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During the Second World War, more than two million American servicemen passed through Britain. In 1944 alone, around half a million American servicemen were based in Britain as part of the United States Army Air Force (USAAF).
The American arrival in Britain had a major impact on everyday life. In many ways it would have felt somewhat like an invasion, especially for locals in rural communities. For this reason it gained the name ‘The Friendly Invasion’ and, for some areas, would have a lasting impact.
Our 'The Friendly Invasion' exhibition uses a set of displays that tells the story of this invasion and the effect that it had upon the people of Wymondham and the surrounding countryside.
From 1942 until 1945 there were 18 US air bases operating in the county of Norfolk alone, with some 50,000 or so personnel serving at them at any given time. Each would have a considerable impact on the local population, and would continue to do so for some time after the war.
Many of the servicemen stationed in East Anglia were very young and had never been abroad before. They were issued with guides advising them on how to behave in England. In particular, they were reminded that they were visiting a country that had been at war since 1939 and they should not complain about the food rations, beer or cigarettes and never criticize the King or Queen.They were told that their slogan should be: "It is always impolite to criticize your hosts; it is militarily stupid to criticize your allies".
How was the life of Wymondham residents affected by the arrival of so many Americans? Our 'Americans in Wymondham' display uses photos and the recollections of a teenage girl at that time to describe how life changed during this period.
US hospitals were an important feature of the American presence in Britain during the Second World War. Established to provide care for the servicemen stationed at accompanying air bases, there were many American hospitals across Britain during the war, but in line with air field concentration, a vast amount of these were situated in Norfolk and Suffolk.
To accommodate the local air fields, an American Hospital was established in Morley, at the site of what is now Wymondham College. It served as a major point of focus for the Americans in the immediate Wymondham area, and only enhanced the already large numbers of Americans in the locality.
Our 'The American Hospital' display tells the story of its development from when it was first established in 1939 on what was once a golf course to its expansion to cope with the anticipated influx of casualties after D-Day in June 1944.
A main feature of the exhibition is the story of Pamela Standley, a Wymondham girl, and the American GI she fell hopelessly in love with.
Her niece has pieced together Pamela’s poignant story. Pamela met John “Johnny” Fellowes, at a dance held at what is now Wymondham High School and they formed a close relationship going to dances, the cinema and exploring the local area.
John flew 30 missions before it was time for him to return to the United States. The two kept in close correspondence, but John’s letters became less frequent and finally stopped.
The full story of “Love in Wymondham” is displayed with photographs of Pamela and John. Also on show, on loan from her niece, is a dress made for Pamela by her mother in April 1944 which she wore for dances with Johnny and kept safely for the rest of her life.
