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Post by JohnEakin on Aug 19, 2012 11:15:13 GMT 8
Your Grandfather's service number was O-198944, he died 6/14/42 and his NOK was listed as Mrs W.G. McMurray, 1560 E. 145h St., San Leander, Calif. His remains were identified after the war and buried in the Manila American Cemetery in grave D-4-15.
If you call the Army Casualty Office at 800-892-2490 they will send you a copy of his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). Often the IDPF will contain a hospital record which will indicate if a man came through Camp O'Donnell which would indicate he participated in the BDM.
Since his remains were identified, I'm not sure if the Army Casualty Office will ask for a DNA sample from your family. Even though he was identified his DNA might help in the identification of someone else.
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Post by pdh54 on Aug 19, 2012 13:08:05 GMT 8
Hi scott007, This link to the NARA (National Archives) web site will take you to information about your grandfather. aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=466&mtch=1&cat=WR26&tf=F&sc=11675,11660,11679,11667,11669,11676,11672,11673&bc=,sl,fd&txt_11660=mc+murray&op_11660=0&nfo_11660=V,24,1900&cl_11679=1&op_11679=null&nfo_11679=V,1,1900&cl_11667=91&op_11667=null&nfo_11667=V,2,1900&cl_11669=45&op_11669=null&nfo_11669=V,2,1900&cl_11676=5&op_11676=null&nfo_11676=V,1,1900&cl_11672=2&op_11672=null&nfo_11672=V,1,1900&cl_11673=501&op_11673=null&nfo_11673=V,3,1900&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=31882 The 'DATE REPORT' on the form shows that he became a prisoner on May 7, 1942, strongly suggesting he might have been on Corregidor. The following link is a roster of Army personnel who were transferred out of Bilibid to other camps. Nearly all of the Corregidor personnel were sent to Bilibid at first. For him to have died at Cabanatuan one month later, he would almost certainly have had to go to Bilibid with the other Corregidor POWs which was on May 23, 1942. Unfortunately, for some reason his name is not on this list. But mistakes are known to have happened. www.battlingbastardsbataan.com/bob1.htmKeep in mind these assumptions are based on the May 7 date. I hope this is helpful. Patty
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Post by pdh54 on Aug 19, 2012 13:34:48 GMT 8
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Post by JohnEakin on Aug 19, 2012 23:24:35 GMT 8
Just for future reference, this appears to be an excerpt from the Cabanatuan Burial Roster which is in the ADBC-DG library collection. Several pages were lost from the original burial roster maintained by the POWs and I've been able to overlay this roster on the original and reconstruct several of the missing pages. The biggest problem with this roster is that it is not in the same sequence as the original so it is useless for determining grave number. I have an excerpt of the complete roster (less two pages) posted on bataanmissing.com. FWIW, in those early days of Cabanatuan, the death rate was much, much higher among DM survivors so odds are that LTC McMurry did get the Bataan tour. The best way to know for sure is to see if it is noted on his hospital record or in one of the unit histories which were maintained in the camp. Many of these histories read like morning reports.
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Post by Bob Hudson on Aug 20, 2012 4:59:04 GMT 8
Patty et al,
Thanks for recommending my Bilibid Transfer Roster but since Lt. Col. Weldon G McMurray died so early in the war , 14 June, 1942, he wouldn't appear on my roster. The Bilibid Transfer Roster only listed those pow's who were being processed for transfer to Japan and Manchuria via Hellships. All pows were moved to Bilibid Prison prior to boarding their respective Hellships. McMurray died soon after arriving at Cabanatuan from O'Donnell. The first Hellship, the Nagara Maru, did not sail until 12 August, 1942. My Transfer roster does not include Marine or Naval personnel. The Navy and Marines must have kept their own records which I never discovered at the National Archives.
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Post by JohnEakin on Aug 20, 2012 5:34:10 GMT 8
Bob - how do you know he arrived from O'Donnell? Couldn't he have gotten there via the Corregidor - Manila - Cabanatuan route? Am I missing something?
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Post by chadhill on Aug 20, 2012 5:49:30 GMT 8
Bob, NARA shows him becoming a POW 7 MAY 42. Unless I am mistaken he then almost certainly was captured on Corregidor or one of the fortified islands: aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=466&mtch=1&cat=WR26&tf=F&sc=11675,11660,11679,11667,11669,11676,11672,11673&bc=,sl,fd&txt_11660=mc+murray&op_11660=0&nfo_11660=V,24,1900&cl_11679=1&op_11679=null&nfo_11679=V,1,1900&cl_11667=91&op_11667=null&nfo_11667=V,2,1900&cl_11669=45&op_11669=null&nfo_11669=V,2,1900&cl_11676=5&op_11676=null&nfo_11676=V,1,1900&cl_11672=2&op_11672=null&nfo_11672=V,1,1900&cl_11673=501&op_11673=null&nfo_11673=V,3,1900&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=31882 Late entry: Just out of curiosity I checked the NARA "DATE REPORTED" for several POWs that I know were captured on Bataan, and it showed 7 MAY 42 for them also! Maybe NARA lists all the Bataan POWs with that date regardless of when they were captured. If so, then I could be wrong about LTCOL Mc Murray being captured on Corregidor. And I will also have misled Patty on the matter as well as the Bilibid transfer list. (P.S.- I still got dinner tonite... ) In any case, keep up the great posts, Bob. I look forward to and study each one you make...Regards, Chad
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Post by Bob Hudson on Aug 20, 2012 7:30:31 GMT 8
My fault. The vast majority of those who at Cabanatuan in June were Bataan men transferred from O'Donnell. I made an assumption without checking when answering Patty about why McMurray wasn't on my Transfer roster. By the way, I find mistakes on my roster all the time. Wrong middle initials, wrong rank, wrong Hellship....Some by NARA and some by me typing long hours in the middle of the night. If you discover an error, please let me know. The most accurate Transfer roster is here on my computer. The one online is nine months out of date.
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