. Swearingen noted in his book World's Fighting Shotguns, "The American market would not tolerate such a primitive firearm, even as a curio."
Many years later, Richardson told a meeting of Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
s that he learned how to live as a guerrilla through his days in Los Angeles Boy Scout Troop 92.