Remembering World War II

Name: Grahame Bruce Cameron Rank: Private Service Number: 11020556 Service: 28th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group Far East Air Force, US Army Air Force Awards: Prisoner of War Medal, Purple Heart Date of Birth: October 31, 1915 Place of Birth: Canning, Kings Co., NS Date of Enlistment: October 4, 1940 Place of Enlistment: Boston, Massachusetts Address at Enlistment: Boston, Massachusetts Age at Enlistment: 24 Height: 6 feet Occupation: Laborer Marital Status: Single Next of Kin: Alfred F Cameron, father Date of Death: August 25, 1942 Age: 27 Cemetery: Manila American Cemetery, Philippines Grave: Section H, Row 8, Grave 126 Grahame Bruce Cameron was the son of Alfred Fullerton Cameron and (1890-1979) Annie Heal (Kerr) Cameron (1894-1994). His father was born in St. John, New Brunswick; his mother – in Canning, Kings Co., Nova Scotia. Grahame immigrated to the US from Yarmouth, NS to Boston, Mass. aboard the SS Northland on August 24, 1919. The family moved to Partridge Avenue in Somerville, Boston, Massachusetts. At the time of his death his parents were living at Strawberry Hill in Dover, Mass. He completed his Petition for Naturalization to become a US citizen on February 6, 1937, enlisted in the Air Corps in October 1940, and was assigned to the 28th Materiel Squadron. US Army Air Forces in the Philippines headquarters was located at Nielson Field on the outskirts of Manila; the majority of the planes were based at either Nichols, also near Manila, or Clark Field. The 4th Composite Group at Clark Field had under it a headquarters squadron, three pursuit squadrons, one bombardment squadron, and an observation squadron. The 20th Air Base Group at Nichols Field contained miscellaneous supporting units, including the 27th and 28th Materiel Squadrons, and the 19th Air Base Squadron. Total strength of the air forces was 254 officers and 2,049 men. Private Grahame Bruce Cameron became a Prisoner of War with the fall of the Philippines in May of 1942 and died of Malaria at the Japanese POW camp at Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija Province, Central Luzon, Philippines on August 25, 1942. He was initially interred at the USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, in the Philippines (designated as temporary cemetery 7747) in Section 3, Plot 21, Grave 2704 and reinterred at the Manila American Cemetery. Private Grahame B. Cameron is also remembered on the Cabanatuan American Memorial in the Philippines. The Memorial was erected by the survivors of the Bataan Death March and the prisoner of war camp at Cabanatuan. It is located at the site of the camp and honors those Americans and Filipinos who died during their internment. The ABMC, recognizing the significance of this memorial, accepted responsibility for its operation and maintenance in 1989.

Grahame Bruce Cameron

Sources: American Battle Monuments Commission – Grahame B. Cameron American Battle Monuments Commission – Manila American Cemetery American Battle Monuments Commission – Cabanatuan American Memorial 20th Air Base Group