BRIDAL TRAIN

The Waifs

A telegram arrived today, It’s time to catch the Monterey
Cause the man I wed he waits for me, and a daughter that he's yet to see.

The U.S. Navy beamed its message, we'll deliver brides on a one-way passage
It made big news across the nation, the bridal train leaves from Perth station.

All the girls around Australia, married to a yankee sailor
Your fare is paid across the sea, to the home of the brave and the land of the free,
From west to east the young girls came, all aboard the Bridal Train
It was a farewell crossing over land, she's gone to meet her sailor man.

No time for sad goodbyes, she held her mother as she cried
And then waited there in the Freo rain, to climb aboard the bridal train.

Well she was holding her future in her hand, yeah the faded photo of a man
Catch a sailor if you can, yeah the war bride leaves her southern land.

All the girls around Australia, married to a yankee sailor
Your fare is paid across the sea, to the home of the brave and the land of the free,
From west to east the young girls came, all aboard the Bridal Train
It was a farewell crossing over land, she's gone to meet her sailor man.

This is the story of the starry nights, through desert plains and city lights
Through burning sun and driving rain, she left aboard the Bridal Train.

All the girls around Australia, married to a yankee sailor
Your fare is paid across the sea, to the home of the brave and the land of the free,
From west to east the young girls came, all aboard the Bridal Train
It was a farewell crossing over land, she's gone to meet her sailing man.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k7OncTVHkI


“It is estimated that between 12,000 and 15,000 Australian women married American servicemen during World War Two.
Some made a life in the USA, while others returned to Australia with or without their husbands in the years following the war.
While public perception about war brides paints a narrow picture, it is clear that there are many different reasons why Australian women married American servicemen……
https://www.sea.museum/discover/online-exhibitions/war-brides



Cheers, R-J