Soochow Creek…One Marine’s Story

[Dirk]

Last year, when I posted this thread on the WAF, I thought it might be fun to do a thread based on a series of interviews I did with an elderly China Marine. Instead of adding commentary, I have chosen just to let the Marine’s words run the thread. All pictures included in this story come from his two massive photo albums. Since he is in ill health, I will not reveal his identity, but will supply some basic biographic information.

 

He enlisted in 1937 and within weeks of graduating from Boot Camp was pulled out of his 1st West Coast assignment and shipped to Shanghai aboard the USS Chaumont with the 6th Marines. After the 6th returned to the States in Feb 1938, he elected to stay on with the 4th Marines until winter 1938/39 when he volunteered to serve with the Marine Detachment at the US Embassy in Peiping (Peking). He left Peiping in 1940 and the Marine Corps in 1941. At the outbreak of WWII he returned to military service with another branch, proudly receiving campaign medals for all the major theater of operations.

 

The image below is the silk embroidered photo album cover from his time in Peking. The colors and detail are really incredible. Since I first posted this thread, Jeremiah linked the artwork to a specific copy of “Leatherneck” magazine…so clearly Chinese artisans used it as a pattern for the album cover. I hope you enjoy this thread…..

[Dirk]

USS Chaumont

Oh, the ride on the Chaumont was awful. I was seasick all the way to Pearl Harbor, but after that no more. We only had one afternoon in Hawaii for leave before we continued on to China. The ship was very crowded. They gave you only one bucket of water to wash up with. Space was so tight that when you turned over in your bunk you would hit the guy next to you. I think the bunks were four or five high. I choose to just go up and sleep on the deck. One night I woke up in the rain and water was sloshing all around me but I thought what the heck I can’t get any wetter so I stayed on the deck. That was the only time that happened. There was not much to do on the ship. I think they made us stand watch us just to keep us busy.

[Dirk]

You know they called us the “pogey-bait Marines” because they said we came over with a lot of candy bars and no soap. I never saw a candy bar on the entire trip and had plenty of soap. I spent 11/2 years in Shanghai. I liked the city. It was beautiful. It was more American then Peking…the clubs were very nice, although the good ones you couldn’t go into, only the officers. The international section was crowed with lots of refugees, lots of people begging, doing things like giving shoe shines for a little money. Many of them slept in the streets…many died in the gutter. The French section was larger and really nice. I didn’t go out much while I was in Shanghai, because I didn’t have much money and I didn’t dance. Maybe sometimes I would go the Privates Club or maybe sight-see or visit a park. In the French section of the city they had beautiful parks. There were also nice movie theaters. Some guys had Russian girlfriends. There were two Eurasian girls living near our billets and one day we asked them “what are you” (nationality). They said we are Chinese and Sailor. They were beautiful.

[Dirk]

When we arrived they billeted us on the second floor of a cotton mill. Each morning a parade of Chinese priests, or something came by our billet clanging gongs and making one hell of a racket before reveille…so one day some of the boys filled up all the fire buckets with water and waited on the roof early in the morning and dumped the water on the parade when they came by…they really let them have it! The parade found another route after that.

[Dirk]

A week after we got to Shanghai we went to the Soochow Creek. We would stay on the Creek a couple of weeks at a time then rotate back to our billets. While on the creek we would be billeted by squads. Each time we did our duty we went to a different location. Most of the time there was not an officer or Sgt with us, only a Corporal. Only occasionally would an officer come by. Along the creek in selected locations barbed wire was strung, mainly at bridges and along roads. We had sandbagged emplacements and some trenches.

[Dirk]

We never hid or crept around, we moved in plain sight unless fired upon. We wore helmets, but later campaign hats after the fighting moved away from our sector. I carried a BAR my entire time in Shanghai but I never fired it. In fact until the USS Panay we were not allowed to load our weapons while on patrol. After the Panay we were allowed to load our weapons and fire back if fired upon. Every time you went on patrol you would find someone dead from hunger or disease. If you found a dead body you would inform the Duty Officer and he would call the Municipal Government who would send a trash truck to pick them up…I guess they didn’t think much of these people.

 

I had a few close calls. When we patrolled we went just two of us. One time at night me and my buddy were marching and we met two policemen at a corner under a street lamp. Someone across the creek opened fire on us and we fled into an abandoned garden. The shots were bouncing off the metal gate of the garden. I guess that protected us.

 

Another time under the same damn light somebody started firing at me and my buddy. Well the Marine I was with made it into the garden, but I guess I was little slow maybe because I was carrying the BAR so I had to use a curb for cover. Their shots went on a high curve above me so I guess I was safe as long as I stayed there. I couldn’t move. I never did know who was firing at me.

[Dirk]

Sometimes I would see bodies of dead Chinese floating down the creek in the river…I got a bayonet from a dead Chinese soldier in the creek. To me the creek never smelled, but once there was a barge filled with caskets waiting to move up river and that stunk to high heaven. Eventually, the Japanese pushed the Chinese away from the city. But before they retreated the Chinese burned Chapei (a portion of Shanghai) and poisoned the wells. Sometimes the Chinese would try and bomb Shanghai from the air and the Japanese AAA would open up and their spent shells would land in our area.

[Dirk]

You know we had to stay out of the fighting between the Chinese and Japanese, but once on the other side of the Soochow a Japanese soldier with a bayonet on his rifle marched a Chinese prisoner of war with hands tied behind his back to a spot across from our position. He had the Chinese soldier turn around and face him and he just bayoneted him right in the stomach. I think he did that in front of us to show off. I guess that is were I began to hate the Japanese.

 

Another time a Japanese manager of a mill near our position, who was also reservist came out in uniform and he tried to run a fire hose from our section across the Soochow creek to bring water to a Japanese controlled area. Well this Marine Sgt took a fire ax and was going to cut it, so the Japanese officer had a man point a rifle at the Sgt….the Sgt in turn pointed at a machine gun that was pointed down at the Japanese. I guess the Japanese officer thought better of it and the Marine proceeded to cut the hose.

[Dirk]

One time I was sitting on top of a sandbag emplacement so I could take pictures and a Lt came by and said “Damn it do you want to get yourself killed.” And I said “I don’t care if I do.” He ignored me and walked away and I kept taking pictures. I had dysentery then…most of us did, I dropped from 165 to 135 pounds. We were not good to anybody in that condition. If they took us off the line there would be no one left. There were flies everywhere on the Soochow, that’s how I think I got dysentery.

[Dirk]

One time I was a block away from our observation post watching some Japanese artillery firing at Chinese positions at a bend in the creek. They hit a cemetery and the caskets went flying all over the place. Well the Japanese moved up their range and punched three holes in the building of our observation post. I was a spectator for that one.

[Dirk]

And then one round of some type went through a pole we were using to hold up a shelter from the sun. But no one was terribly bothered by that.

[Dirk]

The last time we were on the line the Italians were next to us. We got along fine with them. We would share our food. A mess truck with a flatbed would come by with soup or stew and later with containers of hot water and soapy water so we could clean our mess kits. For the Italians troops a man on a bike would come with wine, a roll of sausage, and a stick of hard bread and hand it out to them…they would share it with us.

[Dirk]

Our officers were pretty good, but I did not have much to do with them. When a Japanese officer tried to come into our section the Capt kicked him out. Only met one bad officer in the Corps …in Shanghai and little officer, the son of an Admiral…he was to short to get into the Academy but got in because of his father’s rank…he took us out on a summer road hike…one guy was Polish and had a big nose which got all red from the sun…the little officer said “hey tomato nose”…the soldier said “what shorty.” There was nothing the officer could do about that.

[Dirk]

The .03 was a darn nice weapon, if you missed your target it was not the rifle’s fault. At Boot camp I was issued my .03 and I had it the whole four years of my enlistment. I arrived in China with it, but then got issued the BAR. When I went up to the creek I would leave the .03 behind in the barracks. Back then you had to know your rifle number always. Sometimes a Sgt would ask you what it was. Before I left for China I was issued my “web gear” as you call it, but got our helmets when we got to Shanghai. Yes, I hated the helmets…they were worthless: if you hit the deck it usually fell off. They told us not to wear the chin strap under our chin as if there was a near miss the helmet would snap your neck from the concussion. Instead they taught us to wear the strap behind your head (photo evidence not clear on this one). The summer after the fighting died down we were issued pith helmets. Grenades, we kept them in our emplacements with the primer separate from the grenade because they were tricky and they could go off just from the heat of your hand. When we were not using them we buried then in a box at our billet then dug them up when we wanted them. I never saw a field telephone the whole time I was in China. The Marines always got lousy equipment. Even our ammo was dated from WWI. I didn’t get a Soochow Creek medal….now wished I had…but I was not making that much money at the time.

[Dirk]

"After the 6th left I joined the 4th Marines. China duty tours were 30 months long. While I was in Shanghai I saw on the bulletin board an announcement that we could volunteer for duty with the Marine Detachment in Peking. I did and left on the USS Henderson for Peking.....[the original thread covered his time in Peking]. At the end of my 30 months I wanted to leave China and see other things so I volunteered to go to the PI. I guess looking back on my tour it was an interesting time to be in China. I had a pretty good time in the Marines. "

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed the thread. I don’t think there are too many Soochow creek Marines left. So I am grateful I was able to interview him and record his story. In many instances his memory matches exactly with recorded events, names, and stories printed in the Walla Walla Magazine and other sources. Other things don’t fully match, but come close. Regarding the photos…I've now handled a number of China album's and have seen enough of a trend to know a number of “China Marine” photos currently in books, on ebay, and in private albums are actually stock photos Marine’s could purchase from the post photo shop, local vendors etc. In fact I have one photo taken from a Marine’s album c. 1910 that also showed up enclosed inside a Marine’s letter dated 1930. Even this Marine’s album for this thread is a mix of private photos he personally took and commercial images he bought. What is good though, is he can still recall which is which.

[bobgee]

Dirk - As usual a fascinating thread! Great story - great photos that bring to life this most interesting USMC period of history. Keep it up!!!!!

Semper fi---------Bob

[jeremiahcable]

Dirk, you really do make this part of history come alive.

[ADMIN]

All I can say is WOW! This is an amazing thread! I know it took a long time for you to put it together originally, so I understand you probably won't do another one. However, it would be great if you did. Like Jeremiah said, it really makes it come alive!

[R Michael]

Simply wonderful! I am a neophyte when it comes to this aspect of history and you have made me want to learn more!

 

thanks! Mike

[Rustykamel]

Hi, It’s wonderful that you were able to interview this China Marine, and then share with the forum. His take on the 1937/38 Marine involvement in the International Settlement is most interesting--especially the Marines relationship with the Italian soldiers. I have just learned that Morris Skinner, USMC, who served in Shanghai during 1937-38, has died. The thing is, he lived just down the road from me, and I didn’t know it. Darn! A terrific thread, Dirk, with dynamite photographs.

 

Jim

[Dirk]

All, thanks all for your kind words. I am really glad I got the story "just in time." Recently, we spoke again and he admitted his memory has really gone down so he was only able to give me a few little tidbits of new information (we spoke on his time in the PI, morale under Soochow conditions, equipment and uniform issues and a few added details to Peking/Shanghai) that I chose not to add here. He did pay me a great complement by saying he enjoys talking about China with me as no one around him now cares. When you think about it is is nice for these veterans to be able to tell their stories so their memory will continue long after they have left. We should all gather these.

 

It is also interesting that to this Marine the Soochow did not smell that badly...which goes against popular assumption (or he forgot)....and he got along well with the Italian soldiers while other marines wrote that during this time they did not get along with them at all....it seems that these international rivalries tended to be reduced to specific periods and individuals.

 

I've been given a name of a another China Marine south of my location who myself and another man are trying to interview quickly...I just hope I get the chance, as his time supposedly pre-dates this marine and the others who were part of the last group that became POWs.

 

Lastly, I'll add it was easy to "make history come alive" because the Marine featured in the thread really did take (as well as buy) some great photos (only a small fraction here) and his stories matched many of the images...all I did was ask him the questions and let him do the talking. He was great person to work with.

[teufelhunde.ret]

Dirk, once again you leave me flat-footed with your approach to the preservation of these oral histories & photographs, of a time in Corps history that has not been adequately preserved. As always, find myself wanting more too. When does the book come out?

[camelgreen44]

Dirk, Great stuff here, You're doing good ! Denny

[Dirk]

Thanks guys! ...Darrell the book is going to take a long, long time (I need my day job )

[CrewChief]

I truly enjoyed this thread. Beautiful Job!

 

CrewChief