Willoughby Crashes Through

Lieut. Commander Frank W. Fenno won the Distinguished Service Cross. Seventy officers and men of his submarine command were awarded Silver Stars. They got these awards for steering their submarine, loaded with a huge store of gold, silver and other Philippine treasure, from Corregidor through Jap-infested waters to a cruiser that transshipped the precious cargo to San Francisco. But in that prodigious, daring smuggling feat there was one unsung hero.

Behind the exploit was the patient labor of a tall, thirtyish, toothy assistant to U.S. High Commissioner Francis B. Sayre named Woodbury Willoughby. Willoughby gathered the treasure from Philippine banks, counted gold and silver, burned currency and securities after recording their serial numbers, then supervised its transfer to the sub.

Last week Willoughby turned up in San Francisco with a sheepish grin and one bar of gold, which he turned over to authorities, saying, “Here’s one I forgot.”