Clinton Edgar Maxson

Submitted by Susan Maxson

Here a picture of Clinton Edgar Maxson son of Harry Edward and Hazel Ruth (Follmer) Maxson and grandson of Randall and Deborah (Kenyon) Maxson.  He was born 12/16/1920 and died April 21, 1971.
This is a picture taken in the Philippines sometime between May 7, 1941 (enlisted in OR) and his capture on May 7, 1942.

Here is an article from The Pontiac Leader, Pontiac, IL on Clinton's orderal.  I have not found an exact date but it is sometime after October and before December 1945. 

This is the information I have obtained so far.  Al McGrew (former POW) fought with (same battery) and provided the information along with National Archives listings:

Clinton Edgar Maxson, Army enlisted in OR on May 7th, 1941.  Sailed out of San Francisco sometime at the end of May 1941 destination, Corregidor in the Philippines.
Al McGrew explains:  "The 60th Coast Artillery consisted of anti-aircraft batteries, searchlight batteries and Headquarters batteries. It had six AA gun batteries, B, C, D, F, G, & H.  Four 50 cal. machine batteries, I, K, L & M. and two searchlight batteries, A & E.  Each battery had about 100 to 120 men. Plus the Headquarters Battery. This entire group made up a regiment. (The 60th CAC A-A regiment). The 59th Regiment consisted of all the big guns on Corregidor. These were 12" guns, 10" guns, 6" guns, plus 155mm and 3" guns (not anti-aircraft type). I will not go deeper into the structure of the arms on the island.  Clint's "group" was "H" Battery. Clint was in Hartford, that was our code name. Battery Ramsey was a 6" gun Battery. Ramsey had 3- 6" guns but it had no men. It was not manned so we, H Battery occupied Ramsey. We used the Ramsey position for our kitchen, supply room, etc. The  four 3" guns of "H" Battery were located inside tall walls of sandbags as shown on the drawing. Since AA guns shoot up, the walls of sandbags were 7 or 8 feet high. The roster of Battery "H" does not include info about Nichols Field. It lists serial no. and name and rank. I will send you a copy.
    No. 2 Gun was just south of the director pit. The director is a large computer and cables go from it to each of the four guns.  The Battery Commander was Capt. Starr, He was the No. 1 man of our battery.  I was not in front of No. 3 gun. I was just in front of Ramsey's No. 1 gun. Sandbags were not around the machine guns. They were around the 3" guns, the director and the height finder.    First, Clint was a member of the No.2 Gun crew. No.2 Gun was a 3" anti-aircraft gun. This is the main battery. The machine guns are there to protect the 3" guns. The reason I drew the drawing is because when the Yanks came in to recapture the island, our bombers dropped heavy bombs and destroyed Hartford and Ramsey. Sadly, there are no photos of Battery Hartford. My friends have delved into the Archives in Wash. and Maryland and there is nothing. That is why I made the drawing I sent. I have visited there 12 times and have thousands of photos."
The Japs started taking pows to Japan in 1942.  Next: I went to Nichols Field first week of July, 1942. There were 150 of us from Cabanatuan. I don't know if Clint was in that group. Later 100 more came, then another 150 arrived at Nichols. I do not know when Clint  came, nor do I know when he left. Nichols Field was a hell camp and I was fortunate to stay alive for the 2 yrs. that I labored there. We were building a runway with picks and shovels. I will send you drawings of what we looked like and the magnitude of work that we did. When I was taken out of Nichols I went back to Cabanatuan for a short time and then back to Bilibid then on the boat, Noto Maru and left for Japan Aug. 27, 1944.  We arrived there Sept. 6th.Len Naylor  lives in Ft. Myers Florida and Herb Mitchel lives in Calif. I talk to Len quite often. I no nothing of the camp where Clint was in in Japan. Why would you want a battery roster of each unit? I will send you one of "H" Battery though.
   
He was a crew member of our No. 2 anti-aircraft gun.  He was a elevation setter on the gun and worked under Sgt. Bill Gardner.  After the surrender we were all taken to a collection area on Corregidor, and after about 20 days were taken by boat to Manila. We were marched thru Manila to Bilibid Prison. From there by box cars north to Cabanatuan, marched out to Camp 3, several km. out of Cabanatuan. Clint and I were among 150 men taken back by box cars to Bilibid then to Nichols Field near Manila.
    I remained at Nichols Field for two years and was taken out with 199 other men back to Bilibid. I do not know if Clint was in this group. I don't think so but could be wrong. We were hauled back to Cabanatuan, then back to Bilibid for a short time, then back to Bilibid, then on a boat to Japan.
The ship I sailed on was the Noto Maru. I have the shipping list of this ship and Clint was not on it. He went to Japan on another Hellship and I do not know which one, or when. I lost touch with him at Nichols Field Prison camp."

    Mr. McGrew told me of when Gen. Jonathon Wainwright gave the order to surrender, he also requested the Battery Capt. to keep a Battery Roster. This is what he tells that was written and kept in a capsule of some type:  Al explains, "Now, the paragraph in the Battery Roster:  Clinton E. Maxon, R-19021102, Elevation Setter. 5th Class specialist, Last paid Nov. 30, 1941. Partial pay $10 March, $2000 insurance. Brother; Millard Maxon, Saunemin, Ill.  Nichols Field detail to Oeyama, Osaka Japan March 1945.
Liberated Oeyama camp, 8/15/45.

The info in italics is from letters I have received from Al.  I have his army numbers etc but did not think that this information was pertinent to what you will have on the website.  Let me know if I have left out anything that you might need.

Susan Maxson