WWII ‘Brown Babies’ | A Hidden History

WWII ‘Brown Babies’ | A Hidden History

Author: National Trust October 10, 2024 Duration: 23:40

Historian David Olusoga tells the story of the children born to white British mothers and black American servicemen during the Second World War, dubbed Britain’s ‘Brown Babies’ in the African American press at the time.  


Carol and Ann, now in their 80s, revisit their childhood home, Holnicote House in Somerset. During the 1940s, the building was used for the care of around 30 children of black GIs, from birth to the age of five.    
  
Carol and Ann were among some 2000 children born in wartime Britain to black GI fathers and white British mothers. Under many pressures including social prejudice and US legislation banning interracial marriage, around half of these children were placed into care.   
  
David also meets experts Prof Lucy Bland and Dr Chamion Caballero, to reveal this little-known history of the Second World War, and how modern DNA testing is helping families search for lost relatives 80 years later. 

You can watch a video of this podcast on National Trust YouTube: ntpodcasts.org/NTP143Video 

Production  
Host: David Olusoga  
Producer: Michelle Douglass 
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez 
Consultants: Lucy Bland, Professor of Social and Cultural History at Anglia Ruskin University, and Dr Chamion Caballero, Director and Co-Founder of The Mixed Museum

Discover more  
  
Find out more about Britain’s ‘Brown Babies’ and hear oral histories, including more from Ann: 
https://mixedmuseum.org.uk/brown-babies/  

Explore the experiences of WWII black GIs in the UK:  
https://mixedmuseum.org.uk/brown-babies/black-gis-in-britain/ 

Read Britain’s ‘Brown Babies’ by Professor Lucy Bland:  
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Britains-%60Brown-Babies-Stories-Children/dp/1526133261 

Discover the Holnicote Estate’s diverse countryside, wildlife and walkways, looked after by the National Trust 
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/somerset/countryside-woodland/explore-holnicote-estate  

Visit the Holnicote House hotel website: 
 https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/country-houses/locations/selworthy-exmoor  
 
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk 


There’s a story waiting in every landscape, a secret history woven into the hedgerows and hidden in the soil. Wild Tales | Nature Podcast, brought to you by the National Trust, goes beyond the guidebook to find those narratives. Each episode is a quiet exploration of the intricate connections between the natural world and our own place within it. You might find yourself listening to the surprising biography of a centuries-old oak tree, learning how coastal erosion reveals forgotten chapters of human history, or understanding the subtle language of birdsong at dawn. This isn’t just a catalog of facts; it’s an immersive audio experience that considers the science of a changing ecosystem alongside the cultural traditions it sustains. We visit specific places-ancient woodlands, rugged coastlines, and working farms-to hear directly from the people who know them best: rangers, historians, ecologists, and local communities. The result is a thoughtful collection of stories that change how you see the world outside your window. Tune into this podcast for a deeper sense of connection, a moment of calm reflection, and a renewed appreciation for the wild and historic places that shape our shared story.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The Man, The Book and The Mountains [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:23
Just outside Belfast, lie the Mourne Mountains - a land of granite peaks and wide skies, but also a place of witches, fawns and lions. Protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, an Site of Special Scientific Int…
The Climbers of Eryri | A Story of Ice and Flowers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:00
The rock faces of Cwm Idwal are cold, dark and uninhabitable; unless what you love is to dangle off the frozen cliffs. Ice climbing takes you into a winter playground, but as the climate crisis thins the ice, how can cli…
A Robin is not just for Christmas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:08
As the festive season unfolds, one familiar face keeps appearing – the little robin. But behind its cheerful presence, is there more to this charming bird’s story? National Trust ranger Rosie Holdsworth chats to garden w…
Golf Course to Nature Reserve | Just Add Water? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:00
How can a golf course become a place for nature and people to thrive? Ajay Tegala visits Sandilands in Lincolnshire over its first year as the once manicured lawns transform into a wetland habitat. But with one of the dr…
Warrior the War Horse | Survival Against the Odds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:43
What happened to the animals who served in the First World War? Uncover the extraordinary story of Warrior the war horse who survived the Western Front. General Jack Seely's horse, Warrior, was anything but ordinary. He…
Halloween Special | Witches' Familiars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:21
Is your cat the devil in disguise? Probably not, although they may act like it sometimes! But once upon a time, they would have been accused of luring you into witchcraft. In Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries witch…
Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers | New Series Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:50
A new series of Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers is here. Awooo! Follow the adventures of Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers, a crew of colourful creatures who use their skills to solve curious cases. Beaver’s a super engineer.…
Nature Valley, Taiwan | Technology and the Wild [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:12
Taiwan is known for its technology — from the chips that power our phones to the satellites orbiting above us, but just beyond the city of Hsinchu, there’s a small forest that tells a different story. Trust in Nature Fou…
Sex, Death and Spiders [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:25
Warning: This episode contains the unusual mating habits of spiders. Autumn is the time for spiders, and the colder months mean our eight-legged friends are searching for something vital: sex. Join arachnologist Anna Mak…
Riverside Reflections | The Wey Navigations by Boat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:30
Join producer and barge dweller Marnie as she leaves London’s canals behind to explore the Wey Navigations. Along the way, she meets the people who care for it, discovers its wildlife, and finds out why this waterway mat…