Over the next few days, khaki uniforms and cotton twill overalls were
issued helping overcome an image that many felt of being like ‘poor cousins’
of the Americans. Off-duty however, trainees were expected to wear ‘civvies’,
and most put their service-issue aside and spent their meager pay on lighter
clothing more suited to the hot and humid Georgian summer. The presence
of these British ‘Tommies’ in Americus was big news and reporters and
photographers from the Americus Times-Recorder—the local afternoon daily
newspaper—ensured that articles appeared in the paper for weeks. The issue
of Thursday 12 June 1941 in particular, devoted the front page to a picture of
the 53 member SE-42-A wearing their new uniforms and their ‘colonial’ sun
helmets.
37 The Recorder describes these young men as ‘all dressed up in
British uniforms and in military formation’ (Plate 17.5).
Wherever these young men went ‘off-duty’ in the next ten weeks the wives,
mothers and daughters of Americus showered them with their famous
‘Southern hospitality’. They had iced tea, Southern fried chicken, corn on the
cob, creamed corn, fried okra, fresh tomatoes, Spanish rice, peach cobbler and
pecan pie. But there was more; fresh melons, peaches, cantaloupes, strawberries, water melons, and in the town of Americus itself they found
ice-cream, milkshakes, banana splits and sundaes.
38 All of this was in stark
contrast to the austerity in the UK and some trainees naturally felt guilty, but
at least they could give their families the precious assurance that, after
dodging the U-boats and the Bismarck, for the next six months they were all
‘safe’. However, amongst many trainees in the South, there was soon a
Plate 17.5 SE-42-A, from the Americus ‘Times Recorder’ 12 June 1941. John Augustin is
somewhere in this group, but the quality of the photo is poor. Photograph courtesy of
Sumter County Archivist Alan Anderson
422
D. Sheppard
issued helping overcome an image that many felt of being like ‘poor cousins’
of the Americans. Off-duty however, trainees were expected to wear ‘civvies’,
and most put their service-issue aside and spent their meager pay on lighter
clothing more suited to the hot and humid Georgian summer. The presence
of these British ‘Tommies’ in Americus was big news and reporters and
photographers from the Americus Times-Recorder—the local afternoon daily
newspaper—ensured that articles appeared in the paper for weeks. The issue
of Thursday 12 June 1941 in particular, devoted the front page to a picture of
the 53 member SE-42-A wearing their new uniforms and their ‘colonial’ sun
helmets.
37 The Recorder describes these young men as ‘all dressed up in
British uniforms and in military formation’ (Plate 17.5).
Wherever these young men went ‘off-duty’ in the next ten weeks the wives,
mothers and daughters of Americus showered them with their famous
‘Southern hospitality’. They had iced tea, Southern fried chicken, corn on the
cob, creamed corn, fried okra, fresh tomatoes, Spanish rice, peach cobbler and
pecan pie. But there was more; fresh melons, peaches, cantaloupes, strawberries, water melons, and in the town of Americus itself they found
ice-cream, milkshakes, banana splits and sundaes.
38 All of this was in stark
contrast to the austerity in the UK and some trainees naturally felt guilty, but
at least they could give their families the precious assurance that, after
dodging the U-boats and the Bismarck, for the next six months they were all
‘safe’. However, amongst many trainees in the South, there was soon a
Plate 17.5 SE-42-A, from the Americus ‘Times Recorder’ 12 June 1941. John Augustin is
somewhere in this group, but the quality of the photo is poor. Photograph courtesy of
Sumter County Archivist Alan Anderson
422
D. Sheppard