Film on WWII’s All-Black Women’s Battalion Features Museum Filming Location

A museum curator has expressed hope that a new film, which chronicles the experiences of the sole black, all-female US battalion during World War Two, will “hopefully bring a new audience to the subject.” Titled The Six Triple Eight, this Netflix production focuses on the 855 enlisted women and officers tasked with resolving a two-year accumulation of mail, aiming to boost the morale of US troops. Portions of the movie were shot at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridgeshire. This museum also houses an oral history account from Evelyn Johnson, one of the women who served in the battalion, recorded shortly before her passing in 2015. Dr Hattie Hearn of the museum stated, “Evelyn Johnson talked about how proud the women were to do this task and that sense of identity and achievement lasted the rest of their lives.” Dr. Hearn further relayed Ms. Johnson’s sentiments, saying, “She also enjoyed her time in Britain and how welcome she was in British homes, as well as being struck by how bomb-damaged Birmingham was, which was unlike anything they had seen.” Upon their departure from the United States in early 1945, the women encountered a society marked by racial tensions and segregation. Under the “Jim Crow” laws, which persisted in the southern states until the 1960s, black individuals were deprived of equal rights. Ms. Johnson expressed gratitude for their experience in England, where they were afforded equal treatment and unrestricted movement, remarking, “we were treated royally.” The narrative of the Six Triple Eight has only recently begun to receive appropriate recognition, as the unit received no public acknowledgment upon its return to the USA in 1946. Kerry Washington serves as both the star and executive producer of the film, portraying Maj Charity Adams, the commander of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Dr. Hearn explained, “After D-Day [6 June 1944], there was this huge backlog of mail piling up in England, made worse by the thousands of men deployed overseas and advancing across Europe.” She continued, “Their addresses were changing constantly, so by the time a parcel might arrive, the man could have moved on – or even died.” The battalion was allotted a six-month period to resolve the backlog, which had accumulated in rat-infested warehouses in Birmingham. Rats consumed the contents of parcels containing decaying homemade food. Working in shifts exceeding 24 hours, the women processed 17 million letters and packages, completing the task in half the allocated time. Dr. Hearn quoted Evelyn, stating, “Evelyn said the women were really enthusiastic to serve overseas and knew they were the select few to have this opportunity in combat theatre.” Among her notable recollections was an occasion when the entire unit traveled to London to parade before Mary, the Queen Mother. The movie is currently showing in cinemas and will be available for streaming on Netflix starting 20 December. For Cambridgeshire news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.