Black Yanks is the story of how an African American soldier from Missouri ended up on death row in D-Day Britain – and the extraordinary campaign that set him free. The drama plays out over a tumultuous six weeks, set against a backdrop of the most audacious sea-borne invasion ever attempted.

As the build-up to D-Day escalates, Leroy Henry’s story unfolds, allowing us to view a pivotal point in history with an entirely new perspective: making race, the ‘special relationship’ and the British peoples’ collective powerful key considerations.

This fascinating, alternative timeline reveals an edgier wartime society, hidden tensions in Anglo-American relations and the moment the British tabloid press learned to roar. Ultimately, Leroy Henry’s court martial – and everything it stood for – provoked mind-blowing decision-making at the highest military level.

Kate Werran unearths a wealth of archival material to help disclose the story behind the first significant, if uncelebrated, win in the civil rights movement; a story that has been overlooked for nearly eight decades. Until now.

‘as compelling as any TV crime drama.’

‘The author takes the complex threads of this culture and weaves them together expertly. The result is superb. A rich retelling of a vital episode in history.’

‘… a pivotal point in history with an entirely new perspective making race, the 'special relationship' and the British people's collective power key considerations.’

‘It is a remarkable story, and one told with considerable flair ...’

‘This is as good a tale as any thriller.’

‘In describing the background, the trial, the subsequent British reaction to Henry’s being sentenced to death, Kate Werran illuminates changing British views and the longer-term influence on American Civil Rights.’

KATE WERRAN is a specialist on the US army that was stationed in Britain before, during and after D-Day. Her first, award-winning book An American Uprising in Second World War England was optioned for documentary and scripted drama. Kate came to writing after a career in journalism, and she has produced critically acclaimed twentieth-century history programmes for the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5. In 2024, she was elected to the Royal Historical Society as an Associate Fellow.