This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Author: jkenny5913
Surnames: O'Keefe (or possibly O'Keeffe?)
Classification: military
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.nevada.counties....
Message Board Post:
I am a record collector and have recently come across a set of privately-made records.
They are 12", 78rpm, Columbia Records Company Transcription Discs. Each one of them
has a typewritten label that says:
"Musical Memorial"
for James O'Keefe
July 29, 1942
I believe that this man was a member of the military because the last song to be played is
Taps. I can tell that this is a live recording but strangely enough, does not appear to
be a funeral. There are no speeches or speaking at all on these discs. Only music.
Through my research on the internet so far I have identified a WWII POW named James
O'Keefe but no dates of his internment and no record of what happened to him. I have
also found a James O'Keefe who flew B26 airplanes in WWII and was KIA but I didn't
find any dates of that either. I cold-called all the O'Keefe's in my local phone
book and did find information about another James O'Keeffe (note the spelling) who
died in The Battle of the Bulge in 1944. The National WWII Memorial website has 10 or
more people listed who are named James O'Keefe but not enough information to make a
match. Based on the date of July 29, 1942 I believe that his family was notified of his
fate sometime in late 1941 or the first part of 1942 which prompted them to hold this
service. The other possibility of course is that this James O'Keefe was a member of
the military but that his service pre-dated WWII.
I'm going through all of this because I'd really like to return these records to
the man's family if he has any and if they'd like to have them. Discovering this
music has also led me to all sorts of questions about this man and I'd like to know
what happened to him. And I'd like to know who all of the incredible musicians were
if in fact the musicians and singers performed live. Thanks to the wonders of technology,
I have been able to make a digital copy of these records which I can share. The music
is...quite somber...and beautiful...and very good...and haunting...and something tells me
that I'm not really supposed to have these records. They should be at home with their
family.
So...if someone knows anything about this Musical Memorial or a James O'Keefe or James
O'Keeffe who was listed as MIA, KIA, or as a POW in 1941 or 1942 I'd really like
to speak with you. I only joined this rootsweb website in order to post this message so
the best way to contact me is probably by e-mail. My e-mail address is
jkenny5913(a)yahoo.com
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