Archive will give African American veterans in the east a voice

BBC News

13-07-2025

A new research project is looking to celebrate the untold stories of African American US Air Force personnel based in East Anglia during the Cold War.Black USAF: Cultural Connections in Cold War East Anglia is being led by Elma Glasgow from Cambridgeshire, who grew up alongside personnel on the border with Suffolk.Later in life she realised the stories of black men and women on these bases during the Cold war era had not been well documented and she was determined to give them a voice.Ms Glasgow wants to hear voices from Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex for a new digital archive.
Ms Glasgow explained she had always "thought it was very normal" to go into the American airbases and "mingle with the Americans" while growing up.She would also hear stories from relatives about their own experiences of interacting with the personnel.It was not until she left the area that she realised it was a "pretty rare experience".
Ms Glasgow has been recognised for her work on the Power of Stories exhibition that featured three original costumes from the Black Panther film.It was during this that she realised she could help bring stories to life."Telling different aspects of black history in the East of England is incredibly important because I think people have assumptions about the east - like it's all tractors and sugar beet," she continued."Actually we have an incredible cultural history and a lot of that was created by the Americans who were based here not just during the Cold War, but before that."
The project launched with the story of Geno Washington, who was originally from Indiana and found himself at RAF Woodbridge in the early 1960s, before later becoming a successful soul singer.He said the Americans were welcomed into the area, and England and Ipswich were "one of my first loves"."It was a great place to be because when I was in America they told us England is a luxury assignment out of all the places in Europe. I didn't know what to expect."When I got here it felt good."Ms Glasgow said Mr Washington had spoken to the team about how Ipswich was "jumping at the time" in its pubs and clubs."He was really surprised they could mingle with the local people because segregation was still very much in force within the air force as it was back in the USA," she said."There was a Jamaican joint, he said, and he would get on stage."He would lie to people so they would invite him up on stage - he said his auntie was Dinah Washington who at that time was really famous in England."The project wants to hear stories from all aspects of life - and people can fill out a contact form online.
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