Post by Nowhere Man on Oct 7, 2010 15:45:16 GMT 8
IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME
by Siri Holm Lawson, Webmaster (Webmistress?) at warsailors.com
fromwww.warsailors.com/singleships/williamstrachan.html
William Strachan going into Havana, April 30, 1939.
Afterdeck of William Strachan
Torvald A. Kibsgaard worked as able seamen on the M/T William Strachan, but became sick and paid off in Manila on Sept. 9-1941 where he was admitted to a hospital. The William Strachan had arrived Manila the day before. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor he and some other Norwegians were transferred to a motel in the city.
After the attack on Manila they were unable to get out due to the fact that Norwegian ships were directed elsewhere, so in order to avoid internment they all joined the US Navy.
Torvald, age 23 was put in charge of the tug S/S Henry Keswick and transported supplies to Corregidor; a Norwegian engineer from Bergen was also on board (see a Guestbook message from the captain's grandson). On New Years Eve (after D. MacArthur had decided to withdraw) Kibsgaard was again sent to Corregidor, and from then on the 2 Norwegians transported supplies back and forth between Corregidor and Bataan. Henry Keswick was shelled and sunk at "North Dock", Corregidor, and in March the 2 shipmates were on the previously Chinese S/S You Sang. While loading bombs during the battles for Bataan, You Sang was sunk at the Bataan harbour Mariveles.
After the fall of Bataan in Apr.-1942 Kibsgaard took part in the ammunition transport to the gun positions on Corregidor using trucks. The day after the invasion, on May 5 he was given a gun and ordered to the trenches with the other soldiers, but when he started to display symptoms of severe shock he was picked up and taken to a hospital at Malinta Tunnel, where he was diagnosed with shock as well as malaria.
The fellow in the white singlet on the left is Torvald Kibsgaard, 1941. Second on the right is Ingvald Øksenholt.
After Corregidor had fallen (May 6-1942) he was ordered by the Japanese to clean up after the battles, remove the bodies etc. From then on he was a prisoner of the Japanese, first sent to Cabanatuan, then in 1943 to Batangas (both on Luzon) to help build the airport there. When the Americans bombed the airport they were working on early in 1944 he was transferred to Camp Murphy where he stayed until Oct.-1944. His next stop was the Bilibid prison, Manila where he met several other Norwegians. After MacArthur had retaken the Philippines, the Japanese wanted to avoid letting the prisoners fall into the hands of the Americans so thousands were moved to Japan. Kibsgaard and 2 other Norwegians (Johan Skulstad and Ragnvald Augustin - listed on Page 3 of my POW's section - see also the external links to POW rosters at the end of this page) were placed on the cargo ship Hokusen Maru, initially bound for Japan, but after 41 days of terror they were landed at Formosa (now Taiwan). Several ships in the convoy had been sunk by American submarines, and a lot of prisoners had died on the ship due to the horrendous conditions on board. After about 4 weeks of "resting up" on Formosa they were put on another Japanese transport and moved to Omuta, where they worked in the coal mines for about 6 months until the war was over.
Images from Thore Kibsgaard, son of Torvald Kibsgaard.
by Siri Holm Lawson, Webmaster (Webmistress?) at warsailors.com
fromwww.warsailors.com/singleships/williamstrachan.html
William Strachan going into Havana, April 30, 1939.
Afterdeck of William Strachan
Torvald A. Kibsgaard worked as able seamen on the M/T William Strachan, but became sick and paid off in Manila on Sept. 9-1941 where he was admitted to a hospital. The William Strachan had arrived Manila the day before. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor he and some other Norwegians were transferred to a motel in the city.
After the attack on Manila they were unable to get out due to the fact that Norwegian ships were directed elsewhere, so in order to avoid internment they all joined the US Navy.
Torvald, age 23 was put in charge of the tug S/S Henry Keswick and transported supplies to Corregidor; a Norwegian engineer from Bergen was also on board (see a Guestbook message from the captain's grandson). On New Years Eve (after D. MacArthur had decided to withdraw) Kibsgaard was again sent to Corregidor, and from then on the 2 Norwegians transported supplies back and forth between Corregidor and Bataan. Henry Keswick was shelled and sunk at "North Dock", Corregidor, and in March the 2 shipmates were on the previously Chinese S/S You Sang. While loading bombs during the battles for Bataan, You Sang was sunk at the Bataan harbour Mariveles.
After the fall of Bataan in Apr.-1942 Kibsgaard took part in the ammunition transport to the gun positions on Corregidor using trucks. The day after the invasion, on May 5 he was given a gun and ordered to the trenches with the other soldiers, but when he started to display symptoms of severe shock he was picked up and taken to a hospital at Malinta Tunnel, where he was diagnosed with shock as well as malaria.
The fellow in the white singlet on the left is Torvald Kibsgaard, 1941. Second on the right is Ingvald Øksenholt.
After Corregidor had fallen (May 6-1942) he was ordered by the Japanese to clean up after the battles, remove the bodies etc. From then on he was a prisoner of the Japanese, first sent to Cabanatuan, then in 1943 to Batangas (both on Luzon) to help build the airport there. When the Americans bombed the airport they were working on early in 1944 he was transferred to Camp Murphy where he stayed until Oct.-1944. His next stop was the Bilibid prison, Manila where he met several other Norwegians. After MacArthur had retaken the Philippines, the Japanese wanted to avoid letting the prisoners fall into the hands of the Americans so thousands were moved to Japan. Kibsgaard and 2 other Norwegians (Johan Skulstad and Ragnvald Augustin - listed on Page 3 of my POW's section - see also the external links to POW rosters at the end of this page) were placed on the cargo ship Hokusen Maru, initially bound for Japan, but after 41 days of terror they were landed at Formosa (now Taiwan). Several ships in the convoy had been sunk by American submarines, and a lot of prisoners had died on the ship due to the horrendous conditions on board. After about 4 weeks of "resting up" on Formosa they were put on another Japanese transport and moved to Omuta, where they worked in the coal mines for about 6 months until the war was over.
Images from Thore Kibsgaard, son of Torvald Kibsgaard.