Willemstad Times
By: Rebecca Watley
The boy who survived on a Cay alone
Now lets hear the true story about what happened to this boy.....
WT: How did you get on the island in the first place?
Phillip: Well, when we were in Curacao, we got torpedoed by the Germans.
WT: What do you think the cause was for you going blind?
Phillip: Me and my friend Timothy, think it was when we got torpedoed or on the island I looked at the sun for for long.
WT: When you found out you were blind, what were some of the thoughts going through your head?
Phillip: Well at first I got really discouraged and I didnt think I could be able to acheive anything. But like the coconut tree helped me get my strenghth back!
WT: Were you good friends with Tiomthy?
Phillip: Yes, I was very dependent on Timothy when I turned blind. He would always be the one to go get the food, make the shelter, and hunt for drinks. Timothy knew how to survive on a forgoten Cay!
WT: Can you please tell me your stradgies to getting off this Cay alvie?
Phillip: Before Timothy died, Timothy and I really worked together on these kinds of things. He built a fire for the aircrafts above to see the smoke. Me and Timothy also made the word "HELP" in the sand with rocks.
WT: Did your mom ever warn you about the black people?
Phillip: Yes! My mom would always say, 'they live differently, they talk differently, and they eat differently." So when I found out Timothy was black, I was just a little worried because my mom always warned me.
WT: Do you think you would ever want to go back to the Devils Mouth to see Timothy's grave?
Phillip: Yes, that would be such a great moment if I got to do that! Timothy was pretty much the reason why I got off that Cay alive. He means the world to me.
WT: Did it feel good to talk to those black people back in Curacao on the dock?
Phillip: Yes, it really touched my heart to talk to those people. They reminded me of Timothy.
WT: Can you tell me about your experience on this island?
Phillip: Yes, sometimes I enjoyed being there on the island with Timothy. We had good times and bad times with each other. I hope he is doing good back in the Devils Mouth:)
WT: Why do you think at the begining of the story Timothy wasnet that bright?
Phillip: Because, my mom always said that black people arent the smartest people. I also didnt think he really knew how to spell. He was an orphan and he really didnt know who his parents were.
Timothy's Obituary
National News (World War 2)
World War 2:
August 7: U.S. troops landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi and seized control of Japanese occupied territory for the first time. During August 1942, some 75,000 Jews from the Polish city of Lvov were murdered at the Belzec death camp. August 12: Winston Churchill arrives in Moscow for a summit with Joseph Stalin, who will be disappointed with Churchill's assertion that U.S. and British forces will concentrate on driving Erwin Rommel out of North Africa rather than relieving the pressure on the Soviets with a second European front. August 19: A racing pigeon named Tommy finds its way back to England from the Netherlands. It carries a message from the Dutch resistance that reveals the location of an important U-boat base. August 21: The Nazi swastika is planted at the 18,500-foot summit of Mt. Elbrus in the Soviet Caucasus Mountains. August 22: In the past two weeks, some 75,000 Jews from the Polish city of Lvov have been murdered at the Belzec death camp.