Reflection on the Battlefield Tour by Professor Alan Rice for the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Bamber Bridge
History walk along the sites of the battle up the main street in Bamber Bridge. Sat 24th June and Sun 25th June 2023
By Bernie Velvick, Preston Black History Group, photos by Tony Maiden, Preston Black History Group.
Visit our Battle of Bamber Bridge webpage to find coverage of the rest of the 80th anniversary weekend events.
Thank you to Prof Alan Rice, professor at UCLAN and Director of the UCLan Research Centre in Migration, Diaspora and Exile (MIDEX) and Co-Director of the Institute for Black Atlantic Research (IBAR) for sharing his academic research, Clinton Smith (Chair, Preston Black History Group), and Danny Lyons, (‘Brigger’ (Bamber Bridge resident), Film maker, Sculptor, and local historian) for sharing their community research to bring the story of the battle to life.
The first history walk took place on the afternoon of the 24th June 2023 during the Battle of Bamber Bridge 80th Anniversary Festival outside Ye Olde Hob Inn, Church Rd, Bamber Bridge. Prof Alan Rice, Danny Lyons and Clinton Smith led a sizeable crowd along the main street, Station Rd, Bamber Bridge, to the site of the 1940s 1511 Quartermasters Regiment US Army base on Mounsey Rd. Alan, Danny, and Clinton shared the story of the battle with the fascinated audience. Alan described the events that started at 10pm on 24th June 1943, lasting for over four hours and resulting in over 400 bullets being fired. There is still one remaining original building left on the site of the camp on Mounsey Rd which belongs to the Royal Airforce Air Cadets and is currently under renovation.
We would like to thank the Lancashire Constabulary South Division Cadets, and the cadet leader, Diane Baldwin, who acted as marshals and helped keep everyone safe along the route.
The second history walk took place on Sunday 25th June when we were able to see the two small ‘guerilla’ memorials, which we assume were placed by Bamber Bridge locals, under the permanent plaque memorial and at the site where Private William Crossland lost his life during the battle.
Recordings were made of Prof Alan Rice’s History Walk of the route of the battle from the permanent memorial outside Ye Olde Hob Inn to the site of the 1511 Quartermasters Regiment camp on Mounsey Rd, Bamber Bridge,
The quality of the recordings is not very good – we at Preston Black History Group are relatively new at oral history recording and we are learning as we go – but you can hear Prof Rice, Clinton Smith and Danny Lyons’ commentaries which add details of the academic and community research that has been part of establishing an accurate narrative for the story of the battle.
Beginning of the walk by the memorial plaque in the garden outside the ‘Hob’.
‘Guerilla’ memorial placed under the Battle of Bamber Bridge memorial plaque outside Ye Olde Hob Inn, Church Rd, Bamber Bridge Beginning of the history walk by the memorial plaque in the garden outside the ‘Hob’.
2nd part outside Eunice Byers (Byers Grocers Shop in 1943) house on Station Rd Bamber Bridge
3rd part outside the Air Training Corp hut, Mounsey Rd, Bamber Bridge
4th part corner of Mounsey Rd and Station Rd, Bamber Bridge
5th part on Station Rd, round corner from Mounsey Rd, Bamber Bridge
End of walk on corner of Cooperative St and Station Rd, Bamber Bridge
End of History Walk, corner of Cooperative St and Station Rd, Bamber Bridge ‘Guerilla’ memorial for Private William T Crossland who lost his life in the Battle of Bamber Bridge, 24th June 1943
This research is ongoing and aims to lead to a reassessment of the official US Army Court-martials that branded black US Servicemen as Mutineers. A reassessment that recognises the poor leadership from the white officers, the white MP’s harassment of black troops for minor transgressions, and the many compassionate and heroic acts of the black servicemen during the battle which will put their contribution to the fight against fascism in its rightful place.
Preston Black History Group and UCLAN film and media students collaborated on a video recording of the commemoration events and interviewed many of the main participants and partners. These recordings of events from the weekend will be made into a documentary about the commemoration. Thank you to the students and lecturers who gave their time and expertise to help us make this possible
Coverage from US Public Radio and US Press of the 80th Anniversary
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/21/1183045605/black-army-soldiers-england-wwii-battle
Visit our Battle of Bamber Bridge webpage to find coverage of the rest of the anniversary weekend events
