It’s Memorial Day in the United States, a national holiday set aside for the honoring of military personnel who died in service of their country.

I am remembering and honoring one soldier in particular: Private Benjamin F. Farley.

The name Ben Farley has been one I’ve known for nearly all my life. My father, Sergeant Armie Hill, a former PG 59 POW, used to tell my brothers, sister, and me stories about how he escaped from the camp in September 1943, and how he and Ben paired up together outside the camp walls that night and resolved to stick together during their flight. They headed south and 30 days later were among the first escapees to cross the Allied lines.

Armie recorded the story of his and Ben’s escape in two audio sessions that are posted on Camp 59 Survivors: “Escape—Armie Hill’s First Account” and “Escape—Armie Hill’s Second Account.’’

In PG 59, Armie, was designated a section sergeant (or orderly sergeant) and put in charge of a section of 35 men (Hut 4–Section 11). As Ben was among the men in his section, Armie would have gotten to know him well in the camp.

Ben could be feisty. “He and I hadn’t gotten along especially well earlier,” Armie said. “He was kind of a little cocky guy.”

He was short—5’6″ tall, and weighed 119 pounds.

Ben had a grammar school education. He was born and raised in eastern Kentucky, in the Appalachian Mountains—a beautiful area, but a tough place to grow up. Most locals earned a living in coal mining and logging. Some families had small farms. Ben’s Italian POW card lists his profession as “farmer.” His civilian employment, as designated on his enlistment papers, was “farm hands, general faming.”

Armie had worked in logging camps in forested northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan from the time he graduated eighth grade at aged 13 or 14. He later worked in the local saw mill. His family lived on a modest farm. His background had been similar to Ben’s.

Armie must have recognized that Ben, as well as being stubborn, had strength and grit—he would be a worthy companion behind enemy lines. So at the time of the camp breakout, Armie paired up with Ben.

It was a wise choice.

Many years later, I asked my dad if he had been in touch with Ben after the war. As I recall he told me he did write to him, but Ben didn’t write back. Or, perhaps the letter was returned by the postal service as undeliverable. Dad somehow knew that Ben had died; perhaps he heard learned of his death through ex-POW organization circles.

From time to time I’ve searched for information about Ben online. I’ve had little success. But then last summer I came upon a photo of a tombstone for a Pvt. B. F. Farley, who died in 1945. The same Ben Farley? Yes, it had to be. The cemetery where the photo was taken near Hatfield, Kentucky—Which was Ben’s home address, as recorded in Armie’s address book.

Soon after finding the photo, I reached out to the Martin County Historical Society in Inez, Kentucky, for help in learning more about Ben and his family. The organization serves the area of Kentucky where Ben was born.

Staff volunteer Evelynn Cassedy kindly offered to help me, noting there are a number of Farleys who still live nearby. I spoke with her on the phone. “His name was probably Benjamin Franklin Farley,” she said. “Lots of folks here were named for presidents and founding fathers.”

Coincidentally, Evelynn’s husband served in the Second World War, and he was a prisoner of war in Germany. She was eager to help me. I told Evelynn that various documents I’ve found refer to Ben as having lived in both Hatfield and Pilgrim, Kentucky, as well as Williamson, West Virginia (22 miles south of Pilgrim).

Several weeks went by and I heard nothing, and then one day I received an email from Evelynn.

She began, “This is a bit late, I’m sorry. I’m sure you know how slow research is. 

“I was able to locate Ben’s nephew, Don Farley, who is 84 years old now. He said Ben rejoined a unit after his escape from prison and they sent him back into battle somewhere in Germany, and Ben was killed in battle there in 1945. He did not know the month or day. 

“Don was only about 7 or 8 years old, but he remembers the body being shipped home and the military funeral.  

“The tombstone photo you sent me is the correct one, and [Ben] is buried in the family plot on Wolf Creek, at Pilgrim, Kentucky. 

“Benjamin Franklin Farley was born in 1923, died at 22 years old. He was not married as far as I know. His family may have lived at Hatfield, Kentucky, which is close to the towns you mention, as well as Pilgrim. Early 1900s, there were many post office communities in short distances of each other, because most people had to walk or ride a horse to get to them.”

On audiotape, Armie said that in the fall of 1944, following a 30-day leave and assignment to a new Army unit, he was ready to go back overseas.

“I had all my shots, I had all my equipment marked and packed up, and I had to send out form letters to my family,” he said.

“The day before the company left, Lieutenant Denton said, ‘We got special orders. You can’t be sent overseas. A prisoner-of-war can’t be sent back to the same field. We have to send you someplace else.’”

Armie was assigned to the Port of Embarkation in New York City, where he served as a security guard for the remainder of the war.

Why was Ben sent back overseas? Was his assignment a mistake, an oversight? Or had he insisted on rejoining his comrades? Having already survived battle, capture, imprisonment, and a successful dash to freedom, perhaps he felt luck was with him—he had a destiny to fulfill.

Whatever the case, Private Benjamin F. Farley served valiantly and ultimately lost his life in the fight against tyranny.

Here are the details from Ben’s Italian POW card in the U.S. National Archives:

Farley, Benjamin F.

SCHEDA PERSONALE P. G. [PERSONAL CARD of PRIGIONIERO DI GUERRA, prisoner of war]

Cognome e nome [Surname and name]: Farley, Benjamin F.
Paternità [Father]: Bertran Farley
Maternità [Mother]: Elizabeth Farley
Grado [Rank]: Pvt.
Matricola [Service number]: 15054958
Arma-Corpo [Service unit]: Infantry
Data e luogo di nascita [Date and place of birth]: May 4, 1921, Pilgrim, Ky. [Kentucky]
Nazionalità [Nationality]: American
Stato civile [Marital status]: Single
Religione [Religion]: Protestant
Professione [Occupation]: Farmer
Domicilio [Residence]: Williamson, W. Va. [West Virginia]
Data e luogo di cattura [Date and place of capture]: March 29, ’43. Tunisia

Giorno/Mese/Anno/Variazione
[Day/Month/Year/Change]
17/4/43 Quinto a Questo CC. 98 Dalla Tunisia [Arrived at CC 98 From Tunisia]
14/5/43 C.C. 59