True Life Tuesday: The Battle of Bamber Bridge

This battle took place in England during World War II. However, instead of fighting Nazis the soldiers fought each other.

Bamber Bridge in England was home to the 1511th Quartermaster Truck regiment which was a part of the Eighth Air Force. The soldiers were stationed at Air Force Station 569 which was also called Adam Hall. At the time of the even the US Armed Forces were racially segregated. Most of the members of the regiment were black while all of the officers except one and all of the MPs were white. Racial tensions were already high but they were exacerbated by the Detroit race riots that took place a few days before the incident occurred. Within the town the locals were very supportive of the black soldiers. When US commanders demanded a "colored" bar the 3 pub owners placed "Black Troops Only" signs on their doors.

On the night of June 24, 1943 soldiers of the 1511th Quartermaster Truck regiment were drinking with the local towns folk at the Ye Olde Hob Inn. Two MPs, Corporal Ray Windson and Private 1st Class Ralph Ridgesway responded to reports of trouble at the pub. The MPs had standing orders to arrest anyone out of camp without a pass, who was acting disorderly or were out of uniform. When entering the pub the two MPs saw a black soldier, Private Eugene Nunn, in a field jacket instead of his uniform. They asked him to step outside which caused an argument between the MPs and the locals who supported the black soldiers. Staff Sergeant William Boyd, who was black, ended up diffusing the situation and the MPs left. Back at the base they spoke with Captain Julius Hirst and Lieutenant Gerald Windsor who told them to go back and arrest the black soldiers. A group of MPs found the soldiers on Station Road as they were returning to the base. A fight broke out and the MPs opened fire. They hit Private William Crossland in the back killing him.

Some of the injured soldiers returned to the base. As the story circulated panic that the MPs were killing black soldiers spread. Acting CO Major George Heris and Lieutenant Edwin Jones, the only black officer, tried to calm the situation. Around midnight a group of MPs arrived in a bunch of Jeeps including one that was an improvised armored car. The black soldiers armed themselves with rifles and went into town where they warned the towns folk to stay inside. The British police would state that the MPs set up a roadblock and ambushed the soldiers. Around 4am on June 25th the fighting ceased. At the end of the violence an officer, 3 black soldiers and an MP were shot and two other MPs were beaten, 

Eventually 32 black soldiers faced court martial. and were convicted of mutiny and other crimes. None of the MPs were were charges, including the one who shot Private Crossland in the back. Sentences for the soldiers ranged from 3 months to 15 years. Some of the men were also dishonorably discharged. Some of the men returned to duty in June 1944. The commander of the Eighth Air Force, General Ira Eaker, blamed poor leadership and racist attitudes by the MPs as the reason for the violence He took steps to combine the trucking units into one command and he also integrated the MP patrols. As a result the morale of the black soldiers stationed in England improved. 

Reports of the riot were highly censored. Newspapers only mentioned that some violence occurred. Interest in the event increased when a maintenance worker found bullet holes in the walls of Bamber Bridge in the 1980s. In 2009 a documentary, Choc'late Soldiers From the USA was made. Also in June 2013 the University of Central Lancashire held a symposium on the 70th anniversary of the event. Finally, in June 2022 a memorial garden was built opposite the pub where the incident began.