Memorabilia relating to the life of Ruth and Bill Frost
Date1942 - 1946
Object numberANMS0329
NameArchive series
MediumPaper
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Ruth Frost
DescriptionThis collection relates to the courtship and early married life of Ruth and Bill Frost.
Up to 15,000 Australian women married or were engaged to Americans during WWII. When the war ended, women faced delays of up to 20 months to gain passage on a ship to San Francisco. The US War Department sent the Matson liners LURLINE, MONTEREY and MARIPOSA to carry Australian warbrides and their children to a new life in America.
This series consists of 23 items, including one Officers' Club membership card, one certificate, one newsletter, four newspaper clippings, one enlisted man's pass, four photographs, three postcards, two accommodation receipts, one betting slip, three telegrams and two theatre tickets.HistoryDuring World War II between 12,000 and 15,000 Australian women married American servicemen. Some migrated and lived in the USA, while others returned to Australia in the years following the war, with or without their husbands. These women often encountered public scrutiny and disapproval for their decision to marry with many Australians, specifically men resentful of Americans 'taking their wives'. For many women, American servicemen filled the vacuum created by Australian men stationed overseas. During the campaign in the Pacific thousands of American troops were stationed in Australia, at a time when many of Australia’s young men were fighting in Europe and the Middle East.
1950-1980
January - February 1952
