WILLARD B. HOLDREDGE, CAPT, USMC

Willard Holdredge '39

Date of birth: January 7, 1917

Date of death: December 15, 1944

Age: 27

Lucky Bag

From the 1939 Lucky Bag:

WILLARD BARRETT HOLDREDGE

East Aurora, New York

Bill, Wee-Willy, Wild Bill

Here's a "word's-eye view" of Bill with his cheerful smile and all-American personality. Very idealistic and conscientious, he always expects the best of people. He never shows annoyance or boredom, and if his temper is aroused, it disappears quickly. Majoring in track and swimming, he also has taken an active interest in public speaking and the Boat Club. Seen at every hop, always dragging, he is known to be a super-super with the fair ones. Most of his leisure time is spent in taking pictures, listening to "swing," reading a good book, or dreaming about leave and skiing. His curiosity never seems to be satisfied. At the passing of a squadron of planes overhead, he casts purposeful eyes upward at the ship leading the Vee.

Battalion Swimming 3, 2, 1; Battalion Cross Country 4, 3, 2, 1; Track 4, 3; Battalion Track, 2; Company Small Bore Team 3, 2; Company Pistol Team 2; Company Rifle Team 2; Boat Club 4, 3, 2, 1; Quarterdeck 4, 3; 1 Stripe.

WILLARD BARRETT HOLDREDGE

East Aurora, New York

Bill, Wee-Willy, Wild Bill

Here's a "word's-eye view" of Bill with his cheerful smile and all-American personality. Very idealistic and conscientious, he always expects the best of people. He never shows annoyance or boredom, and if his temper is aroused, it disappears quickly. Majoring in track and swimming, he also has taken an active interest in public speaking and the Boat Club. Seen at every hop, always dragging, he is known to be a super-super with the fair ones. Most of his leisure time is spent in taking pictures, listening to "swing," reading a good book, or dreaming about leave and skiing. His curiosity never seems to be satisfied. At the passing of a squadron of planes overhead, he casts purposeful eyes upward at the ship leading the Vee.

Battalion Swimming 3, 2, 1; Battalion Cross Country 4, 3, 2, 1; Track 4, 3; Battalion Track, 2; Company Small Bore Team 3, 2; Company Pistol Team 2; Company Rifle Team 2; Boat Club 4, 3, 2, 1; Quarterdeck 4, 3; 1 Stripe.

Loss

Willard was taken as a prisoner of war following the fall of Corregidor and was killed on December 15, 1944 when American aircraft mistakenly attacked the POW ship (Oryoku Maru) he was aboard.

Willard was mentioned repeatedly in FROM SHANGHAI TO CORREGIDOR: Marines in the Defense of the Philippines, by J. Michael Miller.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Willard was selected by Senator James M. Mead as a candidate for the Naval Academy. He graduated from Marine Officers Training School at Philadelphia in May 1940. In February 1942, his family was notified that he was injured, last stationed at Cavite.

He was sworn in as 1st Lieutenant on January 8, 1942 with Carter Simpson '39 (from Carter's diary, linked below). The two classmates were the only officers in their air-aircraft battery, and Carter writes about Willard's experiences throughout.

From the Syracuse, New York, Journal, June 25, 1945:

Syracusan Was One of First Marines in Philippines
Anxiety for the safety of their son, a prisoner of the Japs for almost three years, reached a heart-breaking climax when a Syracuse family learned of his death.
Capt. Willard B. Holdredge, U.S.M.C., who until last December was successful in outwitting his Jap captors, as killed the last month of 1944 when he was being removed from the Philippines to Japan. Gen A. A. Vandergrift, Marine Corps commandant, notified the parents over the weekend.
The young Syracusan, son of Mr. and Mrs. Earl B. Holdredge of 944 Westcott St., was graduated from Annapolis in 1939 after an outstanding undergraduate career. One of the first Marine Corps officers assigned to the Philippine Islands, Capt. Holdredge was taken prisoner May 6, 1942, at Corregidor.
Holder of the Navy Cross and the individual Presidential Citation, both awarded to him by the late Franklin D. Roosevelt, Capt. Holdredge was further honored in Gen. Vandergrift’s message as follows:
“ . . . he will be carried on the rolls of the United States Marine Corps as having been killed in action in performance of duty in the service of his country.”
Now and then during his internment the Holdredges were able to exchange short messages with their son and up until the end of last year the captain was confident of his ultimate rescue and safe return. However, no word from him came after the disastrous event when American planes by accident bombed the Jap removal of American prisoners from the Philippines.
Although the Syracuse family had reason to believe their son was one of the members of this ill-fated expedition, the father and mother continued to hope that somehow or other Capt. Holdredge had managed to escape. Their optimism was bolstered by reports to them from Americans who were later released from internment when the Philippines were retaken.
On his mother’s side, Capt. Holdredge was descended from the first settlers of the city. His maternal grandmother and grandfather were Willard and Mary Hookway and his maternal great-grandfather and great-grandmother were Edward and Elizabeth Hookway.

His father was listed as next of kin.

He has a memory marker in New York.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag
From the Syracuse Herald-Journal on February 6, 1942.

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant Willard Barrett Holdredge (MCSN: 0-5946), United States Marine Corps, for distinguished service in action while serving with Company I, Third Battalion, FOURTH Marines (Detached) as Commanding Officer of Battery C, Navy Bluejacket-Marine Battalion (Mariveles), in action against the enemy in the defense of the Bataan Peninsula, Luzon, Philippine Islands, from 28 December 1941 to 8 April 1942. Lieutenant Holdrege commanded an anti-aircraft battery which, due to conditions of terrain, was completely exposed and subjected to repeated aerial bombardments. By his courage and efficiency, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Lieutenant Holdrege maintained his battery at the peak of battle efficiency in action and thus materially contributed to the defense of the Mariveles area. From 23 to 31 January 1942, he rendered invaluable services while serving with a composite Bluejacket-Marine Battalion which had been hastily formed to expel a strong enemy penetration which dangerously threatened the Miravalis area of Bataan. By his courage, energy, and splendid qualities of leadership he materially contributed to the success of that action which resulted in the enemy being isolated on Longoskawayan Points where it was destroyed. His action at all times were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Action Date: December 28, 1941 - April 8, 1942
Service: Marine Corps
Rank: First Lieutenant
Company: Company I
Battalion: 3d Battalion
Regiment: 4th Marines (Detached)
Division: Navy Bluejacket-Marine Battalion (Mariveles)

Note that while the citation above lists it as a posthumous award, the newspaper article in June 1945 says it was conferred while Willard was alive (or at least believed to be alive).

Prisoner of War Medal

From Hall of Valor:

First Lieutenant Willard Barrett Holdredge (MCSN: 0-5946), United States Marine Corps, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his death while still in captivity.
General Orders: NARA Database: Records of World War II Prisoners of War, created, 1942 - 1947
Action Date: May 6, 1942 - MIA in Captivity
Service: Marine Corps
Rank: First Lieutenant
Division: Prisoner of War (Philippine Islands)

Class of 1939 Marines at the Fall of Corregidor

At least seven Marines of the Class of 1939 were captured by the Japanese when Corregidor fell in May 1942; six of them perished in captivity. Four were awarded the Navy Cross for their heroism and distinguished service in six months of combat under arduous and increasingly desperate conditions. A fifth was awarded the Navy Cross for action in the Korean War.

Two men — William Hogaboom and Willard Holdredge — had extremely similar experiences, and are often mentioned together in after-action reports. Carter Simpson's was also similar; he also managed to keep an exceptionally interesting diary that survived the war. All three of these Marines were killed during or immediately after the attack on Oryoku Maru on December 14, 1945.

A fourth classmate, Ralph Mann, Jr., died in captivity in September 1942.

The final two, Hugh Tistadt, Jr. and John Fantone, survived the Oryoku Maru attack but perished in POW camps a few months later.

A seventh classmate, William Harris, was also captured, but escaped by swimming across Manila Bay from Corregidor to Bataan on May 22, 1942. He was later recaptured and tortured by the Japanese but survived the war to personally witness the Japanese surrender aboard USS Missouri. He was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroism in the Korean War.

Memorial Hall Error

Multiple sources list his rank as Captain; Memorial Hall lists 1LT. His classmate, William Hogaboom '39—who was also awarded the Navy Cross, also captured, and also killed in the air strike on this POW ship—was posthumously promoted; believe it likely Willard was as well.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.