Books

The following is a list of all the books that provide information about Americans in Bristol in WW2 that I’ve found. Please let me know if you can add to the list by emailing YanksinBristol@gmail.com

Operation Bolero, The Americans in Bristol and the West Country 1942-1945, Ken Wakefield (1994) – An excellent account of the American presence in Bristol from someone who remembered seeing US Army officers on the street. Particularly useful as Wakefield was able to interview Bristolians about lesser known aspects of the war in Bristol and compiled a list of all US units stationed in the West Country.

A Soldier’s Story of the Allied Campaigns from Tunis to the Elbe, Omar N. Bradley (1951) – General Bradley’s account of his command during the Second World War in which he makes a number of references to his time in Bristol.

West at War, James Belsey & Helen Reid (1990) – A fantastic account based on a four part series of the same name from HTV, which uses extensive eye-witness accounts along with many pictures to bring Bristol’s war to life.

Race War, Black American GIs in Bristol and Gloucestershire During World War II, Neil A. Wynn (2008) – A useful account by a professor of 20^th Century American History that draws on numerous accounts to tell the tale of African Americans in Bristol.

Bristol at War (Revised and Updated), John Penny (2010) – As with all of John Penny’s fascinating books on different aspects of the war (Luftwaffe Operations over Bristol 1940-44 and The Air Defence of Bristol 1937-44 to name but two in my collection) this is very well researched and immensely readable. He uses a wide range of sources to tell stories not found in other local history books.

Bristol at War, C.M. MacInnes (1962) – Particularly interesting in that it was published just twenty years after American servicemen started arriving in Bristol. It provides the original accounts quoted in many other local history books and articles but does have a shocking attitude to mixed race relationships. Available to download for free online here

When Jim Crow Met John Bull, Black American Soldiers in World War II Britain, Graham A Smith (1987) – Extensive study of the difficulties of reconciling British support for black American soldiers with the segregation policies of the US Army with useful references to the clashes in Bristol.

A Command Post at War: First Army Headquarters in Europe, 1943-1945, David W. Hogan, Jr. (2000) – A more general account of some of the activities at Clifton College. Available for free here

The History of Frenchay Hospital, James C. Briggs (1994) – A really interesting account of the life of Frenchay Hospital with particular attention to the war years.

To Keep Open and Unenclosed, The Management of Durdham Down Since 1861, Gerry Nichols (2005) – A really interesting pamphlet published by the ‘Bristol Branch of the Historical Association.’

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