"Once the United States joined World War II, the urge to get married among many young couples proved too compelling to resist. In 1942 alone, 1.8 million weddings took place, up 83 percent from 10 years before. And two-thirds of those brides were marrying men newly enlisted in the military."
Citation: Yellin, E. (2017, February 2). Lining up for wartime weddings. The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/weddings/165-years-of-wedding-announcements/world-war-two-weddings
In 1942 and 1943, more than 2,000 weddings were performed at the Church of the Transfiguration, the Little Church’s official name. In 1943, the church’s rector, the Rev. Dr. Randolph Ray, said that three ceremonies in the morning and three in the afternoon represented a “quiet midweek schedule” for him. Still, the rector tried to apply some prewar standards to the thousands of wartime marriages he sanctioned. In 1944, he even wrote, “Marriage Is a Serious Business,” a book for young couples in which he warned, “The hasty marriage, caused by glamour and excitement rather than by genuine affection, is one of the evil products of war.”
Citation: Ray, R. (1944). Marriage is a serious business. Whittlesey House Books.
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
World War II – Marriage and Divorce
John writes in this letter of marriage to Margaret, but says "[...] Being married and being able to live together is one thing, not being able is another entirely different thing. When I do get married, I want to be able to stay and be with my wife all the time. As things now stand I’m sure I would be here more than 2 or 3 months at the longest." He also alludes to spouses cheating on each other when separated by war, saying "[...] When a man does leave his wife, she being used to things which are denied her when her husband leaves naturally, willing or not, she’ll seek the companionship of a man. I am not saying you would Darling, but why tempt a person when in a few years or less we can be married and never, never, need worry about being apart."
The marriage rates had been skyrocketing, particularly since the attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. The exchange above between John and Margaret seems to illustrate his reluctance to marry before finishing his time in the service, which seems to be at odds with the general marriage trend of the times. A deeper look at marriage and divorce among soldiers and their girlfriends at home is discussed in the blog post "WORLD WAR II – MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE", compiled as part of the West Virginia University Honors course 293u in their group blog "Families @ War - 2014 Edition".
Citation: Rewolen. (2014, March 23). World War II – Marriage and Divorce. Families @ War--2014 Edition. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://familiesatwar2014.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/world-war-ii-marriage-and-divorce/