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Document Type
Oral History
Abstract
Acc #: 268; MMWB 003
This interview with Jean Hansen was recorded by Martha Mercer on April 2, 1993 in Mrs. Hansen's home. The main topic of the interview revolves around Mrs. Hansen's experiences marrying an American GI in the United Kingdom during World War II and moving to the United States. The interview begins with Mrs. Hansen talking about her and her husband’s decision to move to America, and the support they received from their families. She talks about her experiences adjusting to the weather in Mobile, and the extent to which she had to adjust to cultural differences. Mrs. Hansen also discusses becoming a naturalized American citizen in 1951, and the emotional impact of that decision. She describes some of her experiences taking return trips to England. The interview concludes with Mrs. Hansen ruminating on whether she ever consider moving back to England, and how her immigration has impacted her sense of home.
This interview is part of a collection of three audio cassette recordings and one written interview that Martha Mercer conducted with white World War II war brides from the UK and Australia in 1992-93. Mercer undertook the project for her master’s thesis in History, “British Brides, American Wives: The Immigration and Acculturation of War Brides in Mobile, Alabama, 1945-1993,” which she completed at the University of South Alabama in 1993.
Publication Date
4-2-1993
Recommended Citation
Hansen, Jean and Mercer, Martha, "MMWB 003 Jean Hansen 4-2-1993" (1993). Martha Mercer War Brides Collection (MMWB). 3.
https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/oral_hist-mmwb/3