Under Fire: Black Britain in Wartime 1939-45

by Stephen Bourne

Overview

During the Second World War all British citizens were called upon to do their part for their country. Despite facing the discriminatory ‘colour bar’, many black civilians were determined to contribute to the war effort where they could, volunteering as air-raid wardens, fire-fighters, stretcher-bearers and first-aiders. Meanwhile, black servicemen and women, many of them volunteers from places as far away as Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana and Nigeria, risked their lives fighting for the Mother Country in the air, at sea and on land. 

In Under Fire, Stephen Bourne draws on first-hand testimonies to tell the whole story of Britain’s black community during the Second World War, shedding light on a wealth of experiences from evacuees to entertainers, government officials, prisoners of war and community leaders. Among those remembered are men and women whose stories have only recently come to light, making Under Fire the definitive account of the bravery and sacrifices of black Britons in wartime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750994354
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	04/01/2021
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.08(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

STEPHEN BOURNE is the author of BLACK POPPIES and several other books on the subject of black history. He is a graduate of the London College of Printing and received a MPhil from De Montfort University. In 2008 he worked as a historical consultant on the Imperial War Museum's FROM WAR TO WINDRUSH exhibition. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by London South Bank University in 2017. He lives in South London.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Author's Note 8

Introduction 11

1939 Register of England and Wales 22

1 3 September 1939 41

2 The Colour Bar 47

3 Dr Harold Moody 56

4 Conscientious Objector 61

5 Evacuees 63

6 The Call of the Sea 68

7 The London Blitz 73

8 Liverpool, Cardiff, Manchester and Plymouth 96

9 Keeping the Home Fires Burning 102

10 Ivor Cummings 109

11 Learie Constantine 112

12 The BBC 118

13 Una Marson 135

14 Royal Air Force 140

15 Prisoners of War 151

16 Lilian and Ramsay Bader 159

17 Auxiliary Territorial Service 164

18 'They'll Bleed and Suffer and Die': African American GIs in Britain 172

19 'A Shameful Business':The Case of George Roberts 182

20 Flying Bombs 185

21 Front-Line Films 192

22 Mother Country 199

23 VE Day 203

24 If Hitler Had Invaded 212

Appendix 1 Members of the Royal Air Force in Memoriam 217

Appendix 2 Interviews 223

Notes 233

Further Reading 246

About the Author 251

Index 253