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Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII

Posted by Russ Webb on February 28, 2009, 5:21 pm

Not many American ships made the trip all the way around northern Scotland to the East Coast of the UK during WWII prior to the invasion, so that the competition for goodlooking gals there was not as intense as in the western ports. I especially remember South Shields upon Tyne and Hull! The gals there would come right out to the docks to meet you. I especially remember a young lady who looked a lot like Olivia DeHaviland in her younger days. War had its happy momemts too!

Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII

Posted by Fran Kent on February 28, 2009, 10:30 pm, in reply to "Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII"

Russ: Remember what the Brits said about us Yanks? They said we were "overpaid, oversexed, and over here."

Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII

Posted by Russ Webb on March 1, 2009, 5:48 pm, in reply to "Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII"

The British males had a very dry sense of humor, so I suspect that remark about us Americans came from them. In truth, all of Britain wept with joy when the US finally entered the war because it meant they would be on the winning side. They had had a lot of close calls: Dunquerque, Norway, Greece, Libya, and you name it. British females, on the other hand, were very expressive of their emotions and since we Americans represented their salvation, they couldn't be thankful enough. A lot of American women have said it was the British women who were oversexed. Who knows?

Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII

Posted by Fran Kent on March 1, 2009, 10:21 pm, in reply to "Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII"

Oops. I did something wrong. Here it is again. Yes, Russ, that blues lament was sung by the males. The women were delighted by our presence, since many GIs had access to mess supplies and PXs filled with things that had disappeared much earlier from British shops. All this, of course, reflected a lighter side of the situation. In general, they were happy to have us finally get seriously into the war.

Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII

Posted by Fran Kent on March 1, 2009, 10:20 pm, in reply to "Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII"

Yes, Russ, that blues lament was sung by the males. The women were delighted by our presence, since many GIs had access to mess supplies and PXs filled with things that had disappeared much earlier from British shops. All this, of course, reflected a lighter side of the situation. In general, they were happy to have us finally get seriously into the war.

Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII

Posted by Russ Webb on March 2, 2009, 10:50 pm, in reply to "Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII"

By 1947 around 70,000 British war brides had arrived in the US to be with their husbands, and in Canada the figure of arriving brides was around 16,000. Of course a lot of sex takes place during wartime even without trinkets and favors from post exchanges, and in Picadilly Circus in London, standup sex with prostitutes and Americans went on all night once the bars closed, so they say. I was never there. And we sailors from Liberty ships never had a post exchange to furnish us with ammo for love making. The best summation I've seen is: The Americans were a breath of fresh air to British women.

Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII

Posted by Roy Brown on March 3, 2009, 8:50 pm, in reply to "Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII"

I never got to England or Nothern Europe. However, we British and French Navy ships as part of escort at times.
We were especially fortunate to have HMS Caledon, a British cruiser, along in convoy UGS-40 when we were attacked by MANY German aircraft. Caledon did a terrific job in helping save our convoy from serious losses.
Also, 3 or 4 of us once were invited some British sailors to visit their ship in Algiers. It was a battleship and I can't remember the name! It was an interesting visit.
The Brits really liked our cigarettes and theirs were horrible!
There must be a zillion memories...IF we can hold out for a few more years perhaps more and more of them will surface!!!
Roy Brown

Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII

Posted by Fran Kent on March 3, 2009, 5:13 pm, in reply to "Re: Gals on the East Coast of the UK in WWII"

After years of rationing and shortages and endless nights of being bombed, they must have seen the GI suitor as a ticket to paradise. (About the duplication above: I posted it and when I looked to see if I had fixed all the typos, there was no text; so I repeated it. Sorry.

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