A statue was erected in Nanjing onTuesday in honor ofReverendJohn Magee, an American Episcopal priest, best known for his work in Nanking as a missionary, and for the films and pictures he took during the Nanking Massacre. He is also credited with saving thousands of lives throughout the event.
Chris Magee, grandson of John Magee, traveled all the way from the USA to attend the launch ceremony of the statue which is erected at the No. 12 Middle School of Nanjing, the successor of a former school founded by John Magee. Five old buildings built in the republican days have remained intact inside the campus of the No. 12 Middle School to serve as the evidence of John Magee’s efforts during the founding of the school.
In 1918, Reverend Magee started Yizhi Primary School which laid a solid foundation for the education of Xiaguan area of Nanjing.
John Magee, born in 1884 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the first pastor of Nanjing Daosheng Christian Church built in 1915. He was one of the westerners who set up the International Safety Zone during the Nanjing Massacre after the Japaneseoccupation of Nanjing in December 1937 to protect the Nanjing people. He also made a 16mm film about the Nanjing Massacre. It is believed to be the only documentary about the horrible incident.
Reverend Magee's film was smuggled out of Nanjing to the United States by another American Mr. George Fitch, and was shown to certain members in the US Congress, US army, and Red Cross in 1938. To protect Reverend Magee, who was still in Nanjing, this film was shown anonymously. Some scenes were printed in the May issue of Life magazine in 1938.
A granddaughter of Mr. Fitch, Ms Edith Fitch, has a film about Fitch's work in China which included scenes of the Nanjing Massacre. This film had been given to the Los Angeles Film Museum.
In December 1990, she saw an advertisement placed by the Chinese Alliance for Memory and Justice in the New York Times so she sent a copy of the film to the Alliance in Memory of Victims of the Nanjing Massacre for reference. From this clue, the search for Reverend Magee's film started.
Four rolls of the 16mm film were finally found in the house of Mr. David Magee, Reverend Magee's son.
The film was generally in good condition and it contains more scenes than the two films mentioned above. According to Reverend Magee's diary, he was too busy helping the victims to do more filming. He could only record a very small part of what he sawduring the massacre.
After he left Nanking, Magee served as curate at Church of the Presidents St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. While there, he was one of the Episcopal priests who officiated at the funeral of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1945. Magee also served as chaplain to President Harry S. Truman. Before his death on September 11, 1953, he also served as the Episcopal chaplain at Yale University.
