The First Friendly Invasion: the US Military in First World War Britain

The story of the World War II ‘friendly invasion’ of Britain is well known, but what about the precedent, that is, the arrival of the American Expeditionary Force over 1917-18? This talk explores the long-overlooked history of this ‘first friendly invasion’. It will reveal where in World War I Britain the US military was based, it will uncover the experiences of the invading doughboys, and it will explore how they were received by local communities across the land. The talk will conclude by considering some of the memorials and monuments left by this invasion and which can be found from the western isles of Scotland to the south coast of England.

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The Levinsky Theatre, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom

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