The local TV channel 21 shows many British movies - black & white - many featuring WWII and the London blitz - this would have been circa 1940/1941. A few years later the Yanks arrived and the Brits encouraged fraternization with the locals. As more Yanks arrived preparing for the Normandy invasion, many local citizens were asked to relocate and offer their homes to our soldiers. Around this time our USLines operating manager, one Ted Cook, was already in the military running a port battalion supporting General Bernard Montgomery in North Africa and Suez. As London port was still open they reassigned him there until the war was won. By 1946 we were involved with the British War Brides who must have numbered in the thousands and they had to set up reception and lodging for the women and their offspring. Ted formed a special "squad" to assist and several vessels were designated to move all these passengers to the U.S.A., mostly from Southampton. So one can assume that the fraternization bore fruit - or somethin'. If any of your ancestors came from Britain they might have been in that contingent.
tjs
(Above excerpted from Eagle Blue No. 29 - May 1, 2006)
No comments:
Post a Comment