Many thousands of hours of volunteer work has gone into the production of this book, and for this the Rains and Ms. Jarratt have numerous persons to acknowledge. Thanks are due to George Butters, who faithfully guided the editing of the book; Bill Traer, for his amazing patience and skill; Jan Walker, for her editing skills, sharp eye and encouragement over the past few years; and Patsy Hennessy, for her careful edit of the final manuscript.
Most importantly, however, this book would never have been published if not for the courage of the Canadian war children, their mothers in Britain and Europe, as well as the war children’s relatives in Canada and others who contributed their stories, pictures and documents to bring this story to life. In alphabetical order, they are:
| Alma | Irene Lynk |
| Margaret Atkinson | Diane and Ron Matthews |
| Sheila Blake | Nano Pennefeather-McConnell |
| Richard Bond | Jenny Moore |
| Johnny Bruggenkamp | Mary K. |
| Winnie Bullen | Pat K. |
| Robert Burwell | Katja |
| Celestine | Joan Kramer-Potts |
| Chris | Mia |
| Karen (Flintoff) Cockwell | Mira |
| Christine Coe | Nel |
| Sandra (Campbell) Connor | Peter |
| Diane | Kathleen Swann |
| Elly | Leona Tange |
| Eloise | Hans Kingma |
| Maureen Fletcher | Ralph Thompson |
| Alan Franklin | Sally |
| Simonne Gallis | Theo Timmer |
| Josephine Gee | Willy Van Ee |
| Carol Anne Hobbs | Jan Walker |
| Peter Hurricks | Pamela Walker |
| Jill | Susanne Werth |
| John | Christine Wilson |
| Willy Joormans | Heiko Windels |
Lloyd and Olga Rains and Melynda Jarratt, September 2003.
Preface
As president of the Transatlantic Children’s Enterprise (TRACE) and, at the beginning, the receiver of all enquiries, I was very glad to learn of Project Roots in Holland.
Our expertise was confined to advising on the search for American GIs; therefore, being able to pass on requests for help in finding Canadian fathers who had been in Europe in World War II to Olga Rains was a great help.
My involvement with this work began with the publication of my first book, Sentimental Journey: The story of the GI Brides, in 1984. One chapter, “Lost and Found,” related to the efforts of people, not always deliberately left behind, to find their GI fathers. Letters from people in similar situations began to pour in.
At first, I could use only my own knowledge of the United States, the fact that I had been a military wife, and the efforts of friends in the U.S. to help them. Then came a breakthrough, courtesy of the Ralph Nader Association in the U.S. One of the GI babies took the U.S. government to court to allow them access to military records and won. As long as they had such basic information as a full name, and the dates their fathers were in the U.K., these people were entitled to his last known address.
The late Pamela Winfield.
This was only the beginning, but now, with the advent of facilities on the Internet, we have had a large number of successes. Rarely are they rejected.
On the wall of my office are photographs of GI fathers with their British children. Much to my delight, their numbers continue to grow.
I can only hope, for the sake of the Canadian children, they will get the same official assistance.
Pamela Winfield, MBE
President of TRACE
[Note: Pamela Winfield passed away in October 2004. The authors are grateful that she was able to contribute this preface.]
Chapter 1
The Canadians in Britain, 1939–1946
by Melynda Jarratt
“They’re oversexed, overpaid, and over here!”
King George inspects Canadian troops at the army base in Croydon, England, during World War II, date unknown. The Canadians spent more time in England than any of the other Allied troops. Of 48,000 war brides, 44,000 were from Britain, the majority of whom came to Canada after the war and settled here. But the Canadians also left behind an estimated 23,000 war children from relationships they had with single and married women in the U.K.
“They’re oversexed, overpaid, and over here!” Well-known comedian Tommy Trinder touched a nerve in British society when he uttered those famous words during World War II.1 Intended to be a gibe at American GIs who were romancing British women, the saying could easily apply to the Canadians, whose stay in Britain exceeded the GIs’ by more than two years.
Between 1939 and 1945, nearly half a million Canadian soldiers poured into Great Britain. Most of them were concentrated in southern England, and some who arrived in Aldershot in 1939 spent up to six years in the area. Naturally, the Canadians met British women, and whenever that happened there was romance and its inevitable results.
Forty-four thousand Canadian servicemen married British women during the war,2 but a large number also had relationships with local women — some brief affairs, others long term — which resulted in the birth of an estimated 23,0003 illegitimate4