Rank and Name, Technical Sergeant Robert James Ashdown.
Unit/Placed in, Finance Department.
Camp Davao
Davao – Small port city on southeast coast of Mindanao. The POW camp was located some ten miles northwest of the port. Camp was closed in 1944 and the POWS were sent first to Cebu on the Yashu Maru. In Cebu, they were transferred to the Singoto Maru and moved to Manila and into Bilibid.
Shinyo Maru
The Hell Ships Shinyo Maru left Manila for Japan.
On Sep. 7, 1944 the ship was hit by 2 Torpedoes from the American Submarine USS Paddle off the Mindanao Coast.
Presumed of the 750 POW onboard, 668 were killed by the Japanese guards and impact of the torpedoes and sinking of the ship.
Robert is born approx. on 30 July, 1915 in Geneva, New York.
Father, Richard J. Ashdown.
Mother, Ethel Ashdown.
Sister(s), Ruth Marian Ashdown.
Brother(s), Samuel G. Ashdown.
Robert enlisted the service in New York with service number # 6141586.
Robert was KIA when the Shinyo Maru was Torpedoed, he tried to escape but the Japanese guards shot him and he drowned on 7 Sep. 1944, he is honored with a Purple Heart, POW Medal, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
Robert is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.
Walls of the missing.
He also has a Memorial Grave at Glenwood Cemetery, Geneva, Ontario County, New York, VS.
Thanks to,
Jean Louis Vijgen, WW2-Pacific Website.
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
