Guy Norred (his paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Norred) was born in Canada the son of Guy N. and Daisy Louise Atkinson Cantrall who married about 1909. Guy’s siblings were; Infant Cantrall (d.y.), Violet Marguerite Cantrall Peterson, Robert Bernard and Eugene Atkinson Cantrall. Guy N., was born in Canada therefore he became a naturalized US Citizen in 1914. Guy Sr ran a business with a friend, Wendell Leonard, in Canada. They made several round trips to and from Canada between 1908-1919 and even lived there for about two years (1911-1913) and then a three year period (1916-1919). Their wives and children went with them. Several of Guy’s children, namely Guy N. and Robert Bernard were born in Canada. The infant and Violet were born in Illiopolis, IL and Eugene was born on 22 Apr 1924 in Mills, Natrona, WY.

By Jan 1920, the family lived in Mills, WY where Guy Sr was employed as a ranch hand and sheep herder. By 1921, Daisy and her children lived in Casper, Wyoming. At some point they returned to Mills, WY where Eugene was born. Guy and Daisy divorced in the late 1920s and she returned to Illiopolis.

After his divorce, Guy Sr moved to Council Grove, Morris, KS, where by 01 April 1930, he was enumerated in the US Census with his new in-laws, Samuel Sisson and his wife, and Guy’s new wife, Mrs. Della (Sisson) Davis Cantrall. Guy and Della married 25 Jan 1930 in Council Grove, KS. Their first son, Donald Leland Cantrall, was born 14 Feb 1930 and died 30 Aug 1931. Second child; Lloyd Wayne “Buck” Cantrall was born 25 Jan 1932 in Wilsey, Morris, KS. He died in 2012.

Home in Illiopolis by 1927, Daisy was hospitalized in Decatur, IL on 09 Mar 1928. Her hospitalization may have had its root cause in the stress she experienced because of her situation. The following year she was left to raise her four children just as the dawn of the Great Depression began around 04 Sep 1929. The situation was about to get far worse when about six weeks later on Black Thursday, 29 Oct 1929, the stock market crashed and sent the world and the United States into one of the worst economic down-turns of the 20th century.

Guy Norred (the Navy, probably for administrative convenience, or clerical error, changed the spelling to Nard) applied for enlistment in the US Navy in the early fall of 1929 at a local recruiting office. Like many young men of that era who sought adventure, trade skills, and a desire to help with family expenses, Guy saw the service as a gateway to those opportunities. After successfully completing qualifying general aptitude examinations; submitting personal references, completing administrative paperwork, passing background checks and physical and dental examinations, in addition to securing his mother's permission, Guy N. Cantrall was accepted for enlistment.

Guy Norred/Nard Cantrall enlisted on his 17th birthday (the first day he was eligible to enlist) in the US Navy (299-68-89) for four years as an Apprentice Seaman (A.S.) on 2 Oct 1929 in Illinois. He was transferred to the Naval Training Station (NTS), Great Lakes, IL for basic training. In late Feb 1930, A.S. Cantrall completed recruit training and was given 10 days of recruit leave. He went home to visit his mother and siblings in Illiopolis, IL. He returned to NTS, Great Lakes on 2 Mar 1930. Almost two months later, Guy’s sister, Violet, age 14, in consonance with another girl, Rosalie Middlekauf, age 15, disappeared from their respective homes on 27 May. They were picked up by St. Louis, MO police and returned home on Friday, 30 May 1930. Just another stressful event that a single mom had to deal with.

Upon returning to NTS, Great Lakes from his leave, A.S. Cantrall was placed in the “outgoing” unit before 01 April 1930 when he was enumerated in the 1930 US Census. He transferred to Norfolk, VA where he was assigned to shipboard duty. He was advanced to Seaman Second Class (S2c) in 1930. Later, S2c Cantrall requested a change in rating from Seaman to Fireman. His request was approved. He rose through the ranks from Fireman Third Class (F3c) to Fireman First Class (F1c) by the end of his first enlistment on 02 Oct 1933. Cantrall reenlisted in Key West, FL on 13 Oct 1933. Four days later in Norfolk, VA, Guy N. Cantrall and Miss Pearl Corinne Landers were married on 17 Oct 1933. She was born in Roxbury, Suffolk, MA on 08 Sep 1915. She had just turned 18. The following year, Machinist Mate Third Class (MM3) Cantrall transferred to the submarine tender, USS Argonne (AS-10) in Norfolk, VA. He reported on board for duty on 12 Sep 1934.

Following leave and liberty at Norfolk, VA and New Orleans, Argonne returned via the Panama Canal to San Pedro, CA arriving on 09 Nov 1934. She was the Flagship for the Base Force Commander. She also provided tender and repair services for mine sweepers, tugs and harbor craft, while maintaining the only major photographic laboratory for photo-triangulation of fleet gunnery exercises. Over the next five years that Cantrall was on board, Argonne operated principally out of San Pedro, but followed the fleet to the waters of Hawaii or Panama to carry out her vital support duty. During that time on board he advanced to Machinist’s Mate Second Class (MM2) and then Machinist’s Mate First Class (MM1).

In May 1939, now Machinist’s Mate First Class (MM1) Cantrall received orders to detach from Argonne and report for duty to the Commander, Mine Battle Forces for assignment. MM1 Cantrall detached from Argonne on 20 May 1939. Cantrall embarked on the heavy cruiser, USS Louisville (CA-28) in San Diego as a passenger. He disembarked at Mare Island on 22 May. There he embarked on board the transport ship, USS Henderson (AP-1) as a passenger for a ride to Pearl Harbor. He disembarked from Henderson on 5 Jun 1939, and reported on board the minelayer, USS Ogalala (CM-4) for assignment. Later that day, Cantrall reported for duty on board the minesweeper, USS Lark (CM-21) in Pearl Harbor.

Six months later on 22 Dec 1939, MM1 Cantrall received orders to detach from duty with Lark and report for duty with the minesweeper, USS Tracy (CM19). He reported for duty on board the Tracy later the same day. Ten months later, Cantrall was honorably discharged at the end of his enlistment on 11 Oct 1940. The following day (12 Oct.), he reenlisted in Pearl Harbor for four more years of service.

On 16 June 1941, MM1 Cantrall advanced in rate to Chief Machinist’s Mate (CMM), Acting Appointment (AA). Five months later, Chief Cantrall received orders to detach from the Tracy and report for duty with Asiatic Station in the Philippines. He detached on 27 Nov 1941 from the Tracy and reported to the Receiving Ship (RS) at Pearl Harbor the same day. Earlier in the day, Chief Cantrall received a Permanent Appointment (PA) as Chief Petty Officer. On 28 Nov 1941, Chief Cantrall transferred as a passenger to the troop transport, USS Republic (AP-33) that had just arrived in Pearl Harbor from San Francisco. She was bound for Philippines.

After overnight refueling Republic left port on the 29th to join eight other vessels and assume the role of flagship for a convoy headed westward to the Philippines escorted by the heavy cruiser, USS Pensacola (CA-24). That convoy, generally known as the Pensacola Convoy (also seen as the "Republic Convoy"), included the gunboat, USS Niagara, US Navy transports USS Republic and USS Chaumont, the US Army transport USAT Willard A Holbrook and USAT Meigs; the US Merchant ships Admiral Halstead and Coast Farmer, the the Dutch merchant ship Bloemfontein. After war broke out, and Japanese forces attacked the Philippines, the convoy was diverted to Brisbane, Australia. On board the convoy were 2600 US Army Air Forces personnel some of whom would come in contact with Chief Cantrall on board the USS Edsall in late February 1942. On the Bloemfontein were eighteen crated Curtiss P-40 pursuit planes of the 35th Pursuit Group (PG) while forty eight pursuit pilots of the 35th PG were embarked on the Republic and thirty-nine newly graduated but as yet unassigned pilots were on board the Holbrook. The presence of these planes and pilots would impact the destiny of the USS Langley and the USS Edsall.

On 25 Dec 1941, Chief Cantrall received verbal orders to transfer from the Republic via the Chaumont to the Holbrook for temporary duty (the reason for the sudden transfer is unknown, but the Holbrook might have experienced engine problems). On 07 Jan 1942, Chief Cantrall detached from Holbrook and transferred back to Chaumont. On 09 Jan 1942, Chief Cantrall and 11 other sailors with orders to the USS Edsall (DD-219) disembarked from Chaumont in Darwin, Australia and reported for duty on board Edsall later that day.

Those eleven shipmates who reported on board the destroyer, Edsall (DD-219) on 09 Jan 1942 were; MM1 Horace Wilbern Andrus, TM3 Howard Fritz Baumgarten, CBM (PA) Feliciano Calpo, YNC Arthur Giese, WT2 James Moberley, GM2 Raymond Latham, QM1 Linwood Muir, CTM Walter Prouty, Ck2c Ruperto Sanares, WTC Elton Smith, and EM3 Lloyd Stover. All perished when Edsall was sunk on 01 Mar 1942 except MM1 Andrus who was taken prisoner by the Japanese and later executed.

USS Edsall and the Prelude to War

The threat of hostilities between the United States and Japan grew closer to the boiling point as the year 1941 began. Admiral Hart, Asiatic Fleet CINC, determined it was time to send all of the families of his sailors home. There was push-back from the resentful spouses who initially declined to leave their husbands. It was only a threat to indefinitely restrict their spouses to their ships without leave that finally convinced the families; it was time to comply with orders and return to the continental United States (CONUS). Admiral Hart's directive probably saved many family members from internment by the Japanese or worse. For many of the married sailors, it was the last time they would ever see their families.

Then, in July 1941, as Japanese aggression intensified with their move south into lower Indo-China, Admiral Hart warned his officers that he had no doubt that war would come although he didn't know how or when it would start. Hart trained his destroyer crews hard keeping them on a war-footing for extended periods and away from Cavite naval base as much as possible exercising his "defensive deployment." Ordered south to comply with the Adm. Hart's "defensive deployment," units of the Asiatic Fleet including destroyer tender USS Blackhawk (AD-9), USS Edsall (DD-219) and other ships of Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 57, got underway on 25 Nov 1941. They steamed into port on the morning of 29 Nov 1941 in Balikpapan, a major oil port on the eastern coast of Borneo.

On 8 Dec 1941, Edsall, a ship of Destroyer Division 57 (DESDIV), was enroute to Batavia (Djakarta) when word of the attacks on Pearl Harbor was received. The division altered course to Singapore to act as ASW screen for Force Z. From Singapore, Edsall was directed to search for survivors of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, sunk off Malaya on 10 Dec. No survivors were found. It was learned later that other ships had retrieved the survivors. For the next month, Edsall and other units of DESDIV 57 were used to escort shipping to and from Australia. It was at the conclusion of one of those escort trips that Edsall returned to Darwin, Australia on 05 Jan 1942. Later that week, a large number of new crewmen embarked on Edsall on 09 Jan. It was on another one of these escort trips later that month that Edsall participated in the sinking of IJN submarine (I-124) off Darwin. Several days later, Edsall was damaged during another attack on a suspected submarine. One of Edsall's depth charges exploded prematurely in shallow water damaging one of her propeller shafts. This damage would play an important role in her eventual sinking.

On 3 February, Edsall and other American units of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Force (ABDA) moved up to Tjilatjap, Java in order to be closer to the combat theater and refueling facilities. She continued her service as a patrol vessel off southern Java. On 26 February, she steamed from Tjilatjap with her sister ship USS Whipple (DD-217) to rendezvous with the converted seaplane tender, USS Langley (AV-3), carrying P-40E fighters and crews for the defense of Java. On 27 February, the Langley, along with escorts Edsall and Whipple, came under attack by sixteen (16) Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers of the Japanese 21st and 23rd Naval Air Flotillas and escorted by fifteen (15) A6M Reisen fighters. The attack fatally damaged Langley. She had to be abandoned and later scuttled by Whipple. Edsall rescued 177 survivors; Whipple, 308.

On 28 February, the two destroyers rendezvoused with the fuel replenishment ship USS Pecos (AO-6) off Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island some 250 miles southwest of Tjilatjap. A sudden attack by land based Japanese bombers forced Edsall and the other ships to head for the open sea. They headed directly south into the Indian Ocean for the rest of 28 February in high winds and heavy seas. Early in the pre-dawn hours of 1 March, Whipple and Edsall transferred all the Langley survivors to Pecos.

There were now close to 700 personnel on board the ship. Whipple then set off for Cocos Islands as protection for the tanker Belita sent to meet her there. The Pecos, carrying a large number of survivors was ordered to Australia. Edsall had retained 32 USAAF personnel from Langley needed to assemble and fly an additional 27 P-40E fighters shipped to Tjilatjap on board the transport Sea Witch. Edsall was instructed to return these "fighter crews" to Tjilatjap. At 0830, she reversed course and headed back to the northeast for Java.

At noon that day, planes from Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu attacked Pecos and struck again an hour later. Finally, in mid-afternoon, third and fourth strikes from aircraft carriers Hiryu and Akagi fatally wounded the Pecos. While under attack, Pecos radioed for help. After Pecos sank, Whipple returned to the scene intentionally arriving after dark. She eventually rescued 232 survivors. Many other survivors, although visible to crewmembers on board Whipple, had to be abandoned at sea because Whipple made sonar contact with what was believed to be several Japanese submarines. It was just too dangerous for her to remain in the area. Edsall may have heard Pecos's call for help or she may have been complying with orders to reverse course and steam toward Australia.

For whatever the reason, Edsall reversed course and was never heard from again. The US Navy Department simply said Edsall was lost due to enemy action. The US Navy Department declared all Edsall crewmembers "presumed dead" on 25 Nov 1945. This finding of presumptive death date was fixed in order to take care of settlements and claims. At that point no one suspected that survivors from Edsall were among many victims of war crimes on Celebes.

Chief Cantrall’s wife and mother received a cablegram on 22 March from the Navy Department that informed them that Chief Cantrall was missing in the performance of his duty. For the next three years in March the Navy sent a letter to each of them to update the status of Chief Cantrall. In early Dec 1945, the final letter came explaining why Chief Cantrall was being declared "presumed" dead. The official date of his "presumed" death was 25 Nov 1945.

The final muster report for Edsall on 01 Mar 1942 (written several years later) shows that Chief Machinist’s Mate Cantrall, was missing in action on 01 Mar 1942 and presumed dead on 25 Nov 1945. His remains were unrecoverable.

Because no known survivors lived to tell the story, the details surrounding the sinking of Edsall remained largely a mystery for more than a half century. Finally, after historians compiled bits and pieces of information from various allied sources over the years, Japanese records and eyewitnesses on the Chikuma recently became available. The new information points to a short but epic battle involving the aging Edsall and one of the world's strongest naval forces of its day.

After Edsall reversed her course on 01 Mar 1942 and steamed away from Java, she stumbled upon Admiral Nagumo's battle force, Kido Butai, that had been prowling the Indian Ocean in search of enemy shipping. Unfortunately, Edsall was spotted first. She was misidentified as a light cruiser of the Marblehead class. IJN battleships Hiei and Kirishima and heavy cruisers Tone and Chikuma were detached from the battle force to attack Edsall with surface gunfire.

The old four-stacker began evasive maneuvers frustrating the Japanese for the next hour and half. However, because of the damage done previously to one of her propeller shafts, Edsall was unable to make top speed or maneuver fully. At one point Edsall turned and launched her torpedoes narrowly missing Chikuma. The Japanese fired some 1400 rounds resulting in only one or two direct hits. The frustrated Admiral Nagumo called upon his carriers to finish off the Edsall. She was attacked by dive-bombers from two Japanese carriers (Kaga, Soryu,) and possibly a third (Hiryu) before succumbing to this devastating attack. The Edsall went down at 1900 hours, 01 Mar 1942, 430 miles south of Java.

Japanese eyewitnesses confirm that at least eight Edsall crewmen from a large number of survivors were fished out of the water and brought on board the Chikuma. The rest of the survivors were left to their fate in the water. Chikuma and the rest of the battle force arrived at Staring Bay anchorage, Celebes on 11 Mar 1942. Three dozen POWs, 8 or more from the Edsall and the remainder from a Dutch ship, were turned over to the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces based at Kendari where they were executed on 24 Mar 1942 near Kendari II airfield.

After WWII ended, an Allied War Crimes Tribunal was convened in Java. During the course of the Tribunal's investigations, an eyewitness to Japanese executions was discovered and interviewed. He testified that he witnessed the execution by the Japanese of a number of POWs in 1942. He led investigators to the Japanese Execution Grounds mass grave, Kendari II, Celebes, N.E.I. Five sets of remains in a group of about 10 were later identified from ID tags as USS Edsall crewmen. The other five were unknown but were later definitely associated with US Army Air force personnel on board Edsall from the Langley. A sixth set of remains were found in another burying ground on Celebes. They were identified by an ID tag as those of Fireman Second Class (F2) Loren Stanford Myers, a crewman from the Edsall.

All these sets of remains were disinterred and reburied in the US Military Cemetery, Barrackpore, India on 12 Nov 1946. After three years, their remains were disinterred again and arrived in San Francisco on board the USAT Sgt Charles E. Mower on 5 Nov 1949. The remains were reburied in a common grave at the National cemetery at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, MO on 20 Dec 1949. The remains of F2 Myers were reinterred according to immediate family wishes in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, HI on 31 Mar 1950. With the discovery of all these remains, their presumed date of death was amended to 02 Mar 1942.

---------------------------

U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012, MM2 J.R. Cameron, USN, died 2 Mar 1942 overseas. Remains returned from overseas WWII. Group burial with MM1 Horace W. Andrus, F1c Sydney Griffith Amory, MM3c Larry Vandiver, and F1c Donald F. Watters at Jefferson Barracks. MO on 20 Dec 1949.

-----------------------------

MMC Cantrall was awarded (Posthumously) the Purple Heart Medal, American Defense Service Medal w/Fleet Clasp, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/Fleet Clasp and three bronze stars, the Philippine Defense Medal w/clasp, World War II Victory Medal, and he was may have received the Good Conduct Medal and may have been eligible for the Combat Action Ribbon (est. 1969 retroactive 07 Dec 1941).

------------------

A commemoration sent to his family in honor of Chief Cantrall’s service from President Harry S. Truman reads:

In Grateful Memory of Guy N. Cantrall, Who Died In The Service Of His Country At Sea, Asiatic Area, attached U.S.S. Edsall, 25 November 1945 (presumed). He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live, and grow, and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it, he lives – in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.

Signed,

Harry Truman

President of the United States of America

------------------------

Bio #303 composed by Gerry Lawton (G47, GML470)

Find A Grave memorial page #227301739