A chance discovery, and a most unlikely place
Launceston, England once housed U.S. troops and was the center of an unfortunate race relations altercation that resulted in the court-martialing of 14 African-American soldiers.
Ever since I was young boy I have been absorbed by books, especially on the subject of military history. This continued into adulthood and today I still enjoy reading about military history. My wife will tell you I have always got my head in a book. I like to learn about other people’s points of view on history and the only way to do that is by reading.
It was while reading Donald L. Miller’s book titled Eighth Air Force: The American Bomber Crews in Britain (2006) that I came across an account of an event quite by chance. The book is a masterful work and critically acclaimed. Now, I don’t read that many books on aviation history, but I’m glad I read this particular title, because in it the author refers to a little-known incident which occurred in the small Cornish town of Launceston on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 26 1943. Intrigued by what I had read in Miller’s book, I decided to do some research of my own into the affair.
I had never visited Launceston and I learned that the town dates back properly to the 10th century and developed into a market town. It is mentioned in many official records, but it appears that nothing of great significance occurred until the building of the castle in the 11th century. This was later fought over in 1643 and again in 1646 during the English Civil War. The castle eventually fell into disuse until 300 years later when during the First World War the British military established a military hospital in the grounds. In 1943 it was returned to the same purpose when a U.S. military hospital was established on the same grounds.
Among the U.S. units to move into the area around Launceston by 1943 was 2nd Battalion 115th Infantry Regiment, which would serve with the 29th Infantry Division during the Normandy Campaign. Another unit was the 581st Ordnance Ammunition Company, which was comprised mainly of African-American troops, billeted in Pennygillam Camp to the west of the town. Being in such close proximity in a confined area with limited amenities for relaxation, tensions between units were inevitable as each sought to utilize what was available. In an effort to ease the situation, General Eisenhower himself suggested that “Black” and “White” units visit these amenities on alternate evenings. It appeared to work in the town until that fateful evening in September 1943.
Miller mentions how it was on that evening a group of Black soldiers had gone into a “…whites only section of the pub [bar]…” and quietly left on being refused. It would appear that they were not satisfied with the situation because, as Miller describes, they returned later armed with weapons, including rifles and bayonets. At around 10:20 p.m. they came face to face with Military Police and troops from the 115th Regiment in the town square. The MPs ordered them to disperse, but they were fired on by men from the 581st OAC. It was a brief incident, perhaps over in a couple of minutes, according to one witness.
Some accounts I came across during my research indicate that perhaps as many as 50 African-American troops had been involved. Shots were exchanged by both sides and a witness later stated he thought between 40 and 50 shots were fired. One employee from a hotel in the town ushered three men to safety through the building. Remarkably, casualties were light, but the incident did leave one man dead: Private William Cosland of the 581st OAC. News of the incident spread and national and local newspapers carried the story, with some referring to it as “The Battle of Bamber Bridge”. There were other seemingly more important events to fill the pages of newspapers at the time, including the British mini-submarine attack against the German warship Tirpitz, and the Launceston incident was soon forgotten.
However, as I discovered what happened in Launceston was far from being an isolated incident and other similar exchanges occurred at locations around England. For example, there was a confrontation involving men from the 82nd Parachute Division in Leicestershire. These were generally downplayed for reasons of morale. Following the episode at Launceston, a court-martial was convened in the nearby town of Paignton. Fourteen African-American soldiers were put on trial, facing charges ranging from murder to mutiny. The verdicts and sentences were not reported in the press at the time, but records today show that all the men were found guilty, with some being sentenced to up to 20 years hard labor.
The story as related in Miller’s book takes up only a few lines, but I found it fascinating and decided I had to make a trip to find out more. Planning was not a problem and the route to Launceston was just around 100 miles. My favorite chauffeur, namely my long-suffering wife, agreed to join me on the trip. While I can drive, my wife prefers that I map read and act as guide. We set out on our journey, complete with our dog Tuppence as company, covering the distance in good time. The grounds of Launceston Castle are near the town center, and after parking we made our way there to see where the hospital had been located. The castle and grounds are administered by an organization called English Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk), which maintains more than 350 historical sites across England, including many castles.
Upon entering the grounds we were directed to a small display of historical artifacts discovered on the site that are now displayed to explain the history of the castle. The exhibition also included a brief summary of events I had been researching on the shooting incident. Wandering around the grounds and the castle, which is in ruins but still interesting, I couldn’t help but wonder if any of the U.S. troops ever explored the site. If they did, what did they think? All traces of the where the hospital was have long since disappeared, but we were near where events of that night in September 1943 unfolded.
Leaving the grounds, of the castle we walked into the town square, where the drama unfolded and concluded with several casualties and the death of Private Cosland. The square is a small area and it not changed over the years, so it was easy to piece together how the action would have been over in minutes as the witness stated. The only evidence to be seen that anything involving violence had ever taken place is evident on the front of the White Hart Hotel which faces onto the square. Apparently, bullets marks are still visible on the fabric of the building, but I couldn’t locate any myself.
Since my visit I have discovered that a book called An American Uprising, written by Kate Werran, which covers the incident, has been published. I have ordered a copy and at the time of writing I am waiting for delivery. Launceston today is a quiet town and a most unassuming place, making it hard to believe such an incident could ever have happened there. Recorded evidence shows otherwise and during my return home I thought how many other similar incidents occurred and have become forgotten with the passage of time.
