70 years on, remembering when the Yanks arrived
Private First Class Milburn H. Henke (August 24, 1918 - April 26, 1998) of Hutchinson, Minnesota, assigned to the United States Army's Company B, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division (the "Red Bulls") descends the gangplank from a British tender that brought him to Belfast's Dufferin Quay from HMTS Strathaird, a passenger liner converted to a troop ship. Note his M1918 helmet, M1903 Springfield rifle and jacket and tie. These were the first contingent of the MAGNET Force to defend the United Kingdom and officially the first Americans in Europe. Henke was with his Company when a Colonel asked Henke's Lieutenant for a volunteer. Henke thought he was going for shore duty unloading equipment. Instead, he met Major General Russell P. Hartle, the commander of the 34th Infantry Division. Henke later recalled, "I was sitting on some barracks bags, and this colonel came up the gangplank, and there were about fifteen of us. There was a lieutenant there and he said: 'I want a man from Company B
Thursday marks the 70th anniversary of the arrival of 4,000 US infantrymen in Belfast. Local historian Gordon Lucy examines their impact on Ulster life
ON December 7, 1941, ‘a date which will live in infamy’ according to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Japanese attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor without warning or a prior declaration of war.
With Germany and Italy’s declaration of war on America on December 11, the United States quickly found itself at war on two fronts: in Europe and the Pacific.
At the Arcadia Conference, held in Washington between December 22, 1941 and January 14, 1942, Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt reaffirmed their commitment to give the defeat of Germany priority over that of Japan.
Less than fortnight later, on January 26, 1942, the first American troops set foot in Ulster. The first man officially ashore was Private First Class Milburn H. Henke of Company B, 133rd Infantry.
Henke, as his name suggests, was an American of German heritage, from Hutchinson, Minnesota. He was welcomed by the Duke of Abercorn, the Governor of Northern Ireland; John M. Andrews, the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland; and Sir Archibald Sinclair, the Secretary of State for Air.
The GIs came ashore at Dufferin Dock to the strains of The Stars and Stripes, played by the band of the Royal Ulster Rifles. The event was carefully recorded for posterity by William Conor in his role as an official war artist.
Ulster was to act as the bridgehead and springboard for the great American and Allied assault on occupied Europe, Hitler’s Festung Europa, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. And it was here that the American soldiers trained, paraded and relaxed as they prepared for the liberation of Europe. By the end of 1943 there were 100,000 US troops in Ulster.
There had been an unofficial American presence in Ulster for almost a year, as the United States edged closer to war. Preparations were well underway for the establishment of a US naval base at Londonderry, which was already playing a key role in the Battle of the Atlantic. When the troops started arriving in early 1942, Ulster was ready to receive them.
In June 1941 work started on American bases, with 362 American technicians arriving in Londonderry. By October, the number had risen to nearly 1,000.
In Londonderry the headquarters were Talbot House and in addition to the harbour installations there were camps at Holcomb, Lisahally, Beech Hill, Springtown, Clooney Park and Rossdowney. There was a hospital at Creevagh and a magazine at Fincairn Glen.
American bases were dotted all over the country. With 120,000 GIs to service it was little wonder that every Ulster town had its quota of American forces. This figure represented approximately 10 per cent of the total local population.
In Fermanagh, where the 8th Infantry were stationed, US forces comprised almost 20 per cent of the sparsely populated county’s population. All branches of the American services were represented: the Air Force at Greencastle and Langford Lodge, the Navy in Londonderry and Belfast and the Army’s presence was ubiquitous.
A wide range of properties were requisitioned for American headquarters. These ranged from castles to terraced houses and included: Knock-na-moe Castle, Omagh (34th DIV HQ); Wilmount House, Dunmurry (NI Base Service HQ); Nos. 18-20 Mount Charles, Belfast (US Army Transportation Corp HQ); Brownlow House, Lurgan (V Army Corp); Bright Cottage, Portstewart (168th Anti-Tank Co HQ); and White Hall Chambers, Coleraine (168th Infantry HQ).
Empty hotels and guest houses provided excellent quarters for the large number of troops requiring accommodation. For example K Company of the 168th Infantry took over Coolsyth House, Portrush.
Other camps included: V Army Corps in Brownlow House, Lurgan; HQ 2nd Infantry Division in Armagh; 2nd Infantry Division in Narrow Water Castle, Armagh and Newry; 5th Infantry Division in Newcastle; Airborne Troops in Castledawson & Cookstown; 8th Infantry Division and HQ in Omagh; and 121st Division in Fintona.
The presence of the US forces attracted a number of significant visitors to Ulster. The Supreme Allied Commander and future President of the United States, Dwight D Eisenhower called on troops in a number of places in the run up to D-Day in 1944. He was joined in Ulster by a number of his senior subordinates, such as Omar Bradley and George Patton, who were both to play a crucial role in the liberation of Europe.
Both Patton and Bradley visited US troops training in the Mournes. Patton also inspected the US 2nd Division in front of the County Museum on the Mall, Armagh.
The highest-ranking US Army officer of all also visited Ulster during the war: the Chief of Staff, General George C Marshall. There were also visits by Averall Harriman and Harry Hopkins, two of President Roosevelt’s closest advisors.
In November 1942 Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the President, paid a visit to the US forces stationed in Londonderry. The First Lady, along with the mother of General Montgomery, attended the Civic Armistice Service in the city on November 11.
Various American stars visited Ulster to entertain the troops. Bob Hope and Glenn Miller both played at Langford Lodge; Irving Berlin arrived with his all soldier musical, This Is the Army, on January 11, 1944 for a 10-day run at the Grand Opera House; Al Jolson and Merle Oberon appeared in Londonderry and James Cagney appeared at the Hippodrome in Belfast in the spring of 1944.
The GIs introduced various innovations to Ulster, not least bubble gum, candy, baseball and swing music. Baseball was played in Windsor Park in aid of Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmen’s Families. Swing music proved very popular even if baseball made less impact.
Although American servicemen in Ulster were greatly discouraged possible from contracting wartime marriages, some local girls did marry US service personnel and became known as GI brides. It was pointed out that no marriage allowance was paid below the ranks of Staff, Technical or Master Sergeants. Wives would not be permitted to accompany husbands returning to America on troop transports.
It was also explained that wives would have to secure entry to the US and reside there for three years before becoming US citizens. In the event of a soldier’s death or disablement, his wife would not be entitled to any pension or gratuity.
Despite all this discouragement, there were some 1,800 marriages between American servicemen and local girls. For example, Miss Daphne Ethel Johnston of Belfast married Lieutenant George F. Witman of the USAAF from Grand Rapids, Michigan, in All Saints Church, Belfast on August 31, 1944.
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Thursday 23 February 2012
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