Black Yanks: Defending Leroy Henry in D-Day Britain

Black Yanks is the story of how an African American soldier from Missouri ended up on death row in D-Day Britain – and the extraordinary campaign that set him free. The drama plays out over a tumultuous six weeks, set against a backdrop of the most audacious sea-borne invasion ever attempted. As the build-up to D-Day escalates, Leroy Henry's story unfolds, allowing us to view a pivotal point in history with an entirely new perspective: making race, the 'special relationship' and the British peoples' collective powerful key considerations. This fascinating, alternative timeline reveals an edgier wartime society, hidden tensions in Anglo-American relations and the moment the British tabloid press learned to roar. Ultimately, Leroy Henry's court martial – and everything it stood for – provoked mind-blowing decision-making at the highest military level. Kate Werran unearths a wealth of archival material to help disclose the story behind the first significant, if uncelebrated, win in the civil rights movement; a story that has been overlooked for nearly eight decades. Until now.

© 2024 The History Press (Ebook): 9781803993539

Release date

Ebook: 11 April 2024