Battle of Bamber Bridge

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 African American soldiers from the racially segregated 1511th Quartermaster Truck Regiment for being out of uniform, a violation of the US Army Code of Conduct,^{[clarification needed]} 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.

On the evening of 24 June 1943, soldiers of the 1511th Quartermaster Truck Regiment were drinking with English villagers in Ye Olde Hob Inn. Details of how the incident developed differ between sources. Two MPs, Corporal Roy A. Windsor and Private First Class Ralph F. Ridgeway, responded to a report of trouble at a pub. It was closing time, and the barmaid had refused a drink to the soldiers. The MPs had standing orders to arrest soldiers who were out of camp without a pass, disorderly, or not in proper uniform. On entering the pub, they encountered one soldier, Private Eugene Nunn who was dressed in a field jacket rather than the required class A uniform, and asked him to step outside. An argument ensued, with local people and British soldiers gathering. One British soldier challenged the MPs, asking "Why do you want to arrest them? They're not doing anything or bothering anybody."