Battle of Bamber Bridge
History & Significance
The Battle of Bamber Bridge is the name given to an outbreak of racial violence involving American soldiers stationed in the village of Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, in northern England in 1943, during the Second World War.
Tensions had been high following a failed attempt by U.S. commanders to racially segregate pubs in the village, and worsened after the 1943 Detroit race riot. The battle started when white American military police (MPs) attempted to arrest several Black soldiers from the racially segregated 1511th Quartermaster Truck Regiment for being out of uniform, a violation of the US Army Code of Conduct, in the Ye Olde Hob Inn public house in Bamber Bridge.
Amid a confrontation on the street afterwards that turned violent, a white MP shot and killed Private William Crossland. More military police then arrived armed with machine guns and grenades, and black soldiers armed themselves with rifles from their base armoury. Both sides exchanged fire through the night. In the end, a court martial convicted 32 African American soldiers of mutiny and related crimes, and they received sentences ranging from three months to 15 years. However, following a review of the case, one man was released and the sentences for the rest were reduced. The last soldier convicted in the case was released after serving 13 months.
During the Second World War, Bamber Bridge hosted American servicemen from the 1511th Quartermaster Truck Regiment, part of the Eighth Air Force. Their base, Air Force Station 569 (nicknamed "Adam Hall"), was on Mounsey Road, part of which still exists now as home to 2376 (Bamber Bridge) Squadron of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. The 1511th Quartermaster Truck was a logistics unit, and its duty was to deliver materiel to other Eighth Air Force bases in Lancashire. The 234th US Military Police Company was also in the village, on its north side.
Racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces was strictly enforced and the 1511th Quartermaster Truck Regiment was composed almost entirely of black enlisted men. All but one of the unit's officers and all the MPs were white. Military commanders tended to treat Army service units as "dumping grounds" for less competent officers and the leadership in the unit was poor.
Racial tensions were exacerbated by the Detroit race riot of 1943 earlier that week, which had led to 34 deaths, of which 25 were black.
According to Anthony Burgess, the people of Bamber Bridge supported the black troops and when US commanders demanded a colour bar in the village, all three pubs reportedly posted "Black Troops Only" signs, although Harold Pollins found no information of this and deemed Burgess' story of the troops arming themselves with machine guns incorrect.
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of Bamber Bridge lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.
Frequently Asked Questions
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- Battle of Bamber Bridge · Wikipedia