Jun 24, 1943 – Jun 25, 1943
On this day in 1943 black American soldiers faced off with white
American Military police during World War II on British soil. Yes you
read correctly black American soldiers had to fight their own white
American soldiers, while in England, where they were fighting for the
world.
Why? Because the English town of Bamber Bridge in Lancashire was not
segregated so they treated the black soldiers like all other races, aka
blacks were free to eat, drink anywhere, BUT back in America segregation
of blacks and whites still existed. So essentially the American army
went to someone else’s country and demanded they adopted America’s
racist practices.
So when the American Military police found out that their own black
American soldiers were drinking at the same pubs as white people they
went in to arrest them. The people in the town got mad about the
treatment of the black soldiers and decided to then turn their pubs into
“BLACKS ONLY DRINKING PUBS” the very opposite of what was taking place
in America with their WHITES ONLY businesses.
Of course this pissed off the American military so guns went blazing,
and when word spread back at camp that black soldiers had been shot,
scores of men formed a crowd, some carrying rifles and by midnight more
American military police arrived with a machine gun-equipped vehicle, so
the black soldiers had no choice but to get rifles from British stores
while others barricaded themselves back on base, so now it was American
white soldiers versus American black soldiers. This lead to the death of
one solider, injury of 7, and 32 convictions.
Back in America the battle was hushed up because they didn’t want the
country to find out that they were fighting their own soldiers which
would anger the black population and weaken the morale in the country.
You may read about the ill treatment of black American soldiers by their own army in the book FORGOTTEN.
Jun 24, 1943 – Jun 25, 1943
On this day in 1943 black American soldiers faced off with white
American Military police during World War II on British soil. Yes you
read correctly black American soldiers had to fight their own white
American soldiers, while in England, where they were fighting for the
world.
Why? Because the English town of Bamber Bridge in Lancashire was not
segregated so they treated the black soldiers like all other races, aka
blacks were free to eat, drink anywhere, BUT back in America segregation
of blacks and whites still existed. So essentially the American army
went to someone else’s country and demanded they adopted America’s
racist practices.
So when the American Military police found out that their own black
American soldiers were drinking at the same pubs as white people they
went in to arrest them. The people in the town got mad about the
treatment of the black soldiers and decided to then turn their pubs into
“BLACKS ONLY DRINKING PUBS” the very opposite of what was taking place
in America with their WHITES ONLY businesses.
Of course this pissed off the American military so guns went blazing,
and when word spread back at camp that black soldiers had been shot,
scores of men formed a crowd, some carrying rifles and by midnight more
American military police arrived with a machine gun-equipped vehicle, so
the black soldiers had no choice but to get rifles from British stores
while others barricaded themselves back on base, so now it was American
white soldiers versus American black soldiers. This lead to the death of
one solider, injury of 7, and 32 convictions.
Back in America the battle was hushed up because they didn’t want the
country to find out that they were fighting their own soldiers which
would anger the black population and weaken the morale in the country.
You may read about the ill treatment of black American soldiers by their own army in the book FORGOTTEN.Read More
