Swansea and America: A Connected History Across Centuries

Swansea’s relationship with the United States stretches across industry, migration, abolition, wartime cooperation, and cultural exchange. When arranged chronologically, a remarkable story emerges — one that begins in the 17th century and continues into the modern era.

17th Century: Swansea’s Name Crosses the Atlantic (1667)

John Myles Memorial Plaque

One of the earliest and most enduring links between Swansea and America dates back to 1667, when English and Welsh settlers in New England founded a new town and named it Swansea, Massachusetts. This act of naming was far more than a simple gesture — it reflected the deep emotional and cultural ties that Welsh migrants carried with them as they crossed the Atlantic in search of religious freedom, land, and new opportunities.

St. Iltyd's Church, Ilston, Gower

Many of the settlers were part of Nonconformist and Baptist communities facing persecution in Britain. Their leader, Rev. John

Myles Garrison Site Marker
Swansea, Massachusetts 

Myles, was a Welsh Baptist minister from Ilston, Gower, who had founded one of the earliest Baptist congregations in Wales. Forced to leave due to religious restrictions, Myles and his followers carried their Welsh identity with them to the New World. Naming their new settlement after Swansea symbolised both a tribute to their origins and a desire to recreate a sense of home in unfamiliar surroundings.

Myles Garrison House
Swansea, Massachusetts

This naming also reflects the broader pattern of Welsh influence in early colonial America. Throughout the 17th century, Welsh settlers established communities across New England and Pennsylvania, often naming towns, farms, and churches after places in Wales. Swansea, Massachusetts stands as one of the earliest and clearest examples of this tradition — marking the first recorded moment when Swansea’s identity travelled across the Atlantic.

19th Century: Industry, Ore, and Abolition

Swansea as the World’s Metal‑Processing Capital (1800s)

Swansea Docks (19th‑century illustrations)

During the Industrial Revolution, Swansea became the global centre of non‑ferrous metal smelting, earning the nickname “Copperopolis.” The city processed vast quantities of silver, copper, and gold ore shipped from Arizona and Colorado, making Swansea a crucial industrial partner to the rapidly expanding American West. American ore fed Swansea’s furnaces, and Swansea’s expertise helped fuel American industrial growth.

1830s Merchant Ship Engraving

A Slave Walks into Freedom (1833)

In 1833, Swansea became the setting for a remarkable and deeply symbolic moment in the wider history of American slavery. That year, a 20‑year‑old enslaved man named Willis arrived in the port aboard an American vessel. His presence in Swansea was not unusual — ships from the United States regularly docked in the town to deliver ore or collect processed metals — but what happened next was extraordinary. When Willis stepped ashore, he unknowingly crossed an invisible but powerful legal boundary: on British soil, slavery had no authority.

Britain was on the cusp of passing the Slavery Abolition Act, but even before its introduction, earlier legal rulings — most notably Somerset v. Stewart (1772) — had established that an enslaved person could not be forcibly removed from Britain against their will. The moment Willis set foot in Swansea, he was no longer property. He was a man with rights.

The ship’s captain attempted to assert control over him, but the matter was brought before the Portreeve of Swansea, the town’s chief civic officer. After reviewing the circumstances, the Portreeve confirmed unequivocally that slavery was illegal in Britain, and that Willis could not be compelled to return to the ship. In that instant, Willis was declared a free man.

Although little is known about his life after this moment, Willis’s brief appearance in Swansea’s records stands as a powerful reminder of the city’s unexpected role in the history of abolition. His story symbolises the moment when a young man, born into bondage, found freedom simply by stepping onto the quayside of a Welsh port.

Early 20th Century: Swansea’s Growing Global Role

By the early 1900s, Swansea’s port and industrial capacity made it a strategic location for international trade — including with the United States. These foundations would prove vital during the Second World War.

Second World War: Swansea and the American Forces (1943–1944)

The Arrival of 50,000 U.S. Troops

USS Uruguay Arriving at Swansea
August 1942

Between 1943 and 1944, Swansea became one of the most important American staging areas in Britain. Around 50,000 U.S. soldiers — part of the 750,000 American personnel stationed across the UK — were based in Swansea, Mumbles, and the Gower Peninsula. For many of these young men, Swansea was their last stop before the greatest amphibious invasion in history: D‑Day.

U.S. Troops Arriving in Swansea
October 1943

The arrival of such a large American presence transformed the city. Streets that had been darkened by the Blitz suddenly filled with the sound of American accents, military trucks, swing music, and the distinctive sight of U.S. uniforms. Local people remembered the GIs as generous, well‑paid, and often eager to share chocolate, gum, and cigarettes — luxuries that had become rare under rationing. For the soldiers, Swansea offered something equally valuable: a warm welcome and a sense of normality during the uncertainty of wartime.

Training for D‑Day on the Gower Coast

The coastline of Gower proved to be an exceptional training ground for American forces preparing for the Normandy landings. Its sweeping beaches, shifting dunes, rugged cliffs, and powerful tidal patterns closely resembled the terrain the Allies expected to encounter in northern France. Throughout 1943 and 1944, the quiet peninsula was transformed into a vast outdoor training arena. Units practised amphibious landings, beach assaults, obstacle clearing, engineering operations, and the movement of supplies under simulated combat conditions.

Villages such as Rhossili, Oxwich, and Port Eynon witnessed long columns of U.S. troops marching across the sand, their drills echoing across landscapes that had previously known only farming and fishing. Offshore, landing craft manoeuvred in tight formations, preparing crews for the chaos of the real invasion. For local residents, the sudden arrival of thousands of American soldiers brought a mixture of excitement and disruption, as the peaceful Gower coastline became a rehearsal space for one of the most significant military operations of the 20th century.

U.S. Army Bases Across Swansea

To support the enormous influx of personnel, the U.S. Army established a network of major bases across Swansea and its surrounding districts.

Singleton Park became one of the largest American encampments in Wales. Rows of tents and temporary huts filled the parkland, creating a self‑contained military village complete with mess halls, medical stations, workshops, and recreation areas. The once‑tranquil park buzzed with constant activity as troops trained, prepared equipment, and awaited deployment orders.

Nearby Glanmor served as another key base, used primarily for accommodation, logistics, and vehicle storage. Its proximity to the city centre meant that American soldiers became a familiar sight in Swansea’s streets, cafés, cinemas, and dance halls. The presence of the GIs brought new energy to the city, which was still recovering from the devastation of the 1941 Blitz.

One of the most strategically important sites was Penllergaer, headquarters of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade. This highly specialised unit trained intensively for the first wave of the Normandy landings. Their work included clearing beach obstacles, constructing temporary piers, handling landing craft, and establishing supply routes under fire. The men of the 5th Brigade were among the first Americans to land on Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944, and their time in Swansea formed a crucial part of their preparation.

Additional camps were established along the coast at Mumbles and Caswell Bay, where troops trained in cliff climbing, coastal navigation, and night‑time manoeuvres. The beaches and headlands echoed with the sound of engines, shouted commands, and the clatter of equipment as soldiers rehearsed the skills they would soon need in combat.

African American History in Swansea

Ralph Waldo Ellison — Writer and Witness (1944)

Ralph Waldo Ellison

Among the American servicemen who passed through Swansea during the Second World War was Ralph Waldo Ellison, then serving as a cook in the U.S. Merchant Marine aboard Liberty Ships. Although he was not yet a published novelist, Ellison was already a keen observer of people, culture, and the social tensions of the world around him. His voyages brought him to Swansea, Cardiff, and Barry, where he absorbed the atmosphere of wartime Wales — a landscape of bomb‑damaged streets, resilient communities, and a warmth that contrasted sharply with the racial segregation he experienced back home.

Ellison’s time in South Wales proved unexpectedly formative. For the first time in his life, he encountered a society where racial segregation was not enforced, and where many Welsh civilians treated him with a level of dignity and equality that was rare in the United States of the 1940s. Local people invited him into their homes, shared meals, and spoke openly with him about the war, politics, and their own struggles. These encounters left a deep impression on him, offering a glimpse of a world in which racial barriers could be softened — if not entirely erased — by shared humanity.

Ralph Waldo Ellison

Invisible Man
1952

It was during his stay in Swansea in 1944 that Ellison wrote “In a Strange Country”, a short story inspired directly by his experiences in South Wales. The story follows an African American serviceman who finds unexpected solidarity among Welsh civilians, particularly during a poignant scene in which Welsh veterans honour him by including him in a ceremony for the war dead. Through this fictionalised account, Ellison explored themes that would later define his literary career: identity, belonging, alienation, and the search for dignity in a divided world.

Ellison’s later achievements are well known. His groundbreaking novel Invisible Man (1952) became one of the most influential works of 20th‑century American literature, earning him the National Book Award for Fiction in 1953 — the first African American writer to receive the honour. Yet the seeds of his later insights can be traced back to moments like those he experienced in Swansea: moments of unexpected connection, cultural exchange, and reflection on what it meant to be both American and Black in a world at war.

Hugh Nathaniel Mulzac — A Maritime Pioneer

Hugh Nathaniel Mulzac 

Hugh Nathaniel Mulzac stands as one of the most remarkable figures to pass through Swansea during the Second World War. Born on the island of St. Vincent in 1886, Mulzac had already built a distinguished maritime career long before the war began. He trained at respected nautical institutions and earned qualifications that should have placed him among the elite of the merchant marine. Yet, because he was Black, he was repeatedly denied the opportunity to command a ship — a stark reminder of the racial barriers that defined American life at the time.

Mulzac’s wartime connection to Swansea came through his service aboard Liberty Ships, the mass‑produced cargo vessels that became the backbone of Allied supply lines. Swansea, with its deep‑water docks and vital industrial capacity, was a key port for these ships. Mulzac’s time in the city placed him at the heart of the transatlantic supply chain, where he witnessed both the devastation of the Blitz and the resilience of Welsh port communities.

S.S. Booker T. Washington 

S.S. Booker T. Washington crew

In 1942, Mulzac made history when he was finally given command of the SS Booker T. Washington, becoming the first African American ship captain in U.S. history. His crew was the first fully integrated team in the American merchant marine — a groundbreaking achievement at a time when segregation was still deeply entrenched in the United States. Mulzac insisted that he would only accept command if he could lead a crew selected on merit rather than race, and the U.S. Maritime Commission agreed. His leadership proved exemplary: the Booker T. Washington completed 22 successful transatlantic voyages, carrying troops and supplies essential to the Allied war effort.

Mulzac’s connection to Swansea is a reminder that the city played host not only to thousands of American servicemen, but also to individuals whose lives would become milestones in the struggle for racial equality. His presence in the port underscores Swansea’s role as a crossroads of global history — a place where the fight against fascism intersected with the long battle for civil rights.

Reverend Edward Carroll — From Swansea to Civil Rights Leadership

Reverend Edward Carroll was another African American whose wartime service brought him to Swansea, and whose life story reaches far beyond the boundaries of the city. Carroll served as a chaplain with a Black Engineer Regiment attached to the 5th Engineer Special Brigade, the same unit headquartered at Penllergaer that trained for the first wave of the Normandy landings. His role was not only to provide spiritual guidance, but also to support soldiers facing the psychological strain of war, segregation, and the uncertainty of what awaited them in France.

Carroll’s presence in Swansea came at a pivotal moment in his life. Before the war, he had travelled to India, where he met Mahatma Gandhi during a YMCA‑sponsored visit to explore global non‑violent resistance movements. He was accompanied by Howard Thurman, one of the most influential African American theologians of the 20th century and later a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. Their conversations with Gandhi helped shape the intellectual foundations of the American Civil Rights Movement — a remarkable connection that links Swansea indirectly to one of the most important social transformations of modern history.

While stationed at Penllergaer, Carroll ministered to soldiers preparing for the D‑Day landings, many of whom faced the dual burden of fighting for freedom abroad while being denied full equality at home. Swansea, unlike the segregated United States, offered a different social atmosphere. Welsh civilians often welcomed Black servicemen into their homes, churches, and social spaces, providing Carroll and his regiment with a sense of dignity and belonging that contrasted sharply with their experiences in America.

After the war, Carroll continued his ministry in Baltimore, where he became a respected community leader and advocate for social justice. His influence grew steadily, culminating in his appointment as a bishop of the United Methodist Church in 1972 — one of the highest positions in the denomination. His journey from Swansea to the upper ranks of American religious leadership reflects a life shaped by global encounters, wartime service, and a deep commitment to equality.

Carroll’s time in Swansea is a powerful reminder that the city’s wartime history is intertwined not only with military strategy, but also with the personal stories of individuals who would go on to shape the moral and political landscape of the United States.

Post‑War Legacy and Continuing Links

After 1945, Swansea maintained strong cultural and historical ties with the United States. Veterans returned to visit the places where they had trained, and Swansea’s wartime role became part of the shared memory of both nations. The city’s industrial past, its wartime contributions, and its unexpected connections to major African American figures all form part of a rich and intertwined history.