UK Ex-Pats living in USA or USA Ex-Pats in England
American searching for old girl friend from England,. Was it from the UK in the 1950s or 1960s? Are you from the USA. Seeking to reconnect with a lost friend from England. Reuniting USA Ex-Pats who once lived in the United Kingdom. Reconnecting with a long-lost buddy lost girlfriend or a lost sweetheart.
American Ex-Pats. Do you today still miss that long-lost special English girlfriend that special love, boyfriend or old buddy you left behind? The one perhaps ashamedly you abandoned departing from England maybe to return to the USA? More often than not we can actually find them again for you.
Of course no doubt unrecognizable from that youthful image your memory retains. But for our American clients that is mainly irrelevant. Conversely, let’s face it their appearance has altered too. What is sought here is far more than superficial aspects much deeper and from the heart.
Equally, were you an American living in England post-war?
Here is a great account of the bravery of a US serviceman in England 1944
Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Wolverton
This photo, taken on the evening of June 5, 1944, in England, shows Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Wolverton of Elkins, West Virginia. Commander of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, checking his gear before heading towards Normandy.
On that evening, Robert reunited all his men and said: “I am going to ask you to pray with me for the success of the mission before us. […] God almighty, in a few short hours we will be in battle with the enemy. We do not join battle afraid. We do not ask favors or indulgence. […] We ask only this, that if die we must, that we die as men would die, without complaining, without pleading, and safe in the feeling that we have done our best for what we believed was right”.
A few hours later, Robert jumped over Normandy and was killed by enemy fire before touching French soil. This true American hero is now resting in peace at the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, New York.
Today, we honor Lt. Colonel Robert L. Wolverton and all the men of the greatest generation who served, sacrificed and died during D-day Invasion, WWII. We will always remember you.”
Source: Fallen Yet Not Forgotten
American citizens once lived in England.
Want to reunite with a lost buddy or an old sweetheart a special girlfriend whom you met in those magical times back in England during the 1950s and ’60s? American servicemen posted in England post-WWII was there anyone in particular that left an abiding impression on you? We go about the task of finding them for you.
One huge regret we have is that we are too late to reunite many from the greatest generation. If only the internet and digital era had arrived earlier! If by a miracle there are still one or two of you out there, we would love to hear from you.
Those brave airmen from the US 8th USAAF who were stationed in the UK. Many of whom found love with an English girl. We are desperately sorry time dictates we are too late to reconnect them. God bless you, boys! If there is just only one of you out there today please contact us.
We see photos of all those happy smiling faces of US servicemen back in London during 1945. So sad, that today, they are nearly all no longer with us.
The epitome of the era was the magnificent Boeing B17 G flying fortress. Day after day thundering across the skies of England, The unforgettable sound of those 4 Wright cyclone engines: See it here on start up- youtube click here
Champagne bathing in the serpentine
With an arm around the lovely English young girl you just met.
We are hugely frustrated even angered that “father time” has cheated those guys from the WWII era an opportunity to ever see their sweetheart ever again.
By contrast, today, with the younger post-war generations it’s possible to reunite them. Not to mention reuniting UK Ex-Pats living in the USA is what we do.
An interesting link here shows how the GI influx shaped Britain’s view of Americans: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20160819
How the GI influx shaped Britain’s view of Americans
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20160819
Moving away from WWII
Reconnecting British American friendships romances many of which evolved during the post-war era.
From the late 1940s to the late 1960s we saw in England a steady stream of US citizens making England their temporary home.
By and large, this was attributable to the large number of U.S. air bases scattered around the country.
Many were established during WW2
In conjunction with the RAF in order to accommodate the 8th Air Force.
During the 50s and 60s, a number of these bases remained operational. Either to house the new generation of nuclear deterrent aircraft, such as the “Avro” Vulcan.
While others were deployed as listening posts. Primarily designed to monitor what was going on behind the “iron curtain.” The most prominent bases were Upper Heyford, Alconbury and Mildenhall.
RAF Chicksands. Around that time this author himself grew up in Luton which was very close to a USAF/RAF “listening post” named Chicksands
The base never housed any aircraft and to us kids, at that time it was all a mystery. A barbed-wire perimeter was installed, and guards were stationed at the gates with Alsatian dogs. Nobody was allowed in or out apart from deliveries and station personnel. The exception was once a year when they held an open day.
So all us locals knew of the “Yanks” at Chicksands. To us kids, we were struck by how kind, and friendly they all were.
Luton town centre on a Friday night
was awash with American air force personnel. To us kids no more than age 14 or so at that time used to hover outside the local pubs, waiting for some American servicemen to pass. Waiting to pounce in order that we might purloin either a “Pall Mall” or “Lucky Strike” cigarette off of them.
Usually, Friday evenings ended in fisticuffs often with the American and Irish communities. The Irish were Locally known as “navvies” who were there in large numbers to help build the M.I. Absolute “salt of the earth” I hasten to add.
The big rivalry between the two factions typically ended without anyone being seriously hurt and a handshake ensued and- “see you next week”. The Irish were a grand set of people until they had a few Guinness’s down them..haha.
Another dimension during this era was the number of local romances that ensued between the American servicemen and local girls.
Some were just teenage flings others were more serious. But sadly many of these relationships at the time were superficial, and it was perceived to be cool to move on to the next conquest.
Many Luton girls finished up emigrating and returning with their men to the USA becoming a GI. bride.
As the years go by many of those wild teenagers
Are now of course in their 70s and 80s. Often find themselves today living alone. Many are engulfed in a sense of deep sadness tinged with regrets. Berating themselves as to how they shamefully behaved back in 1959. That lovely “English Rose” who adored them and would do anything for them. Often not treated with the respect they deserved.
Of course, role models in those days such as James Dean demonstrated a “treat them mean” approach. Being a naïve 19-year-old typically going along with it just to appear to be acting tough.
Finding my English Rose again.
Conversely, although not so typically, we are sometimes approached by English girls from that era who let their sweetheart from the USA go home without them. Remorse and sometimes asking questions such as “what if” and “if only”.
Today we at Friends Reconnected have experienced a big upturn in interest to reconnect with those lost loves and sweethearts from the U.K during that era of the 1950s and 1960s.
Not all were servicemen many Americans made London their home in England during the wild 1960s hippie era. Hyde Park, Woodstock, Camden and smoking grass. Yes in those days London was the only place to be. Today they are all serious and mundane grandparents. Well, on the outside anyway.
Today many from that long-gone 1950s/1960s Yankee invasion era, have demonstrated to us that today they are prepared to move heaven and earth just to say hello to their “English Rose” once more.
What we do say to our enquirers of a certain age from the USA is, that the English Rose you remember might of course today look somewhat different.
The answer is “we don’t give a damn” she will always be my little sweetheart regardless which is wonderful for us to hear. They want to say “I am sorry for letting you down-I was young stupid and naive”…..yes we’ve all been there! Lastly, we hear logically “we have aged considerably too”.
So, there we are. Let’s go find them!
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