Author Kate Werran published the book “An American Uprising in Second World War England: Mutiny in the Duchy” in 2020 (July). This is Ms. Werran’s first publication.

I categorize this book as ‘PG’. This is the story of a group of African American soldiers stationed near Launceston, Cornwall, UK. I have seen minor references to this, but this is the first full account I have read of the incident.

Though African Americans served in WWII, they were, for the most part, segregated. They were often subject to various forms of abuse. The 581st Ordnance Ammunition Company was no exception.

Men of the 581st had gone into the small town of Launceston on Sunday, September 26, 1943, to visit some of the local pubs. There was a confrontation with white soldiers. Some men of the 581st retreated to their camp and armed themselves. Returning to Launceston, there was a confrontation with Military Police. MPs were injured after the men of the 581st fired shots during the confrontation. The incident resulted in 14 of the 581st soldiers being Court Martialed.

I thought that the 7.5+ hours I spent reading this 256-page history were interesting. The book paints a picture of the local situation. Many Brits are hostile towards the white Americans because of their attitude. Brits find the African American soldiers much friendlier and more courteous. The Brits do not understand or approve of the segregation they see with US troops. Much of the book covers the trial. The impression you are left with is that the defendants were poorly represented. I like the chosen cover art. I give this book a 3.7 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

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This was an unexpected pleasure to read although the subject matter was both disturbing and shocking.

Kate Werran has done an outstanding job of unearthing new evidence and conducting meticulous research to unearth the truth about one of the most shameful and unedifying incidents of the second world war when a number of black American soldiers mutinied and attacked members of the US military police who were all exclusively white.

This event took place in sleepy Launceston in Cornwall where the soldiers were in training for the D Day landings, but as the author clearly points out relationships between the white and black US soldiers were a ticking time bomb as the American authorities, much to the shock and disgust of the British tried to re-enact the racist Jim Crow laws of segregation that were unfortunately prevalent in the US.

This led to tragedy and death as clashes took place when tempers rose after the black soldiers took offence at being treated like second or third class citizens.

The trial itself is a farce and a fiasco and makes the blood boil at its patent unfairness.

This is an important and highly readable book that rightly brings into the spotlight an incident that many would like to forget.