Are you the daughter or son of a black GI and a British woman born
during or soon after the Second World War?
I am an historian at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, writing a book about the war children of
black GIs and Bristish women, and if you are one, or know of someone who is, please get in touch:
I would like to talk with you!
During the Second World War, of the approximately 3 million American soldiers stationed in Britain,
over 130,000 were African American (and addtionally some were Mexican and Puerto Rican).
Many of these soldiers had relationships with British women but, if they were non-white,
they were not permitted to marry, for the segregated US army forbade it. It is estimated that these
relationships resulted in the birth of about 1,700 to 2,000 mixed-race babies. Many of these children
were placed in children's homes, sometimes followed by fostering. There has been little study of
such children and I want to chart their early experiences. I have so far interviewed 18 people but
would like to interview a few more, if possible.
For comparison, I also want to interview those born in the same period with black West Indian fathers,
so if you are one of those, or know of someone who is, please also get in touch. Very many thanks.
Professor Lucy Bland, Professor of Social and Cultural History, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge
TRACE
www.gitrace.org