Who was Kilroy and why was he peeking?

Answer 1

This Legend of how "Kilroy was here" starts is with James J. Kilroy, a shipyard inspector during WWII. During WWII we were turning out Liberty ships very fast and of course they all had to be inspected. Plumbing inspections, electrical inspections, etc, etc. Upon completion of his inspection tour, if the proper people and papers were not there for him to sign he would just scrawl on the bulkhead "Kilroy was here" And then move on to his next inspection He chalked the words on bulkheads to show that he had been there and inspected the riveting in the newly constructed ship. Most of the ships were built so fast that not all surfaces had time to be painted and thousands of soldiers saw his little notes on the bulkheads. To the troops in those ships, however, it was a complete mystery — all they knew for sure was that he had "been there first." As a joke, they began placing the graffiti wherever they (the US forces) landed or went, claiming it was already there when they arrived.

Kilroy became the US super-GI who always got there first — wherever GI's went. It became a challenge to place the logo in the most unlikely places. It was said to be atop Mt. Everest, the Statue of Liberty, the underside of the Arch de Triumphe, and scrawled in the dust on the moon. An outhouse was built for the exclusive use of Truman, Stalin, and Churchill who were there for the Potsdam conference. The first person to use it was Stalin. He emerged and asked his aide (in Russian), "Who is Kilroy?"

WWII UDT (Under Water Demolition - later Navy Seals) divers swam ashore on Japanese held islands in the Pacific to prepare the beaches for the coming landings by US troops. They were sure to be the first GIs there! On more than one occasion, they reported seeing "Kilroy was here" scrawled on make shift signs or as graffiti on enemy pillboxes. They, in turn, often left similar signs for the next incoming GIs.

The tradition continued in every US military theater of operations throughout and following WWII.

In 1946 the Transit Company of America held a contest offering a prize of a real trolley car to the person who could prove himself to be the "real" Kilroy. Almost forty men stepped forward to make that claim, but James Kilroy brought along officials from the shipyard and some of the riveters to help prove his authenticity. James Kilroy won the prize of the trolley car which he gave it to his nine children as a Christmas gift and set it up in their front yard for a playhouse.

Answer 2

I think the guy peeking over the wall was a British cartoon that Serviceman used during the war (WWII) to mark places they were encamped at or had just taken and secured. They would then move on to advance toward the enemy, hence "Kilroy was here". Supposedly Hitler believed "Kilroy" to be a spy, because the markings were found in obscure places.

Answer 3

Kilroy was here goes back to WWII and even further but he was always here and always will be. He was in Nam too.

Answer 4

KILL ROY WAS HERE BUT ONLY FOR THE BEER GUY

Answer 5

Because he can.