War bride is a term used in reference to wartime marriages between soldiers and foreigners, especially - but not exclusively - during World War I and World War II. One of the largest and best documented war bride phenomenons is American soldiers marrying German "Fräuleins" after World War II. By 1949, over 20,000 German war brides had emigrated into the US.[1] Furthermore, it is estimated that there are "... 15,000 Australian women who married American servicemen based in Australia during World War II and moved to the US to be with their husbands".[2]
Allied servicemen also married many women in other countries where they were stationed at the end of the war, including France, Luxembourg, Philippines, and Japan. This also occurred in Korea and Vietnam with the later wars in those countries involving U.S. troops.
As many as 100,000 GI war brides left the United Kingdom, 150,000 to 200,000 hailed from continental Europe, 15,500 from Australia and 1,500 from New Zealand, between the years 1942 and 1952.[3] Of these, approximately 44,000 went to Canada accompanied by some 22,000 children. They emigrated mainly in 1946 in specially commissioned "war bride ships," like the Queen Mary, Leticia, or Mauretania, landing at Pier 21 in Halifax.[4] A war bride museum is currently located on that site at Pier 21.[5]
In 2008 the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, B.C., Canada, had as its major exhibit paintings by Calgary artist Bev Tosh.[6] The exhibit chronicled the warbride experience in Canada and New Zealand via a painting medium.
Contents |
During and immediately after WWII, more than 60,000 servicemen that married women overseas were promised that their wives and babies would be delivered to their doorsteps free of charge. The U.S. Army's "Operation War Bride", which would eventually transport more than 70,000 women and children, began in Britain in early 1946. The first batch of war brides – 455 British women and their 132 children – arrived in the US on February 4, 1946. The RMS Mauretania left Liverpool, England, on 4 February 1946 as the first dedicated war bride ship to Canada bound for Pier 21 in Halifax.
About 650 Japanese war brides migrated to Australia after the ban on Japanese migration, imposed at the outbreak of the Pacific War, was lifted in 1952 when the San Francisco Peace Treaty came into force. They had married Australian soldiers involved in the Occupation of Japan.[9]
6,423 Korean women married US military personnel as war brides during and immediately after the Korean War.[10]
8,040 Vietnamese women came to the United States as war brides between 1965 and 1975.[11]
War brides from wars subsequent to Vietnam became less common due to differences in religion and culture, shorter durations of wars, and direct orders. As of 2006, about 1,500 visa requests had been made by US military personnel for Iraqi spouses and fiancees.[12] There have been several well publicized cases of US soldiers marrying Iraqi women.[13][14]