Alton H. Hall
Service # 35 60 116
Entered Service From: Texas
Rank: Electrician's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy
Unit: U.S.S. Canopus (AS-9)
Date of Death: 19 November 1942, died from beriberi and severe malnutrition in Sakura Detached Prison Camp # 24 hospital (Fort William McKinley), Pasay, Luzon, Philippine Islands
Buried: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas – Plot T, Row 0, Grave 14
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alton Henry Hall was born 26 August 1914, the second of three boys and one girl to Henry Augustus Hall and Amanda Emma 'Manda' Woolum. His parents were farmers and he was raised near the town of Comanche, Texas.
1930 United States Federal Census (22 April 1930): Comanche, Comanche County, Texas (sheet 9B, family 215, 211 Highway No 10) - Alton H. Hall (14 Texas)
Alton H. Hall (1914 Texas), a resident of Comanche County, Texas, enlisted as a Seaman Apprentice (S/N 356 01 16) in the U.S. Navy on 13 November 1936 in Dallas, Texas. He listed his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hall, Rt. 3, Comanche, Texas, as his next of kin contacts.
FOUR NAVAL RECRUITS SENT TO SAN DIEGO
Four recruits are en route to the Naval Training Station at San Diego, Chief Gunner's Mate Mike Drewnick of the Fort Worth recruiting office announced Monday. Those who enlisted were: ... Alton H. Hall, Comanche ... Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas), Monday, 16 November 1936, page 4.
In May 1938, Seaman First Class Alton H. Hall (S/N 356 01 16) was assigned to the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 05 May 1938 to 22 November 1939
U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22)
Seaman First Class (S1c)/Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He enlisted 13 November 1936 in Dallas, Texas. Alton was first received on board the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) on 05 May 1938. The TULSA was nicknamed the Galloping Ghost of the South China Coast. She was assigned to the South China Patrol, observing conditions along the south China coast during the period following the outbreak of the undeclared Sino-Japanese war in July 1937. On 16 October 1939 he was appointed Electrician's Mate Third Class (Auth: CINCAF QUOTA 2-40). On 17 November 1939 EM3c Alton H. Hall entered into an agreement to extend his enlistment for two (2) more years. on 22 November 1939 he was transferred to NYd, Cavite, P.I. for course instruction. Sound Mo. Pic. Op. School (Auth: CINC AF. 05-1647 of 8/31/39)
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 22 November 1939 to 25 November 1939
U.S.S. AUGUSTA (CA-31)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He was a passenger aboard the heavy cruiser U.S.S. AUGUSTA (CA-31) and was transferred on 25 November 1939 to Receiving Station Cavite, P.I. for course instruction SMPT School (Auth:CINCAF Ser. 05-2136, 11/21/39).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 25 November 1939 to 03 February 1940
Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippine Islands.
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He was received at the Receiving Station, Cavite on 25 November 1939 from U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) via U.S.S. AUGUSTA. On 03 February 1940 Alton was transferred back to the U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 03 February 1940 to 01 May 1940
U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356-01-16). On 03 February 1940 he was received back for duty aboard the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) from Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Cavite, P.I. 01 May 1940, the U.S.S. TULSA was sailing from Swatow, China to Amoy, China. He was transferred that same day to the U.S.S. PAUL JONES FFT CANOPUS for duty.
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: May 1940 to 07 December 1940
U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (Em3c)/Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was transferred to the submarine tender U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) in May 1940. While serving aboard the CANOPUS he was promoted to Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c). In December 1940 he was transferred to the submarine U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 07 December 1940 to 07 February 1941
U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176)
Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was received on board the submarine, U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176) on 07 December 1940 from U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) for duty. She was involved in operations around the Philippines. On 07 February 1941 he was transferred back to the U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) for duty.
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 07 February 1941 to 29 December 1941
U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9)
Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was received on board the CANOPUS on 07 February 1941.
"In the fateful first week in December (1941), the CANOPUS had just finished an extensive overhaul at Cavite Navy Yard , and emerged looking more like a war vessel than ever before. Many antiaircraft machine guns had been added to her armament, and light armor had been fitted around exposed positions, which later proved of immense value in warding off bomb fragments."
On 07 December 1941, the CANOPUS, lay at Cavite Navy Yard, as tender to Submarine Squadron 20. The next day Japan attacked the Philippines. In the days that followed, her men worked day and night to repair ships damaged in the daily air raids as well as to keep her brood of submarines at sea. With the Army falling back on Manila, CANOPUS sailed to Mariveles Bay at the tip of Bataan on Christmas Day.
"We were to set up shop again in Mariveles Bay, on the southern tip of Bataan peninsula. Some of the submarines were still with us, but now we had no source from which our supplies could be replenished, and it was obvious that the best we could hope to do would be to equip this last group for war patrol, and then "turn in our suits" as far as submarines were concerned."
On 29 December 1941, CANOPUS received severe damage when hit by a Japanese 500-pound armor-piercing bomb that penetrated the decks and exploded on the propeller shaft housing.
"On December 29th our daily visitors, evidently deciding that Manila had been adequately taken care of, turned their attention toward us. Squadron after endless squadron showed their contempt for the guns of Corregidor by blasting that island from end to end, and the last group of the day, as if by an after-thought, wheeled in from that fatally exposed direction and blanketed the Canopus with a perfectly placed patter of bombs..."
Six sailors were killed mostly from scalding and fires started in the engine rooms and magazines another six wounded. "The officers in charge of the engine room, Machinist Hutchinson and Electrician Hall, were both badly wounded by the blast". Source: The Canopus by Capt. E. L. Sackett, U.S.N.
Alton likely was taken to the 1,000-bed U.S. military hospital in Malinta Tunnel on Corregidor Island.
The rest of the CANOPUS crew became part of the defense of Bataan and Corregidor. She was scuttled 09 April off Mariveles rather than face capture by the enemy. Many of the crew were evacuated to Corregidor and served in the 4th Marine Regiment's during the final battle for the island fortress.
On 09 April 1942, Filipino and U.S. forces on Bataan were surrendered and the Japanese were able to mass artillery for an all-out attack of the Rock from just two miles away. A virtual rain of shells and bombs saturated the island during April, resulting in the destruction of most beach defenses.
April 29, Wednesday: The birthday of Emperor Hirohito. The Japanese raise the level of intensity of the aerial and artillery attacks a few notches. At 0730, the attack opens with the 260th air alarm of the campaign. Japanese bombers flew 83 sorties, dropping 106 tons of bombs. The air raids and the artillery fire continue without let up all day. By nightfall, Corregidor is in shambles, a pulverized, blasted chunk of rock lying under a blanket of dust and smoke. Fires rage out of control all over the island and smoke towers 3,000 feet in the air.
"It took no mental giant," wrote Wainwright, "to figure out, that the enemy was ready to come against Corregidor." On the night of 05 May 1942, Japanese forces landed on the island and overwhelmed the garrison. Despite heavy resistance by the defenders and severe losses to the Japanese, the enemy was able to push forward. The situation grew more perilous and feeling that further resistance was useless and fearing a possible massacre of 1,000 sick and wounded personnel in Malinta Tunnel, General Wainwright decided to surrender. At 1200, 06 May 1942 the surrender went into effect.
EM1c Alton Henry Hall became a prisoner of the Japanese.
Sailor Listed as Jap Prisoner
Friday, 14 May 1943 – Alton Henry Hall, electrician's mate, second class, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Augustus Hall, Comanche, was listed by the Navy Department Thursday as a prisoner of war held by the Japanese. The list includes the names of 1,044 United States Navy personnel held by the Japanese, mostly in the Philippines Islands. Source: The Austin American (Austin, Texas), Friday, 14 May 1943, page 19.
The prisoners were held in the Kindley Field Garage area. Roughly twelve thousand POW's were crowded into this area. All the wounded who could walk also were ordered to go there, many with broken bones or serious injuries. For seven days they were kept there without food, except for that which could be scavenged by the few POW's who were formed into work parties, to clear away the dead and to remove the rubble caused by Jap artillery. Most of the prisoners got nothing to eat during those seven days. There was only one water spigot for the twelve thousand. A twelve-hour wait to fill one canteen was the usual rule.
"Each prisoner was given a number, which had to be painted on the back of his shirt or trousers. In the scant two days that elapsed between the actual capitulation at noon, 6 May 1942, and the internment of the prisoners in this area on 8 May, the Japanese soldiers robbed every prisoner of all his possessions, such as watches, fountain pens, rings, eye glasses, wallets and money. All the prisoners, officers and enlisted men alike, were required by Japanese order to salute Japanese soldiers and officers if they were covered, and to bow from the waist if they were uncovered. This rule was strictly enforced by the Japanese soldiers. The Filipino prisoners were kept separate from the Americans by an imaginary line." Source: Report on American Prisoners of War interned by the Japanese in the Philippines prepared by the Office of the Provost Marshal General, 19 November 1945.
On the afternoon of May 22nd the Japanese loaded the prisoners onto three merchant ships and the next day they were transported to Manila. There the POW's were marched down Dewey Boulevard and through the streets in a Japanese "victory" parade to Bilibid Prison. During the last days of May most of the Corregidor POWs left Bilibid in 100 men detachments. They were crammed into boxcars and taken to the Japanese POW Camps 1, 2 and 3, just east of the town of Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Don't know if Hall was taken to Cabanatuan or stayed at Bilibid Prison but by the fall of 1944 he was in the U.S. Naval Hospital Unit of Bilibid Prison, Manila, Philippines suffering from beriberi, heart disease and severe malnutrition.
Seeking to ease Bilibid's overcrowding issues, the Japanese established the Sakura Detached Prison Camp No. 24 Hospital, located in the former American base, Fort William McKinley, in Pasay. This hospital was staffed by American POW medical personnel and was opened on 15 November 15, 1944. EM1c Alton H. Hall was moved to Sakura that day.
HOSPTIAL
SAKURA DETACHED CAMP
PRISONER OF WAR ENCLOSURE #24
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
OFFICIAL DIARY
15 November 1944: In compliance with instructions, Imperial Japanese Military Forces, Manila, P.I., SAKURA DETACHED CAMP, Sakura, P.I. (Fort William McKinley, P.I.) was occupied. Three (3) Medical Officers, U.S. Army, one (1) CCst U.S. Navy (Tailor), one (1) Civilian (Cobbler) and one hundred and forty-seven (147) patients (including Hall) arrived from the Hospital, Bilibid Prisoner of War Inclosure, Manila, P. I. at 6:30 A.M. Twenty-five (25) enlisted men (Medical Department, U.S. Army), and fifty (50) patients arrive from the Hospital, Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Inclosure, Cabanatuan, P. I. arrived at 1:00 P.M. These men were assigned to quarters in a two story building. Sanitary conditions poor. The building was empty, no beds, mattresses, furniture or fixtures. One thin nipa mat for four (4) men was issued by the Japanese upon arrival. There are several men who do not have a blanket. CAPTAIN VAUGHAN A. SHAW, Medical Corps, U.S. Army, assumed command as SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER IN CHARGE of this enclosure...There is considerable work required to place this building in a half-way decent shape... Source: File Number 500-23; Official Documents, Special Orders, Rosters, Payrolls, Council Books, Official Diary, Hospital Sukura Prison Camp, Fort McKinley, Luzon; November 1944 to January 1945.
After 2 years and 6 months as a POW, the 5'10" Alton weighed a mere 90 pounds. EM1c Alton H. Hall died just four days later at 2:00 a.m. on 19 November 1944 in Sakura Prison Camp No. 24 hospital. Alton was buried the next day in a cemetery "about 400 yards northwest of camp, just north of the road north of camp that ran mainly east and west".
U.S. Naval Hospital Unit of Bilibid Prison, Manila, Philippines – Report of Death – Alton H. Hall
Patient died during the night without calling for medical attention. Death due to *beriberi, heart disease and severe malnutrition plus hardship due to transfer from Bilibid Hospital and rigors of an unequipped, new prison camp.
*Beriberi is a disease caused by a vitamin B-1 deficiency which causes heart failure.
Bilibid Prison Record 12-10-44: Information received this date from the Japanese authorities that on November 19, 1944, the following named U.S. Navy enlisted man died at Fort Wm. McKinley Hospital: HALL, Alton H., EM1c USN, Ser. No. 356 01 16 (formerly attached to USS CANOPUS) cause of death: Malnutrition, beriberi. Source: Kentner's Journal Bilibid Prison, Manila, P.I. from 12-8-41 to 2-5-45 by Pharmacist Mate, Robert W. Kentner, page 119.
He was the first of two deaths during the six weeks this hospital/camp was open. The Americans arrived in Manila in January 1945, but that was mere weeks too late for Alton Hall.
Death of Navy Man Confirmed
The death of Alton Hall, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Hall of Comanche, who previously been reported a prisoner of war by the Navy Department and by private sources as dead is now officially listed as dead according to a letter received recently by his father from the Navy Department.
Young Hall, who was reared in this community, served in the Navy seven years and was taken prisoner by the Japs at Corregidor.
The letter to the father from H. B. Atkinson, Commander, USNR, Officer in Charge, Casualty Section, Navy Department, follows:
Your son, Alton Henry Hall, Electrician's Mate first class, United States Navy has been carried on the official records of the Navy Department as a prisoner of war in the Philippine Islands.
It is now with deep regret that this Bureau now informs you that your son died of Beri-beri on 19 November 1944, while held as a prisoner of war in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp, Philippine Islands. This information concerning his death was obtained from Japanese records and from prisoners of war in the Philippine Islands who have since been liberated.
The various agencies of the government having jurisdiction over the settlement of death benefits have been properly advised so that forms upon which to file claims for such benefits as may be due will be forward to you.
The Navy Department extends sincere sympathy to you in your great sorrow and hopes that you may find some comfort in the knowledge that your son gave his life in the service of his country. Source: The Comanche Chief (Comanche, Comanche County, Texas), 06 July 1945, page 1.
After the war his remains were disinterred and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands where they were reburied. The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin, Electrician's Mate First Class Alton Henry Hall's remains were brought back to Texas and he was buried on 05 January 1949 in his final resting place in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery – Plot T, Row 0, Grave 14.
Service # 35 60 116
Entered Service From: Texas
Rank: Electrician's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy
Unit: U.S.S. Canopus (AS-9)
Date of Death: 19 November 1942, died from beriberi and severe malnutrition in Sakura Detached Prison Camp # 24 hospital (Fort William McKinley), Pasay, Luzon, Philippine Islands
Buried: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas – Plot T, Row 0, Grave 14
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alton Henry Hall was born 26 August 1914, the second of three boys and one girl to Henry Augustus Hall and Amanda Emma 'Manda' Woolum. His parents were farmers and he was raised near the town of Comanche, Texas.
1930 United States Federal Census (22 April 1930): Comanche, Comanche County, Texas (sheet 9B, family 215, 211 Highway No 10) - Alton H. Hall (14 Texas)
Alton H. Hall (1914 Texas), a resident of Comanche County, Texas, enlisted as a Seaman Apprentice (S/N 356 01 16) in the U.S. Navy on 13 November 1936 in Dallas, Texas. He listed his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hall, Rt. 3, Comanche, Texas, as his next of kin contacts.
FOUR NAVAL RECRUITS SENT TO SAN DIEGO
Four recruits are en route to the Naval Training Station at San Diego, Chief Gunner's Mate Mike Drewnick of the Fort Worth recruiting office announced Monday. Those who enlisted were: ... Alton H. Hall, Comanche ... Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas), Monday, 16 November 1936, page 4.
In May 1938, Seaman First Class Alton H. Hall (S/N 356 01 16) was assigned to the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 05 May 1938 to 22 November 1939
U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22)
Seaman First Class (S1c)/Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He enlisted 13 November 1936 in Dallas, Texas. Alton was first received on board the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) on 05 May 1938. The TULSA was nicknamed the Galloping Ghost of the South China Coast. She was assigned to the South China Patrol, observing conditions along the south China coast during the period following the outbreak of the undeclared Sino-Japanese war in July 1937. On 16 October 1939 he was appointed Electrician's Mate Third Class (Auth: CINCAF QUOTA 2-40). On 17 November 1939 EM3c Alton H. Hall entered into an agreement to extend his enlistment for two (2) more years. on 22 November 1939 he was transferred to NYd, Cavite, P.I. for course instruction. Sound Mo. Pic. Op. School (Auth: CINC AF. 05-1647 of 8/31/39)
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 22 November 1939 to 25 November 1939
U.S.S. AUGUSTA (CA-31)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He was a passenger aboard the heavy cruiser U.S.S. AUGUSTA (CA-31) and was transferred on 25 November 1939 to Receiving Station Cavite, P.I. for course instruction SMPT School (Auth:CINCAF Ser. 05-2136, 11/21/39).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 25 November 1939 to 03 February 1940
Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippine Islands.
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He was received at the Receiving Station, Cavite on 25 November 1939 from U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) via U.S.S. AUGUSTA. On 03 February 1940 Alton was transferred back to the U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 03 February 1940 to 01 May 1940
U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356-01-16). On 03 February 1940 he was received back for duty aboard the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) from Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Cavite, P.I. 01 May 1940, the U.S.S. TULSA was sailing from Swatow, China to Amoy, China. He was transferred that same day to the U.S.S. PAUL JONES FFT CANOPUS for duty.
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: May 1940 to 07 December 1940
U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (Em3c)/Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was transferred to the submarine tender U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) in May 1940. While serving aboard the CANOPUS he was promoted to Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c). In December 1940 he was transferred to the submarine U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 07 December 1940 to 07 February 1941
U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176)
Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was received on board the submarine, U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176) on 07 December 1940 from U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) for duty. She was involved in operations around the Philippines. On 07 February 1941 he was transferred back to the U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) for duty.
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 07 February 1941 to 29 December 1941
U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9)
Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was received on board the CANOPUS on 07 February 1941.
"In the fateful first week in December (1941), the CANOPUS had just finished an extensive overhaul at Cavite Navy Yard , and emerged looking more like a war vessel than ever before. Many antiaircraft machine guns had been added to her armament, and light armor had been fitted around exposed positions, which later proved of immense value in warding off bomb fragments."
On 07 December 1941, the CANOPUS, lay at Cavite Navy Yard, as tender to Submarine Squadron 20. The next day Japan attacked the Philippines. In the days that followed, her men worked day and night to repair ships damaged in the daily air raids as well as to keep her brood of submarines at sea. With the Army falling back on Manila, CANOPUS sailed to Mariveles Bay at the tip of Bataan on Christmas Day.
"We were to set up shop again in Mariveles Bay, on the southern tip of Bataan peninsula. Some of the submarines were still with us, but now we had no source from which our supplies could be replenished, and it was obvious that the best we could hope to do would be to equip this last group for war patrol, and then "turn in our suits" as far as submarines were concerned."
On 29 December 1941, CANOPUS received severe damage when hit by a Japanese 500-pound armor-piercing bomb that penetrated the decks and exploded on the propeller shaft housing.
"On December 29th our daily visitors, evidently deciding that Manila had been adequately taken care of, turned their attention toward us. Squadron after endless squadron showed their contempt for the guns of Corregidor by blasting that island from end to end, and the last group of the day, as if by an after-thought, wheeled in from that fatally exposed direction and blanketed the Canopus with a perfectly placed patter of bombs..."
Six sailors were killed mostly from scalding and fires started in the engine rooms and magazines another six wounded. "The officers in charge of the engine room, Machinist Hutchinson and Electrician Hall, were both badly wounded by the blast". Source: The Canopus by Capt. E. L. Sackett, U.S.N.
Alton likely was taken to the 1,000-bed U.S. military hospital in Malinta Tunnel on Corregidor Island.
The rest of the CANOPUS crew became part of the defense of Bataan and Corregidor. She was scuttled 09 April off Mariveles rather than face capture by the enemy. Many of the crew were evacuated to Corregidor and served in the 4th Marine Regiment's during the final battle for the island fortress.
On 09 April 1942, Filipino and U.S. forces on Bataan were surrendered and the Japanese were able to mass artillery for an all-out attack of the Rock from just two miles away. A virtual rain of shells and bombs saturated the island during April, resulting in the destruction of most beach defenses.
April 29, Wednesday: The birthday of Emperor Hirohito. The Japanese raise the level of intensity of the aerial and artillery attacks a few notches. At 0730, the attack opens with the 260th air alarm of the campaign. Japanese bombers flew 83 sorties, dropping 106 tons of bombs. The air raids and the artillery fire continue without let up all day. By nightfall, Corregidor is in shambles, a pulverized, blasted chunk of rock lying under a blanket of dust and smoke. Fires rage out of control all over the island and smoke towers 3,000 feet in the air.
"It took no mental giant," wrote Wainwright, "to figure out, that the enemy was ready to come against Corregidor." On the night of 05 May 1942, Japanese forces landed on the island and overwhelmed the garrison. Despite heavy resistance by the defenders and severe losses to the Japanese, the enemy was able to push forward. The situation grew more perilous and feeling that further resistance was useless and fearing a possible massacre of 1,000 sick and wounded personnel in Malinta Tunnel, General Wainwright decided to surrender. At 1200, 06 May 1942 the surrender went into effect.
EM1c Alton Henry Hall became a prisoner of the Japanese.
Sailor Listed as Jap Prisoner
Friday, 14 May 1943 – Alton Henry Hall, electrician's mate, second class, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Augustus Hall, Comanche, was listed by the Navy Department Thursday as a prisoner of war held by the Japanese. The list includes the names of 1,044 United States Navy personnel held by the Japanese, mostly in the Philippines Islands. Source: The Austin American (Austin, Texas), Friday, 14 May 1943, page 19.
The prisoners were held in the Kindley Field Garage area. Roughly twelve thousand POW's were crowded into this area. All the wounded who could walk also were ordered to go there, many with broken bones or serious injuries. For seven days they were kept there without food, except for that which could be scavenged by the few POW's who were formed into work parties, to clear away the dead and to remove the rubble caused by Jap artillery. Most of the prisoners got nothing to eat during those seven days. There was only one water spigot for the twelve thousand. A twelve-hour wait to fill one canteen was the usual rule.
"Each prisoner was given a number, which had to be painted on the back of his shirt or trousers. In the scant two days that elapsed between the actual capitulation at noon, 6 May 1942, and the internment of the prisoners in this area on 8 May, the Japanese soldiers robbed every prisoner of all his possessions, such as watches, fountain pens, rings, eye glasses, wallets and money. All the prisoners, officers and enlisted men alike, were required by Japanese order to salute Japanese soldiers and officers if they were covered, and to bow from the waist if they were uncovered. This rule was strictly enforced by the Japanese soldiers. The Filipino prisoners were kept separate from the Americans by an imaginary line." Source: Report on American Prisoners of War interned by the Japanese in the Philippines prepared by the Office of the Provost Marshal General, 19 November 1945.
On the afternoon of May 22nd the Japanese loaded the prisoners onto three merchant ships and the next day they were transported to Manila. There the POW's were marched down Dewey Boulevard and through the streets in a Japanese "victory" parade to Bilibid Prison. During the last days of May most of the Corregidor POWs left Bilibid in 100 men detachments. They were crammed into boxcars and taken to the Japanese POW Camps 1, 2 and 3, just east of the town of Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Don't know if Hall was taken to Cabanatuan or stayed at Bilibid Prison but by the fall of 1944 he was in the U.S. Naval Hospital Unit of Bilibid Prison, Manila, Philippines suffering from beriberi, heart disease and severe malnutrition.
Seeking to ease Bilibid's overcrowding issues, the Japanese established the Sakura Detached Prison Camp No. 24 Hospital, located in the former American base, Fort William McKinley, in Pasay. This hospital was staffed by American POW medical personnel and was opened on 15 November 15, 1944. EM1c Alton H. Hall was moved to Sakura that day.
HOSPTIAL
SAKURA DETACHED CAMP
PRISONER OF WAR ENCLOSURE #24
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
OFFICIAL DIARY
15 November 1944: In compliance with instructions, Imperial Japanese Military Forces, Manila, P.I., SAKURA DETACHED CAMP, Sakura, P.I. (Fort William McKinley, P.I.) was occupied. Three (3) Medical Officers, U.S. Army, one (1) CCst U.S. Navy (Tailor), one (1) Civilian (Cobbler) and one hundred and forty-seven (147) patients (including Hall) arrived from the Hospital, Bilibid Prisoner of War Inclosure, Manila, P. I. at 6:30 A.M. Twenty-five (25) enlisted men (Medical Department, U.S. Army), and fifty (50) patients arrive from the Hospital, Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Inclosure, Cabanatuan, P. I. arrived at 1:00 P.M. These men were assigned to quarters in a two story building. Sanitary conditions poor. The building was empty, no beds, mattresses, furniture or fixtures. One thin nipa mat for four (4) men was issued by the Japanese upon arrival. There are several men who do not have a blanket. CAPTAIN VAUGHAN A. SHAW, Medical Corps, U.S. Army, assumed command as SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER IN CHARGE of this enclosure...There is considerable work required to place this building in a half-way decent shape... Source: File Number 500-23; Official Documents, Special Orders, Rosters, Payrolls, Council Books, Official Diary, Hospital Sukura Prison Camp, Fort McKinley, Luzon; November 1944 to January 1945.
After 2 years and 6 months as a POW, the 5'10" Alton weighed a mere 90 pounds. EM1c Alton H. Hall died just four days later at 2:00 a.m. on 19 November 1944 in Sakura Prison Camp No. 24 hospital. Alton was buried the next day in a cemetery "about 400 yards northwest of camp, just north of the road north of camp that ran mainly east and west".
U.S. Naval Hospital Unit of Bilibid Prison, Manila, Philippines – Report of Death – Alton H. Hall
Patient died during the night without calling for medical attention. Death due to *beriberi, heart disease and severe malnutrition plus hardship due to transfer from Bilibid Hospital and rigors of an unequipped, new prison camp.
*Beriberi is a disease caused by a vitamin B-1 deficiency which causes heart failure.
Bilibid Prison Record 12-10-44: Information received this date from the Japanese authorities that on November 19, 1944, the following named U.S. Navy enlisted man died at Fort Wm. McKinley Hospital: HALL, Alton H., EM1c USN, Ser. No. 356 01 16 (formerly attached to USS CANOPUS) cause of death: Malnutrition, beriberi. Source: Kentner's Journal Bilibid Prison, Manila, P.I. from 12-8-41 to 2-5-45 by Pharmacist Mate, Robert W. Kentner, page 119.
He was the first of two deaths during the six weeks this hospital/camp was open. The Americans arrived in Manila in January 1945, but that was mere weeks too late for Alton Hall.
Death of Navy Man Confirmed
The death of Alton Hall, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Hall of Comanche, who previously been reported a prisoner of war by the Navy Department and by private sources as dead is now officially listed as dead according to a letter received recently by his father from the Navy Department.
Young Hall, who was reared in this community, served in the Navy seven years and was taken prisoner by the Japs at Corregidor.
The letter to the father from H. B. Atkinson, Commander, USNR, Officer in Charge, Casualty Section, Navy Department, follows:
Your son, Alton Henry Hall, Electrician's Mate first class, United States Navy has been carried on the official records of the Navy Department as a prisoner of war in the Philippine Islands.
It is now with deep regret that this Bureau now informs you that your son died of Beri-beri on 19 November 1944, while held as a prisoner of war in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp, Philippine Islands. This information concerning his death was obtained from Japanese records and from prisoners of war in the Philippine Islands who have since been liberated.
The various agencies of the government having jurisdiction over the settlement of death benefits have been properly advised so that forms upon which to file claims for such benefits as may be due will be forward to you.
The Navy Department extends sincere sympathy to you in your great sorrow and hopes that you may find some comfort in the knowledge that your son gave his life in the service of his country. Source: The Comanche Chief (Comanche, Comanche County, Texas), 06 July 1945, page 1.
After the war his remains were disinterred and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands where they were reburied. The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin, Electrician's Mate First Class Alton Henry Hall's remains were brought back to Texas and he was buried on 05 January 1949 in his final resting place in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery – Plot T, Row 0, Grave 14.
Alton H. Hall
Service # 35 60 116
Entered Service From: Texas
Rank: Electrician's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy
Unit: U.S.S. Canopus (AS-9)
Date of Death: 19 November 1942, died from beriberi and severe malnutrition in Sakura Detached Prison Camp # 24 hospital (Fort William McKinley), Pasay, Luzon, Philippine Islands
Buried: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas – Plot T, Row 0, Grave 14
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alton Henry Hall was born 26 August 1914, the second of three boys and one girl to Henry Augustus Hall and Amanda Emma 'Manda' Woolum. His parents were farmers and he was raised near the town of Comanche, Texas.
1930 United States Federal Census (22 April 1930): Comanche, Comanche County, Texas (sheet 9B, family 215, 211 Highway No 10) - Alton H. Hall (14 Texas)
Alton H. Hall (1914 Texas), a resident of Comanche County, Texas, enlisted as a Seaman Apprentice (S/N 356 01 16) in the U.S. Navy on 13 November 1936 in Dallas, Texas. He listed his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hall, Rt. 3, Comanche, Texas, as his next of kin contacts.
FOUR NAVAL RECRUITS SENT TO SAN DIEGO
Four recruits are en route to the Naval Training Station at San Diego, Chief Gunner's Mate Mike Drewnick of the Fort Worth recruiting office announced Monday. Those who enlisted were: ... Alton H. Hall, Comanche ... Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas), Monday, 16 November 1936, page 4.
In May 1938, Seaman First Class Alton H. Hall (S/N 356 01 16) was assigned to the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 05 May 1938 to 22 November 1939
U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22)
Seaman First Class (S1c)/Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He enlisted 13 November 1936 in Dallas, Texas. Alton was first received on board the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) on 05 May 1938. The TULSA was nicknamed the Galloping Ghost of the South China Coast. She was assigned to the South China Patrol, observing conditions along the south China coast during the period following the outbreak of the undeclared Sino-Japanese war in July 1937. On 16 October 1939 he was appointed Electrician's Mate Third Class (Auth: CINCAF QUOTA 2-40). On 17 November 1939 EM3c Alton H. Hall entered into an agreement to extend his enlistment for two (2) more years. on 22 November 1939 he was transferred to NYd, Cavite, P.I. for course instruction. Sound Mo. Pic. Op. School (Auth: CINC AF. 05-1647 of 8/31/39)
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 22 November 1939 to 25 November 1939
U.S.S. AUGUSTA (CA-31)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He was a passenger aboard the heavy cruiser U.S.S. AUGUSTA (CA-31) and was transferred on 25 November 1939 to Receiving Station Cavite, P.I. for course instruction SMPT School (Auth:CINCAF Ser. 05-2136, 11/21/39).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 25 November 1939 to 03 February 1940
Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippine Islands.
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He was received at the Receiving Station, Cavite on 25 November 1939 from U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) via U.S.S. AUGUSTA. On 03 February 1940 Alton was transferred back to the U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 03 February 1940 to 01 May 1940
U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356-01-16). On 03 February 1940 he was received back for duty aboard the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) from Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Cavite, P.I. 01 May 1940, the U.S.S. TULSA was sailing from Swatow, China to Amoy, China. He was transferred that same day to the U.S.S. PAUL JONES FFT CANOPUS for duty.
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: May 1940 to 07 December 1940
U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (Em3c)/Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was transferred to the submarine tender U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) in May 1940. While serving aboard the CANOPUS he was promoted to Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c). In December 1940 he was transferred to the submarine U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 07 December 1940 to 07 February 1941
U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176)
Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was received on board the submarine, U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176) on 07 December 1940 from U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) for duty. She was involved in operations around the Philippines. On 07 February 1941 he was transferred back to the U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) for duty.
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 07 February 1941 to 29 December 1941
U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9)
Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was received on board the CANOPUS on 07 February 1941.
"In the fateful first week in December (1941), the CANOPUS had just finished an extensive overhaul at Cavite Navy Yard , and emerged looking more like a war vessel than ever before. Many antiaircraft machine guns had been added to her armament, and light armor had been fitted around exposed positions, which later proved of immense value in warding off bomb fragments."
On 07 December 1941, the CANOPUS, lay at Cavite Navy Yard, as tender to Submarine Squadron 20. The next day Japan attacked the Philippines. In the days that followed, her men worked day and night to repair ships damaged in the daily air raids as well as to keep her brood of submarines at sea. With the Army falling back on Manila, CANOPUS sailed to Mariveles Bay at the tip of Bataan on Christmas Day.
"We were to set up shop again in Mariveles Bay, on the southern tip of Bataan peninsula. Some of the submarines were still with us, but now we had no source from which our supplies could be replenished, and it was obvious that the best we could hope to do would be to equip this last group for war patrol, and then "turn in our suits" as far as submarines were concerned."
On 29 December 1941, CANOPUS received severe damage when hit by a Japanese 500-pound armor-piercing bomb that penetrated the decks and exploded on the propeller shaft housing.
"On December 29th our daily visitors, evidently deciding that Manila had been adequately taken care of, turned their attention toward us. Squadron after endless squadron showed their contempt for the guns of Corregidor by blasting that island from end to end, and the last group of the day, as if by an after-thought, wheeled in from that fatally exposed direction and blanketed the Canopus with a perfectly placed patter of bombs..."
Six sailors were killed mostly from scalding and fires started in the engine rooms and magazines another six wounded. "The officers in charge of the engine room, Machinist Hutchinson and Electrician Hall, were both badly wounded by the blast". Source: The Canopus by Capt. E. L. Sackett, U.S.N.
Alton likely was taken to the 1,000-bed U.S. military hospital in Malinta Tunnel on Corregidor Island.
The rest of the CANOPUS crew became part of the defense of Bataan and Corregidor. She was scuttled 09 April off Mariveles rather than face capture by the enemy. Many of the crew were evacuated to Corregidor and served in the 4th Marine Regiment's during the final battle for the island fortress.
On 09 April 1942, Filipino and U.S. forces on Bataan were surrendered and the Japanese were able to mass artillery for an all-out attack of the Rock from just two miles away. A virtual rain of shells and bombs saturated the island during April, resulting in the destruction of most beach defenses.
April 29, Wednesday: The birthday of Emperor Hirohito. The Japanese raise the level of intensity of the aerial and artillery attacks a few notches. At 0730, the attack opens with the 260th air alarm of the campaign. Japanese bombers flew 83 sorties, dropping 106 tons of bombs. The air raids and the artillery fire continue without let up all day. By nightfall, Corregidor is in shambles, a pulverized, blasted chunk of rock lying under a blanket of dust and smoke. Fires rage out of control all over the island and smoke towers 3,000 feet in the air.
"It took no mental giant," wrote Wainwright, "to figure out, that the enemy was ready to come against Corregidor." On the night of 05 May 1942, Japanese forces landed on the island and overwhelmed the garrison. Despite heavy resistance by the defenders and severe losses to the Japanese, the enemy was able to push forward. The situation grew more perilous and feeling that further resistance was useless and fearing a possible massacre of 1,000 sick and wounded personnel in Malinta Tunnel, General Wainwright decided to surrender. At 1200, 06 May 1942 the surrender went into effect.
EM1c Alton Henry Hall became a prisoner of the Japanese.
Sailor Listed as Jap Prisoner
Friday, 14 May 1943 – Alton Henry Hall, electrician's mate, second class, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Augustus Hall, Comanche, was listed by the Navy Department Thursday as a prisoner of war held by the Japanese. The list includes the names of 1,044 United States Navy personnel held by the Japanese, mostly in the Philippines Islands. Source: The Austin American (Austin, Texas), Friday, 14 May 1943, page 19.
The prisoners were held in the Kindley Field Garage area. Roughly twelve thousand POW's were crowded into this area. All the wounded who could walk also were ordered to go there, many with broken bones or serious injuries. For seven days they were kept there without food, except for that which could be scavenged by the few POW's who were formed into work parties, to clear away the dead and to remove the rubble caused by Jap artillery. Most of the prisoners got nothing to eat during those seven days. There was only one water spigot for the twelve thousand. A twelve-hour wait to fill one canteen was the usual rule.
"Each prisoner was given a number, which had to be painted on the back of his shirt or trousers. In the scant two days that elapsed between the actual capitulation at noon, 6 May 1942, and the internment of the prisoners in this area on 8 May, the Japanese soldiers robbed every prisoner of all his possessions, such as watches, fountain pens, rings, eye glasses, wallets and money. All the prisoners, officers and enlisted men alike, were required by Japanese order to salute Japanese soldiers and officers if they were covered, and to bow from the waist if they were uncovered. This rule was strictly enforced by the Japanese soldiers. The Filipino prisoners were kept separate from the Americans by an imaginary line." Source: Report on American Prisoners of War interned by the Japanese in the Philippines prepared by the Office of the Provost Marshal General, 19 November 1945.
On the afternoon of May 22nd the Japanese loaded the prisoners onto three merchant ships and the next day they were transported to Manila. There the POW's were marched down Dewey Boulevard and through the streets in a Japanese "victory" parade to Bilibid Prison. During the last days of May most of the Corregidor POWs left Bilibid in 100 men detachments. They were crammed into boxcars and taken to the Japanese POW Camps 1, 2 and 3, just east of the town of Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Don't know if Hall was taken to Cabanatuan or stayed at Bilibid Prison but by the fall of 1944 he was in the U.S. Naval Hospital Unit of Bilibid Prison, Manila, Philippines suffering from beriberi, heart disease and severe malnutrition.
Seeking to ease Bilibid's overcrowding issues, the Japanese established the Sakura Detached Prison Camp No. 24 Hospital, located in the former American base, Fort William McKinley, in Pasay. This hospital was staffed by American POW medical personnel and was opened on 15 November 15, 1944. EM1c Alton H. Hall was moved to Sakura that day.
HOSPTIAL
SAKURA DETACHED CAMP
PRISONER OF WAR ENCLOSURE #24
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
OFFICIAL DIARY
15 November 1944: In compliance with instructions, Imperial Japanese Military Forces, Manila, P.I., SAKURA DETACHED CAMP, Sakura, P.I. (Fort William McKinley, P.I.) was occupied. Three (3) Medical Officers, U.S. Army, one (1) CCst U.S. Navy (Tailor), one (1) Civilian (Cobbler) and one hundred and forty-seven (147) patients (including Hall) arrived from the Hospital, Bilibid Prisoner of War Inclosure, Manila, P. I. at 6:30 A.M. Twenty-five (25) enlisted men (Medical Department, U.S. Army), and fifty (50) patients arrive from the Hospital, Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Inclosure, Cabanatuan, P. I. arrived at 1:00 P.M. These men were assigned to quarters in a two story building. Sanitary conditions poor. The building was empty, no beds, mattresses, furniture or fixtures. One thin nipa mat for four (4) men was issued by the Japanese upon arrival. There are several men who do not have a blanket. CAPTAIN VAUGHAN A. SHAW, Medical Corps, U.S. Army, assumed command as SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER IN CHARGE of this enclosure...There is considerable work required to place this building in a half-way decent shape... Source: File Number 500-23; Official Documents, Special Orders, Rosters, Payrolls, Council Books, Official Diary, Hospital Sukura Prison Camp, Fort McKinley, Luzon; November 1944 to January 1945.
After 2 years and 6 months as a POW, the 5'10" Alton weighed a mere 90 pounds. EM1c Alton H. Hall died just four days later at 2:00 a.m. on 19 November 1944 in Sakura Prison Camp No. 24 hospital. Alton was buried the next day in a cemetery "about 400 yards northwest of camp, just north of the road north of camp that ran mainly east and west".
U.S. Naval Hospital Unit of Bilibid Prison, Manila, Philippines – Report of Death – Alton H. Hall
Patient died during the night without calling for medical attention. Death due to *beriberi, heart disease and severe malnutrition plus hardship due to transfer from Bilibid Hospital and rigors of an unequipped, new prison camp.
*Beriberi is a disease caused by a vitamin B-1 deficiency which causes heart failure.
Bilibid Prison Record 12-10-44: Information received this date from the Japanese authorities that on November 19, 1944, the following named U.S. Navy enlisted man died at Fort Wm. McKinley Hospital: HALL, Alton H., EM1c USN, Ser. No. 356 01 16 (formerly attached to USS CANOPUS) cause of death: Malnutrition, beriberi. Source: Kentner's Journal Bilibid Prison, Manila, P.I. from 12-8-41 to 2-5-45 by Pharmacist Mate, Robert W. Kentner, page 119.
He was the first of two deaths during the six weeks this hospital/camp was open. The Americans arrived in Manila in January 1945, but that was mere weeks too late for Alton Hall.
Death of Navy Man Confirmed
The death of Alton Hall, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Hall of Comanche, who previously been reported a prisoner of war by the Navy Department and by private sources as dead is now officially listed as dead according to a letter received recently by his father from the Navy Department.
Young Hall, who was reared in this community, served in the Navy seven years and was taken prisoner by the Japs at Corregidor.
The letter to the father from H. B. Atkinson, Commander, USNR, Officer in Charge, Casualty Section, Navy Department, follows:
Your son, Alton Henry Hall, Electrician's Mate first class, United States Navy has been carried on the official records of the Navy Department as a prisoner of war in the Philippine Islands.
It is now with deep regret that this Bureau now informs you that your son died of Beri-beri on 19 November 1944, while held as a prisoner of war in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp, Philippine Islands. This information concerning his death was obtained from Japanese records and from prisoners of war in the Philippine Islands who have since been liberated.
The various agencies of the government having jurisdiction over the settlement of death benefits have been properly advised so that forms upon which to file claims for such benefits as may be due will be forward to you.
The Navy Department extends sincere sympathy to you in your great sorrow and hopes that you may find some comfort in the knowledge that your son gave his life in the service of his country. Source: The Comanche Chief (Comanche, Comanche County, Texas), 06 July 1945, page 1.
After the war his remains were disinterred and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands where they were reburied. The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin, Electrician's Mate First Class Alton Henry Hall's remains were brought back to Texas and he was buried on 05 January 1949 in his final resting place in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery – Plot T, Row 0, Grave 14.
Service # 35 60 116
Entered Service From: Texas
Rank: Electrician's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy
Unit: U.S.S. Canopus (AS-9)
Date of Death: 19 November 1942, died from beriberi and severe malnutrition in Sakura Detached Prison Camp # 24 hospital (Fort William McKinley), Pasay, Luzon, Philippine Islands
Buried: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas – Plot T, Row 0, Grave 14
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alton Henry Hall was born 26 August 1914, the second of three boys and one girl to Henry Augustus Hall and Amanda Emma 'Manda' Woolum. His parents were farmers and he was raised near the town of Comanche, Texas.
1930 United States Federal Census (22 April 1930): Comanche, Comanche County, Texas (sheet 9B, family 215, 211 Highway No 10) - Alton H. Hall (14 Texas)
Alton H. Hall (1914 Texas), a resident of Comanche County, Texas, enlisted as a Seaman Apprentice (S/N 356 01 16) in the U.S. Navy on 13 November 1936 in Dallas, Texas. He listed his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hall, Rt. 3, Comanche, Texas, as his next of kin contacts.
FOUR NAVAL RECRUITS SENT TO SAN DIEGO
Four recruits are en route to the Naval Training Station at San Diego, Chief Gunner's Mate Mike Drewnick of the Fort Worth recruiting office announced Monday. Those who enlisted were: ... Alton H. Hall, Comanche ... Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas), Monday, 16 November 1936, page 4.
In May 1938, Seaman First Class Alton H. Hall (S/N 356 01 16) was assigned to the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 05 May 1938 to 22 November 1939
U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22)
Seaman First Class (S1c)/Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He enlisted 13 November 1936 in Dallas, Texas. Alton was first received on board the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) on 05 May 1938. The TULSA was nicknamed the Galloping Ghost of the South China Coast. She was assigned to the South China Patrol, observing conditions along the south China coast during the period following the outbreak of the undeclared Sino-Japanese war in July 1937. On 16 October 1939 he was appointed Electrician's Mate Third Class (Auth: CINCAF QUOTA 2-40). On 17 November 1939 EM3c Alton H. Hall entered into an agreement to extend his enlistment for two (2) more years. on 22 November 1939 he was transferred to NYd, Cavite, P.I. for course instruction. Sound Mo. Pic. Op. School (Auth: CINC AF. 05-1647 of 8/31/39)
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 22 November 1939 to 25 November 1939
U.S.S. AUGUSTA (CA-31)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He was a passenger aboard the heavy cruiser U.S.S. AUGUSTA (CA-31) and was transferred on 25 November 1939 to Receiving Station Cavite, P.I. for course instruction SMPT School (Auth:CINCAF Ser. 05-2136, 11/21/39).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 25 November 1939 to 03 February 1940
Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippine Islands.
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356 01 16). He was received at the Receiving Station, Cavite on 25 November 1939 from U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) via U.S.S. AUGUSTA. On 03 February 1940 Alton was transferred back to the U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 03 February 1940 to 01 May 1940
U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (EM3c) Alton Henry Hall (S/N 356-01-16). On 03 February 1940 he was received back for duty aboard the gunboat U.S.S. TULSA (PG-22) from Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Cavite, P.I. 01 May 1940, the U.S.S. TULSA was sailing from Swatow, China to Amoy, China. He was transferred that same day to the U.S.S. PAUL JONES FFT CANOPUS for duty.
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: May 1940 to 07 December 1940
U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9)
Electrician's Mate Third Class (Em3c)/Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was transferred to the submarine tender U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) in May 1940. While serving aboard the CANOPUS he was promoted to Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c). In December 1940 he was transferred to the submarine U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176).
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 07 December 1940 to 07 February 1941
U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176)
Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was received on board the submarine, U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176) on 07 December 1940 from U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) for duty. She was involved in operations around the Philippines. On 07 February 1941 he was transferred back to the U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9) for duty.
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls: 07 February 1941 to 29 December 1941
U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9)
Electrician's Mate Second Class (Em2c) Alton H. Hall (S/N 356-01-16). He was received on board the CANOPUS on 07 February 1941.
"In the fateful first week in December (1941), the CANOPUS had just finished an extensive overhaul at Cavite Navy Yard , and emerged looking more like a war vessel than ever before. Many antiaircraft machine guns had been added to her armament, and light armor had been fitted around exposed positions, which later proved of immense value in warding off bomb fragments."
On 07 December 1941, the CANOPUS, lay at Cavite Navy Yard, as tender to Submarine Squadron 20. The next day Japan attacked the Philippines. In the days that followed, her men worked day and night to repair ships damaged in the daily air raids as well as to keep her brood of submarines at sea. With the Army falling back on Manila, CANOPUS sailed to Mariveles Bay at the tip of Bataan on Christmas Day.
"We were to set up shop again in Mariveles Bay, on the southern tip of Bataan peninsula. Some of the submarines were still with us, but now we had no source from which our supplies could be replenished, and it was obvious that the best we could hope to do would be to equip this last group for war patrol, and then "turn in our suits" as far as submarines were concerned."
On 29 December 1941, CANOPUS received severe damage when hit by a Japanese 500-pound armor-piercing bomb that penetrated the decks and exploded on the propeller shaft housing.
"On December 29th our daily visitors, evidently deciding that Manila had been adequately taken care of, turned their attention toward us. Squadron after endless squadron showed their contempt for the guns of Corregidor by blasting that island from end to end, and the last group of the day, as if by an after-thought, wheeled in from that fatally exposed direction and blanketed the Canopus with a perfectly placed patter of bombs..."
Six sailors were killed mostly from scalding and fires started in the engine rooms and magazines another six wounded. "The officers in charge of the engine room, Machinist Hutchinson and Electrician Hall, were both badly wounded by the blast". Source: The Canopus by Capt. E. L. Sackett, U.S.N.
Alton likely was taken to the 1,000-bed U.S. military hospital in Malinta Tunnel on Corregidor Island.
The rest of the CANOPUS crew became part of the defense of Bataan and Corregidor. She was scuttled 09 April off Mariveles rather than face capture by the enemy. Many of the crew were evacuated to Corregidor and served in the 4th Marine Regiment's during the final battle for the island fortress.
On 09 April 1942, Filipino and U.S. forces on Bataan were surrendered and the Japanese were able to mass artillery for an all-out attack of the Rock from just two miles away. A virtual rain of shells and bombs saturated the island during April, resulting in the destruction of most beach defenses.
April 29, Wednesday: The birthday of Emperor Hirohito. The Japanese raise the level of intensity of the aerial and artillery attacks a few notches. At 0730, the attack opens with the 260th air alarm of the campaign. Japanese bombers flew 83 sorties, dropping 106 tons of bombs. The air raids and the artillery fire continue without let up all day. By nightfall, Corregidor is in shambles, a pulverized, blasted chunk of rock lying under a blanket of dust and smoke. Fires rage out of control all over the island and smoke towers 3,000 feet in the air.
"It took no mental giant," wrote Wainwright, "to figure out, that the enemy was ready to come against Corregidor." On the night of 05 May 1942, Japanese forces landed on the island and overwhelmed the garrison. Despite heavy resistance by the defenders and severe losses to the Japanese, the enemy was able to push forward. The situation grew more perilous and feeling that further resistance was useless and fearing a possible massacre of 1,000 sick and wounded personnel in Malinta Tunnel, General Wainwright decided to surrender. At 1200, 06 May 1942 the surrender went into effect.
EM1c Alton Henry Hall became a prisoner of the Japanese.
Sailor Listed as Jap Prisoner
Friday, 14 May 1943 – Alton Henry Hall, electrician's mate, second class, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Augustus Hall, Comanche, was listed by the Navy Department Thursday as a prisoner of war held by the Japanese. The list includes the names of 1,044 United States Navy personnel held by the Japanese, mostly in the Philippines Islands. Source: The Austin American (Austin, Texas), Friday, 14 May 1943, page 19.
The prisoners were held in the Kindley Field Garage area. Roughly twelve thousand POW's were crowded into this area. All the wounded who could walk also were ordered to go there, many with broken bones or serious injuries. For seven days they were kept there without food, except for that which could be scavenged by the few POW's who were formed into work parties, to clear away the dead and to remove the rubble caused by Jap artillery. Most of the prisoners got nothing to eat during those seven days. There was only one water spigot for the twelve thousand. A twelve-hour wait to fill one canteen was the usual rule.
"Each prisoner was given a number, which had to be painted on the back of his shirt or trousers. In the scant two days that elapsed between the actual capitulation at noon, 6 May 1942, and the internment of the prisoners in this area on 8 May, the Japanese soldiers robbed every prisoner of all his possessions, such as watches, fountain pens, rings, eye glasses, wallets and money. All the prisoners, officers and enlisted men alike, were required by Japanese order to salute Japanese soldiers and officers if they were covered, and to bow from the waist if they were uncovered. This rule was strictly enforced by the Japanese soldiers. The Filipino prisoners were kept separate from the Americans by an imaginary line." Source: Report on American Prisoners of War interned by the Japanese in the Philippines prepared by the Office of the Provost Marshal General, 19 November 1945.
On the afternoon of May 22nd the Japanese loaded the prisoners onto three merchant ships and the next day they were transported to Manila. There the POW's were marched down Dewey Boulevard and through the streets in a Japanese "victory" parade to Bilibid Prison. During the last days of May most of the Corregidor POWs left Bilibid in 100 men detachments. They were crammed into boxcars and taken to the Japanese POW Camps 1, 2 and 3, just east of the town of Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Don't know if Hall was taken to Cabanatuan or stayed at Bilibid Prison but by the fall of 1944 he was in the U.S. Naval Hospital Unit of Bilibid Prison, Manila, Philippines suffering from beriberi, heart disease and severe malnutrition.
Seeking to ease Bilibid's overcrowding issues, the Japanese established the Sakura Detached Prison Camp No. 24 Hospital, located in the former American base, Fort William McKinley, in Pasay. This hospital was staffed by American POW medical personnel and was opened on 15 November 15, 1944. EM1c Alton H. Hall was moved to Sakura that day.
HOSPTIAL
SAKURA DETACHED CAMP
PRISONER OF WAR ENCLOSURE #24
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
OFFICIAL DIARY
15 November 1944: In compliance with instructions, Imperial Japanese Military Forces, Manila, P.I., SAKURA DETACHED CAMP, Sakura, P.I. (Fort William McKinley, P.I.) was occupied. Three (3) Medical Officers, U.S. Army, one (1) CCst U.S. Navy (Tailor), one (1) Civilian (Cobbler) and one hundred and forty-seven (147) patients (including Hall) arrived from the Hospital, Bilibid Prisoner of War Inclosure, Manila, P. I. at 6:30 A.M. Twenty-five (25) enlisted men (Medical Department, U.S. Army), and fifty (50) patients arrive from the Hospital, Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Inclosure, Cabanatuan, P. I. arrived at 1:00 P.M. These men were assigned to quarters in a two story building. Sanitary conditions poor. The building was empty, no beds, mattresses, furniture or fixtures. One thin nipa mat for four (4) men was issued by the Japanese upon arrival. There are several men who do not have a blanket. CAPTAIN VAUGHAN A. SHAW, Medical Corps, U.S. Army, assumed command as SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER IN CHARGE of this enclosure...There is considerable work required to place this building in a half-way decent shape... Source: File Number 500-23; Official Documents, Special Orders, Rosters, Payrolls, Council Books, Official Diary, Hospital Sukura Prison Camp, Fort McKinley, Luzon; November 1944 to January 1945.
After 2 years and 6 months as a POW, the 5'10" Alton weighed a mere 90 pounds. EM1c Alton H. Hall died just four days later at 2:00 a.m. on 19 November 1944 in Sakura Prison Camp No. 24 hospital. Alton was buried the next day in a cemetery "about 400 yards northwest of camp, just north of the road north of camp that ran mainly east and west".
U.S. Naval Hospital Unit of Bilibid Prison, Manila, Philippines – Report of Death – Alton H. Hall
Patient died during the night without calling for medical attention. Death due to *beriberi, heart disease and severe malnutrition plus hardship due to transfer from Bilibid Hospital and rigors of an unequipped, new prison camp.
*Beriberi is a disease caused by a vitamin B-1 deficiency which causes heart failure.
Bilibid Prison Record 12-10-44: Information received this date from the Japanese authorities that on November 19, 1944, the following named U.S. Navy enlisted man died at Fort Wm. McKinley Hospital: HALL, Alton H., EM1c USN, Ser. No. 356 01 16 (formerly attached to USS CANOPUS) cause of death: Malnutrition, beriberi. Source: Kentner's Journal Bilibid Prison, Manila, P.I. from 12-8-41 to 2-5-45 by Pharmacist Mate, Robert W. Kentner, page 119.
He was the first of two deaths during the six weeks this hospital/camp was open. The Americans arrived in Manila in January 1945, but that was mere weeks too late for Alton Hall.
Death of Navy Man Confirmed
The death of Alton Hall, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Hall of Comanche, who previously been reported a prisoner of war by the Navy Department and by private sources as dead is now officially listed as dead according to a letter received recently by his father from the Navy Department.
Young Hall, who was reared in this community, served in the Navy seven years and was taken prisoner by the Japs at Corregidor.
The letter to the father from H. B. Atkinson, Commander, USNR, Officer in Charge, Casualty Section, Navy Department, follows:
Your son, Alton Henry Hall, Electrician's Mate first class, United States Navy has been carried on the official records of the Navy Department as a prisoner of war in the Philippine Islands.
It is now with deep regret that this Bureau now informs you that your son died of Beri-beri on 19 November 1944, while held as a prisoner of war in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp, Philippine Islands. This information concerning his death was obtained from Japanese records and from prisoners of war in the Philippine Islands who have since been liberated.
The various agencies of the government having jurisdiction over the settlement of death benefits have been properly advised so that forms upon which to file claims for such benefits as may be due will be forward to you.
The Navy Department extends sincere sympathy to you in your great sorrow and hopes that you may find some comfort in the knowledge that your son gave his life in the service of his country. Source: The Comanche Chief (Comanche, Comanche County, Texas), 06 July 1945, page 1.
After the war his remains were disinterred and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands where they were reburied. The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin, Electrician's Mate First Class Alton Henry Hall's remains were brought back to Texas and he was buried on 05 January 1949 in his final resting place in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery – Plot T, Row 0, Grave 14.
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