American Servicemen and their attitude towards British Colonial Servicemen ?

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
I am interested to hear views about American troops and Airmen's attitude towards British and Commonwealth Troop and Airmen who just happened to be of colour. Did they react to them in the same way as they are reported to have treated American coloured Servicemen. Or did they just treat them as British and acceptable ?
I do not want to start any racist discussion as British Servicemen were quite a mixture to start with added to which we also had Commonwealth Servicemen I wondered if the American reaction was the same towards these troops as to their own ? From what I have read they had no problem mixing with British or Commonwealth Servicemen, was this true ?
Thanks
Alex

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I've not read of any racial tensions between American and Empire troops. I don't know how much they served alongside each other, though.

 

[Alex Smart]

I've not read of any racial tensions between American and Empire troops. I don't know how much they served alongside each other, though.

Thank you for your response, most grateful. I was thinking about the social side, not when in combat situations though.

 

[Jabberwocky]

West Indian servicemen (and women) in the UK were known to have a hard time from US servicemen (and from the British too, but to a notably lesser extent).

From Race, Empire and British Wartime National Identity, 1939-1945

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As early as June 1942 (the first troops arrived in the late winter of 1941-2) the Colonial Office began hearing complaints about how white Americans treated black Britons. The presence of the Americans in any Service hostel made it impossible for colonial servicemen to enter. ​

​

Colonial officials anxiously discussed the matter during the summer of 1942. Although John L. Keith of the welfare division wished to inform the Americans of the attitude of tolerance and non-discrimination that he claimed the Colonial Office was trying to foster, his colleagues warned him that it would cause enormous resentment if the British attempted to `educate' the Americans on the matter.​

...​

Incidents of racial discrimination against black Britons either by or in connection with the presence of American troops persisted throughout the war. Beginning in the autumn of 1942 the welfare officers of the Ministry of Labour found themselves preoccupied with the issue.​

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By January 1943, Learie Constantine was reporting a steady deterioration in the relationship of white Americans to `our own Colonial People'. Constantine was himself subject to abuse by an American when he was eating in a restaurant with a white female colleague from the Ministry of Labour. By the summer of 1944 Arnold Watson had become increasingly frustrated that nothing positive was being done to stop the discrimination that West Indians were facing in the Liverpool area.​

...​

Generally, wherever black British subjects encountered white Americans they faced Jim Crow tactics. ​

...​

The most celebrated involved Learie Constantine, who was denied a room at the Bedford Hotel in London on the grounds of race by a manager who claimed that the presence of blacks bothered American officers staying at the hotel.​

​

 

[Alex Smart]

Wow, many thanks for your response. I had no idea that it was so bad. Although I did know that it seemed to be hard for our own people of colour to for instance join the woman's land army, but as the war progressed that attitude did change.

 

[taly01]

... American troops....From what I have read they had no problem mixing with British or Commonwealth Servicemen, was this true ?

No During WW2 American and Australian troops in Australia had alot of fights, including some involving gunfire (up to 50cal !)and beatings. One incident famously labelled the "Battle of Brisbane".

 

[Barrett]

A late flying buddy of mine was in B-26s alongside Australians and South Africans. He said "You had to feed those boys raw meat!"