US Navy 2nd Class Electricians Mate Mason Coley Poston was born in Brewton, Alabama on May 7, 1916, the son of Coleman Harrison "Colie" Poston (1893-1937) and Ella Mancil (1898-1985). His father supported his family as a manager of a service station with the family home established at 411 South "E" Street. After his father's premature death in 1937 Mason was helping with family finances as a lineman for the Southern Bell Telephone Company. His mother was also working as a saleslady for the "Ready-to-Wear" store while living at 2806 West Blount Street.
Mason was also the grandson of James Monroe Poston (1832-1921) who enlisted in the Confederate army on 2-15-1862 in Company "A" of the Eufaula Light Artillery. Equipped with six guns, the battery joined the Army of Tennessee under the command of T. J. Stanford's and J. W. Eldridge's Battalion of Artillery. There, they fought in some of the bloodiest battles in US history. They surrendered at Meridian, MS, in May 1865 along with General Richard Taylor's Army. James appears to have been married several times, once in Escambia County and once in Santa Rosa County. After the war he was a "boatman" at one time in Pensacola as well as a farmer in Escambia County, Alabama.
As for Mason, given the family's address and the fact that he claims three years of high school in Pensacola then he most likely would have had to attend either Pensacola or St. Michael's High School. However, there is no record of either at this time. Mason would enlist in the US Navy two weeks after Pearl Harbor in 1941 and was sent to an abbreviated basic training at San Diego, California. He was sent immediately to the fleet until he served until he volunteered for submarine duty. He reported into the submarine training school in New London, Connecticut and graduated around March 1, 1944.
Based on his graduation date, he may or may not have had time to reach his new duty station with the SS-273 before she left on her second combat patrol in April 1944. On that patrol, the submarine was assigned to the area of Tawi Tawi. On April 24, they were bombed by Japanese aircraft, suffering a shattered periscope and loss of radar, while taking a harrowing plunge to 350 feet after a valve closed improperly.
But we do know he was on the sub's third patrol under the command of LCDR Manning H. Kimmell. They departed Fremantle, Australia on June 22 sailing into the South China Sea in the vicinity of the Natuna Islands. On July 2, she reported sighting a enemy battleship with air cover and two escorting destroyers just east of Borneo. The Robalo was never heard from again.
Philippine guerrillas and an American POW on Palawan Island in the Philippines reported information that the Robalo was sunk July 26 off the east coast of Balabac Island. The cause of the sinking was an explosion of in her battery compartment. However, when she was discovered in May 2019 evidence showed damage in the torpedo room furthering the opinion, she hit a mine. Four men swam ashore, an officer and three enlisted men: Samuel L. Tucker, Ens.; Floyd G. Laughlin, QM1c; Wallace K. Martin, SM3c, and Mason C. Poston, EM2c. They made their way through the jungles but were captured by Japanese Military Police and confined in the jail. Apparently, they were held for guerrilla activities rather than as prisoners of war per the Geneva Convention.
Even though Admiral Ralph W. Christie knew better, he reported that all hands went down with the boat for morale purposes. However, other prisoners on Palawan reported that the boat's skipper, LCDR Kimmel, son of Admiral Husband Kimmel, was one of the survivors. They also related that after an air strike on Palawan on or about August 15, the Japanese were so angered that they pushed Kimmel and the other prisoners into a ditch, poured in gasoline, and burned them alive. This incident was reported by Clay Blair Jr., a submarine veteran of the war and author of the definitive work "Silent Victor."
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