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An American Uprising in Second World War England: Mutiny in the Duchy Kindle Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 55 ratings

The shocking story of a WWII shootout between black and white GIs in a quiet Cornish town that put the British-US “special relationship” on trial.

On September 26, 1943, racial tensions between American soldiers stationed in Cornwall erupted in gunfire. Labelled a ‘wild west’ mutiny by the tabloids, it became front page news in Great Britain and the USA. For Americans, it bolstered a fast-accelerating civil rights movement, while in the UK, it exposed unsettling truths about Anglo-American relations.

With new archival research, journalist Kate Werran pieces together the shocking drama that authorities tried to hush up. Her narrative examines everything from the controversy of American segregation on British soil to the shocking event itself and the resulting court martial.

Extracted from wartime cabinet documents, secret government surveys, opinion polls, diaries, letters and newspapers as well as testimony from those who remember it, this story offers a rare window into a little-known dark side of the ‘American Invasion.’

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...illuminates a neglected corner of the Second World War and the special relationship."
The Times

"This book offers a good look at the sorry state of race relations in the U.S. Army during World War II, and sadly it would take almost another decade after that war before the Army and the other armed forces were fully de-segregated. The author has researched her topic well... Those readers who are interested in race relations or in World War II in general will find much to enjoy in this volume."
The Journal of America's Military Past

"That this racism was allowed to play itself out on British soil is a stain on the record of Britain’s government, with its cowardly failure to protect not just British law, but also the many black British and colonial subjects who found themselves caught up in the hostile attitudes of white Americans. For a short while, such global race politics were concentrated in a town in wartime Cornwall, and this is what makes Werran’s book so fascinating."
The Guardian

“An astonishing, inherently fascinating, meticulously researched bit of World War II history…”
Midwest Book Review

"Werran's book is among the first to ask uncomfortable questions about the 'greatest generation' mythology. Sadly, it confirms the prevalence of the US military's 'baked-in' racism, especially as regards the aftereffects of the court-martial."
Michigan War Studies Review

About the Author

After reading History at Oxford University, Kate Werran wrote for local and national newspapers before switching to television where she worked for one of Britain’s leading independent documentary makers, producing 20th Century history programmes for Channel 4, Channel 5 and the BBC. Kate is especially passionate about writing this story because it has been a life-long interest. One summer as a child, holidaying in her father’s home town, Kate put her fingers in decades-old bullet-holes left in a war monument one night and asked the question: Why? Finally, she can attempt to answer it.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B086K125WC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword History (July 19, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 19, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 9.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 257 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 55 ratings

About the author

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Kate Werran
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After reading history at Oxford University, Kate wrote for local and national newspapers before switching to television where she worked for one of Britain’s leading independent documentary makers. Here she produced critically acclaimed 20th Century history programmes about subjects ranging from Churchill’s ‘war’ with his generals, the death of Diana and the Abdication Crisis to films about the Falklands conflict, the Miners’ Strike and Live Aid for Channel 4, Channel 5 and the BBC. This is her first book.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
55 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2023
    This gripping story reveals ugly truths about the US Army during World War II. For Black soldiers in a segregated Army functioning under the laws of Jim Crow, life was often marginalized, limiting, restrictive, and demeaning. The book tells the story of what happens when men are diminished by power. The only reason it received 4 stars, not 5, is the book would benefit from editing to eliminate wordiness and repetition.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2021
    not much info about the riot just a long diatribe about race relations in the deep south.

Top reviews from other countries

  • nolongeradoc
    5.0 out of 5 stars An important piece of history
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2021
    This is a really good read about a wartime event - and the background to it - which few know about.

    The 'uprising' - a sleepy 1943 Cornish market town shoot out between African American non-combat troops and white military police (with the assistance, or at least connivance of British Royal Engineer soldiers) and the ensuing court-martial, is the canvas on which the author paints a fascinating account of formalised US Army racist policies towards African-American soldiers in WW2. The surprising reactions of British Army soldiers and the British public of the time - particularly in the context of Great Britain's Empire heritage - is really the heart of this story.. The author has well researched the American cover-up of this shameful episode as well as the discomfort of British politicians who tried to ignore it.

    If you ever wondered whether the relationship between GI Joe and Private Tommy Atkins in the run-up to D-Day was really as good as popular history claims, then this book sheds some worthwhile light.

    It's rare to find a good new book on any WW2 topic of significance - or one incorporating so much original research. This one is well written, interesting and historically important.
  • Janet
    1.0 out of 5 stars Sorry I can't do that at the moment.
    Reviewed in Australia on November 29, 2020
    I can't comment on this book at this precise moment as my husband is reading it.
  • Mr Henry Zoo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2020
    All good,quick delivery
  • secretlemonade
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting subject matter especially juxtaposed to today's socio-economic context
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2020
    I found the book to be well written and engaging. Kate Werran is not burdened with the production of turgid pose produced by a number of academics. A great read and thoroughly recommended.
  • Mark Stevenson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2020
    Fascinating insight into a hidden and neglected side to the American involvement whilst in the UK prior to DDay.... very well written and researched

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