| Wake Island Men |
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NOTE:
We are especially thankful for the assistance and generosity of the
time and expense of Mr. Ken Cargil of Whitefield Oklahoma and Mrs June
Faubion of Boise Idaho who have compiled an extensive accounting of the
Civilians captured on Wake.
Source:The USMC Historical Archives, File 1L, Total Listing of Casualties and Disposition of Wake Island Personnel, 1941-1945: States the actual number of men transferred to Zentsuji from the Nitta Maru [departed Wake Island on 12 Jan 42] was seven officers and 13 enlisted men. The USMC states they arrived on 29 Jan 42 and 18 Feb 42. The wounded from Wake Island arrived later, date unknown. The second group consisted of two officers and 17 enlisted men. The USMC state that before [actually after as they departed for China] arrival in Japan on the Nitta Maru, five enlisted men were taken from the hold and beheaded.[As you see from the Wallace diary below, the USMC records are very inaccurate.] This notation by Roger Mansell Source: The following dates are from the contemporaneous diary of Sydney Wallace (NZ Coast Watch) while in Zentsuji. Copy of diary is in the possession of R. Mansell. Wallace kept a list of numbers of men arriving and leaving. Errors have been noted within the diary so these numbers, although matching Urwin's list, may still be in error: 29 Jan 42- 13 men from Wake 28 Feb 42- 4 men from Wake 18 May 42- 14 men from Wake [most likely the wounded] 30 May 42- 6 men from Wake [most likely the wounded as some 20 men had departed Wake on the Asama Maru on 11 May 1942] Total: 37 men from Wake Island arrived at Zentsuji Source: Research and citations courtesy of Professor Gregory J. W. Urwin, Associate Professor of History, Temple University. Roster used with permission. The following men were sent to Japan from Wake Island. The first transfer was on the Nitta Maru, departing Wake Island 12 January 1942 and arriving Yokahama about 20 January 1942. After their departure from Yokohama, the Japanese took five men topside, and to "honor their bravery," tortured and beheaded the men. The bodies were mutilated with bayonets then tossed overboard. 37 additional men, men listed below, were sent to Zentsuji. Executed were the following five men: [All from the Naval Air Station, Wake Island] May their memory never be forgotten
Wounded and injured men not moved until later [11 May 1942] [24 men] WAKE ISLAND DET., 1st DEFENSE BATTALION, USMC Platoon Sergeant Alvin A. Bumgarner MarGun Harold C. Borth Corporal Ralph J. Holewinski Corporal Lillard L. Johnson Corporal Franklin D. Gross Pfc. Wiley W. Sloman Pfc. Warren D. Conner Pfc. Arvel N. Hartung Pfc. Dick L. Reed Pfc. Charles E. Tramposh Pvt. Berdyne Boyd Pvt. E.O. Stephen Adams VMF-211, USMC Second Lieutenant Henry Webb "Spider" Master Sergeant Andrew J. Paszkiewitz Technical Sergeant Jessie T. Stewart Technical Sergeant Ellis J. Johnson Staff Sergeant Walter Thomas "Tom" Kennedy Sergeant Edwin M. Ackley Sergeant Glen G. Gardner NAVAL AIR STATION, WAKE ISLAND, USN AMM 1/C James Frank Hesson Seaman 1/C Ivan Sydney Wood Seaman 1/C James B. Darden Seaman 1/C William H. McCoy U.S. ARMY SIGNAL CORPS (WAKE ISLAND) Captain Henry Stanley Wilson |