Battle of Manners Street

The Battle of Manners Street refers to a riot involving American servicemen and New Zealand servicemen and civilians outside the Allied Services Club in Manners Street, Wellington, New Zealand in 1943. The club was a social centre, open to all military personnel.

In 1942-44 there were many American troops, both soldiers (doughboys) and marines (leathernecks) stationed in New Zealand; the "American Invasion". Some of the American servicemen from the American "South" in the Services Club objected to Māori soldiers also using the Club, and on 3 April 1943 began stopping Māori soldiers from entering. Many New Zealand soldiers were in the area, both Pākehā and Māori, and combined in opposition. Other versions are that three or four merchant seaman who had been drinking made no secret of their intention to "clean up the visiting servicemen", or that Māori in a steak house objected to some "Yanks" being served first.

At least a thousand men were involved in the subsequent fracas, which was broken up by civil and military police. The major brawl lasted from 6 pm to 8 pm, with some brawls lasting for perhaps another two hours. Dozens of people were injured. At the time, hotel bars closed at 6 pm, the "six o'clock swill", and inebriated patrons were then ejected into the streets.

News of the riot was censored at the time, hence much of the mythology about the event, including the claim that two Americans were killed. But both Bevan (page 215) and Bioletti (page 149-150) dispute claims that there were two deaths.

It was twenty years before the finding of the Court of Inquiry was released. Postwar, the Club building was used as a Post Office.

Legends

There are many legends over The Battle of Manners Street that have circulated in the wake of its aftermath. One of them surrounds a group of five US Marines who were surrounded by approximately 25 to 30 Maoris and managed to fight their way out with only their bare fists. Another is that one American servicemen was killed by having his throat cut by a Maori. A third is that as the fighting spilled into a nearby Church the combatants inside stopped fighting after a Minister pleaded with them to end the violence. Then they prayed with him. None of these legends, however, have ever been substantiated by historians.

ee also

*The Battle of Brisbane, a similar riot in Australia, 1942

References

* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/R/Riots/TheBattleOfMannersStreetWellington1943/en Article in the 1966 "Encyclopaedia of New Zealand"]
* [http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/us-forces-in-new-zealand "The American Invasion", from the "NZ History" website]
*"The Yanks are Coming: The American Invasion of New Zealand 1942-1944" by Harry Bioletti (1989, Century Hutchinson, Auckland) ISBN 1 86941 034 3
*"United States Forces in New Zealand 1942-1945" by Denys Bevan (1992, Macpherson Publishing, Alexandra) ISBN 0 908900 07 4
*"When Manners St was a war zone", Clio Francis, The Dominion Post, 3 April 2008.