Warrant Officer Byrle C Williby
Byrle Cleo Willoughby was born on May 22nd, 1901 in Lucas, Iowa to Susan Tibbels and James Willoughby, who shortened their last name to Williby in the 1920’s. He was the fourth youngest of their seven children of whom very few had an education past high school. Byrle began working as a carpenter at an early age since he was too young to be drafted into World War One, but during the 1920’s, Byrle and his brother Ivor became interested in a military career. On December 27th, 1926, they both enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve, but were discharged a few days later to join the regular Marine Corps on January 12th, 1927. After completing boot camp at Parris Island, Private Williby and Ivor joined the 79th Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment and left on the USS Henderson for duty in China.
China
Tensions had just risen in Shanghai in March when Chinese communists and Nationalists clashed in the city, and Marine reinforcements were rushed to the International Settlement to protect American interests. Byrle and Ivor arrived at Camp Butler, Shanghai on May 18th, 1927 but their unit was diverted to Tientsin when fighting shifted north from the Yangtze Valley. Their regiment was billeted at Anderson-Meyer Billet for the next five months, then to Wetherall Billet in December, where Byrle’s brother transferred out of the company briefly. Private Williby’s duties during the year 1928 were very calm; the fighting had died down and most Marines enjoyed the luxuries of Tientsin while awaiting transfer back home. This would not be the case for Byrle. On January 10th, 1929, he boarded the USS Henderson with the 26th Company, 4th Marine Regiment and arrived in Shanghai three days later. Private Williby was then forwarded to the 62nd Company, American Legation in Peking, China via the SS Saarbrucken in March, joining for a month before returning to the 26th Company in April. Chiang Kai Shek’s victory brought temporary peace to the city, and Williby had a very comfortable life as a China Marine which included athletic events, competitions, and social parties outside of the settlement. Williby also took part in multiple shooting competitions which he excelled in, including his first gold Division Rifle Competition medal for 1st place.
Marine Corps Rifle Team
After gaining two quick promotions to Corporal, he boarded the USS Chaumont on February 17th, 1930, where he reunited with Ivor, and arrived back in California by the end of March. His next assignment was the Rifle Range Detachment, 1st Regiment at Quantico, Virginia on May 7th to try out for a spot on the USMC Rifle Team, which he qualified for. The following month was spent competing in rifle matches at Wakefield, Massachusetts where Corporal Williby won a silver Division Rifle Competition medal. After the competition, Corporal Williby joined Barracks Detachment, Marine Base, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 18th to become a coach at their rifle range, and later attended the sound motion picture school in Quantico from January to February of 1931, where he also extended his enlistment. His new skills with motion picture and radios led him to become an instructor at the base’s electricity radio school for a brief period until he took on the job as battalion police sergeant, which he continued after a transfer to their Signal Battalion. Additionally, Corporal Williby qualified as a Distinguished Marksman and won a bronze Division Rifle Competition medal. His skills in marksmanship continued with competitions in May of 1932 with the post Rifle Range Detachment where he later coached trainees at the .22 caliber range.
In September, Corporal Williby left Quantico for Haiti to join the Brigade Signal Company, First Brigade, at Port Au Prince where he took on engineman duties before transferring to Company A, 2nd Marine Regiment as a rifle range coach. His stay in Haiti was relatively brief, because on March 20th, he left on the USS Woodcock for temporary duty at Guantanamo Bay for further rifle and pistol competitions. Williby got one of the highest scores in the matches before returning to the Rifle Range Detachment, Quantico by May 4th for more competitions, qualifying for the Marine Corps Team for a second time while also coaching the .30 caliber rifle and .45 caliber pistol at the range. Corporal Williby carried out this duty for the next 13 months, winning the oldest Marine Corps competition, The Elliott Trophy, and then attending the armorer’s school until March of 1936.
War on the Horizon
On September 1st, Corporal Williby transferred to Battery G,155mm Guns, 2nd Marine Brigade and left on the USS Chaumont to participate in FLANEX 3 in early 1937 before the unit was stationed in San Diego by March. Williby finally gained a well deserved promotion to Sergeant the following month and shortly after, found a new home with Battery F (.50 cal), Anti Aircraft Battalion of the brigade and extended his enlistment. However, resumed fighting between Japanese forces and Chinese guerillas in Shanghai prompted the need for Marine reinforcements to be rushed back to the country. Sergeant Williby left on the USS Marble Head on August 28th and arrived at the Shanghai International Settlement in September. The fighting was nothing Marines had seen for a very long time. Districts were in flames, artillery rained from the sky, and bodies of civilians and soldiers littered the streets as the Americans made sure it didn’t spill into their zone. The Japanese succeeded in defeating the Chinese by November which brought back a level of peace to the city, however it was clear Japanese aggression would eventually turn its eyes into the International settlement. Luckily for Williby, he left Shanghai in February of 1938 before tensions got worse.
For the next two years, Sergeant Williby stayed stateside to shoot in more rifle competitions, earning a first place medal at the Puget Sound Rifle Club, qualifying as an Expert Rifleman, receiving his 1936, 1937, and 1938 rifle qualification bar, his basic rifle badge, and pistol expert badge, all while keeping an uneasy eye on World War Two which had just broken out overseas. Even though the war was likely to affect the United States, Williby reenlisted in the Marine Corps a month after gaining a promotion to Platoon Sergeant on January 11th, 1940 and was awarded his second Good Conduct Medal.
USS Louisville
Soon, he joined the Marine Detachment, USS Louisville on June 3rd as the starboard AA battery operator while the US Navy began extensive training for war. Platoon Sergeant Williby traveled to places in Brazil, Uruguay, and a voyage to Simonstown, South Africa where they picked up $148 million dollars in British gold for transfer back to New York. The USS Louisville shifted her area of operations to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in March of 1941, where Williby got a promotion to Gunnery Sergeant and now handled the ship’s forward .50 caliber guns as acting control officer. Being near Pearl Harbor had placed them directly in the path of the Japanese, but as luck had it, the USS Louisville would be elsewhere. On November 6th, the ship began a voyage escorting the SS President Coolidge to Guam and Manila to drop off men and supplies to their military garrisons before heading back to Pearl Harbor on the 28th. They were still a few days away when the island was attacked by the Japanese Navy, and heard the US declaration of war over their radios before finally arriving amidst the horrific destruction on the 16th. With revenge in their minds, the USS Louisville proceeded to San Diego where she joined Task Force 17 and headed out to the Pacific.
Pacific Raids and the Aleutians
Gunnery Sergeant Williby’s first task was to land troops at Samoa on January 22nd, 1942 but his first offensive of the war began on the 31st, when the USS Louisville supported carrier plane raids on the islands of Makin, Mili, and Jaluit until February 2nd. She then patrolled the Ellice Islands and began operations in the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands against Japanese advances, striking Rabaul along the way. After proceeding to Mare Island, California for an additional armament of anti aircraft guns, Gunnery Sergeant Wiliby now took charge of the 52nd and 54th AA group when the USS Louisville left on May 30th with Task Force 8 for the Aleutians. Her role was to counter enemy forces expected in the area, the first being at Kiska, however poor weather postponed any operations there for the time being. Williby was promoted to Master Gunnery Sergeant a week prior to the Task Force bombarding Kisha on August 7th, and supported the Adak landings on the 30th. In September, the USS Louisville operated out of Kodiak until leaving task Force 8 on October 12th and returned to San Francisco, where MGySgt Williby transferred to the Marine Base at San Diego to take courses in munitions at the Ordnance School.
Ordnance Duty
His prior experience with ordnance led Williby to be offered a temporary appointment to Marine Gunner, which he accepted on February 20th, 1943, completed the course in March, and took a 2 month officer course. On June 19th, MG Williby started a transfer to the Pacific with the 1st Marine Amphibious Course, however unknown circumstances delayed his trip until around October, when he finally arrived at the newly captured Vella LaVella Island in the Solomons. On December 1st, he joined Ordnance Company, 4th Base Depot at Banika Island, adjacent to Pavuvu, and had his rank changed to Warrant Officer due to the reorganization of Marine ranks at the end of 1943. The island of Banika had been transformed into a bustling main base full of supplies, hospitals, housing, and was crucial in keeping Marine units supplied during their operations. As an ordnance officer, WO Williby spent the next year and a half overseeing weapons and ammunition deliveries and storage on the island along with its distribution, gaining a promotion to Commissioned Warrant Officer before hearing of the Japanese surrender on September 2nd, 1945.
While he hadn’t seen combat at Banika, his job contributed greatly to the success of many campaigns, and he returned to the United States by the end of 1945.
CWO Williby resumed his duties as a rifle range coach at Camp Pendleton for a brief period until the Marines required his supply skills at the Storage and Repair Shop at Barstow, California on May 23rd, 1946. It was here that Williby’s CWO warrant was terminated, and he reverted back to enlisted status as a Master Gunnery Sergeant until December 12th, when his rank of Warrant Officer (Ordnance) was restored. Williby finally retired from the Marine Corps on March 18th, 1948 upon his enlistment expiration, and settled back in Des Moines, Iowa, where he resided with his wife Maytie and two stepdaughters until 1986. Unfortunately, poor health forced him to move into a care center, where he sadly passed away from heart problems on September 27th, 1988. He is buried alongside his wife at Rudd Evergreen Cemetery in Rudd, Iowa.
China
Tensions had just risen in Shanghai in March when Chinese communists and Nationalists clashed in the city, and Marine reinforcements were rushed to the International Settlement to protect American interests. Byrle and Ivor arrived at Camp Butler, Shanghai on May 18th, 1927 but their unit was diverted to Tientsin when fighting shifted north from the Yangtze Valley. Their regiment was billeted at Anderson-Meyer Billet for the next five months, then to Wetherall Billet in December, where Byrle’s brother transferred out of the company briefly. Private Williby’s duties during the year 1928 were very calm; the fighting had died down and most Marines enjoyed the luxuries of Tientsin while awaiting transfer back home. This would not be the case for Byrle. On January 10th, 1929, he boarded the USS Henderson with the 26th Company, 4th Marine Regiment and arrived in Shanghai three days later. Private Williby was then forwarded to the 62nd Company, American Legation in Peking, China via the SS Saarbrucken in March, joining for a month before returning to the 26th Company in April. Chiang Kai Shek’s victory brought temporary peace to the city, and Williby had a very comfortable life as a China Marine which included athletic events, competitions, and social parties outside of the settlement. Williby also took part in multiple shooting competitions which he excelled in, including his first gold Division Rifle Competition medal for 1st place.
Marine Corps Rifle Team
After gaining two quick promotions to Corporal, he boarded the USS Chaumont on February 17th, 1930, where he reunited with Ivor, and arrived back in California by the end of March. His next assignment was the Rifle Range Detachment, 1st Regiment at Quantico, Virginia on May 7th to try out for a spot on the USMC Rifle Team, which he qualified for. The following month was spent competing in rifle matches at Wakefield, Massachusetts where Corporal Williby won a silver Division Rifle Competition medal. After the competition, Corporal Williby joined Barracks Detachment, Marine Base, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 18th to become a coach at their rifle range, and later attended the sound motion picture school in Quantico from January to February of 1931, where he also extended his enlistment. His new skills with motion picture and radios led him to become an instructor at the base’s electricity radio school for a brief period until he took on the job as battalion police sergeant, which he continued after a transfer to their Signal Battalion. Additionally, Corporal Williby qualified as a Distinguished Marksman and won a bronze Division Rifle Competition medal. His skills in marksmanship continued with competitions in May of 1932 with the post Rifle Range Detachment where he later coached trainees at the .22 caliber range.
In September, Corporal Williby left Quantico for Haiti to join the Brigade Signal Company, First Brigade, at Port Au Prince where he took on engineman duties before transferring to Company A, 2nd Marine Regiment as a rifle range coach. His stay in Haiti was relatively brief, because on March 20th, he left on the USS Woodcock for temporary duty at Guantanamo Bay for further rifle and pistol competitions. Williby got one of the highest scores in the matches before returning to the Rifle Range Detachment, Quantico by May 4th for more competitions, qualifying for the Marine Corps Team for a second time while also coaching the .30 caliber rifle and .45 caliber pistol at the range. Corporal Williby carried out this duty for the next 13 months, winning the oldest Marine Corps competition, The Elliott Trophy, and then attending the armorer’s school until March of 1936.
War on the Horizon
On September 1st, Corporal Williby transferred to Battery G,155mm Guns, 2nd Marine Brigade and left on the USS Chaumont to participate in FLANEX 3 in early 1937 before the unit was stationed in San Diego by March. Williby finally gained a well deserved promotion to Sergeant the following month and shortly after, found a new home with Battery F (.50 cal), Anti Aircraft Battalion of the brigade and extended his enlistment. However, resumed fighting between Japanese forces and Chinese guerillas in Shanghai prompted the need for Marine reinforcements to be rushed back to the country. Sergeant Williby left on the USS Marble Head on August 28th and arrived at the Shanghai International Settlement in September. The fighting was nothing Marines had seen for a very long time. Districts were in flames, artillery rained from the sky, and bodies of civilians and soldiers littered the streets as the Americans made sure it didn’t spill into their zone. The Japanese succeeded in defeating the Chinese by November which brought back a level of peace to the city, however it was clear Japanese aggression would eventually turn its eyes into the International settlement. Luckily for Williby, he left Shanghai in February of 1938 before tensions got worse.
For the next two years, Sergeant Williby stayed stateside to shoot in more rifle competitions, earning a first place medal at the Puget Sound Rifle Club, qualifying as an Expert Rifleman, receiving his 1936, 1937, and 1938 rifle qualification bar, his basic rifle badge, and pistol expert badge, all while keeping an uneasy eye on World War Two which had just broken out overseas. Even though the war was likely to affect the United States, Williby reenlisted in the Marine Corps a month after gaining a promotion to Platoon Sergeant on January 11th, 1940 and was awarded his second Good Conduct Medal.
USS Louisville
Soon, he joined the Marine Detachment, USS Louisville on June 3rd as the starboard AA battery operator while the US Navy began extensive training for war. Platoon Sergeant Williby traveled to places in Brazil, Uruguay, and a voyage to Simonstown, South Africa where they picked up $148 million dollars in British gold for transfer back to New York. The USS Louisville shifted her area of operations to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in March of 1941, where Williby got a promotion to Gunnery Sergeant and now handled the ship’s forward .50 caliber guns as acting control officer. Being near Pearl Harbor had placed them directly in the path of the Japanese, but as luck had it, the USS Louisville would be elsewhere. On November 6th, the ship began a voyage escorting the SS President Coolidge to Guam and Manila to drop off men and supplies to their military garrisons before heading back to Pearl Harbor on the 28th. They were still a few days away when the island was attacked by the Japanese Navy, and heard the US declaration of war over their radios before finally arriving amidst the horrific destruction on the 16th. With revenge in their minds, the USS Louisville proceeded to San Diego where she joined Task Force 17 and headed out to the Pacific.
Pacific Raids and the Aleutians
Gunnery Sergeant Williby’s first task was to land troops at Samoa on January 22nd, 1942 but his first offensive of the war began on the 31st, when the USS Louisville supported carrier plane raids on the islands of Makin, Mili, and Jaluit until February 2nd. She then patrolled the Ellice Islands and began operations in the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands against Japanese advances, striking Rabaul along the way. After proceeding to Mare Island, California for an additional armament of anti aircraft guns, Gunnery Sergeant Wiliby now took charge of the 52nd and 54th AA group when the USS Louisville left on May 30th with Task Force 8 for the Aleutians. Her role was to counter enemy forces expected in the area, the first being at Kiska, however poor weather postponed any operations there for the time being. Williby was promoted to Master Gunnery Sergeant a week prior to the Task Force bombarding Kisha on August 7th, and supported the Adak landings on the 30th. In September, the USS Louisville operated out of Kodiak until leaving task Force 8 on October 12th and returned to San Francisco, where MGySgt Williby transferred to the Marine Base at San Diego to take courses in munitions at the Ordnance School.
Ordnance Duty
His prior experience with ordnance led Williby to be offered a temporary appointment to Marine Gunner, which he accepted on February 20th, 1943, completed the course in March, and took a 2 month officer course. On June 19th, MG Williby started a transfer to the Pacific with the 1st Marine Amphibious Course, however unknown circumstances delayed his trip until around October, when he finally arrived at the newly captured Vella LaVella Island in the Solomons. On December 1st, he joined Ordnance Company, 4th Base Depot at Banika Island, adjacent to Pavuvu, and had his rank changed to Warrant Officer due to the reorganization of Marine ranks at the end of 1943. The island of Banika had been transformed into a bustling main base full of supplies, hospitals, housing, and was crucial in keeping Marine units supplied during their operations. As an ordnance officer, WO Williby spent the next year and a half overseeing weapons and ammunition deliveries and storage on the island along with its distribution, gaining a promotion to Commissioned Warrant Officer before hearing of the Japanese surrender on September 2nd, 1945.
While he hadn’t seen combat at Banika, his job contributed greatly to the success of many campaigns, and he returned to the United States by the end of 1945.
CWO Williby resumed his duties as a rifle range coach at Camp Pendleton for a brief period until the Marines required his supply skills at the Storage and Repair Shop at Barstow, California on May 23rd, 1946. It was here that Williby’s CWO warrant was terminated, and he reverted back to enlisted status as a Master Gunnery Sergeant until December 12th, when his rank of Warrant Officer (Ordnance) was restored. Williby finally retired from the Marine Corps on March 18th, 1948 upon his enlistment expiration, and settled back in Des Moines, Iowa, where he resided with his wife Maytie and two stepdaughters until 1986. Unfortunately, poor health forced him to move into a care center, where he sadly passed away from heart problems on September 27th, 1988. He is buried alongside his wife at Rudd Evergreen Cemetery in Rudd, Iowa.