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The mecca for many youngsters during the late thirties/early forties was the local picture house on a Saturday morning.
Two hours of total concentration on the adventures of Flash Gordon, The Lone Ranger, Andy Hardy combined with hilarity provided by The Three Stooges.
Overnight, during 1942 the men from the silver screen appeared in our midst.
"The Yanks" arrived in their thousands in Belfast.
With uniforms quite different from our soldiers, they appeared to be better dressed, wearing neckties and brown boots.
Travelling in strange looking vehicles, they called "Jeeps" and loaded with all sorts of goodies which we never knew existed!
Toffees were called candies and chewing gum was in sticks rather than small coated sweets.
To them we were "Kids" and in turn we classed the majority as "Friends" because they seldom refused our constant badgering of "Any sweets mister?
Our grown-ups were not so gracious, many said they were "Over here, over paid and over sexed"
We could not even begin to know what the latter meant ( perhaps because we lived in a more innocent age )
One adult was heard to describe the GIs as "All ears, eyes, teeth and after shave lotion"
But to us they were heroes, reincarnations of those we idolized on the silver screen.
Then, as quickly as their arrival, they disappeared. Gone to fight in the war against the Germans.
GONE, BUT FOREVER FONDLY REMEMBERED BY COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF "KIDS" IN BELFAST

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