African-American soldiers in Australia during WW2

On 29 March 1942, General Douglas MacArthur announced his support for the Australian Governments proposal that no more African-American soldiers be sent to Australia during World War 2. The proposal also suggested that those units that were already in Australia should be sent to New Caledonia or India. General Douglas MacArthur said:-

This support by MacArthur meant that African-American units that were serving in New Guinea or the islands were not able to be sent back to Australia on R & R, as was the case with the white soldiers.

Most African-American units had white officers in command. These officers were usually not liked by their troops and friction was easily generated.

On 17 February 1945 General Douglas MacArthur issued the following statement for use by the Afro-American Press:-

29th Quartermaster Regiment (Truck)	48th Quartermaster Truck Regiment	73 Negroes dead in Mount Isa after drinking a brew made in disused cyanide drums
91st Engineers General Service Regiment	92nd Quartermaster Company	96th Battalion, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Coloured) General Service Regiment
100 Negroes of the 96th Battalion involved in a fight in Townsville	106 Japanese Marines intercepted at Cromarty, in north Queensland by American Negro soldiers from Woodstock. Two Negroes were wounded and a number of Japanese Marines were killed	577th Ordnance Ammunition Company
578th Ordnance Ammunition Company	580th Ordnance Ammunition Company	623rd Ordnance Ammunition Company
630th Ordnance Company	636th Ammunition Ordnance Company	870th Engineer Aviation Battalion (coloured)
3452nd Quartermaster Truck Company	5203rd Quartermaster Truck Battalion	Bomb and ammunition dump in Beneke's paddock, Chermside, Brisbane, near the corner of Webster Road and Rode Road guarded by U.S. Negro soldiers
Negro servicemen riot at Upper Ross, Townsville	North American Service Club in Townsville	Doctor Carver Club U.S. Army Canteen for Negroes, Grey St., opposite South Brisbane Railway Station, Brisbane, QLD
Bishop John A. Gregg & Chaplain DeVeaux inspection tour of black troops in Australia in 1943	Disturbance at a Dance in the Ingham Town Hall in November 1942	Red Cross Worker raped in Townsville in January 1944
Negroes buried at the US Military Cemetery located at Belgian Gardens, Townsville, QLD during WW2	Negro Camp next to the laboratory at the Experimental Station at Oonoonba, Townsville	Negro prisoners from a military camp near the Indooroopilly Railway Station carried out cleaning and repair work at St. Joseph's College, Nudgee Junior, Indooroopilly, Brisbane
Negro soldiers worked at the Darra Ordnance Ammunition Depot in Brisbane	Negro amateur heavyweight boxer Al Hoosman in Australia during WW2 "Big Al" went on to become a movie star	Booker T. Washington Club Club for African American soldiers Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW
AIF Gunner stabbed by negro sailor near Palace Hotel, South Brisbane on 4 November 1942	Negro soldier stabbed man in Brisbane on 12 January 1943	Negro soldier shot at Surry Hills by Provost officers on 2 Aug 1943 died the next day
Negro Soldier found shot dead at Darra on 14 December 1943	Negro soldier stabbed in Brisbane during fight with 4 white US soldiers on 2 August 1944	Negro shot during brawl at Albion, Darlinghurst, Sydney and another incident at Bourke St, Surry Hills on 16 January 1943
Two negroes and an allied servicemen escaped in NSW and recaptured on 31 December 1943	Negro stabbed 2 US Navy Sailors and elderly man at South Brisbane on 11 September 1942	Negro soldier kills Australian soldier in Sydney on 13 April 1944
Negro sailor slashes negro soldier with knife in South Brisbane on 22 November 1944	3 negro servicemen injured in collision between US military truck and taxi at Darra, Brisbane on 1 September 1944	Negro soldier wounds civilian with blade razor in Brisbane on 3 April 1943

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