FOUND IN ESTES FAMILY TREE
FOUND IN ESTES FAMILY TREE
Sent by Nell McLaughlin.
Sent by Nell McLaughlin. Lived in Beatrice, NE
Sent by Nell McLaughlin. He was a Japanese prisoner of War since the fall of Corregidor, he was killed when an American submarine sank the Japanese ship upon which he was being moved from the Phillipines to Japan. He was a Coast Artilleryman, one of 1,775 prisoners aboard. Only five escaped death.
Sent by Nell McLaughlin.
In a letter to his parents from the Chaplain aboard his ship -- "He died on board the 7th day of January, as the result of wounds received in action with the enemy on the 6th day of January. He received his injuries at his battle station, in action with the enemy in Lingayen Gulf Luzon Phillipine Islands about 20 minutes after 5 o'clock. He died at 5:15 the next morning.
He was burried at sea in the evening of January 7th, attended by a large gathering of shipmates. It was brief but a formal Religious Memorial for Robert and his shipmates who gave their lives and which was conducted Sunday A.M. the 28th January.