American Deserters

[stambourne]

  In both WW1 and WW2 there were American Servicemen who didnt go home at the end.   I personally
know of a one armed antique dealer, back in the 50s, who was from WW1,  and I know of 3 living locally to me
in East Anglia 20 years ago,  from WW2 (one army, 2
air forse).  My son has a current friend, a lady who came
here as a service wife, divorced her USAF husband,
and married an Englishman. Has kids by both. Still uses
the base facilities, still has US passport.   I very much
doubt if any of these folk are known to the authorities,
and their descendants will have fun doing f.h.!

I suspect that others like the Polish Ladies Auxiliary
Units may also have drifted gently into the UK, in
the 1946 period.  And what about the two Belgian
Jewish ladies,(Flemish speakers) who came off a
Leigh-on-Sea cockle boat during the Dunkirk evacuation,
They were billeted on us for a few days still visibly sufferinbg from shell shock. I'll bet any money nobody
was found to speak their language and take their deytails .. and so  ...

trust this is sort of helpful
Stafford

PS The Portobello Road antique market in 1955-60 was full of people "with no papers", Izzy's birth had in fact
never been registered, so had no identity card, ration
book, or anything, but managed somehow.  His brother Manny had been and had it all, even paid tax!