US Army

Where in Coventry were US forces stationed during WW2, as many frequented my uncle's club? Near Ball Hill area.

Hi Annie - hopefully someone more knowledgeable on the subject will be along later however Kaga's Post#44 on this Exhall thread mentions: The Black Horse pub was the only pub in Coventry to have an US Army camp in the same road ......though I'm not 100% sure where that was?

The Black Horse pub was until recently situated in Coventry Rd, Exhall. This is the pub that Kaga referred to. Just around the corner in Blackhorse Rd was some sort of oil depot which was a US Army facility. It was a rail deport with sidings and the like and was just by the level crossing and across the road from the old signal box which was only demolished a few years back. There is a children's nursery there now and it may be that their building was originally one built during WW2 for our American friends. The oil depot was run by Charringtons until a few years back and when it closed the remaining rails were ripped up. Although Exhall is now physically separated from Coventry by the elevated M6 Motorway it was originally almost a part of Coventry with only the city boundary post under the Iron Bridge at the top of Bedworth Rd to indicate where the city actually ended.

I have a booklet issued by the U.S. Army to those coming to Coventry, but it does not state where they stayed when here:

No mention about any being stationed in Coventry but an article in the CET September 1945 says a letter was sent by Colonel C W Spence, commander of the 10th reinforcement depot based at Whittington Barracks to Mayor Alderman G E Hodginson thanking Coventry for welcoming with open arms the troops of the United States who have passed through the 10th reinforcement depot in the past 34 months. There are also mentions in 1945 CET of US army bands playing at several locations. Another cutting

I can say I'm aware of US soldiers being in and around Coventry as my Dad used to say they would always ask 'Got any Gum Chum?!'

Another candidate for US soldiers in Coventry could be the US convalescent/rehabilitation hospital at Stareton which is just across the road from the Royal Showground at Stoneleigh. Until a few a years back the old hospital was the Massey Ferguson Training Centre. I have seen accounts of them running transport to Leamington Spa to collect young ladies for their dances so they probably had transport to take the soldiers into Coventry. There were also US convalescent/rehabilitation hospitals at Bromsgrove (probably too far away) and at Packington Park which again is a possibility if they had transport laid on.

Not very helpful, I know, but my grandmother always talked about Canadians being at dances, too. I'm not sure if they were Canadians en masse, as in units stationed near, or just individuals here and there, as though they were serving in the RAF.

My mum was a Geordie girl who was called up in about 1942. She was offered a job making bombs in Manchester or bombers in Coventry - she chose Coventry. She was given accommodation at a hostel in Finham, and regularly buses would come from the American base at Stoneleigh to ship the girls over for Saturday dances.