Henry J. Wingfield was the son of Mossie Wingfield .
Henry Wingfield was held Prisoner of war at PW Camp #1 – Cabanatuan 1-2-3 Nueva Province Luzon Philippines 15-121. He was captured in 1942. He died on board the Arisan Maru. He is memorialized at the Manila American Cemetery.
On 24th October 1944 Arisan Maru carrying 1782 US POW was hit by 3 torpedoes from American submarine USS Shark (not knowing the Japanese freighter was carrying US POW) in the South China Sea, 200 miles N.W. of Luzon Island, Philippines. Arisan Maru was carrying 1782 US prisoners, 125 Japanese passengers and 204 crew from Manila to Japan.
After 2 Japanese destroyers attacked and sank USS Shark they returned to Arisan Maru to look for survivors. No POWs were killed by the torpedo strikes and nearly all were able to leave the ship’s holds but the Japanese did not rescue any of the POW that day, only Japanese. Japanese destroyers even deliberately pulled away from the men struggling in the water to reach them. 1777 POW died.
Only 9 of the prisoners aboard survived the event. Five escaped and made their way to China in one of the ship’s two lifeboats. They were reunited with U.S. Forces and returned to the United States. The four others were later recaptured by Imperial Japanese naval vessels, where one died shortly after reaching land
- Rank: Private
- Date of death: 24 October 1944
- County: Knox
- Service Branch: Army/Army Air Forces
- Division/Assignment: 31st Infantry Division
- Theater: Pacific
- Conflict: World War II
- Battles: Bataan
- Awards: Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star
- Burial/Memorial Location: Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines
- Location In Memorial: Pillar XIV, Middle Panel
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