The Reed and Berbach Families of New York State - Person Sheet
The Reed and Berbach Families of New York State - Person Sheet
Death1 or 4 Feb 1943, Osaka Military Hospital, Umeda Branch [POW] Camp, Osaka, Japan995,996,992,43,997 Age: 26
MemoPrisoner of War
MemoN42° 58’ 14.40” x W74° 9’ 10.20”
OccupationMohawk Carpet Mills prior to enlistment in 1940.998
ReligionProtestant999
FatherJohn Marius THATCHER (1883-1943)
MotherAchsah Fisk REED (1887-1973)
Notes for William “Bill” Loren THATCHER
1940-1942:
William “Bill” Thatcher enlisted on 8 Feb 1940 in the Chemical Warfare Service branch of the Regular United States Army.1000 As of Spring 1940, William was stationed with Headquarters, 60th Battalion, Coast Artillary Anti-Aircraft at Fort Mills in Manilla Bay on the island of Corregidor where he was still stationed as of Nov 1941 and March 1942993,1001 As of March 1942 he was stationed with his hometown friend, Clifford “Tippy” Arnold.1002,1001
1942:
Bill Thatcher (along with a boyhood friend1003 Clifford “Tippy” Arnold, who had enlisted at the same time in Feb 19401003) was captured when the Americans surrendered to the Japanese on Corregidor (the Philippines) during May 1942 . Apparently, Clifford (Tippy) Arnold died on May 3, 1942 during the Fall of Corregidor, according to the official notification received by his relatives on Thursday, 7 May 1942.1004,1003 Bill Thatcher’s family received official notification of his status as “Missing In Action” on 7 or 31 May 1942.1002,1005,994
Bill Thatcher was captured and imprisoned at the infamous Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines. On 7 Nov 1942, he was transferred (probably via the Bilibid camp) to the “hellship” Nagato Maru, one of the first ships to transport POWs from the Philippine camps to work as slave labor on mainland Japan.997 (20 days in the hold of an old cattle transport in total darkness and with no toilet facilities.)224
1943:
Bill Thatcher’s family received official notification of his status as a prisoner of war “early” in 1943998 (Going says it was February.1003) Bill Thatcher died at the Osaka Military Hospital as a POW in the Umeda Bunsho Branch Camp in Osaka, Japan on 1 or 4 or 19 Feb 1943 from acute pneumonia.995,822,996,998 Most likely the pneumonia was a result of poor physical condition due to starvation both in the Philippines and Japan and the extreme cold of the central Japanese winter.992 Another source, World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946 which was compiled from records and reports created by the International Committee of the Red Cross, states that he was a POW in the Osaka Main Camp Chikko Osaka (34-135).992
[The following descriptions of POW camps is provided by: POW Research Network Japan, <http://www.powresearch.jp/en/archive/camplist/index.html#osaka>;, viewed 12 Aug 2016:996
Main Camp and Osaka Branch Camp (Osaka 1-B)
Established at 3-chome, Gojo-dori, Minato-ku, Osaka City on September 23, 1945.
Was burnt down in the air raid on June 1, 1945, and the camp office was moved to an elementary school building at Aza-shimoshinden, Shinden-mura, Mishima-gun (current Senriyama, Suita City), Osaka Prefecture on July 10, 1945.
At that time, the POWs were moved to Nishinomachi, Kitafukuzaki, Minato-ku, Osaka City and Osaka No.1 Branch Camp was established there.
The POWs were used by Nippon Express Company and so on, and they worked at Osaka Harbor or railway stations in Osaka City. Some other POWs worked at ironworks in Osaka City.
443 POWs (326 British, 42 American, 24 Chinese, 19 Indian, 17 Dutch and 15 other nationality) were imprisoned at the end of the war.
154 POWs died while imprisonment.
Umeda Branch Camp (Osaka 2-D)
Established as Umeda Branch Camp of Osaka POW Camp in the site of Umeda railway station yard in Kita-ku, Osaka City on November 22, 1942.
Renamed as Osaka No.2 Branch Camp in February 18, 1943.
Renamed as Osaka No.2 Dispatched Camp on March 10, 1943.
Closed on May 18, 1945.
The POWs were used by Nippon Express Company, and they worked at Umeda railway station and other stations around Osaka City.
118 POWs died while imprisonment.]
1945:
As of 23 Oct 1945, Bill’s family still did not know his fate.1006 According to Howard F. Reed (Bill’s cousin), just after World War II ended a fellow ex-prisoner who knew both Bill and Tippy visited the Thatcher family and told them that Bill had starved to death in a Japanese Prison Camp, and his friend Tippy Arnold was stabbed to death by the Japanese in his hospital bed because he was wounded and couldn’t walk.7 However, there are major discrepancies in accounts of Tippy Arnold’s death. Robert Going, in his 2010 book Honor Roll tells a slightly different version, that Tippy died on Sunday, 3 May 1942 during the final Japanese bombardment and prior to the 5 May Japanese landing, but no sources are listed.1003 A fellow soldier, Al McGrew (in 2000, nearly 58 years later), recounts a totally different story.1007 He claims that Cliff Arnold died as early as 29 Dec 1941:
“The stage was now set for main event. On 29 December 1941…once again the high level bombers appeared and all of us thinking the raid was over scurried for cover. When the all clear finally sounded we again wearily climbed from our positions and began to take stock of the damage. I saw a group gathered off to the right of No.1 three inch gun and decided to walk down to see what was up. Nearby, a windowless van was parked and the rear doors were open. I walked around to the rear of the van and was shocked to see two bare feet exposed from under an old canvas tarp. I looked at one of the men and he mumbled, ‘It's Cliff Arnold.’ I could hardly believe it! One of the small anti-personnel bombs had got him. He was one of my favorite people. I think shock set in! He was the first of us to be killed!” 1007
In November 1945, Bill Thatcher’s family finally received official notification of his death in November 1945.998
1948:
Bill Thatcher’s remains were returned to the United States in September 1948.994
William “Bill” Thatcher enlisted on 8 Feb 1940 in the Chemical Warfare Service branch of the Regular United States Army.1000 As of Spring 1940, William was stationed with Headquarters, 60th Battalion, Coast Artillary Anti-Aircraft at Fort Mills in Manilla Bay on the island of Corregidor where he was still stationed as of Nov 1941 and March 1942993,1001 As of March 1942 he was stationed with his hometown friend, Clifford “Tippy” Arnold.1002,1001
1942:
Bill Thatcher (along with a boyhood friend1003 Clifford “Tippy” Arnold, who had enlisted at the same time in Feb 19401003) was captured when the Americans surrendered to the Japanese on Corregidor (the Philippines) during May 1942 . Apparently, Clifford (Tippy) Arnold died on May 3, 1942 during the Fall of Corregidor, according to the official notification received by his relatives on Thursday, 7 May 1942.1004,1003 Bill Thatcher’s family received official notification of his status as “Missing In Action” on 7 or 31 May 1942.1002,1005,994
Bill Thatcher was captured and imprisoned at the infamous Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines. On 7 Nov 1942, he was transferred (probably via the Bilibid camp) to the “hellship” Nagato Maru, one of the first ships to transport POWs from the Philippine camps to work as slave labor on mainland Japan.997 (20 days in the hold of an old cattle transport in total darkness and with no toilet facilities.)224
1943:
Bill Thatcher’s family received official notification of his status as a prisoner of war “early” in 1943998 (Going says it was February.1003) Bill Thatcher died at the Osaka Military Hospital as a POW in the Umeda Bunsho Branch Camp in Osaka, Japan on 1 or 4 or 19 Feb 1943 from acute pneumonia.995,822,996,998 Most likely the pneumonia was a result of poor physical condition due to starvation both in the Philippines and Japan and the extreme cold of the central Japanese winter.992 Another source, World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946 which was compiled from records and reports created by the International Committee of the Red Cross, states that he was a POW in the Osaka Main Camp Chikko Osaka (34-135).992
[The following descriptions of POW camps is provided by: POW Research Network Japan, <http://www.powresearch.jp/en/archive/camplist/index.html#osaka>;, viewed 12 Aug 2016:996
Main Camp and Osaka Branch Camp (Osaka 1-B)
Established at 3-chome, Gojo-dori, Minato-ku, Osaka City on September 23, 1945.
Was burnt down in the air raid on June 1, 1945, and the camp office was moved to an elementary school building at Aza-shimoshinden, Shinden-mura, Mishima-gun (current Senriyama, Suita City), Osaka Prefecture on July 10, 1945.
At that time, the POWs were moved to Nishinomachi, Kitafukuzaki, Minato-ku, Osaka City and Osaka No.1 Branch Camp was established there.
The POWs were used by Nippon Express Company and so on, and they worked at Osaka Harbor or railway stations in Osaka City. Some other POWs worked at ironworks in Osaka City.
443 POWs (326 British, 42 American, 24 Chinese, 19 Indian, 17 Dutch and 15 other nationality) were imprisoned at the end of the war.
154 POWs died while imprisonment.
Umeda Branch Camp (Osaka 2-D)
Established as Umeda Branch Camp of Osaka POW Camp in the site of Umeda railway station yard in Kita-ku, Osaka City on November 22, 1942.
Renamed as Osaka No.2 Branch Camp in February 18, 1943.
Renamed as Osaka No.2 Dispatched Camp on March 10, 1943.
Closed on May 18, 1945.
The POWs were used by Nippon Express Company, and they worked at Umeda railway station and other stations around Osaka City.
118 POWs died while imprisonment.]
1945:
As of 23 Oct 1945, Bill’s family still did not know his fate.1006 According to Howard F. Reed (Bill’s cousin), just after World War II ended a fellow ex-prisoner who knew both Bill and Tippy visited the Thatcher family and told them that Bill had starved to death in a Japanese Prison Camp, and his friend Tippy Arnold was stabbed to death by the Japanese in his hospital bed because he was wounded and couldn’t walk.7 However, there are major discrepancies in accounts of Tippy Arnold’s death. Robert Going, in his 2010 book Honor Roll tells a slightly different version, that Tippy died on Sunday, 3 May 1942 during the final Japanese bombardment and prior to the 5 May Japanese landing, but no sources are listed.1003 A fellow soldier, Al McGrew (in 2000, nearly 58 years later), recounts a totally different story.1007 He claims that Cliff Arnold died as early as 29 Dec 1941:
“The stage was now set for main event. On 29 December 1941…once again the high level bombers appeared and all of us thinking the raid was over scurried for cover. When the all clear finally sounded we again wearily climbed from our positions and began to take stock of the damage. I saw a group gathered off to the right of No.1 three inch gun and decided to walk down to see what was up. Nearby, a windowless van was parked and the rear doors were open. I walked around to the rear of the van and was shocked to see two bare feet exposed from under an old canvas tarp. I looked at one of the men and he mumbled, ‘It's Cliff Arnold.’ I could hardly believe it! One of the small anti-personnel bombs had got him. He was one of my favorite people. I think shock set in! He was the first of us to be killed!” 1007
In November 1945, Bill Thatcher’s family finally received official notification of his death in November 1945.998
1948:
Bill Thatcher’s remains were returned to the United States in September 1948.994
Military notes for William “Bill” Loren THATCHER