In 1944, as part of the preparations for D-Day, the UK saw a vast influx of allied troops assembling for training and in readiness for the landings.

Pontypool was no exception, and the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion arrived in February.

What was unusual was that the 320th were a Black battalion, part of the segregated US army, and the first Black servicemen to see action on D-Day.  The job of the 320th was to erect the hydrogen-filled barrage balloons over Omaha and Utah beaches, to defend the soldiers and landing crafts and protect against strafing from enemy aircraft.

The 621 men of the Battalion were some of the 130,000 Black US troops in Britain. There were calls for them to be kept segregated from the local population but, once here, the troops found a very different country, with different attitudes, to the one they were used to. Generally speaking, they were welcomed. Their determination to continue their struggles for civil rights after the war has been partly attributed to the freedoms they experienced in the UK and Europe.

The Battalion received a commendation for their services, and one of their medics, Waverley B. Woodson jr, was recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honour, the highest award. He was instead awarded the Bronze Star, the fourth highest award.

No African American soldier in the Second World War was awarded the Medal of Honour.

Hear the words of poet Alex Wharton put to music on the plains of Pontypool park.

Rosanne

My Girl’s Name’s Rosanne

First kissed her on manor way

She took me by the hand, said I’m a handsome man

Lord thank you for that day.

 

Living in a town named Pontypool,

Where the hills are green and the rivers are cool,

The worry of war makes my belly roll,

But they’re calling me a hero,

 

I’ve been in the pubs where the man are white,

They pat me on the back and say I’m alright,

I’ve been thinking ‘bout France every night,

I don’t wanna go, I don’t wanna fight,

 

My Girl’s Name’s Rosanne

First kissed her on manor way

She took me by the hand, said I’m a handsome man

Lord thank you for that day.

 

I wrote you a letter so you know that I’m safe,

Don’t worry bout me mother,

I wish you could see the smile on my face,

I wish you could meet my lover,

 

They say that we’ll be leaving in a couple of days,

Our boats are on the sea,

If this is this is the last time you hear from me,

Just know that I’ve been set free,

 

My Girl’s Name’s Rosanne

First kissed her on manor way

She took me by the hand, said I’m a handsome man

Lord thank you for that day.

 

My Girl’s Name’s Rosanne

First kissed her on manor way

She took me by the hand, said I’m a handsome man

Lord thank you for that day.

Thank you for that day, lord thank you for that day