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Scotland Montrose 'GI Brides'

You might think ‘GI Brides’ were a feature of WW2 but in World War 1 there were also American servicemen stealing Scottish hearts. Love was certainly in the air at Montrose where aviation was a key local part of the war effort.

When the Americans entered the war in 1917 they didn’t have any combat aircraft, so they used British and French aircraft to train on. In early 1918, the 138th Pursuit Squadron of the US Army came to Montrose to train on Sopwith Camels. They left in August 1918 to go to France. The Americans were quick workers. Just before they left there was a spate of weddings to local women. Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre have put together a project to document and track the 13 couples and their lives. History enthusiast Susan Morrison meets curator Dan Paton and hears about the research and exhibition.

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7 minutes

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