theliq
Platinum Member
- Banned
- #1
Kelso,Townsville, Australia May 1942..........This Is A Black White Issue,so those who feel a little awkward need not read on.
Over 10,000 Black Americans were deployed in north Queensland,Australia from 1941,mainly used for building and engineering work.!!!!!!!digging trenches etc'.
In May 1942 a Black Army Sergeant had died at the hands of a White superior(I am using the terms Black and White because the term African American was not used back in 1942,as you all know well enough).
There had been frementing anger and skirmish's between the Blacks(who were in fact referred to as ******* by their White superiors(even the word Superior,smacks of intrenched racism but I'll leave that for the reader to ponder) it boiled over on the evening of 22nd of May 42.
Kelso, was not the only place ,there were clashes between Black and White US personnel, at Torrens Creek,Mt Isa and Ingham. That evening the Blacks MUTINIED and the mutineers resolved to kill their commander,Captain Francis Williams of Columbus,Georgia.
They fired several rounds into his tent,Williams managed to escape and staved off certain death by diving into a slit trench,the rebels turned a machine gun on other officers as they fled.There is no record whether any were hit.
No better illustration of the barrier between the races can be found than this:One of the (Negro,another repulsive term)investigators had his pipe shot out of his mouth.
Thousands of Black soldiers fled and went BUSH,creating mayhem.........Roosevelt (who had lived in Western Australia in his mining days years earlier) who was well aware of the problems sent his wife Eleanor to Townsville in 1943,when the first lady dropped in on the newly established North American Services Club in Flinders Street.....it was ironically "a negro only establishment" to her shock.!!!!
On secondment if that's the right word,was non other than future President LBJ,Congressman Johnson had quite a time on his tour down under.He flew to Queensland in an aging US bomber that almost ran out of fuel and crashed in the outback.
The chief investigator of the incedents was Australian Albert Sherrod,Johnson befriended him and "borrowed" the report and never returned it saying it was lost.Hummmmm Politicians.
It was infact given to Roosevelt, and as like all aspiring politicians Johnson wanted to impress his boss.(the original report was given to an historian in 2002 by The LBJ PRESIDENTIAL LIBARY)
The Black soldiers were eventually returned to barracks by the Australians,and were shipped off to New Guinea with the 51st Australian Regiment who were defending Australia with Americas help against the Japanese, help which in this nation was gratefully accepted.
It was a low period for the Standards of the American Military and there was real hatred on both sides...thankfully a thing of the past.
I personally found this factual account most interesting and I hope you all may do.....we thankfully live in a more reasoned time.....Thank GOD. theliq
Over 10,000 Black Americans were deployed in north Queensland,Australia from 1941,mainly used for building and engineering work.!!!!!!!digging trenches etc'.
In May 1942 a Black Army Sergeant had died at the hands of a White superior(I am using the terms Black and White because the term African American was not used back in 1942,as you all know well enough).
There had been frementing anger and skirmish's between the Blacks(who were in fact referred to as ******* by their White superiors(even the word Superior,smacks of intrenched racism but I'll leave that for the reader to ponder) it boiled over on the evening of 22nd of May 42.
Kelso, was not the only place ,there were clashes between Black and White US personnel, at Torrens Creek,Mt Isa and Ingham. That evening the Blacks MUTINIED and the mutineers resolved to kill their commander,Captain Francis Williams of Columbus,Georgia.
They fired several rounds into his tent,Williams managed to escape and staved off certain death by diving into a slit trench,the rebels turned a machine gun on other officers as they fled.There is no record whether any were hit.
No better illustration of the barrier between the races can be found than this:One of the (Negro,another repulsive term)investigators had his pipe shot out of his mouth.
Thousands of Black soldiers fled and went BUSH,creating mayhem.........Roosevelt (who had lived in Western Australia in his mining days years earlier) who was well aware of the problems sent his wife Eleanor to Townsville in 1943,when the first lady dropped in on the newly established North American Services Club in Flinders Street.....it was ironically "a negro only establishment" to her shock.!!!!
On secondment if that's the right word,was non other than future President LBJ,Congressman Johnson had quite a time on his tour down under.He flew to Queensland in an aging US bomber that almost ran out of fuel and crashed in the outback.
The chief investigator of the incedents was Australian Albert Sherrod,Johnson befriended him and "borrowed" the report and never returned it saying it was lost.Hummmmm Politicians.
It was infact given to Roosevelt, and as like all aspiring politicians Johnson wanted to impress his boss.(the original report was given to an historian in 2002 by The LBJ PRESIDENTIAL LIBARY)
The Black soldiers were eventually returned to barracks by the Australians,and were shipped off to New Guinea with the 51st Australian Regiment who were defending Australia with Americas help against the Japanese, help which in this nation was gratefully accepted.
It was a low period for the Standards of the American Military and there was real hatred on both sides...thankfully a thing of the past.
I personally found this factual account most interesting and I hope you all may do.....we thankfully live in a more reasoned time.....Thank GOD. theliq
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