I went to school in Bamber Bridge and we were taught this every year, In what you would call middle school. They made sure we knew about this because nobody else would tell us.
When word had spread of Bamber Bridge, and the troops were off to the Falmouth area for D-Day, the first US units to parade through Truro were the Black soldiers who received a great welcome. When the White troops came through, the locals turned their backs...
@HumorAndHistory there is even Bulley holes and they celebrate the annercersery there. I worked near Bamber Bridge in Leyland and so visited a few times with my then job. Its not what you woild call a progressive place its very old fashioned northern town. But we northerners are always discriminated against so we know what it feels like so the mps didn't realise who they was messing with. Us northerners stand up for ourselves had this happened 9n London it wouldn't have been a ripple.
@@cyberash3000the Battle of Cable Street would disagree. London is even now really a cluster of villages and towns huddling for warmth, and the communities can organise strongly against injustice. Even in the 14 years I’ve lived here, I’ve seen several cases of this (Tottenham after the police shooting and Limehouse after the mayor’s corruption scandal being two big examples)
And the vid gives an impression it was just about women. It wasn't, locals and British troops both men and women stood up to the MPs. The Landlord would have been quite capable of dealing with requests for after hours drinks by anybody too
We Brits are renowned for supporting the underdog and if you try telling us what to do in the process then we double down on it. They were fighting on our side, they were entitled to support and friendship regardless of their colour.
😂 Britain exploited, starved, expelled, and murdered indigenous inhabitants from Ireland to India to Australia and Africa for hundreds of years. Britain is still very "welcoming" to this day.
This was not an isolated incident, union street in Bristol and Launceston in Cornwall, off the top of my head. My favourite story from the war, a full bus of English civilians and Soldiers, a group of American troops get on, and one shouts " is nobody going to give up their seats for the guys who are winning this war", the conductress walks up to him and said, " sorry I can't understand what you're saying, because of your thick Russian accent"...
*EH* ? are you new? where have you been for the past 40 years? 😁 They are the self imposed 'world police' problem is, like most coppers they are corrupt as f... and enjoy the use of violence to impose their will.
Same thing that allowed us to do the same to others when we built an empire. If you send a horde of thugs with a sense of their own natural greatness to another country they will always force that 'greatness' on others.
Yes the same thing happened in Bristol where the GI’s tried to ban black soldiers from public houses and the Bristolians said No they came to fight with us so they have the equal rights to drink with us.
The experience of African Americans in Britain during WW2 gave the civil rights movement a huge boost post war because many had experienced for themselves that a different reality was possible in a white majority country
Imagine the continental regions liberated by the Americans seeing them to the blacks what the Germans did to the jews in the first years of the occupation. The people there weren't having it either.
The white American reaction to "uppity" black veterans after WWI and WWII led to the erection of many Confederate statues and memorials, and the flying of the Confederate flag from public buildings in the 1950s.
Why do you regard them as African Americans? I think the Americans are steering away from that comment these days. It is actually pretty racist if you think about it.
@@fastyaveit Why is it racist to call black people from the US during the war "African Americans"? The only purpose of creating such a taboo is to prevent thinking about their different legal status. That was real enough: several black GIs were hanged at Winchester prison after courts martial and convictions of rape. American officers said that was the normal sentence in the US, without clarifying that death for rape was the norm for black men only. It was not normal in the UK.
@@faithlesshound5621 It is something that we don't use in the UK. I can imagine if the OP (from the UK) went up to a black guy born in Manchester “Hey are you African British” he would get punched in the face. We don't define a person by where his ancestors may have been born, if they were born in the UK, they are British, black/white/Asian, it doesn't matter. The OP should know this, trying to Americanise himself to be reverent is embarrassing. I guess it is a cultural thing, but as the video suggests, the Brits will always take the side of injustice and the underdog
@@grandmabaddie I would assume given the OP that they are referring to us, i.e. Brits. And it IS a shame "so many of us" don't hold those views, which is all they said. It could be three people I'd still say it's a factual and accurate statement.
@@slightlyconfused876 Good name, it suits you. Yes the British or the UK if you prefer is so racist we have an Indian Prime Minister, Scotland has a Pakistani First Minister, The mayor of London is first generation English from a Pakistani family and the mayor of Tower Hamlets is Bangladeshi, although I have no idea why Tower Hamlets needs a mayor? We are so racist, foreign students flock here and overstay their student visas or cross the channel in small boats to get here. How about you take your nonsense elsewhere because it does not wash and there is no evidence to support what you are saying. Antisemitism is massively on the rise, but that's due to left wing politics and political Islam.
My Mum was born in 1930 in East Yorkshire so was 12 when the first US Troops started arriving in 1942. They were black GIs in the Pioneer Corps who were building the facilities that the US forces that were to follow would need: Barracks, Distribution Hubs and the like. She said that the black GIs were very smart, polite, friendly, generous and helpful. They got on well with the locals and were particularly kind to the children. Then, in late 1942 , the first white GIs began to appear. She told me that whereas most of them were OK and very like their black counterparts a sizeable minority of them were "just plain arrogant and conceited" (her words). In particular the way that some GIs, mainly those from the southern states, treated black GIs was shocking to the eyes of her and her fellow villagers. Her father, my Maternal Grandfather, told me how a bunch of white GIs had walked into the village pub one night and demanded that all the black GIs leave. He and his fellow villagers gave them some advice regarding sex and travel (they told them to "F@ck off!") then, when they wouldn't leave, physically removed them back to the street telling them that they would be well advised not to call again. Which they didn't. 🤣
Over a million Indian troops in the Indian Army in Assam and Burma. It was this army that kicked the Japanese out of Burma. Yes, the British Army was there too, but I think only around 300,000 compared to 1.3 million Indians. We should be grateful to India for what they gave. They were there in North Africa and Italy, too. In 1939, the Indian Airforce was just hundreds of officers and men. By 1945, the Royal Indian Airforce had nine full Squadrons. All of whom gave the Japanese a good kicking. The saddest thing is that Indian governments since independence have all tried to pretend that the Indian Army and Airforce weren't important. They give more credence to the traitors who fought for the Japanese.
@@davidwatts-hw2dh My view is that the Chindits were an interesting idea that failed to live up to expectations. The Burmese jungle is a living hell for Europeans. I've just finished Robert Lyman's A War of Empires. It's very good.
My mum was a young girl during the war and I remember her saying the black troops were the first to arrive to build barracks for the white soldiers . She said they were very polite and liked by the locals . I had heard of this , but only recently , I think both Governments wanted it covered up.
My Gran met black American troops when her sailor brother brought some home. She told me she was shocked by their surprise that her mother welcomed them and offered them a place to sleep along with the white soldiers. Brits really didn't see a difference. Even into old age, she still felt shocked that America had treated people willing to die for their country so badly. In many parts of the country, Americans tried to tell British pubs not to serve black troops. In every case I have heard of, they were told they could jot impose their racism here.
The Abolition of Slavery Act about 400 years earlier probably helped. You can employ help, but can't have a slave. It's engrained in us now after all these years, to treat everyone as equally as possible. Unless I'm using direct quotes, I won't use any derogatory term for anyone (I've had enough thrown at me, and it's not nice). If you come into my house, just make sure you wipe your feet, and I'll ask if you want a Tea or Coffee
There's never been a colour bar in the UK. Any barriers that exist are extremely subtle. Basically the rule is if you have good manners and make an effort to fit in you'll be welcome. Be rude and you'll get short shrift. In a subtle way. Your drink might slop when it's handed to you. If you're British that will tell you a lot
@@wrichard11 not strictly true, there were effectively colour bars in the interwar military for officers that had to be lifted. Now of course there was never anything like segregation that existed in the US but it’s important to be accurate
I DO remember hearing about this incident, and it was by no means the only one of it's sort, others weren't so large scale and didn't involve firearms, I distinctly remember my grandmother telling of one she witnessed, a group of "Yanks" ("over sexed, over paid, and over here" as she used to say) they were all Black Americans, and they were having a great time, and really enjoying the hospitality of their British hosts, at one point several white and drunk GIs came falling through the door, as soon as they were inside the pub they spotted 2 black troops dancing with 2 white British women, they must have forgotten where they were for a second and thought they were back home, Without a seconds hesitation and in front of a pub full of people, (many of them British military personnel) they charged towards the two black guys and set about giving them a beating, there was a couple of seconds pause from the British onlookers who had no idea WHY the Americans were suddenly fighting each other, By this time the other black Americans had gone to the aid of their friends even though they were outnumbered by their attackers. The MOMENT that the Brits inside the pub realised why the black troops were getting beaten up (for the 'crime' of being black) They made it 'abundantly clear' that *back then* in the UK we didn't put up with such things, I believe several ambulances were called, as well as the British civilian police, and British and American military police. There were no 'serious' injuries, nothing that a few stitches or a splint couldn't put right. and as far as she was aware there were no arrests. I am old enough to remember quite clearly the 'race riots' in America in the 1960s, and the disgust they filled me with, I was a teenager at the time (16 in 1969) and even back then as a white working class left supporting 'young un' I already despised all forms of racism, no matter where it comes from or who it's aimed at, and things are far *FAR* worse now than they were back then.
My great uncle was one of the pub landlords in Bamber Bridge, the first to put up a "Blacks Only" notice on his door. He told one white American officer that a black man's money was as good as his. One feature of the events is rarely mentioned, very much a cultural thing. The white officers drank sherry (fortified wine) which was rather upper class or for women at that time in the UK. The black troops drank beer, like the locals, effectively making them "one of us." Part of the gunfight was across the railway level crossing in the village, close by my great uncle's pub. Ira C Eaker was highly regarded locally for having assessed the situation correctly. Few people outside the village and the town of Preston nearby knew much of the events of 1943. There was a news blackout. This is probably why the narrative varies in some respects.
I read an account that stated the MP's CO (2I/C?) called On all the pub owners and required them to take note of the segregation laws in the US. He worded his warning loosely enough that all the pubs DID take due notice... and put up "blacks/negroes only" signs. Why not? They were generally well behaved, unlike the snotty 'cops', and they drank more beer, nothing the pub owners couldn't handle.
Lancashire has a history of this kind of think like the local poor cotton mill workers supporting the Indian cotton weavers even though this could put them out of work. There is film of the locals carrying ghandi on their backs down the cobbled streets of a mill town. Britain always saw more of a class battle than a race war and poor people were all on the same side no matter what colour
The workers in Lancashire cotton mills also supported the abolition of slavery during the American Civil War by refusing to work with cotton that had come from plantations that used slaves. Despite thee fact that the Lancastrian workers were poor people, enduring difficult circumstances in their work, they recognised that the black slaves in America were treated even more harshly and would not support any organisation that condoned this bad treatment.
This type of thing was common in U.K bars that served black troops fights would break out when white troops came in and often white Brits would join in on the Black troops side.
I think one things that struck British people at the time was if these black soldiers are good enough to fight and perhaps die then they are good enough to drink in the local pub.
There's a monument there now (placed in 2021) remembering this incident, I was born half a mile away from there and currently live 2.5 miles away. I've seen a few videos on this and I think this guy misses out a few points.
Yes, the Manner St riots,in Wellington New Zealand,Americans objecting to our Maori soldiers drinking in the pub,however in our family, my Dad's youngest sister was a War bride,went to USA in 1946,and her older sister was married to a Maori,how ironic!
I feel so proud! I am from that area and my surname is Bamber! Let’s carry on looking at the content of someone’s character rather than the colour of their skin.
I visited this beautiful pub at the weekend. They are still proud of their support for black airmen. I wish more Americans would visit. The pub is stunning, hundreds years old. But I love the thought it helped changed the stance of the American military on racism.
'Last Orders' which the black guy would have known. It's either he was drunk to the point of incapability (in which case the landlord and the man's friends would have coped) or the whole thing was a confection by the two MP's.
Actually, in a lot of British village pubs, after the official end of business, the 'lock-in' is instituted. Nobody else is allowed in, but those still there can drink until the owner gets fed up and kicks them out! In the time of this incident, the local bobby would probably be one of the customers too.
As mentioned here, British locals turned out to support these black troops. Us British have a reputation for fairness, none more so then during the war. I remember my Mum & Dad telling me that during the war, black troops were welcomed into dance halls and when white Americans protested, they were told in no uncertain terms to stop interfering in British life (or maybe a bit cruder than that!). It never helped that many US troops were so insular and were just good ol' farm boys who'd never been more than 50 miles from where they lived and were now suddenly thrust into the big wide world where other people acted differently from their constricted social view back home. I also think that this attitude may have supported the Anglophobia inherent at many levels in the US forces at that time (but happy to be corrected on this).
My thought: The British Empire had covered so much of our planet for centuries. Yes, there was some trouble but we learnt what other people were like. Anyone could join the British Army if they chose to. No conscription, unlike the Roman Empire. The 'Ghurkas' are a fine example. My great uncle met them in Tibet in 1903/4. To this day, they line up to join the British Army, by choice.
Thank God for the Ghurkas yet it took Joanna Lumley to embarrass a Government Minister on TV to improve their pensions. Ghurkas STILL have a reduced pension but at one stage, THIS CENTURY, it was about 25% of the UK pension.
My ears pricked up when I heard “British servicewomen of the Auxiliary Territorial Service”, because that is what Princess Elizabeth, who later became Queen Elizabeth II served with.
I became aware of this incident relatively recently and made a point of visiting the site of the incident (the pub and memorial). My photo is on Flickr under the title of The Battle of Bamber Bridge for anyone that may be interested.
Where and when i grew up there was only one black guy. He came from Trinidad i think and had joined the RAF. He married a local white lady. He was a gem and was always treated with the upmost respect. There was no racism in rural Wales.
3 lessons America learned on that day. Don't tell the British what to do, don't try to imply your own rules on the British, and finally don't tell a British landlord what to do with their own pub.
Wow! I lived in Bamber Bridge for 16 years, I was married there, my kids went to school there, I’ve drunk in that pub and I’ve never heard of any of this!!
It was 2016 and it was Danny Rose's late challenge on Willian right in front of the dugouts which was the catalyst to a mass brawl that saw, of all people, Mousa Dembele eye-gouge Chelsea striker Diego Costa. By that point, even Spurs head coach Pochettino had entered the fray after running onto the pitch to try to separate Rose and Willian, something the Argentinian later admitted was an error of judgement..Then all hell broke loose. Oh ! I am sorry! I thought this was about THe Battle Of Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Spurs.....As You Were...
This comes as a result of American national culture being so deeply based on puritanicalism. It makes ideas utterly universal and makes impossible the idea that others can legitimately think differently about things.
One of the things missed was the fact that many of the English running pubs across the UK at the time were retired soldiers who would have been posted across the British Empire. As such they fought with and against people of all skin tones - making the view point of the USA totally alien.
A similar confrontation happend in a village in the south of England in much the same circumstances. The black soldiers were warmly welcomed by the villager's and drank in the local village pub until one night some white GI's came in and caused trouble, they left but returned later and a confrontation took place with the villager's joining in the fight taking the blacks side. Shots were fired and I believe a black soldier was killed but it was hushed up and kept secret until the 1990's. I know the story because my father who was in a special quick response unit was billeted in a large country house nearby and related the story to me years ago plus the story was finally reported in the local newspaper but with the racism element taken out.
It wasn't just the women who got on with the black US troops. As far as we were concerned these were our allies, we didn't care what colour they were as long as they were polite and respectful toward the English residents. Nobody could believe the treatment handed out to what was meant to be their brothers in arms
The US was founded by slave owners - those they revere as Founding Fathers. The US was built by slaves, including the White House. Abraham Lincoln said that he would not have opposed slavery if it were not political expedient. Slavery was America's Original Sin.
In the play Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, Mark Antony says in his eulogy to Caesar “The evil that men do lives on; the good is oft interred with their bones.” These words were written in 1599 - little has changed since then...
Trumps slogan of make America great again, i always wonder what period of American history he is talking about, cause non of it seems great for EVERYONE
I suspect that much of Trump's MAGA support is due to them feeling he condones a return to open and allowable racism. Which, to be frank, is not a great distance to travel in much of the USA.
British service men and locals were fighting the MP'S also. There's a lot missed out on this upload. These black guys were here to help against evil, tyranny and they got treated like second class citizen's. God bless America.
There was one story of a Yank who attacked one of our lads from the West Indies. He thought he wouldn't fight back, he was wrong and was quickly dealt with.
The british liked the black soldiers, they were polite, had a funny way of marching, brought interesting music with them and most importantly we recognised they were helping fight fascism, along with the millions of different coloured troops of many faiths of the British Empire. I'm not saying that there was no racism, but American racism has always been especially nasty. You should research the story of Eugene Bullard, one of Frances most decorated war heroes known as the Black Swallow of Death.
The UK led out on equality in the Napoleonic Wars, because many sailors came from the Caribbean. We were a maritime nation, and that meant foreign ships with foreign crews everywhere - you're never more than 75 miles from the sea. The first steps began with the Quakers a hundred years earlier, nearly 300 years before this, although we'd actually acted in law against it as early as 1102, and pre-Norman laws also banned it. From the mid-1700s the non-legality of slavery became important, and in 1807 trading was outlawed throughout the Empire. By the 1830s, the very condition was banned, with progressive implementation until the 1840s. Trying to impose racial discrimination on the working class was a complete non-starter. In fact, the womenfolk had not had enough men to go around since WW1, and the sudden availability of men allowed needs to be met. Then they suddenly disappeared, but nine months later the baby boom began.
I'm proud of the reaction of British people these guys were here to help the UK irrespective of colour or race..and there is was and never have been a legal colour bar and is not to this day part of UK Law. My late father was in the RAF and said a number of West Indians and Indians were in RAF along with German POWs.... Working in the background..
I imagine, that this did wonderful things for British/American relations. When in Rome do as the Romans do. The white soldiers should have been warned to leave their racism back at home. Also while in the UK learn from the natives on how to treat your comrades. They might have found that when they get back home, they didnt need their racism any more.
Churchill was totally against segregated troops coming to the UK. He was overruled by the Americans. Our Empire was mainly black. Britons had never seen men being segregated.
My dad and his oppo were enjoying a well earned breakfast on leave in Alexandria when redcaps entered the cafe demanding their papers.A group of Aussies told them to leave the boys alone as they had "just come out of the blue(desert)".The result was the redcaps pinned into a corner by chairs.On the long journey to Egypt his ship stopped in S.Africa.A white policeman berated them for stepping off the sidewalk to let some black ladies pass.He was disgusted.
Ye Olde Hob Inn is still there with the thatched roof (Look on google street view), down Station road you'll come to Mounsey Road and the last remaining building (hut) from the camp is now the home of the Air Training Corps (2376) sqn, formerly the Army Cadet hut. As recently as the early 80's there were still some bullet holes on various Station Road houses. In the late seventies various interviews were carried out with the locals who were there at the time. Got the article somewhere.
I live in Australia and an American relative of mine from Ohio visits every year. Last month he brought his son and grandson. His mother, an Australian, married an American servicemen and went to live there after WWII. On the other hand, The Battle of Brisbane was a riot with United States military personnel on one side and Australian servicemen and civilians on the other, in Brisbane, Queensland's capital city, on 26 and 27 November 1942, during which time the two nations were allies. By the time the violence had been quelled, one Australian soldier was dead and hundreds of Australians and U.S. servicemen were injured. News reports of the incident were suppressed overseas, and the reasons for the riot were not mentioned in the few Australian newspaper reports of the event. Race played some part in these disturbances. Troops of the U.S. 208th Coast Artillery rioted for 10 nights in March 1942, fighting against African-Americans from the 394th Quartermaster Battalion. This was attributed to white American resentment towards African-American access to dance halls and for associating with "white girls on the streets of Brisbane". As a result, U.S. military authorities segregated African-Americans, restricting them to the south side of the Brisbane River. However, trouble continued with a major race riot at Wacol, knife fights in South Brisbane and American military police assaulting or killing black troops simply for crossing the Brisbane River. This further incited the Australians, whose culture towards military police was notably different. (Wikipedia) Not that Australia was a multiracial paradise. Officially, aborignes could not serve in the armed forces, but in pratcice this was ignored. My grandfather was a career air force officer before and during WWII, and although his service photo clearly shows his aboriginality, he "passed" as white. Had he not done so he would be recognised as the first aboriginal officer in the Australian forces. That accolade is given to Reg Saunders, a lieteneant in the army during the war . His brother served with the 2/14 Battalion and was killed at the Battle of Gona in New Guinea. I interviewed his mates in the Battalion. Aboriginal soldiers were treated as just another soldier by their comrades. The men I interviewed remebered "Jambi' (his battalion nickname -they all had one- I can't now remeber his actual first name) with respect and affection.
Same thing happend in the battle of Manners street in Wellington, New Zealand. It start when US soldiers tried to kick Maori soldiers out of the ailled servces club on Manner st.
I was born 1943 in Bamber bidge i vaguely heard something. Maybe it was because there were very few Men around and mothers And grandmother's were so busy keeping things going. Well done b/b citizen's of the time.
The Battle of Manners Street, in Wellington, NewZealand, on April 4th, 1943 was largely about white Americans trying to throw Māori Soldiers out of a central city Allied Services Club, a social centre, open to all personnel. It started a donnybrook that involved hundreds of Kiwis and GIs and lasted for about 4 hours. There was also some Kiwi resentment of these better paid, better dressed, smooth talking, “bedroom commandos”, I believe. I don’t think there were any guns involved and only one arrest was made by police. There were MPs both US and NZ and there may have been dozens facing army discipline. Turn up at the gate, on that night, with a cut lip, a black eye or grazed knuckles and you’ll likely be on double duties and confined to barracks for a month.
What a way to motivate your men to fight foe your cause! Id of probably wanted to stay in the uk after the war, where i felt more wanted. Or rather less unwanted!
The locals at Bamber Bridge have built a memorial garden outside Ye Olde Hob Inn where the conflict started, that marks the fatal shooting of Pte William Crossland (the black US soldier) who died during racial violence in Lancashire in World War Two.. Americans may not know about the atrocious behaviour of the white American officers, but the locals will never forget the sacrifice that black Americans made.
i lived in Bamber Bridge for 20 plus years well after this but even after these years the old hob inn still looks like it did in that photo now but during the war the thatched roof had been removed and replaced with a metal cover to protect from bombing after all it had been in the village for over 400 years, anyway to this day it still has a news paper cutting from that battle framed mounted on its wall
There were similar incidents in Australia and New Zealand, the Battle of Brisbane and the Battle of Manners Street both involved racism by US troops; in the latter they tried to stop Maori troops drinking in a bar.
A few things that you have to remember is that the British did not have the same levels of racism and not institutionalised like in the US and we were thankful for the US troops that came over and mostly black troops were sent first to set up the bases so they were the ones we first interacted with. It was common when the white troops turned up they expected the black troops to be treated the same as in the US with segregation and in many places the locals would not stand for it.
It gets worse. I have read that when the invasion landed in France, some of the white troops ended up 'walking out' with French girls. As one does. I gather the French girls were a little stand-offish. But then the second-line troops arrived... The black truckers, drivers, maintenance men, cooks, &c; and the French girls threw themselves at them, leaving the white soldiers seething. Turns out that in France, "Les Africains" were ELITE troops, and it was a score for a French girl to be seen hanging off a black Army guy's arm. And the Americans had sent their lower quality troops in first, then followed them with the elite troops - exactly as the French would do. Of course they did.
Sad to say the British government did initially agree to this segregation to appease their American counter parts, in the main the British public did not. the British army and navy also did not segregate volunteers from the commonwealth country's although they could not be commissioned as officers The RAF on the other hand not only did not segregate personal but also because pilots were considered officers any commonwealth pilots were made officers. Many African Caribbean pilots volunteered and were made officers and flew in bomber crews made up with not only British but other volunteers from other country's including American volunteers before America joined the war.
I live in Chorley Lancashire & live & can drive though bamber bridge. Lived here all my life & never heard of this. I was tort about WW2 in history class , but this was never brought up
We have a local story of something similar (on a smaller scale) happening at Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire. The best bit of the tale is that apparently a white officer came to see one of the elderly female aristocrats and apologised for bringing black soldiers (I think you can all imagine the racist terms he used). The lady responded very politely to basically **** off. 😂
We British hate this kind of dictatorship , two of my aunts married black USA soldiers and lived a great life! Their kids in university, and doing well. Sorry I did not mention she met him in England!
In another video on this subject (I can't remember the name of the channel), it states that some of the arrested soldiers who went on to fight were lynched when they returned to the US, I don't know if this is true but the channel is in favour of giving a true picture of what has happened with regard to race in many different aspects.
This is a prime example of not teaching proper history. We are taught this just like I was taught about segregation in America which was disgusting on every level. My country and it's people at the moment are been called racist because of one woman from America who seems to thinks she is god. It is this event that inspired Martin Luther King. When asked how the English felt about the American soldiers their reply was brilliant but then they sent a bunch of white toe rags. This is why people need to leave history alone it is there to serve as a lesson but as you and I have no way of proving or disapprove the past let it stay there. Segregation however is a sore point because there are people alive who lived through it. Just like the holocaust victims. Human beings have inflicted the worst atrocities on their fellow humans because of some ideology when we all belong to the one race HUMAN RACE. We are born we live we die those three are the only facts we need. Just because someone is not the same colour makes no difference or at least it shouldn't. Evil walks among us to divide us not for our benefit but for theirs.
Interesting, J.Edgar Hoover didn't look mixed - although JEHoover's life as Founder of the FBI probably was. I wonder if things were more straightforward for Presient Herbert Hoover!!?
This is just one example of many similar incidents in the UK , Australia, Canada and other now commonwealth countries. The Last Fighting Tommy, Harry Patch's book, also mentions an incident where the local copper knocked out several white U.S. troops in a pub near Bath.
The Battle of Brisbane was similar. US MPs tried to arrest a US soldier for being out drinking and some Aussie troops came to the soldiers defense and kicked off a riot against the US MPs. The colour of the soldier wasn’t the reason, but it was still a battle between allies.
The British natives were impressed by the good manners of the black US troops. We were already fighting against non-British who went into other countries and laid down their own rules - i.e. the Nazis, and we were not going to tolerate it it from anyone here. A top brass US Officer went into the pubs in Bamber Bridge, to tell the publicans not to serve black men. One publican said to the Officer 'Are you having a drink?' He said no, so he was told to get out of my pub! That's when the 'Black Troops Only' signs were put up. The British won't be dictated to, especially when it is to the detriment of fairness and decency. The American Brass were told by the British to sort out their petty differences and problems because it was harming relations. Having said that, there were many white US servicemen welcomed into British homes and treated as friends.
Ironic given we had an empire based on forcing our rules on others. Certainly shows what the regular British person tended to believe in and that British fair play and decency came from regular people rather than the higher ups.
@aaropajari7058 not really, we mainly left the natives to it, unless you object to us stopping widows being burnt to death on their husbands funeral piers.
@@777petew Indeed. And something to be proud of. Like the riot in Bristol over the departure of black American troops in 1945...so beloved that they had to be snuck out in the night. A far cry from the treatment they received at home where trains carrying black troops across America were shot at by American farmers, and where German POWs were allowed to eat in places black soldiers were banned. We've had our misbehavioirs like anyone but good grief.
there was a little segregation in the british army too, but just between the top officers. there were indian officers that would treat other indian officers as lesser if they came from certain parts of india, then when they went to africa the white ifficers would treat them the same way they treated other indians. but reportedly outside the officers tents where this happened, you could often see regular troops from all across the empire and occupied countries having shooting tournaments to see whos better.
To Amand your observation on logistics support: the Russians had one support person for every seven combat soldiers. Russian soldiers were not expected to survive long enough to require more support.
You have to remember that most people in England had never met anyone from other parts of the country, let alone people from overseas. So even a Scotsman would attract interest in England. There were at this time young men from all over the world flooding into the country - Free French and Polish along with Commonwealth and American. With their own young men away fighting, civilians took these interesting young men into their homes and befriended them. It was more than just war brides. My grandparents with their sons away in the army, developed a friendship with a young American who was later killed, leaving them devastated.
Are you sure you're not thinking of the Napoleonic wars? Britain had a global empire for centuries by 1942, with people going to and coming from all over, to say nothing of the World War a couple of decades earlier. I'm sure there were pockets of isolated people in Albion's hills and dales, but "most people in England"? And a Lancashire mill-town three miles from Preston...? Perhaps the friendliness and interest you mention has a different explanation?
The only story I know is a film called The red Tails. African American. Pilots have the bombers in escort they only stuck to the training. And save many bombers. European Americans saluted them for this
Try "Tuskegee Airmen". Same unit of Mustang fighters. The red tails (and noses!) were to stop idiot bomber gunners from shooting down their own escorts.
FYI Cary Grant & Ann Sheridan in the film "I was a Male War Bride" There is a UK TV comedy "Goodnight Sweetheart" where the hero knocks out a racist USA GI The BRITISH were not RACIST, they were interested in meeting Black people, who they had never seen before! AND the US black soldiers were almost all Good people! They had to be! But I am a Brit so I might be biase.
Never seen the vid Know your Ally on YT then. explaining to US troops about the UK and its people for those coming here. Funny thing is it mentiond two other allies Russia and China
This appears to be a very half-hearted expose of of the incident, and only a small part of the whole affair. The notice the locals put up, stating that only blacks were allowed, is not quite correct, for the notice clearly stated that it was White soldiers who were not welcome, due to their frequent bad behaviour, and as such the notice only appeared after the incident. What you skirted around was the fact that it was the US Military Police who attempted to create laws for the local people, but of which they had absolutely no authority to impose. You would not expect British Military Police to tell American citizens what and what not to do in their own country; and in any case Military Police have no jurisdiction over civilians. Where civilians become involved with military personnel, then both military and local civilian police are required to work together. There is no question that in many instances during the war, US MP's frequently usurped their authority, and especialy with black troops, and just as often with civilians. Most incidents were brushed under the carpet by the US authorities, and Bamber Bridge was no exception. In the Bamber Bridge incident, no MP was ever charged with the murder of the black soldier, and it seems that no MP involved had to answer any charge. It was a classic cover-up case. If you look through the British newspapers of the period, there are countless reports of American troops causing trouble and being whisked away by their own MPS, with no more said, and no further action!
I live just a few miles from Bamber Bridge ( all my life) it’s a very small town,blink and you’ve passed through it almost. The pub involved is still there,and Still has bullet holes in the walls from the fight. It was known for black soldiers to be killed by fellow American soldiers for going out with the English girls. It was certainly a shock for some to find that over here it could get them hung.😡😡 After the war the good treatment Black soldiers had while in Europe helped them to start the fight to end segregation.
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I went to school in Bamber Bridge and we were taught this every year, In what you would call middle school. They made sure we knew about this because nobody else would tell us.
When word had spread of Bamber Bridge, and the troops were off to the Falmouth area for D-Day, the first US units to parade through Truro were the Black soldiers who received a great welcome.
When the White troops came through, the locals turned their backs...
I didn't know that. Is it recorded?
What is not spoken about here is that several locals took up shotguns and joined in the fight against the MPs but that isn't talked about here
Whoa! I am more and more impressed with the British as a whole with this channel!
@HumorAndHistory there is even Bulley holes and they celebrate the annercersery there. I worked near Bamber Bridge in Leyland and so visited a few times with my then job. Its not what you woild call a progressive place its very old fashioned northern town. But we northerners are always discriminated against so we know what it feels like so the mps didn't realise who they was messing with. Us northerners stand up for ourselves had this happened 9n London it wouldn't have been a ripple.
@@HumorAndHistory although the main north south hate and rift hadn't really gotten into full swing at that point. Like it is today
@@cyberash3000the Battle of Cable Street would disagree. London is even now really a cluster of villages and towns huddling for warmth, and the communities can organise strongly against injustice. Even in the 14 years I’ve lived here, I’ve seen several cases of this (Tottenham after the police shooting and Limehouse after the mayor’s corruption scandal being two big examples)
And the vid gives an impression it was just about women. It wasn't, locals and British troops both men and women stood up to the MPs. The Landlord would have been quite capable of dealing with requests for after hours drinks by anybody too
If you visit the pubs, they still have a sign on the wall, still honouring the people who where there.
We Brits are renowned for supporting the underdog and if you try telling us what to do in the process then we double down on it.
They were fighting on our side, they were entitled to support and friendship regardless of their colour.
😂 Britain exploited, starved, expelled, and murdered indigenous inhabitants from Ireland to India to Australia and Africa for hundreds of years.
Britain is still very "welcoming" to this day.
This was not an isolated incident, union street in Bristol and Launceston in Cornwall, off the top of my head. My favourite story from the war, a full bus of English civilians and Soldiers, a group of American troops get on, and one shouts " is nobody going to give up their seats for the guys who are winning this war", the conductress walks up to him and said, " sorry I can't understand what you're saying, because of your thick Russian accent"...
What gives the US troops the right to impose their own corrupted laws in another country?
*EH* ? are you new? where have you been for the past 40 years? 😁
They are the self imposed 'world police' problem is, like most coppers they are corrupt as f... and enjoy the use of violence to impose their will.
I heard that when Wallmart took over Asda, they tried to implement American ideals but got told Britain's Labour laws wouldn't allow them.
I know, they are just so loud mouthed and arrogant.
Same thing that allowed us to do the same to others when we built an empire. If you send a horde of thugs with a sense of their own natural greatness to another country they will always force that 'greatness' on others.
@@aaropajari7058. Try reading some history before you make such generalised remarks, matey!
This wasn’t the the only incident, just the most famous
Yes the same thing happened in Bristol where the GI’s tried to ban black soldiers from public houses and the Bristolians said No they came to fight with us so they have the equal rights to drink with us.
Yes. My mother witnessed one.
And in my home town of Newton Abbot in Devon
Also happened in Australia and New Zealand didn't go well for the white GIs
The experience of African Americans in Britain during WW2 gave the civil rights movement a huge boost post war because many had experienced for themselves that a different reality was possible in a white majority country
Imagine the continental regions liberated by the Americans seeing them to the blacks what the Germans did to the jews in the first years of the occupation. The people there weren't having it either.
The white American reaction to "uppity" black veterans after WWI and WWII led to the erection of many Confederate statues and memorials, and the flying of the Confederate flag from public buildings in the 1950s.
Why do you regard them as African Americans? I think the Americans are steering away from that comment these days. It is actually pretty racist if you think about it.
@@fastyaveit Why is it racist to call black people from the US during the war "African Americans"? The only purpose of creating such a taboo is to prevent thinking about their different legal status. That was real enough: several black GIs were hanged at Winchester prison after courts martial and convictions of rape. American officers said that was the normal sentence in the US, without clarifying that death for rape was the norm for black men only. It was not normal in the UK.
@@faithlesshound5621 It is something that we don't use in the UK. I can imagine if the OP (from the UK) went up to a black guy born in Manchester “Hey are you African British” he would get punched in the face.
We don't define a person by where his ancestors may have been born, if they were born in the UK, they are British, black/white/Asian, it doesn't matter.
The OP should know this, trying to Americanise himself to be reverent is embarrassing.
I guess it is a cultural thing, but as the video suggests, the Brits will always take the side of injustice and the underdog
We British, are very proud of the way we treated Black Americans during WW2 and would stand against racism.
Shame so many of us don't have the same attitudes today.
@@slightlyconfused876 Explain your comment please?
@@slightlyconfused876 us? Whom are you speaking for?
@@grandmabaddie I would assume given the OP that they are referring to us, i.e. Brits.
And it IS a shame "so many of us" don't hold those views, which is all they said. It could be three people I'd still say it's a factual and accurate statement.
@@slightlyconfused876 Good name, it suits you. Yes the British or the UK if you prefer is so racist we have an Indian Prime Minister, Scotland has a Pakistani First Minister, The mayor of London is first generation English from a Pakistani family and the mayor of Tower Hamlets is Bangladeshi, although I have no idea why Tower Hamlets needs a mayor? We are so racist, foreign students flock here and overstay their student visas or cross the channel in small boats to get here. How about you take your nonsense elsewhere because it does not wash and there is no evidence to support what you are saying. Antisemitism is massively on the rise, but that's due to left wing politics and political Islam.
My Mum was born in 1930 in East Yorkshire so was 12 when the first US Troops started arriving in 1942. They were black GIs in the Pioneer Corps who were building the facilities that the US forces that were to follow would need: Barracks, Distribution Hubs and the like.
She said that the black GIs were very smart, polite, friendly, generous and helpful. They got on well with the locals and were particularly kind to the children.
Then, in late 1942 , the first white GIs began to appear. She told me that whereas most of them were OK and very like their black counterparts a sizeable minority of them were "just plain arrogant and conceited" (her words). In particular the way that some GIs, mainly those from the southern states, treated black GIs was shocking to the eyes of her and her fellow villagers.
Her father, my Maternal Grandfather, told me how a bunch of white GIs had walked into the village pub one night and demanded that all the black GIs leave. He and his fellow villagers gave them some advice regarding sex and travel (they told them to "F@ck off!") then, when they wouldn't leave, physically removed them back to the street telling them that they would be well advised not to call again. Which they didn't. 🤣
Brilliant ✌✌😏😏
Old Empire countries of all colours came to fight with us Brits. They did not have to. Many Indians enlisted of their own free will.
Heroes.
Over a million Indian troops in the Indian Army in Assam and Burma. It was this army that kicked the Japanese out of Burma. Yes, the British Army was there too, but I think only around 300,000 compared to 1.3 million Indians.
We should be grateful to India for what they gave. They were there in North Africa and Italy, too.
In 1939, the Indian Airforce was just hundreds of officers and men. By 1945, the Royal Indian Airforce had nine full Squadrons. All of whom gave the Japanese a good kicking.
The saddest thing is that Indian governments since independence have all tried to pretend that the Indian Army and Airforce weren't important. They give more credence to the traitors who fought for the Japanese.
@@markstott6689 The Chindits. The forgotten Army. My belief is, the lads were sacrificed to keep the Japanese busy while we fought in Europe.
@@davidwatts-hw2dh My view is that the Chindits were an interesting idea that failed to live up to expectations. The Burmese jungle is a living hell for Europeans. I've just finished Robert Lyman's A War of Empires. It's very good.
@@markstott6689 2 1/2 million tried to join up, many had to be turned away. Not enough equipment for then
My mum was a young girl during the war and I remember her saying the black troops were the first to arrive to build barracks for the white soldiers . She said they were very polite and liked by the locals . I had heard of this , but only recently , I think both Governments wanted it covered up.
My Gran met black American troops when her sailor brother brought some home. She told me she was shocked by their surprise that her mother welcomed them and offered them a place to sleep along with the white soldiers. Brits really didn't see a difference. Even into old age, she still felt shocked that America had treated people willing to die for their country so badly.
In many parts of the country, Americans tried to tell British pubs not to serve black troops. In every case I have heard of, they were told they could jot impose their racism here.
The Abolition of Slavery Act about 400 years earlier probably helped. You can employ help, but can't have a slave. It's engrained in us now after all these years, to treat everyone as equally as possible. Unless I'm using direct quotes, I won't use any derogatory term for anyone (I've had enough thrown at me, and it's not nice). If you come into my house, just make sure you wipe your feet, and I'll ask if you want a Tea or Coffee
@@adrianboardman162 we never had slaves in the U.K, some Brits where involved in the trade though.
There's never been a colour bar in the UK. Any barriers that exist are extremely subtle. Basically the rule is if you have good manners and make an effort to fit in you'll be welcome. Be rude and you'll get short shrift. In a subtle way. Your drink might slop when it's handed to you. If you're British that will tell you a lot
@@wrichard11 not strictly true, there were effectively colour bars in the interwar military for officers that had to be lifted. Now of course there was never anything like segregation that existed in the US but it’s important to be accurate
@wrichard11 our segregation is about wealth rather than colour and has been since the beginning
I DO remember hearing about this incident, and it was by no means the only one of it's sort, others weren't so large scale and didn't involve firearms, I distinctly remember my grandmother telling of one she witnessed, a group of "Yanks"
("over sexed, over paid, and over here" as she used to say) they were all Black Americans, and they were having a great time, and really enjoying the hospitality of their British hosts, at one point several white and drunk GIs came falling through the door, as soon as they were inside the pub they spotted 2 black troops dancing with 2 white British women, they must have forgotten where they were for a second and thought they were back home,
Without a seconds hesitation and in front of a pub full of people, (many of them British military personnel) they charged towards the two black guys and set about giving them a beating, there was a couple of seconds pause from the British onlookers who had no idea WHY the Americans were suddenly fighting each other,
By this time the other black Americans had gone to the aid of their friends even though they were outnumbered by their attackers.
The MOMENT that the Brits inside the pub realised why the black troops were getting beaten up (for the 'crime' of being black)
They made it 'abundantly clear' that *back then* in the UK we didn't put up with such things,
I believe several ambulances were called, as well as the British civilian police, and British and American military police.
There were no 'serious' injuries, nothing that a few stitches or a splint couldn't put right.
and as far as she was aware there were no arrests.
I am old enough to remember quite clearly the 'race riots' in America in the 1960s, and the disgust they filled me with,
I was a teenager at the time (16 in 1969) and even back then as a white working class left supporting 'young un' I already despised all forms of racism, no matter where it comes from or who it's aimed at, and things are far *FAR* worse now than they were back then.
My great uncle was one of the pub landlords in Bamber Bridge, the first to put up a "Blacks Only" notice on his door. He told one white American officer that a black man's money was as good as his.
One feature of the events is rarely mentioned, very much a cultural thing. The white officers drank sherry (fortified wine) which was rather upper class or for women at that time in the UK. The black troops drank beer, like the locals, effectively making them "one of us."
Part of the gunfight was across the railway level crossing in the village, close by my great uncle's pub.
Ira C Eaker was highly regarded locally for having assessed the situation correctly. Few people outside the village and the town of Preston nearby knew much of the events of 1943. There was a news blackout. This is probably why the narrative varies in some respects.
That is fascinating. Well done for your great uncle.
I read an account that stated the MP's CO (2I/C?) called On all the pub owners and required them to take note of the segregation laws in the US. He worded his warning loosely enough that all the pubs DID take due notice... and put up "blacks/negroes only" signs. Why not? They were generally well behaved, unlike the snotty 'cops', and they drank more beer, nothing the pub owners couldn't handle.
Lancashire has a history of this kind of think like the local poor cotton mill workers supporting the Indian cotton weavers even though this could put them out of work. There is film of the locals carrying ghandi on their backs down the cobbled streets of a mill town. Britain always saw more of a class battle than a race war and poor people were all on the same side no matter what colour
The workers in Lancashire cotton mills also supported the abolition of slavery during the American Civil War by refusing to work with cotton that had come from plantations that used slaves. Despite thee fact that the Lancastrian workers were poor people, enduring difficult circumstances in their work, they recognised that the black slaves in America were treated even more harshly and would not support any organisation that condoned this bad treatment.
This type of thing was common in U.K bars that served black troops fights would break out when white troops came in and often white Brits would join in on the Black troops side.
This was not an isolated incident. There were others. The British were baffled by the way black servicemen were treated.
I think one things that struck British people at the time was if these black soldiers are good enough to fight and perhaps die then they are good enough to drink in the local pub.
There's a monument there now (placed in 2021) remembering this incident, I was born half a mile away from there and currently live 2.5 miles away. I've seen a few videos on this and I think this guy misses out a few points.
There were two similar incidents, one in Australia, and one in New Zealand.
Yes, the Manner St riots,in Wellington New Zealand,Americans objecting to our Maori soldiers drinking in the pub,however in our family, my Dad's youngest sister was a War bride,went to USA in 1946,and her older sister was married to a Maori,how ironic!
I feel so proud! I am from that area and my surname is Bamber! Let’s carry on looking at the content of someone’s character rather than the colour of their skin.
I visited this beautiful pub at the weekend. They are still proud of their support for black airmen. I wish more Americans would visit. The pub is stunning, hundreds years old. But I love the thought it helped changed the stance of the American military on racism.
Last orders is exactly as it sounds get your last drinks in before we call time after which no more drinks will be sold.
'Last Orders' which the black guy would have known.
It's either he was drunk to the point of incapability (in which case the landlord and the man's friends would have coped) or the whole thing was a confection by the two MP's.
Actually, in a lot of British village pubs, after the official end of business, the 'lock-in' is instituted. Nobody else is allowed in, but those still there can drink until the owner gets fed up and kicks them out! In the time of this incident, the local bobby would probably be one of the customers too.
As mentioned here, British locals turned out to support these black troops. Us British have a reputation for fairness, none more so then during the war. I remember my Mum & Dad telling me that during the war, black troops were welcomed into dance halls and when white Americans protested, they were told in no uncertain terms to stop interfering in British life (or maybe a bit cruder than that!). It never helped that many US troops were so insular and were just good ol' farm boys who'd never been more than 50 miles from where they lived and were now suddenly thrust into the big wide world where other people acted differently from their constricted social view back home. I also think that this attitude may have supported the Anglophobia inherent at many levels in the US forces at that time (but happy to be corrected on this).
My thought: The British Empire had covered so much of our planet for centuries. Yes, there was some trouble but we learnt what other people were like. Anyone could join the British Army if they chose to. No conscription, unlike the Roman Empire. The 'Ghurkas' are a fine example. My great uncle met them in Tibet in 1903/4. To this day, they line up to join the British Army, by choice.
Thank God for the Ghurkas yet it took Joanna Lumley to embarrass a Government Minister on TV to improve their pensions. Ghurkas STILL have a reduced pension but at one stage, THIS CENTURY, it was about 25% of the UK pension.
My ears pricked up when I heard “British servicewomen of the Auxiliary Territorial Service”, because that is what Princess Elizabeth, who later became Queen Elizabeth II served with.
I became aware of this incident relatively recently and made a point of visiting the site of the incident (the pub and memorial). My photo is on Flickr under the title of The Battle of Bamber Bridge for anyone that may be interested.
Where and when i grew up there was only one black guy. He came from Trinidad i think and had joined the RAF. He married a local white lady. He was a gem and was always treated with the upmost respect. There was no racism in rural Wales.
It's quite a well known story still in this part of Lancashire, England., not taught as such, just past along.
this led me down a great rabbit hole of information, thank you!
3 lessons America learned on that day. Don't tell the British what to do, don't try to imply your own rules on the British, and finally don't tell a British landlord what to do with their own pub.
Wow! I lived in Bamber Bridge for 16 years, I was married there, my kids went to school there, I’ve drunk in that pub and I’ve never heard of any of this!!
It was 2016 and it was Danny Rose's late challenge on Willian right in front of the dugouts which was the catalyst to a mass brawl that saw, of all people, Mousa Dembele eye-gouge Chelsea striker Diego Costa. By that point, even Spurs head coach Pochettino had entered the fray after running onto the pitch to try to separate Rose and Willian, something the Argentinian later admitted was an error of judgement..Then all hell broke loose.
Oh ! I am sorry! I thought this was about THe Battle Of Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Spurs.....As You Were...
This comes as a result of American national culture being so deeply based on puritanicalism. It makes ideas utterly universal and makes impossible the idea that others can legitimately think differently about things.
One of the things missed was the fact that many of the English running pubs across the UK at the time were retired soldiers who would have been posted across the British Empire. As such they fought with and against people of all skin tones - making the view point of the USA totally alien.
A similar confrontation happend in a village in the south of England in much the same circumstances. The black soldiers were warmly welcomed by the villager's and drank in the local village pub until one night some white GI's came in and caused trouble, they left but returned later and a confrontation took place with the villager's joining in the fight taking the blacks side. Shots were fired and I believe a black soldier was killed but it was hushed up and kept secret until the 1990's. I know the story because my father who was in a special quick response unit was billeted in a large country house nearby and related the story to me years ago plus the story was finally reported in the local newspaper but with the racism element taken out.
It wasn't just the women who got on with the black US troops. As far as we were concerned these were our allies, we didn't care what colour they were as long as they were polite and respectful toward the English residents. Nobody could believe the treatment handed out to what was meant to be their brothers in arms
Thanks for the video. I worked in Bamber Bridge and live about 14 miles away.
And 80years later it's still the same in the US. Thank God I wasn't born there.
lol, right!
The US was founded by slave owners - those they revere as Founding Fathers. The US was built by slaves, including the White House. Abraham Lincoln said that he would not have opposed slavery if it were not political expedient. Slavery was America's Original Sin.
Check out Paul Robeson and the relationship he had with Welsh miners.
Great context and analysis from you for such a short and brief video on the subject. Subscribed!
Welcome aboard!
No nation is perfect, but things like this make me proud to be a English person.
The Old Hob Inn is still there. Went there to look at it, and is a nice cosy pub.
In the play Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, Mark Antony says in his eulogy to Caesar “The evil that men do lives on; the good is oft interred with their bones.” These words were written in 1599 - little has changed since then...
Trumps slogan of make America great again, i always wonder what period of American history he is talking about, cause non of it seems great for EVERYONE
Many people have begun saying this.
I suspect that much of Trump's MAGA support is due to them feeling he condones a return to open and allowable racism. Which, to be frank, is not a great distance to travel in much of the USA.
Pre 1776 without the Tea Tax. No wonder you all drink Coffee.
British service men and locals were fighting the MP'S also. There's a lot missed out on this upload.
These black guys were here to help against evil, tyranny and they got treated like second class citizen's. God bless America.
There was one story of a Yank who attacked one of our lads from the West Indies. He thought he wouldn't fight back, he was wrong and was quickly dealt with.
The british liked the black soldiers, they were polite, had a funny way of marching, brought interesting music with them and most importantly we recognised they were helping fight fascism, along with the millions of different coloured troops of many faiths of the British Empire.
I'm not saying that there was no racism, but American racism has always been especially nasty.
You should research the story of Eugene Bullard, one of Frances most decorated war heroes known as the Black Swallow of Death.
The UK led out on equality in the Napoleonic Wars, because many sailors came from the Caribbean. We were a maritime nation, and that meant foreign ships with foreign crews everywhere - you're never more than 75 miles from the sea. The first steps began with the Quakers a hundred years earlier, nearly 300 years before this, although we'd actually acted in law against it as early as 1102, and pre-Norman laws also banned it. From the mid-1700s the non-legality of slavery became important, and in 1807 trading was outlawed throughout the Empire. By the 1830s, the very condition was banned, with progressive implementation until the 1840s.
Trying to impose racial discrimination on the working class was a complete non-starter. In fact, the womenfolk had not had enough men to go around since WW1, and the sudden availability of men allowed needs to be met. Then they suddenly disappeared, but nine months later the baby boom began.
There are black sailors depicted on the relief at the base of Nelson's column depicting the battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
I'm proud of the reaction of British people these guys were here to help the UK irrespective of colour or race..and there is was and never have been a legal colour bar and is not to this day part of UK Law.
My late father was in the RAF and said a number of West Indians and Indians were in RAF along with German POWs....
Working in the background..
I imagine, that this did wonderful things for British/American relations. When in Rome do as the Romans do. The white soldiers should have been warned to leave their racism back at home. Also while in the UK learn from the natives on how to treat your comrades. They might have found that when they get back home, they didnt need their racism any more.
I doubt it would have worked, since the Americans sent their troops over in segregated units.
The US did not learn its lesson.. as the treatment of the black military was no better in Vietmam
Churchill was totally against segregated troops coming to the UK. He was overruled by the Americans. Our Empire was mainly black. Britons had never seen men being segregated.
My dad and his oppo were enjoying a well earned breakfast on leave in Alexandria when redcaps entered the cafe demanding their papers.A group of Aussies told them to leave the boys alone as they had "just come out of the blue(desert)".The result was the redcaps pinned into a corner by chairs.On the long journey to Egypt his ship stopped in S.Africa.A white policeman berated them for stepping off the sidewalk to let some black ladies pass.He was disgusted.
Ye Olde Hob Inn is still there with the thatched roof (Look on google street view), down Station road you'll come to Mounsey Road and the last remaining building (hut) from the camp is now the home of the Air Training Corps (2376) sqn, formerly the Army Cadet hut. As recently as the early 80's there were still some bullet holes on various Station Road houses. In the late seventies various interviews were carried out with the locals who were there at the time. Got the article somewhere.
I live in Australia and an American relative of mine from Ohio visits every year. Last month he brought his son and grandson. His mother, an Australian, married an American servicemen and went to live there after WWII.
On the other hand, The Battle of Brisbane was a riot with United States military personnel on one side and Australian servicemen and civilians on the other, in Brisbane, Queensland's capital city, on 26 and 27 November 1942, during which time the two nations were allies. By the time the violence had been quelled, one Australian soldier was dead and hundreds of Australians and U.S. servicemen were injured. News reports of the incident were suppressed overseas, and the reasons for the riot were not mentioned in the few Australian newspaper reports of the event.
Race played some part in these disturbances.
Troops of the U.S. 208th Coast Artillery rioted for 10 nights in March 1942, fighting against African-Americans from the 394th Quartermaster Battalion. This was attributed to white American resentment towards African-American access to dance halls and for associating with "white girls on the streets of Brisbane". As a result, U.S. military authorities segregated African-Americans, restricting them to the south side of the Brisbane River. However, trouble continued with a major race riot at Wacol, knife fights in South Brisbane and American military police assaulting or killing black troops simply for crossing the Brisbane River. This further incited the Australians, whose culture towards military police was notably different. (Wikipedia)
Not that Australia was a multiracial paradise. Officially, aborignes could not serve in the armed forces, but in pratcice this was ignored. My grandfather was a career air force officer before and during WWII, and although his service photo clearly shows his aboriginality, he "passed" as white. Had he not done so he would be recognised as the first aboriginal officer in the Australian forces. That accolade is given to Reg Saunders, a lieteneant in the army during the war . His brother served with the 2/14 Battalion and was killed at the Battle of Gona in New Guinea. I interviewed his mates in the Battalion. Aboriginal soldiers were treated as just another soldier by their comrades. The men I interviewed remebered "Jambi' (his battalion nickname -they all had one- I can't now remeber his actual first name) with respect and affection.
Good old Lancashire people ..
Same thing happend in the battle of Manners street in Wellington, New Zealand. It start when US soldiers tried to kick Maori soldiers out of the ailled servces club on Manner st.
I was born 1943 in Bamber bidge i vaguely heard something. Maybe it was because there were very few
Men around and mothers And grandmother's were so busy keeping things going. Well done b/b citizen's of the time.
The Battle of Manners Street, in Wellington, NewZealand, on April 4th, 1943 was largely about white Americans trying to throw Māori Soldiers out of a central city Allied Services Club, a social centre, open to all personnel. It started a donnybrook that involved hundreds of Kiwis and GIs and lasted for about 4 hours.
There was also some Kiwi resentment of these better paid, better dressed, smooth talking, “bedroom commandos”, I believe. I don’t think there were any guns involved and only one arrest was made by police. There were MPs both US and NZ and there may have been dozens facing army discipline. Turn up at the gate, on that night, with a cut lip, a black eye or grazed knuckles and you’ll likely be on double duties and confined to barracks for a month.
What a way to motivate your men to fight foe your cause! Id of probably wanted to stay in the uk after the war, where i felt more wanted. Or rather less unwanted!
The locals at Bamber Bridge have built a memorial garden outside Ye Olde Hob Inn where the conflict started, that marks the fatal shooting of Pte William Crossland (the black US soldier) who died during racial violence in Lancashire in World War Two..
Americans may not know about the atrocious behaviour of the white American officers, but the locals will never forget the sacrifice that black Americans made.
i lived in Bamber Bridge for 20 plus years well after this but even after these years the old hob inn still looks like it did in that photo now but during the war the thatched roof had been removed and replaced with a metal cover to protect from bombing after all it had been in the village for over 400 years, anyway to this day it still has a news paper cutting from that battle framed mounted on its wall
There were similar incidents in Australia and New Zealand, the Battle of Brisbane and the Battle of Manners Street both involved racism by US troops; in the latter they tried to stop Maori troops drinking in a bar.
I can imagine that did not go well for the Americans...
A few things that you have to remember is that the British did not have the same levels of racism and not institutionalised like in the US and we were thankful for the US troops that came over and mostly black troops were sent first to set up the bases so they were the ones we first interacted with. It was common when the white troops turned up they expected the black troops to be treated the same as in the US with segregation and in many places the locals would not stand for it.
It gets worse. I have read that when the invasion landed in France, some of the white troops ended up 'walking out' with French girls. As one does. I gather the French girls were a little stand-offish. But then the second-line troops arrived... The black truckers, drivers, maintenance men, cooks, &c; and the French girls threw themselves at them, leaving the white soldiers seething.
Turns out that in France, "Les Africains" were ELITE troops, and it was a score for a French girl to be seen hanging off a black Army guy's arm.
And the Americans had sent their lower quality troops in first, then followed them with the elite troops - exactly as the French would do. Of course they did.
Sad to say the British government did initially agree to this segregation to appease their American counter parts, in the main the British public did not. the British army and navy also did not segregate volunteers from the commonwealth country's although they could not be commissioned as officers The RAF on the other hand not only did not segregate personal but also because pilots were considered officers any commonwealth pilots were made officers. Many African Caribbean pilots volunteered and were made officers and flew in bomber crews made up with not only British but other volunteers from other country's including American volunteers before America joined the war.
I live in Chorley Lancashire & live & can drive though bamber bridge. Lived here all my life & never heard of this.
I was tort about WW2 in history class , but this was never brought up
We have a local story of something similar (on a smaller scale) happening at Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire. The best bit of the tale is that apparently a white officer came to see one of the elderly female aristocrats and apologised for bringing black soldiers (I think you can all imagine the racist terms he used). The lady responded very politely to basically **** off. 😂
Pass this town quote often. The bridge is sign posted off the motorway
I was born in Bamber Bridge in 1950. My mum told me about this when I was a kid.
I lived near Bamber Bridge for many years. I am proud of the locals. Lancastrians are amazing. I married one.
"Early in the war..." The US weren't 'Early in the war'.
Something like this happened in Australia during WW2.
We British hate this kind of dictatorship , two of my aunts married black USA soldiers and lived a great life! Their kids in university, and doing well. Sorry I did not mention she met him in England!
I’m surprised the video claims it’s the only battle, it happened a couple of times in Australia too
In another video on this subject (I can't remember the name of the channel), it states that some of the arrested soldiers who went on to fight were lynched when they returned to the US, I don't know if this is true but the channel is in favour of giving a true picture of what has happened with regard to race in many different aspects.
This is a prime example of not teaching proper history. We are taught this just like I was taught about segregation in America which was disgusting on every level. My country and it's people at the moment are been called racist because of one woman from America who seems to thinks she is god. It is this event that inspired Martin Luther King. When asked how the English felt about the American soldiers their reply was brilliant but then they sent a bunch of white toe rags. This is why people need to leave history alone it is there to serve as a lesson but as you and I have no way of proving or disapprove the past let it stay there. Segregation however is a sore point because there are people alive who lived through it. Just like the holocaust victims. Human beings have inflicted the worst atrocities on their fellow humans because of some ideology when we all belong to the one race HUMAN RACE. We are born we live we die those three are the only facts we need. Just because someone is not the same colour makes no difference or at least it shouldn't. Evil walks among us to divide us not for our benefit but for theirs.
J Edgar Hoover was part black, John
Interesting, J.Edgar Hoover didn't look mixed - although JEHoover's life as Founder of the FBI probably was. I wonder if things were more straightforward for Presient Herbert Hoover!!?
Ye Olde is pronouned correctly as The Old!
This is just one example of many similar incidents in the UK , Australia, Canada and other now commonwealth countries. The Last Fighting Tommy, Harry Patch's book, also mentions an incident where the local copper knocked out several white U.S. troops in a pub near Bath.
Those black soldiers came from a country with black segregation with black entries and white entries, Britain never had that policy in its history.
My mum told me in crewe cheshire england that the white GIs went out one night and the Black GIs on another Knives involved.
The Battle of Brisbane was similar. US MPs tried to arrest a US soldier for being out drinking and some Aussie troops came to the soldiers defense and kicked off a riot against the US MPs. The colour of the soldier wasn’t the reason, but it was still a battle between allies.
Why do Aussies try to make stuff all about them? You do this all the time.
Main character syndrome much.
Very telling ....we only learn history when it suits us .....
Not a matter of it suiting us when to was shadow banned for the most part. I was born here only a few years after WWII and had no idea.
They were glamourous American soldiers, but respectful to their hosts, whats not to like.
Yank tourists still come over here "trying" to tell us what is what!😂😂😂😂 🏴
The British natives were impressed by the good manners of the black US troops. We were already fighting against non-British who went into other countries and laid down their own rules - i.e. the Nazis, and we were not going to tolerate it it from anyone here. A top brass US Officer went into the pubs in Bamber Bridge, to tell the publicans not to serve black men. One publican said to the Officer 'Are you having a drink?' He said no, so he was told to get out of my pub! That's when the 'Black Troops Only' signs were put up. The British won't be dictated to, especially when it is to the detriment of fairness and decency. The American Brass were told by the British to sort out their petty differences and problems because it was harming relations. Having said that, there were many white US servicemen welcomed into British homes and treated as friends.
Ironic given we had an empire based on forcing our rules on others. Certainly shows what the regular British person tended to believe in and that British fair play and decency came from regular people rather than the higher ups.
@aaropajari7058 not really, we mainly left the natives to it, unless you object to us stopping widows being burnt to death on their husbands funeral piers.
@@JohnImrie well that would depend on what example if you want to use. It's easy to cherry pick.
@@aaropajari7058 You are right. It did come mainly from the people below the higher ups.
@@777petew Indeed. And something to be proud of.
Like the riot in Bristol over the departure of black American troops in 1945...so beloved that they had to be snuck out in the night. A far cry from the treatment they received at home where trains carrying black troops across America were shot at by American farmers, and where German POWs were allowed to eat in places black soldiers were banned. We've had our misbehavioirs like anyone but good grief.
there was a little segregation in the british army too, but just between the top officers.
there were indian officers that would treat other indian officers as lesser if they came from certain parts of india, then when they went to africa the white ifficers would treat them the same way they treated other indians.
but reportedly outside the officers tents where this happened, you could often see regular troops from all across the empire and occupied countries having shooting tournaments to see whos better.
To Amand your observation on logistics support: the Russians had one support person for every seven combat soldiers. Russian soldiers were not expected to survive long enough to require more support.
You have to remember that most people in England had never met anyone from other parts of the country, let alone people from overseas. So even a Scotsman would attract interest in England. There were at this time young men from all over the world flooding into the country - Free French and Polish along with Commonwealth and American. With their own young men away fighting, civilians took these interesting young men into their homes and befriended them. It was more than just war brides. My grandparents with their sons away in the army, developed a friendship with a young American who was later killed, leaving them devastated.
Are you sure you're not thinking of the Napoleonic wars? Britain had a global empire for centuries by 1942, with people going to and coming from all over, to say nothing of the World War a couple of decades earlier. I'm sure there were pockets of isolated people in Albion's hills and dales, but "most people in England"? And a Lancashire mill-town three miles from Preston...?
Perhaps the friendliness and interest you mention has a different explanation?
A link to the original video would have been appreciated.
The only story I know is a film called The red Tails. African American. Pilots have the bombers in escort they only stuck to the training. And save many bombers. European Americans saluted them for this
Try "Tuskegee Airmen". Same unit of Mustang fighters. The red tails (and noses!) were to stop idiot bomber gunners from shooting down their own escorts.
FYI Cary Grant & Ann Sheridan in the film "I was a Male War Bride"
There is a UK TV comedy "Goodnight Sweetheart" where the hero knocks out a racist USA GI
The BRITISH were not RACIST, they were interested in meeting Black people, who they had never seen before! AND the US black soldiers were almost all Good people! They had to be!
But I am a Brit so I might be biase.
We have to cut the US some slack. They were new. They only arrived after the other allies had already been fighting for two years...
That has nothing to do with the racism they showed.
Never seen the vid Know your Ally on YT then. explaining to US troops about the UK and its people for those coming here. Funny thing is it mentiond two other allies Russia and China
@@allanmanaged5285 I sympathise with your inability to recognise sarcasm.
This appears to be a very half-hearted expose of of the incident, and only a small part of the whole affair. The notice the locals put up, stating that only blacks were allowed, is not quite correct, for the notice clearly stated that it was White soldiers who were not welcome, due to their frequent bad behaviour, and as such the notice only appeared after the incident.
What you skirted around was the fact that it was the US Military Police who attempted to create laws for the local people, but of which they had absolutely no authority to impose. You would not expect British Military Police to tell American citizens what and what not to do in their own country; and in any case Military Police have no jurisdiction over civilians. Where civilians become involved with military personnel, then both military and local civilian police are required to work together.
There is no question that in many instances during the war, US MP's frequently usurped their authority, and especialy with black troops, and just as often with civilians. Most incidents were brushed under the carpet by the US authorities, and Bamber Bridge was no exception. In the Bamber Bridge incident, no MP was ever charged with the murder of the black soldier, and it seems that no MP involved had to answer any charge. It was a classic cover-up case. If you look through the British newspapers of the period, there are countless reports of American troops causing trouble and being whisked away by their own MPS, with no more said, and no further action!
I live just a few miles from Bamber Bridge ( all my life) it’s a very small town,blink and you’ve passed through it almost. The pub involved is still there,and Still has bullet holes in the walls from the fight. It was known for black soldiers to be killed by fellow American soldiers for going out with the English girls. It was certainly a shock for some to find that over here it could get them hung.😡😡 After the war the good treatment Black soldiers had while in Europe helped them to start the fight to end segregation.
I was born here a few years after WWII and knew nothing about this.
Why is racism always portrayed as being a "down south". thing from the "past"
That is from the 20th century. Now it’s even more of a mess and hit or miss with who you talk to.
I have been to Bamber Bridge from work there were bullet marks i some places