From: "Darla And Keith Knoblock" <knoblocks@cox.net> Save Address | Headers
To : <sam@star77.com>
CC :
Date : Fri, 15 Jul 2005 11:59:41 -0400
Subject : Re: Re: DD 884
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Thanks, Sam. It's a great story.

Keith
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> ---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
> From: "sam" <sam@star77.com>
> Reply-To: <sam@star77.com>
> Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 09:53:10 -0400
>
> Ken,
(Ken Orrill, Leicester, England. Former Craftsnman in the REME, Base
>>Workshops >>Singapore.)
> Nice hearing from you.
>
> A nice recollection from the past. Today our troops hand out the same
> type
> of sweets and chewing gun in Iraq as they did in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
> The goodwill put out by troops whether they be US or British are lasting
> impressions of the generosity of our countries.
>
> Many from the 7th Fleet participated in helping refurbish, supply and
> construct orphanges in many poor 3rd world countries. We are the good
> guys.
>
> Many a time I ran out of money on Liberty and had to come back early to
> the ship. Even though I (webmaster) served on a cruiser, I experienced a
> close comraderie with our allies. The Parks crew will be happy to read this
> story and maybe some will remember.

> Fair winds with following seas,
>
> Sam
> Websmaster
> USS Floyd B. Parks DD884
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Ken's email message is below........
(Ken Orrill, Leicester, England. Former Craftsnman in the REME, Base
>>Workshops >>Singapore.)

> ---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
> From: PAKENOR@aol.com
> Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 18:44:53 EDT
>
>>Dear Sam,
>>
>>Having stumbled on the 884 web site I enjoyed the following hour having my
>>memory refreshed and recalling events of fifty years ago.
>>In 1950 the USS Floyd B Parkes put into Singapore along with the USS
>>Boxer,
>>the carrier. All were part of the US Seventh Fleet and were headed back to
>>the
>>US from Japan, going westward, I presume.
>>
>>I was a member of the British Army serving with an engineering unit on the
>>island, a young kid of 18. My mates and I first met this party of US
>>seamen at
>>the Shackles Club, it was a servicemen's club where the beer was
>>subsidised. As
>>is usual a fair bit of light hearted banter took place between the RN and
>>your fellows. The six guys from the Parkes ( we found out later that the
>>parkes
>>was their ship) claimed that any US Sailor could row faster than the Queen
>>Mary, to which the RN matelots replied not if they had Capt Brown
>>steering. If you
>>recollect Capt Brown managed to run the USS Missouri aground in Chesapeake
>>Bay.
>>
>>As events showed your boys were 'On the beach' at Singapore with very
>>limited
>>funds and were not due to be paid until Monday. As poorly paid as we were
>>(
>>the British Army never as been noted for its generosity) we agreed that
>>the
>>Parkes crew could tag along. What the hell we could not let servicemen
>>spend
>>Saturday night sipping lemonade. In this way we got to know Wolf and his
>>buddies.
>>We had a good time that night but Wolf made us promise to be at Glifford
>>Pier
>>the next day.
>>
>>All day Sunday we were the guests of the crew of the USS Floyd B Parkes.
>>It
>>seemed that everyone else in Singapore wanted to go to the Boxer. Not us,
>>we
>>got special treatment. My buddies and I watched 'Canadian Pacific'
>>starring
>>Randolf Scott being shown on the bulkhead behing the bridge. We ate
>>freshly baked
>>bread brought over from the carrier's bakery. We shared the meals with the
>>crew and were conducted all over that ship.
>>
>>To continue this story the US personel were paid on Monday. Wolf arranged
>>to
>>meet us in town and the treat was on the USN ( we were all stoney broke).
>>At
>>Midnight Wolf and his mates returned to the Parkes, which was sailing at
>>dawn,
>>and we were left in such a condition to nearly being arrested by our
>>Military
>>Police. We all had various souveniers, I had a USN issue T shirt, a
>>crossing
>>of the line certificate and a PC photo of the ship.
>>
>>I remember those guys, all about the same age as ourselves, being very
>>proud
>>of the 'tin can'. Some of them jokingly said they did not quite trust the
>>ship. When pressed for a reason there was a certain crooked smile ' She
>>was built
>>solely by women''.
>>
>>All this occured in the early fifties when all the young men of the
>>British
>>Army of that day had vivid memories of the earlier years of wartime
>>Britain. We
>>were the kids who accosted any male dressed in an American Servicemens
>>Uniform asking for sweets, chewing gum because no one else had these
>>things so dear
>>to a child's heart.
>>
>>The best of luck to all the shell backs who served in The DD884 and thanks
>>for these memories.
>>
>>Ken Orrill, Leicester, England. Former Craftsnman in the REME, Base
>>Workshops
>>Singapore.