William Edwin W. Farrell was born on August 10, 1915, in Tennessee. He was the son of Louis Farrell and Mallie Wilson Farrell. He entered the first grade at Pulaski, Tennessee, entered high school at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, continued high school in Washington, D. C., and graduated in Berkeley, California. At Berkeley, he also attended the University of California for one and a half years before entering the Army West Point Preparatory School, graduating class of 1937, and was commissioned in the Infantry. His first posting was with the 23rd Infantry, 2nd Division, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He was deployed overseas and arrived in Manila in February 1940, where he joined the 31st Infantry Regiment.

Despite his doubts about their chances, he declined an early return to the United States in November 1941, choosing instead to remain with his troops as conflict loomed. When the Japanese launched their attack, Willie was on temporary duty with the Provost Marshal in Manila, a position that could have earned him a promotion to Major. After briefly serving as a company commander, he became Executive Officer of the 2nd Battalion and later the battalion’s S2 (intelligence officer).

When Bataan fell on April 9, 1942, he chose to escape rather than surrender, planning to join the guerrillas or reach Australia. Along with ten others, he crossed Manila Bay at night in a native boat and landed near Cavite. The group eventually split into smaller parties for safety, and Willie’s trio reached the Lake Taal area near Mindoro. There, a Japanese patrol discovered them. To save his companions, Willie drew the soldiers’ attention to himself, allowing the others to escape. Captured in early August, he was taken to Bilibid Prison in Manila, where his wounds and the effects of beatings were treated before his transfer to Cabanatuan Prison Camp, where he remained until October 1944. Assigned as Mess Officer at Mess #1 and was selected by his former regimental commander, Colonel Brady, to serve as executive officer of a 500-man work detail. When the Japanese began transferring prisoners to Japan in late 1944, he was among POWs moved from Cabanatuan to Bilibid Prison in Manila, then packed aboard the Oryoku Maru on December 13. After the ship was bombed off Subic Bay, survivors, including Willie, were captured again and endured weeks of brutal transport northward through Luzon and Formosa. He succumbed to exhaustion and blood loss aboard the transport ship on January 23, 1945, and was buried at sea.

Cpt Farrell's name is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, alumni.westpointaog.org