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This disparity happened in both World Wars. For example, many French people were far more friendly to black American soldiers stationed there during WWI (and between the wars) than what they were used to in the States. On the bright side, African Americans serving during both wars did pay longer-term dividends. Shortly after WWII Harry Truman integrated the US military in 1948, ironically making it, in many ways, more progressive than much of the civilian society.
My brother was in the Royal Navy during the Korean War and on leave in Japan. He went to a bar with a shipmate, went to buy drinks, and on his return to the table found two American MPs harassing the other British sailor, who happened to be black. My brother punched one of the Americans who then both left the bar - but when my brother and his pal left they were overwhelmed by a lot of Americans who beat them up. The US military insisted that my brother be court martialled for assault. When he got hauled up in front of his commanding officer he was asked what happened - the captain of his ship then said "well done, today you're the pride of the Royal Navy, case dismissed". The Americans were not happy.
I was a navigation/ warfare officer in West Africa (Sierra Leone/ Cameroon station) for a couple of years in the early eighties. Whenever the Yanks dropped by for a bit of firepower showoff they allocated onshore r&r bars to their sailors and marines along strictly racial and rank lines. I'm proud to say that most Brits chose to to drink with the NCOs and other ranks in the " black" joints. Also... they were, frankly, more fun.
@@holdencross5904 Nah. When I was in country when shit went down the other , more experienced, blokes would laugh and say, "Don't bother telling any one back home. They'll think you're mental." They were correct. On my first leave it was like everybody - bird, family and so on - thought I was a fabulist. Since then "schtum".
Sign should have said ‘black soldiers welcome’ to be fair. But it was in a time towns in England had more Americans than their own townsfolk, and unfortunately the American military police were racist AF, so it was the landlord’s discretion to right a wrong.! Makes me proud to be an Englishman tbh. But I’m also very annoyed at the racist hype recently imported from America lately, when decision of colour hasn’t been an issue here for decades.
Bamber Bridge is in Lancashire, England. In the 1850s-60s the Lancashire cotton-workers refused to process CONFEDERATE COTTON picked by slaves, often going hungry in the process. Since the year1066 slavery was illegal in England. The British Empire abolished slavery. Look it up.
@@kenhorlor5674 That's why Manchester has a Lincoln Statue and he wrote the people of Manchester a letter of thanks. I read a lot of history and wish people knew their local history in their particular county. Fascinating what you find out doing family history. Currently on the stockingers and lead miners of Derbyshire. Lancashire has an amazing past. From dissenters to the civil war here, Houghton Towers where King James knighted a piece of beef and that's how you got Sirloin 😉 etc
I live in Blackburn 5 mins drive to Bamber Bridge, Blackburn was a major hub in the "Cotton Industry" I've heard stories about the refusal to process cotton from slavery in my town which makes me proud of our ancestors.
I don't even use colours to describe people. People are people. The day colours disappear from our language to categorise other human beings will be a good day.
@@canzukcommonwealth7309 Commonwealth in my eyes are always welcome as are most peoples to be honest, just have more of a connection with the commonwealth.
@Mark Jones "Are all the protestant English "innocent"?" Simple: the innocent ones were/are - whilst the guilty ones were/are not ! Same goes for the Protestant/Catholic Irish AND the Germans AND the White South Africans, and on and on and on......................................
During the war, an English woman in a small village near a GI base was asked, what do you think of the US soldiers? She said, They're very nice and polite and treat us girls at the pubs and dance hall very well, but I don't like the white ones much.
@@helenwood8482 racists exist in every single country on this earth Britain is no way exempt from that. But compared to a lot of other countries we aren't nowhere near as racist. The reason I say foreign people is because the only history they learn of Britain is usually the bad. To have a true reflection of a country and its people you must learn its vast history, you can't just learn about nazi Germany to understand the people of Germany and the same applies to Britain, most foreign people mainly learn about slavery when it Comes to Britain therefore they have a very one sided view on its people. I'm not in any way saying foreign people are less smart or anything of the sort I'm simply stating they learn the bad parts of our history and rarely if ever the good
Not sure about that. In my experience most accusations of racism come from other Brits. Many of them, it is true, have no awareness of our history nor any interest in finding out the truth. The white working class of Britain is the most vilified of all but was there ever a group of people who gave so much for the freedom of others ?
@@ariaxrose1 Yes I'm aware you are supporting the British. I was pointing out that many of those who shout racist are in fact white. Lack of awareness of our history isn't just an immigrant thing and it would be unreasonable to expect them to know of our past. Our own educators have failed, indeed they didn't even try, to teach our children about the struggles their forebears fought for their own communities and for others. That doesn't excuse the white middle class moralists who are too lazy and arrogant to search for the truth but rather embrace the culture of social media commentary. How many times have British working people fought for and suffered in the cause of others ? Racist ? There's a statue in Manchester of Abraham Lincoln. You can read his letter to the cotton mill workers of Lancashire. Anti Semitic ? The Battle of Cable Street says no. Fascists ? Our ancestors' blood soaked the soil of Europe in the fight against Fascism. The British have given their lives to fight injustice. They didn't write editorials in the Guardian.
@Helen Wood most racists in Britain vote labour, a good number of them may be white and racist to other white people. Which in their twisted logic doesn't count as racism. A smaller number of racists in Britain vote BNP or whatever they've changed the name to because their views are not shared by the majority of Brits, so they have to change names to draw in unknowing people.
I'm British and I thank you for sharing this. It's heartbreaking to think that those soldiers fought for a country that treated them so badly. Lol no other country will tell us what to do, we're not a bad race.
British is not a race! Humanity IS a race! Black, White, Pink or Blue those are colours so we cant be racists! We are afraid of colour, we hate colour, why do we hate colour? Do we see each other like pieces in a game such as LUDO? We are taught as children to oppose the other colours, not the other players, same in war you are taught to hate the uniform of your opponents, if this were not true then soldiers would just shoot at uniforms, any uniforms? HOW FUCKIN DUMB IS IT TO HATE A COLOUR!!!?
I am a straight, white, educated British man (never had the feeling I am privilaged?). The racial intollerance we see from the United States is historical, and unfortunatley this mode of thinking is being imported into our country. I grew up with a multitude of races and religions, we never even thought about it. Any day of the week our house would be like a meeting of the United Nations. To all Brits that may read this, have compassion for our American cousins, but do NOT think this intolerance applies to the UK. We are better than that. Love to all. Nuff said.
Brits are generally tolerant people at 'home'. If those joining our society are respectful of our traditions and values we normally will accept and even adopt some of their culture in to our own. Bamber Bridge was a good example of such welcome but it has to be said that this was not always so especially when we were in their Countries in times when we saw our culture as being superior in our organisation skills, our systems of education, health, Justice, and Military prowess, etc !
This is just one instance of the British public fighting to prevent black Yanks soldiers being abused. My uncle was involved in a big fight with American army police when they tried to remove black soldiers from his local.
I remember hearing a true story from my dad when I was a child in the 1960's. Our small village shop (A 'ma n pa' store I think Americans would call it) served GI soldiers as well as the locals during WW2. One day, a young black G.I. came into the shop to buy something and the then shop-keeper (male) was chatting happily to him as he gathered his order. A group of white American GIs came into the shop and came to stand in front of the Black GI at the counter and began placing their order. The shop-keeper explained that he would be with them in a few minutes, saying "I'm just serving this gentleman first." The white GIs made rude comments about the black GI and told the shop-keeper that he could wait. Well, the shop-keeper wasn't having any of that and told them that they could wait their turn or not be served at all - their choice. There was some disgruntled back n forth arguing, but the white GIs left the shop throwing horrible racist comments over their shoulders as they left, shoulder barging the black GI. They didn't leave the area though, but hung around further down the street. After they'd left the shop, the black GI thanked the shopkeeper, but said he'd probably pay 'the hard way' for what had happened when he left the shop. The shop-keeper winked and said he didn't think so. He finished the GI's order, locked the shop door and then invited the GI behind the serving counter, where he opened a large trap door in the floor which led down to a stock cellar. He led the GI down a staircase and then up another staircase which led back up to street level next to a delivery shute at the back of the building. They went up into the lane where there were several local men loading and unloading goods from a truck and the shop-keeper explained what had happened. The local men were appalled and said they just didn't understand the mentality of it all - especially as they were all supposed to be fighting the same common enemy and that blood is red for everyone. Two of the locals immediately gave the black GI a lift back to his unit in the truck. The white GIs didn't have a clue what was happening and they waited for quite a long time before realising they'd been out-foxed :D UK has it's own share of idiots and bigots, but most people here look at people's actions, not the colour of their skin. The vast majority of people here are also very aware of the rich ethnic depth people of all nations bring to our culture and we embrace it.
My Father was in the British infantry in WW2, fought in France, Italy, North Africa and Germany. He never spoke about the war, but one night, a programme on tv was about the Gurkha regiment (Coloured Soldiers) who fought with the British in WW2. He just came out with " I've fought alongside the Gurkha's, I would trust them with my life". When I asked him a question, he simply said "They are bloody good soldiers"
My Grandfather was a driver in the British Army and in Burma for most of the war. He did share stories about the times with friends and pranks they pulled and such but never anything beyond that. One of the few things he told us about the sort of "Soldiers" he served with was when he spoke of the Gurkha's. He had a similar opinion of them as your Father. I remember he said "these men were true warriors and I never felt safer then when they were around. I was always glad they were on our side because I don't think we would have won if we had to face them". I was 9yrs old and I remember it as if it was yesterday because he stopped talking, got up and left the room. My Nannie snapped at me when I tried to follow to leave him be. 9yr old me didn't have a clue but breaks my heart now I understand what was going on.
In Sierra Leone in the early eighties my two closest oppos were Atoh and Ngo. They pulled my fat out of the fire more times than I can count. I literally owe them my life. And I would have done the same for them.
Former Indian Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw once stated that: "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha." There is the famous video of the Gurkhas being told that the Argentinians had surrendered in Falkland and the Gurkhas being despondent as there would be more more chances for regimental honour or to prove themselves
i was born in 1965, born into a shipbuilding town. Barrow-in-Furness. we have had specialists from all over the planet working here on our boats/subs etc. all were welcomed for contributing to our economy. no racism here. proud to be a Brit.
Ghosts of the Mujahideen I’ve lived in Barrow for 23 years and I’ve never seen anyone glassed. Barrovians are generally a very friendly and welcoming bunch
Being from the UK, I genuinely had a lump in my throat when the British pubs stood up for the black soldiers. Shame on the US for this terrible wrong. 🇬🇧
This sort of thing happened all over the UK. I once read of a speech made to newly arrived Black Americans - “ Americans are welcome here, it’s only the white fellows you brought with you, that we don’t like”.
They are remembered with honour and respect in the UK. Every November 11th. All soldiers, sailors and airmen, regardless of colour, creed or sex are remembered. Just as it should be.
It maybe different in the US,, but Here in the UK all soldiers are remembered equally for their service.. In my experience,, only racist people see a person's race..
@@amethystlarktree5962 You can understand what Denise said so why be rude or are you one of those intellectual snobs that think people like her who have opinions don't matter ?
There have been black and coloured communities in England for at least 2000 years, the remains have been found all over London by archaeologists in recent years. Britain has always been and will always be a naturally multicultural place and we are proud of that fact.
@@jayonenote7527 UKIP didn't have a problem with our ethnic make up did they? They just wanted to end the unfettered immigration, started by Tony Bliar, which saw the UKs population increase by 10% under Labour. This was to swell the ranks of their client state because they knew that immigrants traditionally voted for the lefties. Never, ever did UKIP ask for a cessation of just black people. Remove that chip! And if you need medical help to do so, but find it difficult to see your GP, you'll realise why a stop needed to be called.
I submitted the like.. because I'm British and I'm proud that Brits stood up for equality before it became a buzz word or a trend. What happened to those people was hideously unjust, but those injustices were not doled out by British people, the protection, friendship and backup in a ridiculous and inhumane situation was.
One of my uncles told me of a smaller and possibly unreported incident in Weymouth just after the American troops arrived. A few matelots threw a white US officer into the harbour after heated words about black GI's talking with white local girls. Some of the accompanying white soldiers started to strip off to jump in and get him out. The British sailors and locals stopped them from doing so and repeatedly shouted down to the white officer if he would be willing to be rescued by a black US soldier as no Brit was going to come to his aid and no white US soldier was going to be allowed to. After a few minutes of a freezing harbour he apparently politely asked for help and two black lads jumped in to help him out. Great story, I have no reason to disbelieve it.
I'm ex British Army and feel proud that white British soldiers and locals stood shoulder to shoulder with their black American brothers.🇬🇧 Oh and subscribed.🇬🇧
My great-grandmother was mixed race and my great-grandfather married her in 1936 and when he’d married her there was less than 20,000 non-whites in britain and the black side of my family had come from Barbados in 1890 and a family story is that they were the first black family in my hometown. It makes me very proud and scared to think that in 1940 when Hitler was at our door and invasion looked imminent my great-grandfather understood that If they won him and his wife and two of their children would be deemed undesirable and non-aryan. He did no heroics on the battlefield but he stood by his wife and children when his very life was at risk to do so, he earned no medals for that action but my family is alive and well today because his love for his wife went beyond her skin colour. His brothers in law became famous local boxers and doormen and his wife was known as the ‘black flash’ because of her dress style and strong character. I’m very proud of my family for that.
I am also British - and when anyone asks me about why am I proud to be British I use the way we have been with black people! Stories like the British blues/rock guitarist freezing when seeing a black musician and that musician going into another room because he could not get that the brit had frozen because he was a hero of the brit not because he was black! It was the opposite the Brit was in awe of him! They did eventually convince him to come out and the brit got to meet his hero! The fact the when the Rat pack came to Britain Sammy got the same red carpet treatment the other two got he was seen and treated as a celebrity where as in the states Sammy had to use the tradesmen entrances to theatres in many places! And my own grandmother told me a story which reflects this piece when she ran a transit camp refectory (cafe and bar) and refused a request from a white American soldier to remove the blacks already in there telling him I’m in charge here, they are fighting for their loved ones and for my country too (they were American blacks by the way!) and told him that this was England not America and if he didn’t like it well..... he said “Sorry ma’am” and left. The black soldiers never knew what had occurred and completed their meals in peace in their own time! That is why I’m proud to be British and even more proud of my grandmother! I leaned so much from her!
I'm a British, this video hits so close to home because my great grandfather was a mix race American GI who would've had the same treatment, he was in the 392nd Engineer General service regiment which was a black regiment and he got my great grandmother pregnant. Unfortunately we never saw him again as he went to Omaha beach
@@johnkeen2345 It's a shame he's most likely not around anymore, I wouldn't have a chance to of talked to him or meet him. I just wish I could go back in time and see what men my great grandmother hung around with as she was known for that
About 7 years ago I met a lady who was a WAAF in WW2. Her and her friend 'Ginger' would go dancing in Covent Garden in London. She said the black GI's never asked the girls to dance so Ginger decided to ask one to dance. After she said he was very nice but kept calling her Ma'am'. I realised those men must have been quite scared to ask white girls to dance and over here 'ma'am' isn't a term we use so even though he was being really polite it would have sounded strange to Ginger. We have terrible racism in the UK but when I hear stories like this I am proud that we have a lot of decent people too.
And the USA preach to us about racism. If they were good enough to fight for their own country why aren’t they good enough to to be treated as equals. We owe them so much.
@@cindychin7746 not propaganda, my late cousin was one of the landlords of one of the pubs in Bamber Bridge. He told us many times how the black soldiers were treated and that is why he and other landlords supported them. The reason being that they'd never seen anything like that in this country especially to men who were fighting along side our soldiers. So your hatred in this case is misguided.
@@cindychin7746 My Auntie worked behind a bar in a toen not far from Bamber Bridge , she dated a Black American Soldier . Who wanted to stay in the UK his unit would not allow it . He returned to the Southern States to segregation and second class citizenship . They both later married in their own country . My Grandfather and all my Mothers Family would have welcomed him as a Son In Law . Dont fall for divisive talk on Social Media .
My Grandfather told me of many incidents like this, were the US tried to enforce segregation on Black Commonwealth soldiers as well as their own, and British having none of it. I know as a country there is still raceism here, but hopefully we are more progressive than most other nations.
Yes and despite the endless propaganda black people can be racist too. I know a black African and he tells me about the racism they get from West indians. It's not a one way street by any means.
@@roadie3124 The racism comes from racists. Regardless of their political beliefs. However the main cause of racism is the belief that one person is born to be superior to others. It is time for the monarchy to be abolished.
@@copferthat In Rwanda the Hutu, which is a defined ethnic group waged genocide on the Tutsi minority, another defined ethnic group, which the Hutu believed to be an inferior race. Both of these groups have black skin. They can readily identify each other on sight, and have generations of hatred for each other. I belive that this is a definition of black people practicing racism.
I am Proud to be British and from The North West of England. My home city has always had a diverse culture and we have always got along well and welcomed people from other countries. If you listen to The BLM nutters, we are a nation of Racists. Not so. The story of this American soldier and what happened in Bamber Bridge should be taught in every school in the country. Thank you for posting this, it was Heart warming to say the least.
As a young teenager living in Southend in the 60's I remember being asked by a black US sailor, if I knew of somewhere he could get a drink and have some fun. My friends and I took him to the Foresters Arms on the seafront, it was a well known pub famous for it's live music and entertainment. Within a very short time, he had everyone in the pub rocking as he sang (wonderfully) song after song on the pubs stage backed by an enamoured resident band. I'll never forget that night, or that enchanting man and I hope he remembers the loving, laughing, spellbound friends he made of us all.
The first country to declare allegiance to Britain's war effort upon the declaration was Jamaica, we don't care about colour, creed or religion just what's in a person's heart. As a nation with a deep sense of working class identity it is no surprise that black American soldiers were welcomed because the clientele would have seen them as fellow working class people, there would be an inherent and instant understanding between natural comrades.
And the Americans should remember that the monster we were fighting against was a white man, who tried to eradicate Jews, gipsies, the disabled and homosexuals. So much for the American notion of white supremacy!!
I understand this wasn't an isolated incident. I have to say that as an ex British soldier, I'm proud of the people to fought the American MP's, who had the audacity to discharge firearms and commit murder on British streets. I don't care about the skin colour of the soldier I'm fighting with, just let him be good at his job.
Just imagine the freedom/empathy/equality those soldiers received in the UK never experienced ever in their lives, god bless them... I wonder if any of their family members are aware back in the US
There was a pub called the Eagle and Child (where my mum and dad met) in a place called Page Moss in Liverpool and it got a really bad reputation for fighting that continued well into the 80’s but the reputation started in the 40’s when the Americans were stationed in Huyton and wouldn’t let the black soldiers drink in the pub so the British soldiers used to fight the Americans so the black lads could drink with them.
he absolutely should not have been killed, but don't be owned by the Communists & far-Left who are trying to divide our societies for their own purposes & trying to turn George Floyd in to a hero which he wasn't !
I live about 15 minutes away from Bamber Bridge and my grandad who served during the war told me of many incidents like this. The local men would fight alongside the black soldiers against the white racist Americans. Especially in the pubs as the white yanks would insist the blacks left, that never went well.
I don't know if many people know that it has been illegal to own a Slave in England since the end of the 11th Century, just thought I would mention this fact, I know this doesn't directly relate to the video clip but it does give some incite into the British character in comparison to many others around the world. Ps I know that the British Empire was involved in the slave trade like many others but at least we were the first to take effective measures over 7 decades to end this abhorrent practice costing much in Blood and treasure.
Sorry, but that's not true. William the Bastard arrived and shortly after issued the Laws you refer to, this is the Ninth Law: "...the sale of a man to anyone outside of the country would incur a fine payable in full to William." Some think he was attempting to profit from the trade, in reality it moved outside of England. 28,000 slaves were listed in the Domesday Book some twenty years later, although the numbers were dropping.
My granddad told me about similar events in Durham during WW2. There was some bigotry in the UK but in general the attitude of white Americans to their own black troops sickened the British. My granddad (white) never forgave the white Americans up to his death, he had nothing but contempt for them.
My family come from near this place during the war my Grandfather befriended two american servicemen one black and one white. Grandfather invited both to a meal at his home and was told they could not because of said segregation, my grandfather response was 'my home, my rules' - you are both welcome, they did both attend and were welcomed and as far as we knew there were no repercussions. This would have been not long before D Day and on a morning only a few weeks later when local people people woke the street were uncannily silent. They later heard that all servicemen had been vacated overnight to be in position for the D Day battle - only one of these American service men made it off the beach alive. If I recall correctly the servicemen where based at Burtonwood.
They need to teach this in schools as well as the evils of slavery...these 2 stories go hand in hand...I'm very proud that as an Englishman we were the pioneers to end this evil..
And don't forget that during the last gasp of the North Atlantic slave trade (before the Brits abolished it, and enforced that abolition throughout the British Empire) workers in the cotton industries in Lancashire went on strike in sympathy with black slaves in America.
There was an army film information with Meredith Burgess in it. It has a a small bit about no segregation in the UK. I am not sure of the date it was released. But it was probably included as there are similar stories around the UK where instances like this happened and the locals stood up with the coloured soldiers.
From the UK perspective, they weren't "black American soldiers", they were just "American soldiers" in exactly the same way as the "white American soldiers, were just American soldiers". We've never really had that "your skin colour is different to mine, so I will treat you differently" thing, over here. At least not on the scale it existed elsewhere. That's not to say we've never had racism, we have, but on a lesser scale.
@@davetdowell This position goes back a long way. James II in 1687 was trying to dispense with laws that discriminated against Catholics and gave a speech at Chester where he said, "suppose there should be a law made that all black men should be imprisoned, it would be unreasonable and we had as little reason to quarrel with other men for being of different religious opinions as for being of different complexions." In Britain, 350 years ago, the lunacy of discriminating based on colour was the prevailing attitude that STILL hasn't found its way into all corners of the US.
@@Kestrel1971 The Americans are always late to the party, they always catch up eventually though, and recently they've been making ground. They'll get there.
@@Kestrel1971 Indeed what you say is true, but it kinda all gets bitter sweet when you realise that King James II was a *MASSIVE SLAVER!* . Why do I say that? Well, long story short, in the years before he was king, he was totally involved with the *Royal African Company* (please Google it). So I’d guess that anyone imprisoned for their “different complexion” wouldn’t be able to do much in the way of slaving would they?!?! So, we have another fine example of the double standards of hypocrisy rearing its rather ugly head...yet again! Just saying and not hating ok.
@@TheIamtheoneandonly1 when was King James on the throne? 1600s 🤷♀️ in the 1800s the UK sent out anti slavery ships. Portugal,Spain and America wanted it to continue along with African kings and Arabs in north Africa. Here we are talking about as recent as the 20th century within living memory for some! I am old enough to remember the news of the sixties and watching the treatment dished out to other humans with horror for a diff of DNA when the world had seen in WW2 what the nazis did, that was certainly double standards. We all have a collective responsibility going forward to treat each other with respect and ❤ .
These brave men should never be forgotten🙏🙏 so proud of my country we strive for acceptance we are one race the human race🙏 research The British Crusade to end Slavery.... we kicked arse🤣🙏
I grew up in Preston, Lancashire, only a few miles from Bamber Bridge. I have to say, putting up "Black Soldiers Only" sign in the pubs when the US Army demanded they be segregated is the most typical Lancashire response - they only said they had to be segregated, not who had they to be segregated in favour of! So proud that the everyday people of Lancashire stood up to the racism of the US Army of the day. It wasn't just Lancashire though, there was an instruction film for American GIs made that literally had to point out that Britain wasn't segregated, and that white American soldiers would have to be fully aware that the British people would fraternise with African American soldiers without a second thought.
I live a couple of miles from Bamber Bridge and I pass the pub most days. I was aware of this story and I am proud that we Brits did the right thing, though a sad ending.
Since seeing the Bamber Bridge incident on this and other TH-cam reactions, I've seen comments that this happened in many other towns and cities in Great Britain at that time... they need to teach this in our schools!! 😡 🇬🇧
I think you’re right, such stories must be taught in schools. The one thing I would say is that context matters here. Defending and protecting black people who came to fight on our side is one thing.....however, stories of how we treated the black people who stayed or migrated to the UK after the war was over is far less graceful. Sometimes we forget, only 25 years after this event at bamber bridge, the UK government were forced to pass The Race Relation Act making it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of race. It was perfectly legal up until that point and the police certainly enjoyed those days. Racism wasn’t a crime. Making a law is one thing, changing hearts and mind is another. We saw a few race riots up until the 80’s As Brits, we are good at welcoming everyone equally, but not so much when it comes to helping them integrate.
@@birdseyeview4406 Exactly... more effort needed for integration. I don't give a damn what colour anyone is, as long as they are willing to adopt and respect our culture if they wish to stay 🇬🇧
I have heard other stories like this of incidents where the British welcomed and treated blacks equally during WWII, much to the annoyance of the US military authorities. I like the bit where US military demanded pubs in Bamber Bridge be segregated so the pubs put up signs that read Blacks Only. You've got to love the Brits for their sense of fair play and justice! Gloreeyah, thank you for sharing this video, which confirms, at least in this case, stories I've heard. Also, it's worth mentioning here, how the British banned slavery a long time before other countries and used the Royal Navy to eradicate the slave trade. So I can't help thinking of Elgar's Land of hope and glory, mother of the free! Could you also do a video on John Newton and how his hymn, Amazing Grace, came about?
why is this not taught in schools i am 50yo and live 5 minuets from Bamber bridge drove through it 1000s of times its disgusting local kids don't know about this
It's probably deemed too brutal, you could even go as far as to call it a war atrocity so I think it's mainly gonna be taught to those who seek to study that subject.
I remember as a little girl driving through Bamber Bridge with my dad. He told us all about it. Can’t repeat the language he used about the American MPs 😉
That’s a very powerful video, Brit here, in my 50s, it’s like 2 steps forward 3 steps back. I can never understand the hatred people have. Utterly depressing. But most people are decent people, hateful people seem to make the most noise.
Thats why I'm proud to be British and that's also the benefit of being part of a 'commonwealth' country where many nations are subject to the Queen hence it doesn't matter if the man is from Fiji or from New Zealand as long as you only see three colours, green, grey and navy blue you'll get on. God bless these servicemen too as it must have been a culture shock to be treated as part of a multi national and service family.
I would recommend the Neville Shute book "The Checkerboard", this deals with racism in the US forces in Britain during the war, specifically in Cornwall. It's a good illustration of the tolerance of British people and their attitude to people who are not white. The Cornish accepted these coloured servicemen and were appalled at the attitude of the white officers and MPs when they arrived later on refusing to accept that pubs should be closed to coloured service personnel. I read this book about 5 years ago in 1 sitting.
@@richardsimpson3792 I always enjoyed Neville Shute and noticed the book in a hotel room in Scotland. Read it in one sitting, I'm going to look for a copy in the local second hand bookshops
I’m proud that the British people were welcoming and it turned my stomach to know the way that they were treated. I noticed that you don’t have any likes for this video and I’ve struggled because I don’t want to like what the video represents, hope you understand 💐
I am from the UK and this is my first time of hearing this and I'm discussed in the actions of the USA we are and we will always be equal as one. Shocked.
I am proud to be British and a veteran. Racism has never been part of my life. I've had close friends, colleagues and neighbours of different nationality, religion or colour. I know the UK has done wrongs and made mistakes in the past, but that doesn't change who I am and how I respect all others.
So damned true. You can be as Black, Muslim or whatever, as you like BUT you must be British first and foremost. If anyone can't handle that, then this is a very free country, you are very free to leave.
I think that is true of the first generation of many immigrant groups, but the second and following generations usually integrate better (which can cause a lot of strife between the younger and older generations in the family).
As a Brit I can tell you we are taught that we are all human, and that is all that matters. We all look different, and that's a beautiful thing. Racial divide is being pushed by people who make money from it at the top, and those at the bottom are left to suffer the consequences while being continously lied to.
Rest in peace, Private William Crossland. I like to imagine the scene when the US officer who demanded that pubs in an English town introduce racial segregation took the report of how his instructions were implemented. "Sir, permission to report on the segregation in the town pubs?" "Go ahead, soldier." "Sir, there are three pubs in the town. "The first pub has put up a sign saying, 'Black Troops Only.' "The second pub has put up a sign saying, 'Black Troops Only.' "And, sir, the third pub has put up a sign saying, 'Black Troops Only.'"
My father was in bomber command in the UK during the war and mixed race crews were common (the RAF didn't care what colour you were), when the Americans (finally) arrived, they demanded separate toilets for white and black personal - the British commanding officers response was 'Bugger off, if you can die next to a man, you can shit next to him." It's a cruel world.
This happened on many occassions, I heard a story about black American soldiers drinking in a pub with British tommies. White American soldiers came in and told their black comrades to leave....The tommies took the white soldiers outside and gave them a good hiding which makes me feel proud to be British.
Well done G it’s good to see that this the Uk we stand together as one! Most of us here where brought up with respect of everyone no matter what colour race or sexuality, and it really does grind me when we as the uk get labeled as being the same as the USA the land of freedom... it’s simply not the case
I live in Bamber Bridge and I like others are proud of our history and especially this story There are going to be some renovations to the land at the front of The Hob Inn and I think there’s going to be a memorial statue to commemorate this part of the Brigs history 👍
I grant you that Britain is not perfect by any means, but our very diverse society created from people all over the world is a great strength and I'm very glad for that :) Thank you for posting your video 🙂
And people wonder why I'm so absolutely Proud to be English/British. Slavery was outlawed in England in 1066 by William the Conqueror, ans made parliamentary law in 1807, the Royal Navy And the British people forced the abolition of slavery on to the whole World, and I'm proud of that. No man in English soil shall be known as a slave to anyone, no matter ones race, ethnicity, colour or creed, because in the eyes of the law, all Englishmen/women are free to be whomever and whatever they choose to be. Ans if we stand together and fight side by side we are brothers, no matter what, so we live together as one, we die together as one, fight for truth and righteousness.
When the Black soldiers came in to that village. They went to a pie shop owned by a Mrs Keppings. She said that when they entered the shop they were excited and and happy and were extremely polite. However she said they had an aura of melancholy about them. She soon realized it was because of their white officers and commanders and their treatment of. Now because Mrs Keppings baked a decent pie and had a decent heart, she gave all the black soldiers free pies and charged the officers a fortune. She also put word around the village that the black soldiers should be treated as heroes and the whites as conscripts. Her thinking was that the black soldiers didnt have to fight for a white man especially after history but they volunteered to do so out of friendship. The villagers seemed to agree. The English love order and laws. But we love true heroes more. Love Light and Peace Y'all.
I served in the army through the 80's and 90's in Northern Ireland and 1st Gulf war and during that time I had loads of black mates, not just mates but true brothers, it never occurred to me nor them that we were apparently 'different' nor that they were 'subjugated', we were in the army and all equally subjugated. I would have fought anyone that claimed it to be different. My life was often in my mates hands and you need to know that the last thing anyone thinks of in that situation is nonsense like 'skin colour'. When push comes to shove all brothers come through and be damned with bollocks like ethnicity.
I won't tolerate people calling my country England institutionally racist because it is not. There are a small amount of racists sure but overwhelmingly we are one of the least racist and most diverse countries possibly in the whole world.
Many British people forget, how back in the 40’s and 50’s, posters that read ‘No coloureds’ were common place in housing. Black people were turned away by landlords and other institutions and they could legally deny black people services on racial grounds. It was not illegal to discriminate against black people until the 60’s when The Race Relations Act outlawed racial discrimination. It’s a matter of fact that the British police oppressed the black community for years. So if that law and subsequent amendments were needed, then I can assure you that it wasn’t enacted to protect black people from just a few bad apples. Britain is a wonderful country today and should be proud of many of its accomplishments but let’s not gloss over the lived experience of thousands of people just to make ourselves feel better. If you really want to know how prevalent racism is in the UK then do yourself a favour and ask people of colour.....they know!
@@birdseyeview4406 You say that it wasn't illegal to discriminate against black people but the same could be said about people of any colour. All you managed to do is curtail free speech, racism would have declined naturally anyway. Plus what's happening now is actually anti-white and anti white male discrimination trust me when I say that it will not end well for anyone. Accusing four year old white kids/boys of being racist and misogynist will not end well for YOU!
@@Reverend-Rodger Hehe “racism would have declined naturally” - What does one even say to that 🙄. I’m sure those who were been spat at and called the N word on the streets and deprived of basic services due to their skin tone couldn’t wait for things to decline ‘naturally’ (How petulant of them) - it only took 300 years for Europeans to evolve to thinking black people were actual humans like them, but what’s other 100 years.
@@birdseyeview4406 I'll tell you what I do know and this is not anecdotal for all of your bluster about so called RACISM all you are actually doing is dividing people and causing more hate. Grow up and start treating people as individuals and not colours on a chart.
@@Reverend-Rodger I have treated you as an individual. Your views are yours alone. I just wish the same could be afforded to people of colour. I’m sorry, If telling you the truth offends you.
When we moved to the country (Bury St Edmunds) two decades ago from London, we often saw a local couple, she a Suffolk lady and he a black American, who lived on a nearby estate. It seemed that they had met when he was stationed at a USAF base nearby and after the war he had returned and they got married. When he died a few years later it turned out he was in his 90s -- but he always looked 30 years younger! My wife's family were from a Anglo-Afro-Caribbean family, the only black family in their area, in the 40s and 50s, and she says they met very little prejudice on the whole.
My grandfather was a WWI vet. During WWII he and my grandmother were home in the south of England. Lots of American servicemen were stationed nearby, both black and white. In the local pub, my grandfather witnessed the disrespect of 2 black GIs by their white counterparts. He was so angry at what he saw, he was ready to fight those racists and invited the black soldiers to drink with him and his mates. As long as they were based there, those guys were welcome at my grandfather’s table. They even visited my grandparents at home for tea and snuck food to them from the US base (at a time when Brits were rationed). When they shipped out, both GIs promised to visit my grandparents on their return, but they never saw either of them again. Maybe they had no opportunity to visit or maybe they were killed in action. Either way my grandparents never forgot them.
Ironically, many Black American GI's found they were also treated better by the civilians of occupied Germany than they were at home and it wasn't because they could do what they liked to a vanquished population.
The black American troops were not fighting men but used to construct camps, airfields etc ,so came to Britain in advance of the others. They were the first Americans that most British people had met and were welcomed, dated British girls and were invited into private homes . When the white fighting troops came ,they found that most of the local girls all ready had regular boyfriends who more used to British ways and this led to the disagreements between black and white Americans . The US military felt that they had to act but came up against very stubborn locals, who did not see why they had to change because of foreigners` problems. Although it is written as fiction ,this is instanced in Nevil Shute`s book `The Chequer Board` in which the landlord of a pub writes to Winston Churchill ,voicing his concern .This did in fact happen
I'm white and my hero is Mary Seacole this woman is so important that she is one of only two people who has a hospital ward that is always named after them
This was not an isolated incident, the black American soldiers were way more popular than the white American soldiers. Under our class based society the majority working class population would inherently feel more connection to the black chaps because they would see them as working class comrades, they would have a natural understanding(also middle class/posh people have no souls and are effing dull as dishwater, who wants them in your local boozer bringing everyone's buzz down eh?). Of course we also had a military staffed from all corners of the Globe so we fully understood the equal capacities and failings of all Humans, ourselves included.
That is such a British thing to do...when told they have to segregate the pubs, they simply made the pubs “Black only” for a while, to make the point that they were not going to allow racial intolerance to the black soldiers. I can just imagine how that got up the noses of the American military police lol...so sad though that the American MPs got the last word in by killing and injuring and then court marshalling their fellow American soldiers...absolute disgrace. I believe there were many instances similar to this happening in pubs and dance halls all over England at that time...though this one was a famous incident.
@@AT-ytinvasive I know I still can't get my head around the fact we was supposed to be on the same team fighting nazi fascist but America wanted a war inside it's own army
The words you said in comment about this amazing video was "until today, until today". I moved to the US from the UK, specifically Scotland and was brought up by my parents to look at a persons character, not anything else. I was so shocked on moving to the US that racial bias was still so prevalent. Maybe one day it won't be like that but it will take the will of people who have been stoked into division to realize that and that to come together we all win; that divided by politicians we all lose.
Thank you all for your support and watching my videos. Pls do well to LIKE,SHARE,SUBSCRIBE & COMMENT, to follow my exploration of British culture. Let’s get this channel to 5K subscribers 🌹 Thank you and God bless!
Listen better becsuse even the narrator, is racist.
Japanese silly girl.
Ww2 remebber
This disparity happened in both World Wars. For example, many French people were far more friendly to black American soldiers stationed there during WWI (and between the wars) than what they were used to in the States. On the bright side, African Americans serving during both wars did pay longer-term dividends. Shortly after WWII Harry Truman integrated the US military in 1948, ironically making it, in many ways, more progressive than much of the civilian society.
As ex British Army, I don't care what skin colour or religion a man is if he stands with me he's a Brother.
Well said.
I, am with you on that, we had a lot of afro lads (brothers) in my regimen but we never seen the difference all we saw was a brother in arms,
th-cam.com/video/ltVtnCzg9xw/w-d-xo.html
They had to have films to teach them how to behave.
Yes as ex RAF , im surprised they didn't get nicked for shooting in this Country . Terrible behaviour by those MP's they should have been jailed .
Im also a Veteran vet and I completely agree ( British )
My brother was in the Royal Navy during the Korean War and on leave in Japan. He went to a bar with a shipmate, went to buy drinks, and on his return to the table found two American MPs harassing the other British sailor, who happened to be black. My brother punched one of the Americans who then both left the bar - but when my brother and his pal left they were overwhelmed by a lot of Americans who beat them up. The US military insisted that my brother be court martialled for assault. When he got hauled up in front of his commanding officer he was asked what happened - the captain of his ship then said "well done, today you're the pride of the Royal Navy, case dismissed". The Americans were not happy.
Being a part of a Multicultural empire really has that impact. You respect those that fight alongside you no matter their skin tone or religion.
That's an amazing story. Your brother must have been(is) an amazing man.
I was a navigation/ warfare officer in West Africa (Sierra Leone/ Cameroon station) for a couple of years in the early eighties. Whenever the Yanks dropped by for a bit of firepower showoff they allocated onshore r&r bars to their sailors and marines along strictly racial and rank lines. I'm proud to say that most Brits chose to to drink with the NCOs and other ranks in the " black" joints. Also... they were, frankly, more fun.
@@stephenhicks7632 You sir. Have my respect and I’d like to ask if you have any stories.
@@holdencross5904
Nah. When I was in country when shit went down the other , more experienced, blokes would laugh and say, "Don't bother telling any one back home. They'll think you're mental." They were correct. On my first leave it was like everybody - bird, family and so on - thought I was a fabulist. Since then "schtum".
BLACK SOLDIERS ONLY pub sign
Makes me proud to be an Englishman
Haha the Irish don't always keep up, bloody politics and propaganda does though .
Makes me proud to know one:)
We have our problems mainly now out of social media , but on the whole we are a tolerant country 👍💕
They said imply racial restrictions so they did. They should be more clear with there orders
Sign should have said ‘black soldiers welcome’ to be fair.
But it was in a time towns in England had more Americans than their own townsfolk, and unfortunately the American military police were racist AF, so it was the landlord’s discretion to right a wrong.!
Makes me proud to be an Englishman tbh. But I’m also very annoyed at the racist hype recently imported from America lately, when decision of colour hasn’t been an issue here for decades.
Bamber Bridge is in Lancashire, England. In the 1850s-60s the Lancashire cotton-workers refused to process CONFEDERATE COTTON picked by slaves, often going hungry in the process. Since the year1066 slavery was illegal in England. The British Empire abolished slavery. Look it up.
Exactly Ray, the British Crusade against Slavery, west African squadron, fcuk racists, ex LI, (LIGHT INFANTRY )
I did not know that about the cotton. Wow.
@@kenhorlor5674 That's why Manchester has a Lincoln Statue and he wrote the people of Manchester a letter of thanks.
I read a lot of history and wish people knew their local history in their particular county. Fascinating what you find out doing family history.
Currently on the stockingers and lead miners of Derbyshire. Lancashire has an amazing past. From dissenters to the civil war here, Houghton Towers where King James knighted a piece of beef and that's how you got Sirloin 😉 etc
I live in Blackburn 5 mins drive to Bamber Bridge, Blackburn was a major hub in the "Cotton Industry" I've heard stories about the refusal to process cotton from slavery in my town which makes me proud of our ancestors.
@@cathyb46 The beef thing is a myth made up in the 19th century, but the rest is true.
Black people in Britain aren't African-British they're just British, they are one of our own.
Amen brother and Caribbean blacks, Hong kongers we are one commonwealth family
@@canzukcommonwealth7309 that we are matey
I don't even use colours to describe people. People are people. The day colours disappear from our language to categorise other human beings will be a good day.
Agree same as anyone born here, they're British first.
@@canzukcommonwealth7309 Commonwealth in my eyes are always welcome as are most peoples to be honest, just have more of a connection with the commonwealth.
I live in Bamber Bridge and it is with great pride that these soldiers are remembered here ❤
I lived there for a year in 2011 moved out but still pass by every now and then didn't know about this interesting piece of history though :)
@@drshnutslol2917 I’m also a brigger born and bred and could not be more proud of my fellow Briggers in 1943
British people respect decent people, doesn’t matter who they are 👍🇬🇧
British people themselves are rarely respected these days though 🙁
Unless they are unarmed innocent Catholics!
@@neilcarrollMeganJamieForever when you say "innocent" does that include the IRA killing 1700 people innocents?
@Mark Jones
"Are all the protestant English "innocent"?"
Simple: the innocent ones were/are - whilst the guilty ones were/are not !
Same goes for the Protestant/Catholic Irish AND the Germans AND the White South Africans, and on and on and on......................................
@@neilcarrollMeganJamieForever honestly just stfu
its ok to hate the english , lol ( a song a know)
During the war, an English woman in a small village near a GI base was asked, what do you think of the US soldiers? She said, They're very nice and polite and treat us girls at the pubs and dance hall very well, but I don't like the white ones much.
A quote from Nevil Shute`s book `The Chequer Board`?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
holy shit that was class HAHAH
lol I remember something similar: "The American soldiers were very nice, shame they brought the white ones with them".
Its so easy to call Britain and British citizens racists, but its always foreign people who don't learn our actual history. Thank you for this 💜💜
There are racists here. It's dishonest to pretend there aren't. And saying the only ones who criticise us are foreigners sounds a little racist.
@@helenwood8482 racists exist in every single country on this earth Britain is no way exempt from that. But compared to a lot of other countries we aren't nowhere near as racist. The reason I say foreign people is because the only history they learn of Britain is usually the bad. To have a true reflection of a country and its people you must learn its vast history, you can't just learn about nazi Germany to understand the people of Germany and the same applies to Britain, most foreign people mainly learn about slavery when it Comes to Britain therefore they have a very one sided view on its people. I'm not in any way saying foreign people are less smart or anything of the sort I'm simply stating they learn the bad parts of our history and rarely if ever the good
Not sure about that. In my experience most accusations of racism come from other Brits. Many of them, it is true, have no awareness of our history nor any interest in finding out the truth. The white working class of Britain is the most vilified of all but was there ever a group of people who gave so much for the freedom of others ?
@@ariaxrose1 Yes I'm aware you are supporting the British. I was pointing out that many of those who shout racist are in fact white. Lack of awareness of our history isn't just an immigrant thing and it would be unreasonable to expect them to know of our past. Our own educators have failed, indeed they didn't even try, to teach our children about the struggles their forebears fought for their own communities and for others. That doesn't excuse the white middle class moralists who are too lazy and arrogant to search for the truth but rather embrace the culture of social media commentary. How many times have British working people fought for and suffered in the cause of others ? Racist ? There's a statue in Manchester of Abraham Lincoln. You can read his letter to the cotton mill workers of Lancashire. Anti Semitic ? The Battle of Cable Street says no. Fascists ? Our ancestors' blood soaked the soil of Europe in the fight against Fascism. The British have given their lives to fight injustice. They didn't write editorials in the Guardian.
@Helen Wood most racists in Britain vote labour, a good number of them may be white and racist to other white people. Which in their twisted logic doesn't count as racism.
A smaller number of racists in Britain vote BNP or whatever they've changed the name to because their views are not shared by the majority of Brits, so they have to change names to draw in unknowing people.
I'm British and I thank you for sharing this. It's heartbreaking to think that those soldiers fought for a country that treated them so badly. Lol no other country will tell us what to do, we're not a bad race.
British is not a race! Humanity IS a race! Black, White, Pink or Blue those are colours so we cant be racists! We are afraid of colour, we hate colour, why do we hate colour? Do we see each other like pieces in a game such as LUDO? We are taught as children to oppose the other colours, not the other players, same in war you are taught to hate the uniform of your opponents, if this were not true then soldiers would just shoot at uniforms, any uniforms? HOW FUCKIN DUMB IS IT TO HATE A COLOUR!!!?
India was fighting for you and you staavd them to death
The british should know about their apalng histry
@@larrybuchannan186 they got their own back, they are the centre of scam call centres robbing people of their savings.
I am a straight, white, educated British man (never had the feeling I am privilaged?). The racial intollerance we see from the United States is historical, and unfortunatley this mode of thinking is being imported into our country. I grew up with a multitude of races and religions, we never even thought about it. Any day of the week our house would be like a meeting of the United Nations.
To all Brits that may read this, have compassion for our American cousins, but do NOT think this intolerance applies to the UK. We are better than that.
Love to all. Nuff said.
Phil, pint on the bar kidda. 👍🍺
@@geoffwheadon2897 Cheers pall. :)
Brits are generally tolerant people at 'home'. If those joining our society are respectful of our traditions and values we normally will accept and even adopt some of their culture in to our own. Bamber Bridge was a good example of such welcome but it has to be said that this was not always so especially when we were in their Countries in times when we saw our culture as being superior in our organisation skills, our systems of education, health, Justice, and Military prowess, etc !
Well said. 👏👍
@@richardturner9317 Hear hear Richie
This is just one instance of the British public fighting to prevent black Yanks soldiers being abused. My uncle was involved in a big fight with American army police when they tried to remove black soldiers from his local.
Your uncle must have been one helluva badass.
If he’s passed may he rest in glory.
If he yet lives may he live in glory.
Yes but were they communist sympathizers
@@cindychin7746 you do realise we had a British Communist Party for years during the Cold War?
I remember hearing a true story from my dad when I was a child in the 1960's. Our small village shop (A 'ma n pa' store I think Americans would call it) served GI soldiers as well as the locals during WW2. One day, a young black G.I. came into the shop to buy something and the then shop-keeper (male) was chatting happily to him as he gathered his order. A group of white American GIs came into the shop and came to stand in front of the Black GI at the counter and began placing their order. The shop-keeper explained that he would be with them in a few minutes, saying "I'm just serving this gentleman first." The white GIs made rude comments about the black GI and told the shop-keeper that he could wait. Well, the shop-keeper wasn't having any of that and told them that they could wait their turn or not be served at all - their choice. There was some disgruntled back n forth arguing, but the white GIs left the shop throwing horrible racist comments over their shoulders as they left, shoulder barging the black GI. They didn't leave the area though, but hung around further down the street. After they'd left the shop, the black GI thanked the shopkeeper, but said he'd probably pay 'the hard way' for what had happened when he left the shop. The shop-keeper winked and said he didn't think so. He finished the GI's order, locked the shop door and then invited the GI behind the serving counter, where he opened a large trap door in the floor which led down to a stock cellar. He led the GI down a staircase and then up another staircase which led back up to street level next to a delivery shute at the back of the building. They went up into the lane where there were several local men loading and unloading goods from a truck and the shop-keeper explained what had happened. The local men were appalled and said they just didn't understand the mentality of it all - especially as they were all supposed to be fighting the same common enemy and that blood is red for everyone. Two of the locals immediately gave the black GI a lift back to his unit in the truck. The white GIs didn't have a clue what was happening and they waited for quite a long time before realising they'd been out-foxed :D UK has it's own share of idiots and bigots, but most people here look at people's actions, not the colour of their skin. The vast majority of people here are also very aware of the rich ethnic depth people of all nations bring to our culture and we embrace it.
Like it!
We in Britain are not so racislist as other countries
@@tenniskinsella7768 Racisilist? Do you mean racialist, because if you do, you ain't no Brit, bruv!
@@LG-cz6ls Get a life.
@@LG-cz6ls spelling has never been the measure of your origin or soul.
Your comment stinks of racism
My Father was in the British infantry in WW2, fought in France, Italy, North Africa and Germany.
He never spoke about the war, but one night, a programme on tv was about the Gurkha regiment (Coloured Soldiers) who fought with the British in WW2. He just came out with " I've fought alongside the Gurkha's, I would trust them with my life".
When I asked him a question, he simply said "They are bloody good soldiers"
My Grandfather was a driver in the British Army and in Burma for most of the war. He did share stories about the times with friends and pranks they pulled and such but never anything beyond that. One of the few things he told us about the sort of "Soldiers" he served with was when he spoke of the Gurkha's. He had a similar opinion of them as your Father. I remember he said "these men were true warriors and I never felt safer then when they were around. I was always glad they were on our side because I don't think we would have won if we had to face them". I was 9yrs old and I remember it as if it was yesterday because he stopped talking, got up and left the room. My Nannie snapped at me when I tried to follow to leave him be. 9yr old me didn't have a clue but breaks my heart now I understand what was going on.
In Sierra Leone in the early eighties my two closest oppos were Atoh and Ngo. They pulled my fat out of the fire more times than I can count. I literally owe them my life. And I would have done the same for them.
Yeah it's a shame they don't get treated aswell as white soldiers though 😕
Former Indian Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw once stated that: "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha."
There is the famous video of the Gurkhas being told that the Argentinians had surrendered in Falkland and the Gurkhas being despondent as there would be more more chances for regimental honour or to prove themselves
The Gurkhas come from Nepal 🇳🇵
There’s a memorial to Pte William Crossland in the Olde Hob Inn (you can still see bullet holes in the walls) and two other pubs in Bamber Bridge.
i was born in 1965, born into a shipbuilding town. Barrow-in-Furness. we have had specialists from all over the planet working here on our boats/subs etc. all were welcomed for contributing to our economy. no racism here. proud to be a Brit.
Just don't go in the pubs in borrow or you'll get glassed off a local.
Yeah we said we have racists and bigotry all over the world, but they are the minority making a lot of noise. Horrible people.
We are a tolerant country on the whole 👍💕🇺🇲🇬🇧
Ghosts of the Mujahideen I’ve lived in Barrow for 23 years and I’ve never seen anyone glassed. Barrovians are generally a very friendly and welcoming bunch
@@onemanandhiszebra aye but your a local fella and I bet you don't go round town for a piss up.
Being from the UK, I genuinely had a lump in my throat when the British pubs stood up for the black soldiers. Shame on the US for this terrible wrong. 🇬🇧
no country on this earth can tell Britain what to do.
Wasn't it Tony Blair that went to war in Iraq?
What side of the isle was he again?
What's that got to do with tiny little Bamber Bridge. Local people stood up for allies far from home fighting for the survival of Britain. BLM.
@@jamingaming9251 The best prime minister the Conservatives ever had.
Except the scummy british government.
@@iriscollins7583 You have got to be kidding. He was a war criminal like Bush was.
This sort of thing happened all over the UK. I once read of a speech made to newly arrived Black Americans - “ Americans are welcome here, it’s only the white fellows you brought with you, that we don’t like”.
Brave black soldiers should be remembered with honour and respect. They fought for everyone's freedom.
@Denise Bond Good grief. Did you go to school?
They are remembered with honour and respect in the UK. Every November 11th.
All soldiers, sailors and airmen, regardless of colour, creed or sex are remembered.
Just as it should be.
It maybe different in the US,, but Here in the UK all soldiers are remembered equally for their service.. In my experience,, only racist people see a person's race..
@@amethystlarktree5962 obviously not. lol
@@amethystlarktree5962 You can understand what Denise said so why be rude or are you one of those intellectual snobs that think people like her who have opinions don't matter ?
Thanks so much for sharing this. Honestly i think the UK has always been welcoming 🇬🇧 👌🏾👍🏾
There have been black and coloured communities in England for at least 2000 years, the remains have been found all over London by archaeologists in recent years. Britain has always been and will always be a naturally multicultural place and we are proud of that fact.
You mean like UKIP?
@@jayonenote7527 UKIP didn't have a problem with our ethnic make up did they? They just wanted to end the unfettered immigration, started by Tony Bliar, which saw the UKs population increase by 10% under Labour. This was to swell the ranks of their client state because they knew that immigrants traditionally voted for the lefties. Never, ever did UKIP ask for a cessation of just black people. Remove that chip! And if you need medical help to do so, but find it difficult to see your GP, you'll realise why a stop needed to be called.
I submitted the like.. because I'm British and I'm proud that Brits stood up for equality before it became a buzz word or a trend. What happened to those people was hideously unjust, but those injustices were not doled out by British people, the protection, friendship and backup in a ridiculous and inhumane situation was.
One of my uncles told me of a smaller and possibly unreported incident in Weymouth just after the American troops arrived. A few matelots threw a white US officer into the harbour after heated words about black GI's talking with white local girls. Some of the accompanying white soldiers started to strip off to jump in and get him out. The British sailors and locals stopped them from doing so and repeatedly shouted down to the white officer if he would be willing to be rescued by a black US soldier as no Brit was going to come to his aid and no white US soldier was going to be allowed to. After a few minutes of a freezing harbour he apparently politely asked for help and two black lads jumped in to help him out. Great story, I have no reason to disbelieve it.
Hi from Bamber Bridge...Hob Inn still here ...Motorway/Highway M6 Junction 29.
I'm British and proud of Bamber Bridge. This video made me cry.
Same
So did Gilly Howe's account!
I'm ex British Army and feel proud that white British soldiers and locals stood shoulder to shoulder with their black American brothers.🇬🇧 Oh and subscribed.🇬🇧
My great-grandmother was mixed race and my great-grandfather married her in 1936 and when he’d married her there was less than 20,000 non-whites in britain and the black side of my family had come from Barbados in 1890 and a family story is that they were the first black family in my hometown.
It makes me very proud and scared to think that in 1940 when Hitler was at our door and invasion looked imminent my great-grandfather understood that If they won him and his wife and two of their children would be deemed undesirable and non-aryan. He did no heroics on the battlefield but he stood by his wife and children when his very life was at risk to do so, he earned no medals for that action but my family is alive and well today because his love for his wife went beyond her skin colour. His brothers in law became famous local boxers and doormen and his wife was known as the ‘black flash’ because of her dress style and strong character. I’m very proud of my family for that.
Cheers pet, from a Durham Lad 👍
This really got me emotional. Glad Britain opened their arms to receive them. Thanks for sharing this
I know 😞
We still do, love. :)
I am also British - and when anyone asks me about why am I proud to be British I use the way we have been with black people! Stories like the British blues/rock guitarist freezing when seeing a black musician and that musician going into another room because he could not get that the brit had frozen because he was a hero of the brit not because he was black! It was the opposite the Brit was in awe of him! They did eventually convince him to come out and the brit got to meet his hero! The fact the when the Rat pack came to Britain Sammy got the same red carpet treatment the other two got he was seen and treated as a celebrity where as in the states Sammy had to use the tradesmen entrances to theatres in many places! And my own grandmother told me a story which reflects this piece when she ran a transit camp refectory (cafe and bar) and refused a request from a white American soldier to remove the blacks already in there telling him I’m in charge here, they are fighting for their loved ones and for my country too (they were American blacks by the way!) and told him that this was England not America and if he didn’t like it well..... he said “Sorry ma’am” and left. The black soldiers never knew what had occurred and completed their meals in peace in their own time! That is why I’m proud to be British and even more proud of my grandmother! I leaned so much from her!
I’m proud of your grandmother 💐
I'm a British, this video hits so close to home because my great grandfather was a mix race American GI who would've had the same treatment, he was in the 392nd Engineer General service regiment which was a black regiment and he got my great grandmother pregnant. Unfortunately we never saw him again as he went to Omaha beach
That's so sad. 🙏🏼✨💗 Respect to your great grandparents.
“I’m a British” same mate same
Your great grandfather gave his life that day so we could live in freedom and be equal. Something his own country would not give him. Respect!
@@johnkeen2345 It's a shame he's most likely not around anymore, I wouldn't have a chance to of talked to him or meet him. I just wish I could go back in time and see what men my great grandmother hung around with as she was known for that
About 7 years ago I met a lady who was a WAAF in WW2. Her and her friend 'Ginger' would go dancing in Covent Garden in London. She said the black GI's never asked the girls to dance so Ginger decided to ask one to dance. After she said he was very nice but kept calling her Ma'am'. I realised those men must have been quite scared to ask white girls to dance and over here 'ma'am' isn't a term we use so even though he was being really polite it would have sounded strange to Ginger. We have terrible racism in the UK but when I hear stories like this I am proud that we have a lot of decent people too.
And the USA preach to us about racism. If they were good enough to fight for their own country why aren’t they good enough to to be treated as equals. We owe them so much.
You owe then nothing they were doing their duty fully investigate what really happened don’t fall for propaganda
@@cindychin7746 not propaganda, my late cousin was one of the landlords of one of the pubs in Bamber Bridge. He told us many times how the black soldiers were treated and that is why he and other landlords supported them. The reason being that they'd never seen anything like that in this country especially to men who were fighting along side our soldiers. So your hatred in this case is misguided.
@@cindychin7746
My Auntie worked behind a bar in a toen not far from Bamber Bridge , she dated a Black American Soldier . Who wanted to stay in the UK his unit would not allow it . He returned to the Southern States to segregation and second class citizenship .
They both later married in their own country .
My Grandfather and all my Mothers Family would have welcomed him as a Son In Law .
Dont fall for divisive talk on Social Media .
My Grandfather told me of many incidents like this, were the US tried to enforce segregation on Black Commonwealth soldiers as well as their own, and British having none of it.
I know as a country there is still raceism here, but hopefully we are more progressive than most other nations.
Yes and despite the endless propaganda black people can be racist too. I know a black African and he tells me about the racism they get from West indians. It's not a one way street by any means.
In my opinion, most of the newly-discovered racism in Britain comes from the left. Just look at that racist Corbyn.
@@roadie3124 it all comes from the right. Corbyn has fought racism forever.
@@roadie3124 The racism comes from racists. Regardless of their political beliefs. However the main cause of racism is the belief that one person is born to be superior to others. It is time for the monarchy to be abolished.
@@copferthat In Rwanda the Hutu, which is a defined ethnic group waged genocide on the Tutsi minority, another defined ethnic group, which the Hutu believed to be an inferior race. Both of these groups have black skin. They can readily identify each other on sight, and have generations of hatred for each other. I belive that this is a definition of black people practicing racism.
I am Proud to be British and from The North West of England. My home city has always had a diverse culture and we have always got along well and welcomed people from other countries. If you listen to The BLM nutters, we are a nation of Racists. Not so. The story of this American soldier and what happened in Bamber Bridge should be taught in every school in the country. Thank you for posting this, it was Heart warming to say the least.
Indeed, my understanding was everyone in the relevant countries controlled by GB/UK were "British Subjects" and treated as equals.
Blm are nothing short of lunatics.
@@SubjectRandom21 backed by George Soros to cause divisions
Angela Nicholson yes they are nutter's and all backed by money from George Soros and alike . Marxism as no place in our western way of living .
YOU may not be racist, but black people do face racism. We are not a nation of racists - no-one would think that, but we have some who are.
As a young teenager living in Southend in the 60's I remember being asked by a black US sailor, if I knew of somewhere he could get a drink and have some fun. My friends and I took him to the Foresters Arms on the seafront, it was a well known pub famous for it's live music and entertainment. Within a very short time, he had everyone in the pub rocking as he sang (wonderfully) song after song on the pubs stage backed by an enamoured resident band. I'll never forget that night, or that enchanting man and I hope he remembers the loving, laughing, spellbound friends he made of us all.
The Brits were being bombed for 4 years so why would they reject soldiers who were here to fight against a monster.
The Brits were very glad to see them and they were very much liked
4 years until they did something you say...
The first country to declare allegiance to Britain's war effort upon the declaration was Jamaica, we don't care about colour, creed or religion just what's in a person's heart. As a nation with a deep sense of working class identity it is no surprise that black American soldiers were welcomed because the clientele would have seen them as fellow working class people, there would be an inherent and instant understanding between natural comrades.
@@darthwiizius Well said.
And the Americans should remember that the monster we were fighting against was a white man, who tried to eradicate Jews, gipsies, the disabled and homosexuals. So much for the American notion of white supremacy!!
I understand this wasn't an isolated incident. I have to say that as an ex British soldier, I'm proud of the people to fought the American MP's, who had the audacity to discharge firearms and commit murder on British streets. I don't care about the skin colour of the soldier I'm fighting with, just let him be good at his job.
It's amazing.....makes one proud to be British. Thanks for the clip ❤
Just imagine the freedom/empathy/equality those soldiers received in the UK never experienced ever in their lives, god bless them... I wonder if any of their family members are aware back in the US
There was a pub called the Eagle and Child (where my mum and dad met) in a place called Page Moss in Liverpool and it got a really bad reputation for fighting that continued well into the 80’s but the reputation started in the 40’s when the Americans were stationed in Huyton and wouldn’t let the black soldiers drink in the pub so the British soldiers used to fight the Americans so the black lads could drink with them.
White Police and guns ends up with one black soldier dead - 78 years and little change in the USA. I am proud to be an Englishman watching this.
he absolutely should not have been killed, but don't be owned by the Communists & far-Left who are trying to divide our societies for their own purposes & trying to turn George Floyd in to a hero which he wasn't !
@@richardturner9317 we've seen what the far right are doing to your country,keep it to yourself,all this woke and conspiracy shit doesn't fly here.
I live about 15 minutes away from Bamber Bridge and my grandad who served during the war told me of many incidents like this. The local men would fight alongside the black soldiers against the white racist Americans. Especially in the pubs as the white yanks would insist the blacks left, that never went well.
As a decentdent of a Afro-Caribbean and English-Irish family this makes me proud to be Born and bread in Britain 🇬🇧 ❤️
As a Brit and someone interested in history, you have opened my eyes to our own history, keep up the good work.
I don't know if many people know that it has been illegal to own a Slave in England since the end of the 11th Century, just thought I would mention this fact, I know this doesn't directly relate to the video clip but it does give some incite into the British character in comparison to many others around the world. Ps I know that the British Empire was involved in the slave trade like many others but at least we were the first to take effective measures over 7 decades to end this abhorrent practice costing much in Blood and treasure.
Spot on Neil, the British Crusade against Slavery, the West African squadron, the black joker.
1086, william the bastard
Don't know who knows this, but Abraham Lincoln's wife inherited Black servants...
Not true about 11th Century. Meet Cesar Picton, brought to England as a slave in 1761: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Picton
Sorry, but that's not true. William the Bastard arrived and shortly after issued the Laws you refer to, this is the Ninth Law:
"...the sale of a man to anyone outside of the country would incur a fine payable in full to William."
Some think he was attempting to profit from the trade, in reality it moved outside of England. 28,000 slaves were listed in the Domesday Book some twenty years later, although the numbers were dropping.
My granddad told me about similar events in Durham during WW2. There was some bigotry in the UK but in general the attitude of white Americans to their own black troops sickened the British. My granddad (white) never forgave the white Americans up to his death, he had nothing but contempt for them.
A similar event happened in Queensland in Australia during WW2.
My family come from near this place during the war my Grandfather befriended two american servicemen one black and one white. Grandfather invited both to a meal at his home and was told they could not because of said segregation, my grandfather response was 'my home, my rules' - you are both welcome, they did both attend and were welcomed and as far as we knew there were no repercussions. This would have been not long before D Day and on a morning only a few weeks later when local people people woke the street were uncannily silent. They later heard that all servicemen had been vacated overnight to be in position for the D Day battle - only one of these American service men made it off the beach alive. If I recall correctly the servicemen where based at Burtonwood.
They need to teach this in schools as well as the evils of slavery...these 2 stories go hand in hand...I'm very proud that as an Englishman we were the pioneers to end this evil..
And don't forget that during the last gasp of the North Atlantic slave trade (before the Brits abolished it, and enforced that abolition throughout the British Empire) workers in the cotton industries in Lancashire went on strike in sympathy with black slaves in America.
There was an army film information with Meredith Burgess in it. It has a a small bit about no segregation in the UK. I am not sure of the date it was released. But it was probably included as there are similar stories around the UK where instances like this happened and the locals stood up with the coloured soldiers.
Wow, what a fascinating story, glad UK welcome the black American soldiers. They should be honoured, they sacrificed a lot. Tnks for sharin sis
From the UK perspective, they weren't "black American soldiers", they were just "American soldiers" in exactly the same way as the "white American soldiers, were just American soldiers". We've never really had that "your skin colour is different to mine, so I will treat you differently" thing, over here. At least not on the scale it existed elsewhere. That's not to say we've never had racism, we have, but on a lesser scale.
@@davetdowell This position goes back a long way. James II in 1687 was trying to dispense with laws that discriminated against Catholics and gave a speech at Chester where he said, "suppose there should be a law made that all black men should be imprisoned, it would be unreasonable and we had as little reason to quarrel with other men for being of different religious opinions as for being of different complexions." In Britain, 350 years ago, the lunacy of discriminating based on colour was the prevailing attitude that STILL hasn't found its way into all corners of the US.
@@Kestrel1971 The Americans are always late to the party, they always catch up eventually though, and recently they've been making ground. They'll get there.
@@Kestrel1971 Indeed what you say is true, but it kinda all gets bitter sweet when you realise that King James II was a *MASSIVE SLAVER!* . Why do I say that? Well, long story short, in the years before he was king, he was totally involved with the *Royal African Company* (please Google it). So I’d guess that anyone imprisoned for their “different complexion” wouldn’t be able to do much in the way of slaving would they?!?! So, we have another fine example of the double standards of hypocrisy rearing its rather ugly head...yet again! Just saying and not hating ok.
@@TheIamtheoneandonly1 when was King James on the throne? 1600s 🤷♀️ in the 1800s the UK sent out anti slavery ships. Portugal,Spain and America wanted it to continue along with African kings and Arabs in north Africa.
Here we are talking about as recent as the 20th century within living memory for some!
I am old enough to remember the news of the sixties and watching the treatment dished out to other humans with horror for a diff of DNA when the world had seen in WW2 what the nazis did, that was certainly double standards.
We all have a collective responsibility going forward to treat each other with respect and ❤ .
I live -mile from Bamber Bridge American solders no matter what colour were always welcome here
These brave men should never be forgotten🙏🙏 so proud of my country we strive for acceptance we are one race the human race🙏 research The British Crusade to end Slavery.... we kicked arse🤣🙏
I grew up in Preston, Lancashire, only a few miles from Bamber Bridge. I have to say, putting up "Black Soldiers Only" sign in the pubs when the US Army demanded they be segregated is the most typical Lancashire response - they only said they had to be segregated, not who had they to be segregated in favour of! So proud that the everyday people of Lancashire stood up to the racism of the US Army of the day.
It wasn't just Lancashire though, there was an instruction film for American GIs made that literally had to point out that Britain wasn't segregated, and that white American soldiers would have to be fully aware that the British people would fraternise with African American soldiers without a second thought.
I live a couple of miles from Bamber Bridge and I pass the pub most days. I was aware of this story and I am proud that we Brits did the right thing, though a sad ending.
Since seeing the Bamber Bridge incident on this and other TH-cam reactions, I've seen comments that this happened in many other towns and cities in Great Britain at that time... they need to teach this in our schools!! 😡 🇬🇧
I think you’re right, such stories must be taught in schools. The one thing I would say is that context matters here. Defending and protecting black people who came to fight on our side is one thing.....however, stories of how we treated the black people who stayed or migrated to the UK after the war was over is far less graceful.
Sometimes we forget, only 25 years after this event at bamber bridge, the UK government were forced to pass The Race Relation Act making it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of race. It was perfectly legal up until that point and the police certainly enjoyed those days. Racism wasn’t a crime. Making a law is one thing, changing hearts and mind is another. We saw a few race riots up until the 80’s
As Brits, we are good at welcoming everyone equally, but not so much when it comes to helping them integrate.
@@birdseyeview4406 Exactly... more effort needed for integration. I don't give a damn what colour anyone is, as long as they are willing to adopt and respect our culture if they wish to stay 🇬🇧
I have heard other stories like this of incidents where the British welcomed and treated blacks equally during WWII, much to the annoyance of the US military authorities. I like the bit where US military demanded pubs in Bamber Bridge be segregated so the pubs put up signs that read Blacks Only. You've got to love the Brits for their sense of fair play and justice! Gloreeyah, thank you for sharing this video, which confirms, at least in this case, stories I've heard. Also, it's worth mentioning here, how the British banned slavery a long time before other countries and used the Royal Navy to eradicate the slave trade. So I can't help thinking of Elgar's Land of hope and glory, mother of the free! Could you also do a video on John Newton and how his hymn, Amazing Grace, came about?
why is this not taught in schools i am 50yo and live 5 minuets from Bamber bridge drove through it 1000s of times its disgusting local kids don't know about this
It's probably deemed too brutal, you could even go as far as to call it a war atrocity so I think it's mainly gonna be taught to those who seek to study that subject.
I remember as a little girl driving through Bamber Bridge with my dad. He told us all about it. Can’t repeat the language he used about the American MPs 😉
That’s a very powerful video, Brit here, in my 50s, it’s like 2 steps forward 3 steps back. I can never understand the hatred people have. Utterly depressing. But most people are decent people, hateful people seem to make the most noise.
Thats why I'm proud to be British and that's also the benefit of being part of a 'commonwealth' country where many nations are subject to the Queen hence it doesn't matter if the man is from Fiji or from New Zealand as long as you only see three colours, green, grey and navy blue you'll get on. God bless these servicemen too as it must have been a culture shock to be treated as part of a multi national and service family.
I would recommend the Neville Shute book "The Checkerboard", this deals with racism in the US forces in Britain during the war, specifically in Cornwall. It's a good illustration of the tolerance of British people and their attitude to people who are not white. The Cornish accepted these coloured servicemen and were appalled at the attitude of the white officers and MPs when they arrived later on refusing to accept that pubs should be closed to coloured service personnel. I read this book about 5 years ago in 1 sitting.
I think it's banned now because of the N word.
@@richardsimpson3792 I always enjoyed Neville Shute and noticed the book in a hotel room in Scotland. Read it in one sitting, I'm going to look for a copy in the local second hand bookshops
@@alanpearson7554, bought a copy of The Chequer Board, (correct title) not two mins ago, online. £2.47.
@@richardsimpson3792, just paid £2.47 online, not two mins ago.
It’s called The Chequer Board.
I’m proud that the British people were welcoming and it turned my stomach to know the way that they were treated. I noticed that you don’t have any likes for this video and I’ve struggled because I don’t want to like what the video represents, hope you understand 💐
I totally understand :(
At least one of those pubs still display a roll of honour naming the Black Americans who died in the war. X
The thing about the British is we love an underdog and we tend to hate bullies. Also there is a strong sense of "fair play" seeded in our DNA.
I am from the UK and this is my first time of hearing this and I'm discussed in the actions of the USA we are and we will always be equal as one. Shocked.
We are here because of heros , they deserve all the honour abd respect .
I am proud to be British and a veteran. Racism has never been part of my life. I've had close friends, colleagues and neighbours of different nationality, religion or colour. I know the UK has done wrongs and made mistakes in the past, but that doesn't change who I am and how I respect all others.
We are still a non segregated country🇬🇧 Unfortunately it's other people who segregate themselves from the unity of the United Kingdom🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧😁
So damned true. You can be as Black, Muslim or whatever, as you like BUT you must be British first and foremost. If anyone can't handle that, then this is a very free country, you are very free to leave.
I think that is true of the first generation of many immigrant groups, but the second and following generations usually integrate better (which can cause a lot of strife between the younger and older generations in the family).
As a Brit I can tell you we are taught that we are all human, and that is all that matters. We all look different, and that's a beautiful thing. Racial divide is being pushed by people who make money from it at the top, and those at the bottom are left to suffer the consequences while being continously lied to.
Rest in peace, Private William Crossland.
I like to imagine the scene when the US officer who demanded that pubs in an English town introduce racial segregation took the report of how his instructions were implemented.
"Sir, permission to report on the segregation in the town pubs?"
"Go ahead, soldier."
"Sir, there are three pubs in the town.
"The first pub has put up a sign saying, 'Black Troops Only.'
"The second pub has put up a sign saying, 'Black Troops Only.'
"And, sir, the third pub has put up a sign saying, 'Black Troops Only.'"
My father was in bomber command in the UK during the war and mixed race crews were common (the RAF didn't care what colour you were), when the Americans (finally) arrived, they demanded separate toilets for white and black personal - the British commanding officers response was 'Bugger off, if you can die next to a man, you can shit next to him." It's a cruel world.
That's why it's called great Britain , BECAUSE WE ARE GREAT !!!!!
This happened on many occassions, I heard a story about black American soldiers drinking in a pub with British tommies. White American soldiers came in and told their black comrades to leave....The tommies took the white soldiers outside and gave them a good hiding which makes me feel proud to be British.
Well done G it’s good to see that this the Uk we stand together as one! Most of us here where brought up with respect of everyone no matter what colour race or sexuality, and it really does grind me when we as the uk get labeled as being the same as the USA the land of freedom... it’s simply not the case
Hate nobody but politicians
Proud to be the son of a white Englishman and an African woman from Sierra Leone 🇬🇧🇸🇱
You may be interested in watching a video on TH-cam called, WW2 training film how to behave in Britain. This is for soldiers from the USA
@philipcochran Ha ha I love that old footage, its just pure class. I think it may have been made in response to "Over paid over sexed over ere" Ha ha.
Have yesen a pint mate, cheers mate, that's us Brits.
Ah yes when the Penguin was young.
The British fought hard and long to stop slavery while other nations carried on doing it and fought Britain to keep it going
I live in Bamber Bridge and I like others are proud of our history and especially this story
There are going to be some renovations to the land at the front of The Hob Inn and I think there’s going to be a memorial statue to commemorate this part of the Brigs history 👍
I grant you that Britain is not perfect by any means, but our very diverse society created from people all over the world is a great strength and I'm very glad for that :) Thank you for posting your video 🙂
And people wonder why I'm so absolutely Proud to be English/British.
Slavery was outlawed in England in 1066 by William the Conqueror, ans made parliamentary law in 1807, the Royal Navy And the British people forced the abolition of slavery on to the whole World, and I'm proud of that.
No man in English soil shall be known as a slave to anyone, no matter ones race, ethnicity, colour or creed, because in the eyes of the law, all Englishmen/women are free to be whomever and whatever they choose to be.
Ans if we stand together and fight side by side we are brothers, no matter what, so we live together as one, we die together as one, fight for truth and righteousness.
When the Black soldiers came in to that village. They went to a pie shop owned by a Mrs Keppings. She said that when they entered the shop they were excited and and happy and were extremely polite. However she said they had an aura of melancholy about them. She soon realized it was because of their white officers and commanders and their treatment of. Now because Mrs Keppings baked a decent pie and had a decent heart, she gave all the black soldiers free pies and charged the officers a fortune. She also put word around the village that the black soldiers should be treated as heroes and the whites as conscripts. Her thinking was that the black soldiers didnt have to fight for a white man especially after history but they volunteered to do so out of friendship. The villagers seemed to agree. The English love order and laws. But we love true heroes more. Love Light and Peace Y'all.
I served in the army through the 80's and 90's in Northern Ireland and 1st Gulf war and during that time I had loads of black mates, not just mates but true brothers, it never occurred to me nor them that we were apparently 'different' nor that they were 'subjugated', we were in the army and all equally subjugated. I would have fought anyone that claimed it to be different.
My life was often in my mates hands and you need to know that the last thing anyone thinks of in that situation is nonsense like 'skin colour'.
When push comes to shove all brothers come through and be damned with bollocks like ethnicity.
I won't tolerate people calling my country England institutionally racist because it is not. There are a small amount of racists sure but overwhelmingly we are one of the least racist and most diverse countries possibly in the whole world.
Many British people forget, how back in the 40’s and 50’s, posters that read ‘No coloureds’ were common place in housing. Black people were turned away by landlords and other institutions and they could legally deny black people services on racial grounds. It was not illegal to discriminate against black people until the 60’s when The Race Relations Act outlawed racial discrimination. It’s a matter of fact that the British police oppressed the black community for years. So if that law and subsequent amendments were needed, then I can assure you that it wasn’t enacted to protect black people from just a few bad apples.
Britain is a wonderful country today and should be proud of many of its accomplishments but let’s not gloss over the lived experience of thousands of people just to make ourselves feel better. If you really want to know how prevalent racism is in the UK then do yourself a favour and ask people of colour.....they know!
@@birdseyeview4406 You say that it wasn't illegal to discriminate against black people but the same could be said about people of any colour. All you managed to do is curtail free speech, racism would have declined naturally anyway. Plus what's happening now is actually anti-white and anti white male discrimination trust me when I say that it will not end well for anyone. Accusing four year old white kids/boys of being racist and misogynist will not end well for YOU!
@@Reverend-Rodger Hehe “racism would have declined naturally” - What does one even say to that 🙄. I’m sure those who were been spat at and called the N word on the streets and deprived of basic services due to their skin tone couldn’t wait for things to decline ‘naturally’ (How petulant of them) - it only took 300 years for Europeans to evolve to thinking black people were actual humans like them, but what’s other 100 years.
@@birdseyeview4406 I'll tell you what I do know and this is not anecdotal for all of your bluster about so called RACISM all you are actually doing is dividing people and causing more hate. Grow up and start treating people as individuals and not colours on a chart.
@@Reverend-Rodger I have treated you as an individual. Your views are yours alone. I just wish the same could be afforded to people of colour. I’m sorry, If telling you the truth offends you.
Excellent content, beautiful and smooth delivery! So prouda you hun!🙌❤💙 Keep 'em coming😊🤗
When we moved to the country (Bury St Edmunds) two decades ago from London, we often saw a local couple, she a Suffolk lady and he a black American, who lived on a nearby estate. It seemed that they had met when he was stationed at a USAF base nearby and after the war he had returned and they got married. When he died a few years later it turned out he was in his 90s -- but he always looked 30 years younger! My wife's family were from a Anglo-Afro-Caribbean family, the only black family in their area, in the 40s and 50s, and she says they met very little prejudice on the whole.
My grandfather was a WWI vet. During WWII he and my grandmother were home in the south of England. Lots of American servicemen were stationed nearby, both black and white. In the local pub, my grandfather witnessed the disrespect of 2 black GIs by their white counterparts. He was so angry at what he saw, he was ready to fight those racists and invited the black soldiers to drink with him and his mates. As long as they were based there, those guys were welcome at my grandfather’s table. They even visited my grandparents at home for tea and snuck food to them from the US base (at a time when Brits were rationed). When they shipped out, both GIs promised to visit my grandparents on their return, but they never saw either of them again. Maybe they had no opportunity to visit or maybe they were killed in action. Either way my grandparents never forgot them.
💐💐
Your grandfather was a great man!
@@birdseyeview4406 thank you! He was a firm man but he was always fair. He had his flaws but racism wasn't one.
Same thing happened in Bristol at the Battle of Park Street.
Ironically, many Black American GI's found they were also treated better by the civilians of occupied Germany than they were at home and it wasn't because they could do what they liked to a vanquished population.
The black American troops were not fighting men but used to construct camps, airfields etc ,so came to Britain in advance of the others.
They were the first Americans that most British people had met and were welcomed, dated British girls and were invited into private homes . When the white fighting troops came ,they found that most of the local girls all ready had regular boyfriends who more used to British ways and this led to the disagreements between black and white Americans .
The US military felt that they had to act but came up against very stubborn locals, who did not see why they had to change because of foreigners` problems.
Although it is written as fiction ,this is instanced in Nevil Shute`s book `The Chequer Board` in which the landlord of a pub writes to Winston Churchill ,voicing his concern .This did in fact happen
They should make this into a film. Like they did with the Tuskegee Red Tail pilots.
I'm white and my hero is Mary Seacole this woman is so important that she is one of only two people who has a hospital ward that is always named after them
She was half Scottish..... you're an advertiser's dream
Great history shared this blacks need to be honored even though they are no more....
This was not an isolated incident, the black American soldiers were way more popular than the white American soldiers. Under our class based society the majority working class population would inherently feel more connection to the black chaps because they would see them as working class comrades, they would have a natural understanding(also middle class/posh people have no souls and are effing dull as dishwater, who wants them in your local boozer bringing everyone's buzz down eh?). Of course we also had a military staffed from all corners of the Globe so we fully understood the equal capacities and failings of all Humans, ourselves included.
That is such a British thing to do...when told they have to segregate the pubs, they simply made the pubs “Black only” for a while, to make the point that they were not going to allow racial intolerance to the black soldiers. I can just imagine how that got up the noses of the American military police lol...so sad though that the American MPs got the last word in by killing and injuring and then court marshalling their fellow American soldiers...absolute disgrace. I believe there were many instances similar to this happening in pubs and dance halls all over England at that time...though this one was a famous incident.
Five hours confrontation 😳.
For five hours, pub staff, local residents, British soldiers and black U.S soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder fighting fascism. Respect.
@@AT-ytinvasive I know I still can't get my head around the fact we was supposed to be on the same team fighting nazi fascist but America wanted a war inside it's own army
That sounds about right for a pub fight
love and respect to them all from the uk
England and the English - the FINEST NATION IN THE WORLD! (Inspite of all our Shortcomings!)
Nobody is perfect, but being British is close enough.
@@paulwilliams4156 - Well said!!!!
The words you said in comment about this amazing video was "until today, until today". I moved to the US from the UK, specifically Scotland and was brought up by my parents to look at a persons character, not anything else. I was so shocked on moving to the US that racial bias was still so prevalent. Maybe one day it won't be like that but it will take the will of people who have been stoked into division to realize that and that to come together we all win; that divided by politicians we all lose.
Our turf, our rules.
I didn't know this, and I can't put into words my feelings. How did this happen? Thank you for sharing the video.