Murphy Shell

Murphy DeForest Shell

Born October 2, 1920

Died January 19, 2010

The third of nine children, Mr. Shell was born in St. Louis, MO in 1920. He joined the Army Air Corp in 1940 and traveled to China—Burma—India, training mechanics on the P-51 Mustang. After being discharged from the US Army Air Corps in 1945, Mr. Shell attended Wayne State University on the GI Bill and obtained an electrical engineering degree. He worked at Parke Davis and then General Motors, retiring from GM in 1980 as the head electrical engineer for the Technical Center in Warren, MI. He was an active member of Theta Tau Engineering fraternity and a lifetime member of the Birmingham Senior Men’s Club. Mr. Shell was an avid downhill skier, skiing until the age of 82. He was happiest when fixing something. Mr. Shell was a forty-five year resident of Birmingham, MI., and resided at Arbor House in Traverse City, MI the last few years of his life with his wife of 53 years, Mary McDonald Shell. He will be remembered by his wife, four children; Murdeen Shell Wilms (Gerald Wilms), David Shell (Debbie), Julie Shell, and Amy Shell-Gellasch (Chris Gellasch). He is also survived by five grandchildren and 6.5 great grandchildren. Donations can be made in Mr. Shell’s honor to the Wayne State University Alumni Association. Please sign the guestbook and share a message or memory with his family. A Memorial Service will be held early this summer. A memorial picnic will be held at Birmingham’s Springdale Gold Course on June 26th at 3:00. Please bring a dish to pass. We will have burgers, etc. Contact Amy at amy.shellgellasch@us.army.mil or 608-819-8004 for more information.

Dad’s Story

1920-1940

Dad was third (the first born, Floyd, died at 3 months) of nine children. The second was Lloyd. Dad thinks that since his parents could not keep up the name pattern, they couldn’t agree on a name. Since the 10-day deadline for the birth certificate was approaching, they asked the Doctor to name him. The Doctor was Joseph Murphy.

“A tale that would never happen today”. Age three or four. The Westinghouse salesman was well known in the neighborhood. One day he asked Martha (Dad’s mom) if he could take Lloyd and me to the Presbyterian Church. She said yes, and he did for a few weeks until we knew how to get there on our own. I went to that church until I moved to Detroit.

When I was four, my sister Beryl (the next child and first of 6 girls) was born on my birthday. But I was disappointed because I really wanted a red wagon for my birthday. Years later (1980 or so), she came to visit for our birthday. She drove into the driveway from St. Louis and proceeded to pull a brand new red wagon out of the trunk!

Cat life number 1: At age 5, several of the boys in the neighborhood were riding wagons and carts down the neighbor’s driveway, since it had a nice hill to it. I went down the drive and into the street, just in time to get hit by a car. The wagon was broken and I was thrown under a parked car, where I hit my head. I was unconscious for several minutes and woke up back home.

How I got my nose: At about age 5, I was doing flips over the porch railing. I fell and landed on my nose on the ground.

My first job: Also at about age 5, I started selling newspapers with Lloyd. Lloyd would go down one side of the street yelling “Sunny morn’n Post and Globe” (little kid talk for “Sunday Morning”), while I walked down the other side of the street. I was fine if the customer had exact change, but since I did not know how to make change, I would have to holler for Lloyd if change was needed.

As we got older, we kids spent the summers at our grandparent’s and great Aunt Artie’s farm in Missouri; we were cheap labor for her, and saved money and hassle for my mom since she didn’t have to feed us. Aunt Artie always saved cleaning out the chicken house for us. Lloyd would beat me up to get me to do his share of cleaning the chicken house. I love to read, especially Zane Grey books. Aunt Artie always thought I was trying to get out of my chores (I probably was). One day she came into the house and found me reading. She took the book and threw it behind the piano. When she left, I moved the piano, got the book and started reading again until she came back and yelled at me. I ran away to a neighbor and planned to hitchhike home.

Cat life number two: Almost every winter as a child I got pneumonia. When I was about 8 I was more sick than usual. I was so sick that my mother called the ambulance. On the way to the hospital it seemed like the ambulance started to spin and I passed out. I guess they could not revive me, and my breathing and such was so low that they thought I had died. My mother and the doctor were off to the side discussing my “final arrangements” when I started to come to.

At about age 8 or 10, I somehow became the neighborhood mechanic; fixing bikes, tricycles, baby buggies, etc.

First time I got mugged: When I was 10 or 12, I was on my way to a Boy Scout meeting. 6-8 boys pushed me into a doorway and took the 10 cents I had for my Boy Scout dues.

In 1933 (at age 13) I started at Hadley vocational school. I wanted to be an airplane mechanic. Since there were too many boys enrolled in that, I then wanted to be a cabinet maker. I friend who was in the NYA (National Youth Administration) worked at the school in the electrical shop. One of the teachers name Mr. Rossi convinced me to try the new program he was starting for electricians. He started an arc welding training program and I was the first student. I wore short sleeves and open collars. Soon I had a “sunburn”. He also started a lead burning class to repair car batteries. I was again the first student to try it. He had me “blow out” (which entailed blowing into) the old battery for 20 minutes to clear out the hydrogen gas. I thought he was kidding; 20 minutes per cell would be 2 hours per battery. So I didn’t do it. He knew I was right, but he bawled me out anyway. Mr. Rossi also occasionally sent me up into the overhead ceilings of the school to do electrical repairs—I was cheap labor.

The second time I got mugged: While selling newspapers at about age 13, I dropped off my mother’s paper at home and she paid me 10 cents. I went out to continue selling papers on the corner. Two guys beat me up and stole the 10 cents! (Mugged twice, both times for 10 cents!)

While I was at Hadley, a buddy and I kept making plans to “go somewhere”. We wanted to get out and see the country!

Golden Gloves Boxing: When I was 15, I joined the New Deal boxing program. I would jog to the down town YMCA to box. I was always the smallest. Then they realized I was too young. But they gave me tickets to the matches at the Coliseum. It was a good thing I didn’t fight, those guys were big!

After I graduated from Hadley in 1938, I went down to the town of Glen Allen where my grandparents lived to make my fortune. They did not have electricity in southern Missouri at that time, but the R.E.A. (Rural Electrification Administration) was scheduled to come put in the main power lines. I planned to set up shop wiring the individual buildings and homes. Before I left, Mr. Rossi took me to the electrical supplier Graybar to establish credit. I waited in Glen Allen for a few months, but the REA never came (they finally came through several years later). To make a buck I did odd jobs, including boxing with the traveling shows that came to town, $2 a fight. I also did “spurring” of railroad ties.

In the fall of 1938, back in St. Louse, Dinky’s grandpa was head of maintenance at Union May Stern department store and hired me as a maintenance man. 9 hours a day, 6 days a week for $15. (Dinky was the nickname of a little, in stature, friend of mine.)

In 1940 I still wanted to see the county. A friend I meet in Sunday school and I made plans to go to California by hopping trains, where his father lived. I had told a lot of people that I would be leaving on a certain date but had not given my notice at work when it fell through, and my boss Ryan fired me anyway. I decided to join the Navy, but they had no openings in the 3 year enlistment. The 6 year reserve was too long, so I decided on the Army.

In June of 1940 I went to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri for my physical. We were stripped down to nothing. When I got swabbed for a shot I passed out and left a puddle on the floor. When I came to they handed me a mop. Later that day a Colonel called me to his office, I thought they would discharge me since I had peed on the floor. He had seen my records and because of my electrical background offered me a promotion to Staff Sergeant if I stayed there and became the post electrician. But I wanted to travel, so I turned him down. (I stayed a private.) The next opening was Randolph Field, Texas. I lived at home for a week until a full train was ready to leave for Texas.

The War Years: 1940-1945

12 July, 1940, Randolph Field, Texas: I wanted to be an airplane mechanic and wanted to “go someplace”, so I joined the Army Air Corps. I was sent to Randolph Field for basic training and basic training as a mechanic. I worked under a good crew chief. We learned on BT-13 and BT-14s (Basic Trainers). All new recruits had a month of KP duty, “yard birds” they called us.

January 1941-September 1942, Chanute Field: I was sent to AM (Airplane Mechanics) school at Chanute Field, Rantoul, Illinois. It was a six month course. With the war coming, they really needed mechanics, so if you had a GPA of over 75% you did not go back to your base station, you stayed at Chanute and became an instructor. I graduated on July 4th, 1941. I was then scheduled for the Instructor Training Course, but I missed it. I had been working out at the gym to be on the Squadron Boxing team when I broke my hand punching a heavy sand-filled body bag. I ended up in the hospital. When I recuperated, I was assigned to the Electrical Department because of my training from Hadley. I wanted more experience, so they transferred me to the Engine Department. I learned to practically strip down and rebuild an engine blindfolded.

I moved from department to department and was finally assigned to the Engine Operation and Test Department, also know as “Test Blocks”, as an instructor. We had engines mounted on heavy frames with gas and oil lines and we taught starting and stopping procedure. We would also “bug” am engine with defective parts or misconnections, etc. to teach the students how to find and repair malfunctions.

Summer 1942, Detroit, Michigan: I was sent to the Packard Factory Engine School in Detroit for six weeks to learn about the Rolls Royce engine to be used on the P-51 aircraft. This is when I met Gerry (Geraldine); she worked in the office and had formed a sudo-USO club.)

September 1942: A new AM school was built at Lincoln, Nebraska. I was sent there to help set it up. The buildings were finished and engine mounting frames installed, but we instructors had to install the engines, connect the electrical, gas, oil, etc. I was assigned to “Test Block” again. Our department head was a civilian who was working as a Civil Service employee. I was promoted to Tech Sgt and became the Assistant Department head. There were four shifts of six hour classes a day. Each instructor taught one shift.

The Army could not train mechanics fast enough, so they came up with the MTU (Mobile Training Unit). MTU headquarters was in Denver. We were MTU-81, made up of specialists from all over. We built moch-ups, cut-aways, and such of the engines. We had the machine shop cut up a brand new Rolls Royce engine! I was assigned to a P-39 and P-40 unit, then a P-38 unit, and finally a P-51 (the newest aircraft and engine) unit. Since the P-51D was 4 models past the one I trained on, I convinced them to send me back to Detroit for more training. I met back up with Gerry then.

We were under the command of 2nd LT Gerald Schori, and I was the NCOIC (noncommissioned officer in charge—next in command). We started to drive all over the country to bases that had or would have P-51s. We drove our “war coach”, Chevys that were stretched into a 15 person van. It had 3 wooden benches added between the front and back seats. Since our group only had 8 people, we took out the middle bench and put in a card table so we could play cards.

Summer 1944, off to war: In July we went to Lowry Field in Denver. We then went to Los Angeles on the 18th of August. We shipped out of Port Wilmington, California on our way to China on the troop ship S.S. Randolph on the 30th of August. We crossed the equator on the 7th of September, and the International Date Line on the 9th. At that time our ship was sailing alone.

12 September: We landed at Fiji for two nights. We were not allowed on shore leave, so we only saw the island when we were marched around it. On the ship, we had no duties. I was bored so I volunteered to work the “mechanical cow” that produced chilled powdered milk. Then I went to the Engineer and volunteered. He sent me to the electrical department and they sent me around the ship doing odd jobs. The other guys gave me a hard time for not lounging around. When we left Fiji, we joined a convoy for the rest of the trip.

21 September: Landed in Melbourne, Australia, again we were not on shore leave, so we were marched around parts of the city. One night we all sat on the dock and watched a movie that they projected on the hull of the ship.

7 October: Bombay, India: We arrived in Bombay after a 39 day crossing. We headed for Calcutta by train, all the way across India. On the train, one guy saw a large cockroach or beetle. We set off a “bug bomb” in the car. Unfortunately, this only bought out hundreds more! (In Calcutta I bought all the small ivory pieces we have.)

On the 12th we arrived at Camp Kachrapara. Here we stayed in tents up on wooden platforms. One night I left my boots on the stoop. In the morning one boot was gone and the other was found a little way off, all chewed up. The jackals were hungry!

On the 18th we boarded the train for Chabua, and arrived on the 20th of October.

27 October, Flew the “Hump”: We flew over the Himalayas into China in a C-46 cargo plane. We flew the valleys to avoid radar. Since the plane was a cargo plane, and not heated or pressurized, it was very cold and we had little oxygen. On the way we flew over the Taj Mahal.

Kunming, China: Kunming was our headquarters. We were teaching the “Flying Tigers” about the P-51 fighter. We saw Claire L. Chennault, the head of the Flying

tigers. Most of the base still had the P-40. Around Christmas time we had an air-raid. A Japanese AP (anti-personnel) bomb was stuck in the mud outside. Bob Hess, an armaments guy, told me how to disarm it. However, he left the tent when I tried. I put the fleece lining of my jacket over it while I dismantled it to protect my face just in case. The arming device had malfunctioned, so it ended up not being dangerous. (This is the same bomb that hangs in the basement in Birmingham.)

October 1944—April 1945: We traveled all over China to different bases teaching the base personnel, Chinese and American, how to work on the P-51. (see map)

We were able to visit part of the Great Wall near Delhi and the walled city of Hanchung. We also visited Tali, where I bought the grey “Tali” marble dish. Bob Horton had a camera that used the same film as the planes, so he had access to the film. He said he would take all the pictures for us and send them to us all. He never did! Then sometime in the 1980s a box arrived in the mail full of pictures from China! (All the small square photos and negatives in the photo album are from him.)

On December 15th, we were in Luliang. Some young mechanic was curious about the P-51 engine. He took off the valve covers and somehow disconnected the timing gears, but then could not get it back together. They paged me down to the flight line to fix it. He and I set up a generator and a light. An air-raid sounded, so we quick turned off the light and made for the hills. After an hour or so the all clear sounded. We went back to work, only to be so interrupted 2 or 3 more times throughout the night.

28 April, 1945, left China: We flew from China to Karachi, India. From there we sailed on a cargo ship with Merchant Marine sailors for home via Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Suez Canal. There had been a Navy crew of 10 guys on board to operate the guns in case of attack. VE day had already happened so we only had about 5 Navy guys, so we used their quarters. VJ day occurred while we were at sea. Man did we have a big party!

29 August, 1945, Home: We sailed into New York Harbor and past the Statue of Liberty—man that was impressive! So I went around the world and returned to the U.S. in 365 days. I had a two week layover and spent one week in Detroit and one week in St. Louis.

25 October, 1945, Discharge: I arrived back at Lowry Field in Denver and was discharged.