Morn Hill, near Winchester: Doughboys on the Downs

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In 1917, the United States entered World War One. American soldiers took over the huge military camp at Morn Hill in Hampshire and suddenly Winchester was full of high-spirited ‘Doughboys’. But the treatment of black soldiers astonished some locals and many Americans died even before they reached the battlefield. Some 740 thousand American soldiers and nurses passed through Morn Hill – a fifth of those who fought in the war. Hundreds succumbed to influenza in camps around Hampshire. Black soldiers were often used for labour, helping to construct camp buildings and a railway, and there are several accounts of fighting in Winchester between white and black soldiers. A history of charitable work in Winchester published soon after the war, records that the civic authorities had promised a memorial to American soldiers. In 2014, the promise was finally honoured. Location: Morn Hill, near Winchester, Hampshire SO21 1HE Image: The American Cemetery at Morn Hill, Winchester. In the distance Winnal Down Camp is visable which was used as a rest camp by American troops on their way to the front. Photograph courtesy of IWM.