Military Bases to the North of the Country (Yorkshire and Northumberland)
American troops occupied several areas, some of them refitted from British use, others built just for the purpose of training or manoeuvres.
In many, American troops were tasked with building or changing the necessary structures and equipment, moving, afterwards, to the South or abroad, heading to Italy, France, North Africa, etc.
Most of them were occupied, at some point, between 1942 and 1944, by African-American troops.
Where Black Troops and White Troops shared a military base or area, they were completely segregated, which means that they would not sleep in the same buildings, they would not walk on the same side of the street, they would not eat or drink in the same places.
The areas included on this website had, at some point, a military base, but many of them are completely gone, and as time goes by, fewer people remembers their presence, the events, the stories.
Pfc. Curtis Griffin, Cleveland, Ohio; Cpl. Tommie Pendergrass, Washington D.C.; and Pvt. Oscar Hawkins, Lancaster, Ohio, training with a machine gun. Source: Frank E. Bolden Photo Collection WW2
The system to establish the bases entailed the arrival of African-American military first, who would build any necessary infra-structure, prepare equipment and clean the area, and only then White troops would arrive.
We had access to a list produced by an American WW2 veteran, Lieutenant Phillip Grinton, that indicates some of the troops based in the North, including Newcastle, Northumberland and Yorkshire.
Phil Grinton’s List of American troops stationed in Britain during the WW2 – African-American military distribution
The American occupation in Newcastle-upon-Tyne/Northumberland was, mostly, White, although African-American troops would have been present for some menial tasks, like bringing wounded soldiers, unloading cargo from other parts of the country and from abroad, building and demolishing military camps.
It also included the medical facilities, including hospitals and medical trains and the enclosures where the war prisoners were kept.
Due to the loss of records, finding the trail for Black American troops in Newcastle and Northumberland is difficult, but several of our contributors refer to Black Americans in the area, which were different from the Indian, Caribbean or African troops that were found in those areas as-well.
Many Black troops were in charge of guarding prisoners, so they could be stationed at European Theatre of Operations Prisoner of War Enclosure No 6 (American Records), also designated No 18 (British Records).
For black nurses, the assignment to take care of German POWs—to tend to Nazis—was deeply unwelcome. To the African-American women who had endured the arduous process of being admitted into the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, this assignment felt like a betrayal. They volunteered to serve to help wounded American soldiers, not the enemy.’
Source: The Army’s First Black Nurses Were Relegated to Caring for Nazi Prisoners of War | Smithsonian (smithsonianmag.com)
Source: Lt Florie E. Gant Nurse ETO HOSPITAL (NARA)
- HQ Eastern Base Section, Detachment C, Provost Marshal
- 22 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, HQ & HQ Battery
- 573 Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion, HQ & HQ Co
- 22 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, Headquarters
- 321 Fighter Control Squadron
Haltwhistle
- 250 Field Artillery Battalion, Battery C
- European Theatre of Ops Prisoner of War Encl No 18
https://fabulousnorth.com/featherstone-park-prisoner-of-war-camp/
Although there is no record of African-American troops, Newcastle was a relevant place in terms of American occupation, as it included the HQ Eastern Base Section, the 22 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, including its headquarters, the 321 Fighter Control Squadron, the 573 Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion, the 22 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, the 321 Fighter Control Squadron, the 573 Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion, Haltwhistle’s 250 Field Artillery Battalion and the European Theatre of Ops Prisoner of War Encl No with the 440 Prisoner of War Processing Company and one of the 14 hospital trains, stopping in North Shields, making this area of importance in terms of military diversity and forces. And notwithstanding the fact that records do not show African-American troops, there are recorded sights of those troops.
As troops were segregated (White troops would not mix with Black ones), it is plausible to say that it could be the case where Black ones would load and unload new arrivals on trains, including prisoners and patients.
There is reference to Searchlights in several publications and websites in the Tyneside area, operated by the Royal Artillery and the Northumberland Fusiliers, but later it was occupied by the 225th Anti Aircraft Artillery (Searchlight Batallion) USA.
If information related to the 225th places them only in Newcastle and Blyth, overlooking the fact that the 827 men from the Skylighters had also been in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, (information collected from Gavin Purdon’s book ‘Radar Warriors) then, along with people’s testimonies, it is plausible that African-American troops had been in County Durham and Newcastle as-well, even if it was for a short period of time.
More than 200 areas, between Durham and Yorkshire, had been recorded by Germany as possible and interesting targets, collecting data, including detailed maps of the areas, photos and targeting buildings and other advantageous strategic points.
Blyth, Northumberland, that still holds ‘the most intact and accessible coastal defence battery left on the North East and Yorkshire coastline’, was one of these strategic points, where 827 Americans were stationed operating a skylighter.
Several people told us that they had heard about African-Americans in the area, but without records available, we were not able to confirm this.
(Source: https://www.blythtown.net/blyth-battery)
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File recovered from Germany showing the photo and the map covering Blyth as a potential target of interest
(Source: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/122211267)
North Shields
Included the 10th Hospital Train
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During the WW2, the usual method of transporting patients from the Evacuation Hospitals in the combat zone to General Hospitals in the Communications Zone was by means of Hospital Trains.
Thinking outside the box, when confronted with lack of options to create these hospital trains, British Railways converted old passenger cars and diners into hospital cars. ‘When completed, a Hospital Train would consist of 14 wagons, 7 of which were ward cars equipped to accommodate from 250 to 317 casualties, depending on whether they were litter, ambulatory, or mental cases. The pharmacy car was the most important component possessing a detailed O.R. with all the necessary equipment; the rest of the Hospital Train consisted of a kitchen car and sleeping quarters for the medical staff. Where British Hospital Trains were dependent upon the locomotive for heat, light, and other necessities, these trains each carried an independent power plant to keep them operational on railway sidings when the locomotive was detached for other uses. The very first Hospital Train procured from the British on 24 March 1943 was mainly used for training purposes until such time that more Hospital Trains could be acquired for evacuation of patients within the United Kingdom. The FIRST Hospital Train obtained for use with the US Army Forces stationed in the British Isles was received on 2 June 1943 and by 1 September 1943, 15 Hospital Trains were operational in the United Kingdom. North Shields, Northumberland, hosted the 10th hospital train, in 1944. |
Source: https://www.med-dept.com/articles/the-hospital-train-in-the-e-t-o-1944-1945/)
In this video on the National Archives Catalog website, patients are transported from the ships to the ambulances, and from them.
(source: National Archives Catalog)
Map Yorkshire Ridings Areas 1974:
Yorkshire, East Riding
Hull
- 17 Special Service Company, 3 Platoon
| The 17 Special Service Company, 3 Platoon provided entertainment services for black GIs assigned to the USAAF.
The Special Services Company provided “recreational and informational services to troops serving in a theatre of operations”. Its functions included live shows, cinemas, libraries, dance bands, parties, and athletic events. War Department, FM 28-105 The Special Service Company, (Washington, D.C.: War Department, 5 January 1944), 1. Note that “Special” was a flexible term to the U.S. Army. There were also Engineer Special Service regiments and battalions, and Special Staff Sections, but they had nothing to do with entertainment. They were also different from the United Services Organization – the USO. The USO was a non-military, government funded civilian organization that provided wide-ranging services to soldiers and sailors in the U.S. and overseas. In the ETOUSA the military end of it were 22 USO Units comprised of one officer and two enlisted men who provided technical support, liaison, and drivers for USO shows in Britain and later on the Continent. |
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In the ETOUSA the Special Services Company was assigned in various ways. As of 1 June 1944, there were 14 Special Services Companies in the ETOUSA. One was “Colored”, the 17th, and was attached to the USAAF, but responsible for entertaining all black units in Britain. Of the 13 white Special Services Companies, one was assigned to the Western Base Section, eight to the Forward Echelon, Communications Zone, and the remaining four to the Advance Section, Communications Zone.’
(information kindly provided by our super contributor Richard Anderson, including the technical details about the troops below).
These were Black troops only:
- 498 Port Battalion (Transportation Corps), HQ & HQ Det * (CO Lieutenant Colonel A. F. McCaleb, 9 Officers and 26 men)
- 498 Port Battalion (Transportation Corps), 254 Port Co * (CO 2d Lieutenant D. J. Duff, 4 Officers and 209 men)
- 498 Port Battalion (Transport Corps), 257 Port Company * (CO 1st Lieutenant G. W. Gierhart, 5 Officers and 213 men)
- 498 Port Battalion (TC), HQ & HQ Detachment *
- 498 Port Battalion TC, 255 Port Company * (CO 1st Lieutenant T. D. Lee, 7 Officers and 210 men)
- 498 Port Battalion TC, 256 Port Company * (CO 1st Lieutenant J. R. Rose, 3 Officers and 214 men)
- 856 Quartermaster Fumigation & Bath Company (M) (-) * (included 3 white officers and 83 black enlisted men
- 1517 Quartermaster Truck Battalion (-), HQ & HQ Det *
- 1517 Quartermaster Truck Battalion, 2024 QM Trk Co *
- 1517 Quartermaster Truck Battalion, Medical Det *
- 856 Quartermaster Fumigation & Bath Company (M), (-) *
Cottingham, Hull
This was one of the largest concentrations of African-American troops North of the country, although it was not solely occupied by them, but also included several White American troops.
It had been defined by Germany has one of their targets and a folder of documents with maps and photos showed that several areas had been pinpointed, including St Andrews Dock (Source: National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/id/122211753)
Holmes
- 41 Signal Construction Battalion, Company A *
Yorkshire, West Riding
Potters Hill
The camp was initially constructed for the British Army and only later was handed over to the Americans. Following their departure the site became a POW Camp.
Both troops included above were all-Black.
‘This unit, the 1515 Quartermaster Truck Battalion 1945 Truck Company, contained Black or African-American troops. African Americans served bravely and with distinction in every theater of World War II, while simultaneously struggling for their own Civil rights from -the worlds- greatest democracy. Although the United States Armed Forces were officially segregated until 1948, WWII laid the foundation for post-war integration of the military. In 1941 fewer than 4,000 African Americans were serving in the military and only twelve African Americans had become officers. By 1945, more than 1.2 million African Americans would be serving in uniform on the Home Front, in Europe, and the Pacific (including thousands of African American women in the Women’s auxiliaries)’
(source: https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/support-troops/quartermaster/support12227/126756-st-10189.html)
Potters Hill also included White American troops:
The 191 Medical Dispensary (Aviation), the 13 Replacement Control Depot, Squadron C, the 331 Station Complement Squadron (this squadron was also in Bamber Bridge, being divided and positioned in other places of the country), the 591 Army Postal Unit, the 1515 Quartermaster Truck Bn, 1938 QM Truck Co. the 17 Replacement Control Depot, Squadron O, and 17 Replacement Control Depot, Squadron R .
Close Modal
Object number: UPL 16979
Object number: UPL 16980 – Aerial view of the Camp
Object number: UPL 18908 – Post-war aerial view, Potters Hill.
Source: https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/place/potters-hill
Wortley
A Reserve Ammunition Dump in South Yorkshire, to the west of Barnsley and north of Sheffield.
Advance Ammunition Parks used by the RAF were often enlarged to include USAAF munitions. These dumps which might exploit natural cave systems or dense woodland, also included concrete structures as a means of protection. Some were also used to store poison gas bombs or chemical weapons.
Wortley Hall was requisitioned by the RAF for use initially as the Headquarters for the operation of the site. Hence it giving its name to the site. Some US Officers were initially billeted in there. The munitions store stretched from Grenoside to near to Shepley. The site at Scout Dike was the main accommodation site and eventually the whole operational HQ and accommodation was transferred there in late 1943.
The site was initially fully commissioned by the RAF on April 10th 1942. It began its transfer to US forces in July 1942 and was fully adopted by the US Ordnance Corps on 1 October 1942. Hand over to the 8th Air Force was made in July 1943.
According to the American Air Museum, ‘The 65th Ordnance Company were the first Aviation ammunition Unit to arrive in the UK, doing so on 11th June 1943. They were set to immediate work establishing the first Aviation Ordnance Section in a General Service Depot, at Burtonwood. They were briefly transferred to Barnham before being moved to Wortley, Yorkshire to man the first depot to accept AF munitions in quantity from the US. This Unit was the first African American Unit to arrive in England! Its arrival being the subject of an FBI document, relating to a press release, downplaying the arrival of ‘negro’ troops.’
