Good-bye, Piccadilly: BRITISH WAR BRIDES IN AMERICA (Statue of Liberty Ellis Island) [Paperback]

Jenel Virden (Author)

Book Description

Series: Statue of Liberty Ellis Island | Publication Date: February 1, 1996

As much of the world tried to return to normal living and working patterns after World War II, some 70,000 British women chose to be uprooted from the homeland they knew and loved. These were British war brides, a uniformly young group who by marrying American servicemen became part of the largest single group of female immigrants to the United States. Though the women came to the U.S. from all parts of the British Isles, they were an unusually homogeneous group, averaging 23 years of age, from working- or lower-middle-class families and having completed mandatory schooling to the age of fourteen. For the most part they emigrated alone and didn't move into an existing immigrant population. Jenel Virden draws on records in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and the Public Record Office in London, as well as questionnaires and personal interviews, in relating the women's story. Virden finds that the marriages actually took place in spite of, rather than because of, the war. And, while the women benefited from special nonrestrictive immigration legislation - and found public welcomes and a good deal of favorable publicity when they arrived - they also had much in common with other immigrant groups, including a strong sense of ethnic identity.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The daughter of a World War II British war bride, Virden has penned a work about the experiences of this overlooked category of immigrants to the United States. Instead of a personal narrative, she has chosen to write a dispassionate analysis of the phenomenon based upon her study of archival material, statistics, questionnaires, and selective interviews. The result is informative but not very involving. That the war brides made huge sacrifices in leaving their homeland to begin new lives with men they hardly knew, that they overcame a mountain of red tape, culture shock, and a degree of anti-British prejudice, and that they felt lost between two worlds are predictable conclusions that need little quantitative substantiation. In-depth case studies or lengthy interviews, rather than the occasional anecdote, could have brought these generalized findings to life. While valuable for sociologists and other academics, this work will have little appeal in public libraries.?Rose M. Cichy, Osterhout Free Lib., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

With the ending of World War II, some 70,000 British women chose to be uprooted from the homeland they knew and loved. These were British war brides, a uniformly young group who, by marrying American servicemen, became part of the largest single group of female immigrants to the United States. Averaging 23 years of age, from working- or lower-middle-class families and having completed mandatory schooling to the age of fourteen, for the most part they emigrated alone and did not move into an existing immigrant population. Jenel Virden draws on records in the National Archives in Washington, D. C. and the Public Record Office in London, as well as questionnaires and personal interviews in relating the women's story. Virden found that the marriages actually took place in spite of, rather than because of, the war. Good-bye, Piccadilly is fascinating reading about one of the least know "side-effects" of American involvement in World War II. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025206528X
• ISBN-13: 978-0252065286
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Little-known history., March 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Good-bye, Piccadilly: BRITISH WAR BRIDES IN AMERICA (Statue of Liberty Ellis Island) (Paperback)

The British war brides, some 70,000 strong, occupy a special place in American military and immigration history.
The majority of war brides of World War II GI's, they represented a significant administrative and logistical problem to an officialdom (of both countries) which hoped in vain that the problem would go away. They persevered, despite hardships, intentional obstacles, and ill-concealed suspicions about their motives, and while most regard themselves as inevitably hyphenated Americans, the vast majority would do it all again.
Their story is well told here, shedding light on a little-known corner of World War II history and, incidentally, revealing much about life and love in the two countries.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score' books.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish Id read this book years ago, March 22, 2000

By 

Gwendolin Amato (Rhode Island USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good-bye, Piccadilly: British War Brides in America (Statue of Liberty Ellis Island) (Hardcover)

Fantastic book, I bought another copy to send to my best friend who was like me aBritish War Bride, I only wishI had know of the survays being done at that time, I would have loved to have participated in its information,

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and informative, July 3, 2004

By 

Maude (Oklahoma, OK, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good-bye, Piccadilly: BRITISH WAR BRIDES IN AMERICA (Statue of Liberty Ellis Island) (Paperback)

This is a great book for anyone interested in the lifes of GI war brides as well as anyone else who has moved from one country to another in order to follow one's heart.