Charge of The Light Brigade

Concord, California, USA

An explosion at this naval weapons station on 17 July 1944 was the deadliest USA homefront disaster of World War II. It killed 320 people, destroyed two merchant vessels‚ and, in a moment of contingent history, helped spark the civil rights movement in the United States.

Men of color were forced to do the most dangerous work loading the explosives, and, as safety precautions were notoriously slack, most of the casualties of this accident were black. Following the explosion, black men protested their treatment and refused to engage in the dangerous activities.

So many thanks to Lighthawk for flight support!