This is Sylvia's story, one of four true stories from the book GI Brides.
The room was filled with GIs – some playing pool, some jostling for control of the jukebox, and others taking doughnuts from a silver machine in the corner – while half a dozen young women rushed around serving them. 'So, what can I do?' Sylvia asked, keen to get stuck in.
Sylvia is volunteering at a Red Cross Club in the West End when she meets a charismatic Irish-American called Bob. He sweeps her off her feet and convinces her to fly to America to marry him after the war. But living with Bob's gambling relatives proves a nightmare, and in desperation Sylvia runs away to England, giving Bob an ultimatum…
Sylvia's story is extracted from GI Brides, written by the bestselling authors of The Sugar Girls. It captures the memories of the thousands of women who crossed the Atlantic for love after the Second World War.