to perpetuate the memory and history of our dead

26th FA

The 26th Field Artillery Brigade was a Regular Army unit (not Nat’l Guard) that arrived on Java on the same ship with the 2/131. At least some of them went on to Malang as did the 2/131. Exactly what they did for the few weeks they were on the island is not clear. Their Commander COL Searle seemingly spent most of his time at USF HQ in Batavia. When the 2/131 was ordered to support Black Force, the 26th was ordered back to Brisbane.

In addition to COL Searle whose story is told in Section 9.5, there were a few other members of the 26th FA that were named in available documents.

These men were detached from the 26th to either USF Java in Batavia or to work closely with the 2/131 at Singosari. Most were evacuated to Australia in late Feb 1942. I present them here alphabetically:

39229705ARMSTRONG Burdette KennethPVTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
39155420BACHANOWSKI Chester LPFCto Singosari
06928552BAKER Oscar OliverPFCto Singosari
39231261BALDWIN Fred A JrPVTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
39078450BETERBIDE Albert JohnPVTto Singosari
06048889BETTENCOURT JR, Joseph FrancisSGTto Singosari
n/rBIRNBAUM Myron L1LTto Singosari
39231303BOSWORTH Barton HopkinsSGTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
O-18721BOWER Roland C Jr [COL]CPTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
6872249BRENNAN William CTSGtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
39077538BRESSEL Walter MPVTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
36205108BREWER James FPFCto Singosari
37072403BRUMBAUGH Clay LeoPVTto Singosari
39676396CARVER James WSSGtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
17006676COTTNER Raymond WCPLto Singosari
36009435CUTTER Merle MPVTto Singosari
39078489D’AGOSTINI TulioCPLto Singosari
n/rDAY John F JrCPTto Singosari
37011213DUTTON John DPVTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
39005125EBERLY Fred VPVTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
6753902FOLEY James MMSGtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
39231122GEORGE Carmondy LeamonCPLto Singosari
06845885KLAIBER Francis A1SGto Singosari
37007193KOVACHEVICH Stanley PatrickPVTto Singosari
06255631MARTINDALE Rabon LSGTto Singosari
6247877MORGAN Ralph LeoMSGtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
39009682ORMSBY Richard LeeCPLtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
39078442OTTINGER James CPFCto Singosari
O-322415PROS James Jr1LTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
06283853SANDERS Raleigh FPFCto Singosari
O-298524SANGGUINET Edgar YancyCPTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
39078210SHERLOCK Kenneth dPVTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
O-246627SPARKS Merle ACPTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42
39229585TERRAZONE Bernard JosephPVTto Singosari
R-239336WEED FrankSSGto Singosari
39377554ZUMWALT Deryl BooneSGTtfx to USF 24 JAN 42

Of course, there are also the 18 men who were formally transferred into the 2/131 and became POWs:

37072403BRUMBAUGH Clay Lyndin “Mud”PVTTharpTBR-Th-VN
38057552CHAMBERS Martin Jackson “Slim”PVTTharpTBR
38012898COFFEY Robert ConleyPVTTharpTBR
39156123DALEY Michael JosephPVTZeiglerOTH-ZgJ
36078495DUNN Ernest Benjamin “Dynamite”PVTTharpTBR
37038012EMBROCK George HaroldPVTTharpTBR
39377626GOODWIN George Elias “Cookie”PVTTharpTBR
39005799GRASS Frederick ConradPVTTharpTBR
6930933JOHNSON Donald FrederickSGTTharpTBR
16020064KALOUS EDWARD BPFCTharpTBR-TH-dec
19000197MATTFELDT WILLIAM FullerPVTFitzsimmonsTBR-Fz-dec
39009694NODDIN Carl OkerCPLE-Sura-JvOTH-EVJ
36152975OOSTING CHARLES          “Red”PVTFitzsimmonsTBR-Fz-Jp
39077705SICKELS Melvin IraPVTTharpTBR-Th-VN
37066807SMOKE Albert FranklinPVTFitzsimmonsTBR
36153270TORP Franklin BernardPVTFitzsimmonsTBR-Fz-VN
39229435YNCLAN Eugene PaviaPVTZeiglerOTH-ZgJ
36006259ZERBIS George JosephPFCZeiglerOTH-ZgJ