GI Brides: The wartime girls who crossed the Atlantic for love. Duncan Barrett

I thought it was a low blow,’ he said. ‘Those guys were willing to give their lives for their country, and to be treated that way…’

      ‘I couldn’t believe it either,’ Lyn agreed. ‘Are you going to file a complaint?’

      ‘I’d love to, but I can’t. We’ve got enough issues between Yanks and Brits as it is.’

      ‘Well, you did what you could,’ she told him, as she hopped back on her bike and rode off.

      The next day, Lyn saw the GI again on her way into work, and again she stopped to speak to him.

      ‘Morning,’ he said politely, giving her a smile. Lyn noticed that he had never called her ‘baby’ or ‘sugar’.

      ‘Morning,’ she replied. ‘I just realised I never found out your name. I’m Lyn.’

      ‘Ben Patrino,’ he said.

      Lyn learned that Ben was from California, that he was Italian-American – she thought the Italian part sounded very romantic – and that he supervised the black troops who loaded and unloaded the cargo in the Port Company.

      In the days that followed, the two of them bumped into each other regularly and Lyn found herself looking forward to it, although somehow she never got round to mentioning her new friend to Russ. Ben might not have had the Mexican ensign’s easy charm, but the more Lyn saw of him the more she liked him. He was polite and softly spoken, so different from most GIs she had met.

      After several more brief encounters, Ben finally got up the courage to ask Lyn out to the movies. She found herself saying yes, and only afterwards thought of Russ with a jolt. But then, why shouldn’t she go out on a date? Russ was allowed to spend time with her despite having a wife in Florida.

      When Lyn arrived home that afternoon, her mother told her she had just missed a visit from Russ. ‘He’s left something for you on the mantelpiece,’ she said.

      Lyn rushed into the front room to find a crisp white envelope waiting for her, and ripped it open impatiently. Inside, Russ explained that he was being transferred away from Southampton. ‘To my little English girl-friend,’ he wrote, ‘I pray that someday you will find what I have – the happiness of a loving and peaceful marriage.’

      He had included a photograph of himself, looking intensely at the camera, and signed it, ‘To Lyn, without you I would have been lost.’

      Lyn held the letter to her heart. She felt choked at the thought of never seeing Russ again and filled with disappointment that their romance had come to its inevitable, unsatisfying end.

      In a desultory mood, she put the letter back on the mantelpiece and went up to change for her date with Ben. She couldn’t believe she had missed the chance to say goodbye to Russ.

      When she met up with Ben outside the cinema, he beamed at her. ‘You look beautiful,’ he said, taking her hand and leading her inside.

      ‘Thanks,’ Lyn replied a little weakly.

      It was a relief to take her seat in the darkened cinema and focus on the screen, rather than having to make conversation. As the film played out in front of her, Lyn’s mind kept drifting back to her dates with the Mexican ensign, to the way he had looked into her eyes and played footsie with her under the table. After a while, she realised she had no idea what was happening in the film. At least Ben seemed to be enjoying it, though – and he hadn’t even made a move to kiss her.

      ‘Would you like some food?’ he asked her afterwards. ‘We could see if the Polygon’s still serving.’

      It was already getting late, and all Lyn really wanted was to go home and read Russ’s letter again, but now Ben had mentioned it she was pretty hungry. ‘All right,’ she replied politely. ‘That would be nice.’

      Unfortunately, with a clientele made up almost exclusively of Americans, the Polygon had begun serving dinner early, and all they could offer Ben and Lyn was sardines on toast. As they ate, he told her about his former job as a book-keeper, and about his family back in California – how his dad would sit out on the porch at night playing the banjo and every Friday his mom would throw open their doors to the whole neighbourhood.

      ‘Your family sounds lovely,’ Lyn said, in between mouthfuls of toast.

      ‘You’re quite a chowhound!’ Ben laughed. ‘You know, you would love my mom’s homemade pizza.’

      ‘What’s pizza?’ Lyn asked.

      Ben’s jaw dropped. ‘You never had pizza? Boy, you Brits are really missing out.’

      ‘Well, I bet you’ve never had a good English roast,’ Lyn responded. She told Ben about the wonderful meals her mother used to make every Sunday before rationing started, with roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, Brussels sprouts and roast potatoes.

      The more they laughed and shared stories together, the more Lyn found she was enjoying herself. She was surprised to find she hadn’t thought about Russ for a while.

      At the end of the night, Ben walked Lyn home. He made no attempt to kiss her, but he held her hand. It felt good, Lyn realised – and unpressured.

      ‘Goodnight then,’ she told Ben, as they reached her front door. ‘I had a nice evening.’

      ‘Goodnight, Lyn,’ he replied, squeezing her hand.

      Inside, Lyn went straight to the mantelpiece and picked up Russ’s letter. But this time she didn’t open the envelope, or look at the photograph. Instead, she took it straight upstairs to her bedroom and shut it away in a drawer.

      On her next date with Ben, Lyn gave him her undivided attention – and he gave her his unqualified devotion. It was clear that he was smitten, and at times he would drift off from talking and simply gaze at her.

      At first, it made Lyn feel a little uncomfortable. ‘What is it?’ she asked, as Ben sat staring at her in silence.

      ‘Boy, you really don’t know how cute you are,’ he replied. After that, Lyn decided that she rather liked it.

      Soon, Ben and Lyn were seeing each other every evening. He treated her like royalty, always taking her coat for her, pulling out her chair at the table and bringing her chocolates and flowers. He persisted in calling her his ‘chowhound’ whenever he saw her stuffing her face, which always made her laugh.

      When Ben and Lyn went to the pictures together they would stroll back home afterwards through Watts Park. It was on one of these walks that Lyn saw another side of Ben’s character that raised him even further in her estimation.