Lots of American servicemen entered
matrimony while overseas during World War II. More than 70,000 wed foreign
women, mostly British, including my half first cousin twice removed, Gilbert
Hartkopf.
The military put up roadblocks for
soldiers wanting to marry foreign women. Obtaining permission was a lengthy
process. Both bride and groom had to submit to interviews to gain his
commanding officer’s permission. The bride needed character references. The
groom was checked out to determine if he could support a wife.
Women were suspected of marrying
for a more prosperous life in America. Some women were eager for American
boyfriends. Most of the men in Britain were away at war when the Americans came
over, and they knew how to have a good time.
Others sought to avoid them. Their
brothers didn’t like the Americans because they were “overpaid, oversexed, and
over here,” and warned them to stay away from the “Yanks.”
When the war ended and the men were
shipped back to the states, their new wives, and sometimes their children, could
not travel with them. They were not a priority for transportation. Protests
were staged outside the U.S. embassy in London by impatient wives. On December
28, 1945, Public Law 241 passed. The War Brides Act granted non-quota
immigration status to wives of servicemen. They could enter the U.S. freely and
without a visa. A trans-Atlantic fleet began bringing the women to their new
home.
The women received notice to travel
at short notice. Their first stop was a transit camp, where they found dorm
huts, sixteen to a room, inadequate coal fires, freezing temperatures, and
fleas in their beds. Sounds like they stayed on their husbands’ former bases.
Before they could board a ship,
they went through a process including injections, blood tests, X-rays,
fingerprinting, and a physical. For the physical, a line of robed women walked
on stage where a doctor ordered each woman to open her robe. He then shone a
flashlight between her legs to inspect her.
After finally boarding a ship, some
women changed their minds and stayed behind.
Some couples had not seen each
other since before D-Day. The wives left everything familiar to be reunited
with a stranger. Many had to live with in-laws while the husband searched for
work. American customs had to be learned, like the “bizarre ritual” of a baby
shower, or making their tea with a cup of hot water and a tea bag.
Most were hit by homesickness. They
found friends and support through war bride associations. Some left their
husbands and returned home.
I never knew Cousin Gil or his wife
Evelyn, even though I lived in the same town as she for over ten years. Now I
wish I could talk with her.
Recommended Reading: GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who
Crossed the Atlantic for Love by Duncan Barrett & Nuala Calvi
Very interesting. My best friend in college had an English mother. Ann would cut her meat like a Brit and other subtleties that she learned from her mother.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how little things can reveal our heritage. All my dad can tell me about Evelyn is that she was quiet, spoke with a British accent, and smoked.
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