01 Oct Black History Month
This Black History Month we are sharing a local story that ties into the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings that we celebrated earlier this year. During the lead-up to the landings, codenamed Operation Overlord, soldiers were stationed in towns throughout Devon and Somerset in preparation for the assault. Wellington was no exception and hosted a company of American GIs whose ranks included a number of black soldiers.
In a 2005 interview as part of the BBC’s WW2 People’s War (See more here), Wellingtonian Don Smith spoke about what Wellington was like during wartime. Don lived at the Conservative Club from 1939 through to the end of the war, with his mother who was the stewardess of the club. He described how white American soldiers had temporary accommodation within the club (in the billiards room) and how he interacted with them while he was a boy. Of course, in America at this time segregation was in full force, so the black soldiers were forced to camp on the outskirts of town, in the area that is now Pyles Thorne Close.
In his interview Don said, “…during a short period the Dark Americans were in corrugated huts on the outskirt of town. I remember the Three Cups Inn, Mantle Street having a white line in the bar. One night someone stepped over the line and there was one big fight. Just before D-Day a Sgt Pullen in Wellington, who was escort to Joe Louis (I was told), visited all the camps with Dark Americans.”
It is likely that the fight that broke out was exclusively between Americans. Many black GIs actually remarked how they were warmly welcomed to the UK and that the prejudice often came from their white brothers in arms (See more here).
In the eighty years since D-Day we have seen diversity in our nation grow following Windrush and subsequent migration. During this month we ask you to reflect on our history and look towards our future as Wellington becomes more diverse and we have opportunities to learn about and share in the cultures of others.
Picture: GIs manning artillery in Weymouth, Credit Weymouth Reference Library
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