I am positive that i have heard Stephen Fry and Christopher Hitchens on separate occasions talk about some event that took place (i think in Portsmouth) were members of the segregated White US military refused to drink with black people. The UK pub-owners sided with the black people and there was a punch-up... or something like that?
I am sure i have heard of this, i don't really know what to Google though, could someone please enlighten me?
I'm aware of this claim but I suspect its mainly anecdotal in nature. It could be true and I've heard of it elsewhere. However I'm not sure if theres a clear primary source for this claim, so it might be just an apocryphal story, the gist of it is quite likely as the Brits were unused to any form of racial segregation.
Here are some details about the claim(s) http://www.heretical.com/smith/wwar2.html taken from When Jim Crow Met John Bull: Black American Soldiers in World War II Britain. by Graham Smith.