War brides

During the Second World War, around 15,000 women left Australia to live overseas, with more than two thirds moving to the United States of America.  After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in December 1941, numerous American bases were established in Australia. American servicemen were seen as saving Australia from the Japanese, and Australian women were encouraged to join hospitality groups to ensure the Americans felt welcome. Dancing was a popular pastime and dance halls brought many couples together.

There were also increased opportunities for Australian men to meet potential brides overseas. In Britain, women had become an essential part of the auxiliary forces which brought more women in contact with servicemen. The Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) took many Australian airmen to Canada, resulting in a significant number of Canadian war brides coming to live in Australia. In 1948, 4,027 wives, 878 fiancées, and 1,463 children travelled to Australia as a result of contact with servicemen in the EATS.

As in the First World War, leave restrictions and imminent departures overseas led to a sense of urgency in organising weddings, and rationing of food and clothing meant that they were often modest events. If a couple waited until reaching Australia, which had more lenient rationing regulations, there was a better chance of having a traditional white wedding.

In contrast with the First World War, overseas brides could come to Australia during the Second World War. In 1941, the Australian Government gave free passage to wives, widows and children of Australian servicemen. However the risks involved in travelling during the war meant most women waited until 1944 or later to leave their homeland.  Once again, the desire for passage to Australia at the end of the war resulted in logistical problems and it was sometimes years before a berth on a ship became available. Converted troopships, ordinary passenger ships, and even cargo ships were used to transport women and children to Australia. Fiancées were disadvantaged as priority for travel was given to married women.

Before 1946, transport via ship was not available from Western Australia to the eastern states for war brides. Mothers, babies and children had to travel via the train which crossed between Perth and Melbourne, earning the train the nickname “the Perth Perambulator”. Representatives of the Australian Red Cross travelled on the train to provide assistance to the mothers.  At various stops along the way, local residents provided mothers and babies with meals and refreshments, sometimes in their own homes.

In Australia there was some resentment towards American soldiers who married Australian women. US servicemen were better paid than Australian servicemen, which led to the saying that American servicemen “over-paid, over-sexed and over here” becoming common in Australia.

Japanese war brides

There was an Australian military presence in Japan from February 1946 to November 1956, initially as a part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) and later during the Korean War. The official BCOF policy of anti-fraternisation prohibited service personnel from entering Japanese homes or taking part in family life. However, extensive contact occurred through employment, black marketeering, prostitution and social contact such as church attendance, entertainment and sight-seeing, all of which created opportunities for romantic attachment.

Permission from the Commander in Chief of BCOF was required for personnel to marry. However marriage to a Japanese person was specifically forbidden, hence the popularity of commitment ceremonies as an alternative or interim solution.