Kirby

Born: 13 July 1921 - Big Chimney, West Virginia

Parents: James Kirby & Lula Darlington-Kirby

Hometown: Patriot, Ohio

Inducted:

-U. S. Army

- 28 Janaury 1941 - Camp Atterbury, Columbus, Indiana

Training:

- Fort Knox, Kentucky

- Camp Polk, Louisiana

Overseas Duty:

- Philippine Islands

Engagements:

- Battle of Luzon

- Battle of Bataan

Prisoner of War:

- 9 April 1942

- Death March

           - Mariveles - POWs start march at southern tip of Bataan
            - POWs ran past Japanesee artillery firing at Corregidor
                - Americans on Corregidor returned fire
            - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
                - each boxcar could hold eight horses or forty men
                - 100 POWs packed into each car
                - POWs who died remained standing
            - Capas - dead fell to floor as living left boxcars
            - POWs walked last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell

POW Camps:

Philippine Islands:

- Camp O'Donnell

           - unfinished Filipino training base
            - Japanese put camp into use as POW Camp
            - only one water spiget for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate

- Cabanatuan #1

- Bilibid Prison

Japan:

- Omine Machi

- Work: coal mine

Hell Ship:

- Canadian Inventor

- Sailed: Manila - 4 July 1944

- Returned: 5 July 1944

- returned due to boiler problems

- Sailed: 16 July 1944

- Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 23 July 1944

- Sailed 4 August 1944

- Arrived: Keelung, Formosa - 4 August 1944

- remained at Keelung for additional boiler repairs

- Sailed: 17 August 1944

- additional boiler problems near Naha, Okanawa

- stayed for six days before sailing for Moji, Japan

- Arrived: Moji - 1 September 1944

Liberated: September 1945

Discharged: 17 September 1947

Married/Divorced

Children: 4 daughters

Died: 5 March 1972 - Gallipolis, Ohio

Buried: Pine Street Cemetery - Gallipolis, Ohio