'I have three homes'

Life as an American military child in Suffolk

By Suffolk Archives

RAF Lakenheath is not only home to American military personnel, but also to their families. There are five schools that serve the base, with over 2,500 children attending them.

The schools have been working with Suffolk Archives to explore young people’s experiences of arriving and living in Suffolk. They have been inspired by items from the archive collections to express their opinions and share their stories with the people of Suffolk.

The students’ work will feature in an exhibition at the new flagship heritage facility, The Hold, in Ipswich. The exhibition will explore the experiences of American military forces arriving in Suffolk during World War Two. Their work will also be shared with the local civilian communities near the base as part of a Sharing Suffolk Stories project.

Photo of two booklet covers. A black and white showing a stylised map of the UK, with RAF Lakenheath marked, and the text Home of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing. The other booklet has a vertical blue and white stripe design and the title Who Are the Americans?

These two booklets were used to inspire the students’ work. Left – a 1960s booklet for American service personnel transferring to RAF Lakenheath (read the whole booklet here); Right – a Second World War pamphlet for the British outlining aspects of American geography and culture (read the whole booklet here)

These two booklets were used to inspire the students’ work. Left – a 1960s booklet for American service personnel transferring to RAF Lakenheath (read the whole booklet here); Right – a Second World War pamphlet for the British outlining aspects of American geography and culture (read the whole booklet here)

What does home mean to you?

Students at Lakenheath Elementary School on base at RAF Lakenheath have been thinking about the different places they have lived and have drawn pictures of their homes. Suffolk Archives made oral history voice recordings with the pupils talking about what they like (and don’t like!) about living in Suffolk.

Click the play button on the drawings to hear the pupils talking about their experiences.

What does the UK look like to you?

Students in the art class at Lakenheath Elementary School on base at RAF Lakenheath have been creating artworks which remind them of things they have seen in the UK which are different to life in the United States of America, from castles and sheep-covered hillsides, to red London buses.

Child's painting of a stone castle, on a green hill with a blue sky behind
Child's painting of a thatched cottage. The walls are a pale pink, and there is a tree next to the cottage.
Child's painting of a yellow bulldozer, with a dynamic spray of mud being kicked up by the machine's bucket.
Child's painting of rolling green hills dotted with white sheep.
Child's painting representing London with a grey background, Big Ben, a red bus, and the London Eye.
Child's painting of sunset at the coast. A blue sea is in the foreground, and flying birds are silhouetted against an orange sky.
A child's painting of two woolly sheep. They are in front of a purple blue sky and stood in a green field.
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Child's painting of a stone castle, on a green hill with a blue sky behind
Child's painting of a thatched cottage. The walls are a pale pink, and there is a tree next to the cottage.
Child's painting of a yellow bulldozer, with a dynamic spray of mud being kicked up by the machine's bucket.
Child's painting of rolling green hills dotted with white sheep.
Child's painting representing London with a grey background, Big Ben, a red bus, and the London Eye.
Child's painting of sunset at the coast. A blue sea is in the foreground, and flying birds are silhouetted against an orange sky.
A child's painting of two woolly sheep. They are in front of a purple blue sky and stood in a green field.

Moving to the UK

In this video, students from Liberty Intermediate School share their experiences of moving to the UK.

Advice for children moving to the UK

Using pamphlets from Suffolk Archives for inspiration, students at Liberty Intermediate School have written their own illustrated book of advice for US military-connected children aged 9-11 moving to Suffolk. Their book covers housing, friendships, food, sport, travel, culture, and keeping in touch with family and friends.

Here is some of the advice the students have for other children relocating to the UK.

When you move somewhere new, you have to make new friends. Here are some things to know if you’re having a hard time making friends. First, when you move there try walking around, and getting to know some of the people that live there. Also, when you go to school, ask the teacher to introduce you to everyone else so they at least know your name. Another thing you can do is play sports so when you join a team you’ll make friends because you’ll be with them for a while. Making friends isn’t hard when you get more friends, and know how to do it with more confidence.

- Kanani, Grade 5

I found out about fish and “chips” when I went to a restaurant. But I learned there that here, chips mean fries. Tea will become a habit and sometimes people I know have said a whole sentence in a British accent. But there are tea, scones, macaroons, British ice cream and more!

- Sophia, Grade 4

When you first move to England you are probably wondering what sports do the people in England play. Well I have your answer they mostly play soccer which they call football. They also play a game called cricket, which is basically baseball in this country. If you’re thinking about playing American football you can only play with Mildenhall or Lakenheath youth center programs. Here in England they call football rugby.

- Ryder, Grade 5

Also, notice that lots of people around you (outside the base, and sometimes inside) will have English accents. Don’t make fun of them. They might sound a little funny, since you might not ever have heard them, but what if they did that to you? Hmm… You would not feel good about that.

- Laura, Grade 5

Both Liberty Intermediate School and Lakenheath High School produced booklets full of useful advice for students of different ages on settling in to a new country. You can read the full booklets here:

Child's drawing showing a person moving a box of possessions into a house in the rain. The box has become soggy and contents are falling out of it. Words say 'When it comes to unpacking it's not always fun. By Rena
Child's drawing showing different food and drink they have found in Britain. The drawings show pie, tea, Fanta, Maltesers, pastries, macaroons, and chips
A child's drawing showing two characters meeting each other and shaking hands. One person says 'Nice to meet you' and the other replies 'it's nice to meet you too'. They are stood under a rainbow.
A child's drawing showing before and after versions of the same scene. In the before scene a child asks three others 'do you want to play soccer?'. The other three all stare back in confusion. In the after scene, the child asks 'Do you want to play football?' and the other three all enthusiastically respond with a yes.

Moving Drama

Students of the National Elementary Honor Society at Liberty Intermediate School were inspired to write and perform a drama about their story of moving to Suffolk. The students wrote the script, made props, and performed the drama which has been made into a video.

The High School perspective

Lakenheath High School students considered the similarities and differences between England and America, and how they felt living in different countries had helped them develop as a young person. They wrote their responses and then discussed their answers in a video.

“Collaborating with Suffolk Archives on the community heritage project has been an amazing opportunity to ensure that education transcends the classroom for my students. My students were deeply impacted to learn that America’s arrival to Suffolk also brought segregation to the local community.  Specific Suffolk villages became designated for black servicemen, and black servicemen could only visit some of the larger towns on designated days. Needless to say this has profoundly impacted their view of the scope of America’s segregation laws.  Furthermore, my students were able to explore the differences and commonalities between England & America, highlight what it means to be a ‘third culture kid’, as well as addressing what makes a place feel like home.  A phenomenal project and experience for my students.”

Mrs Ellis, Lakenheath High School teacher


Create You

Students at Lakenheath Middle School were inspired to create a mural which explored how living in the UK has influenced them as a person and encouraged others to take on the challenge of moving somewhere new. Their mural was painted on a school corridor in the style of American street artist Jason Naylor who uses creativity and colour to spread positive thinking.

“Just like how the different ideas and words in the mural come together to form the big picture. Each place you live and visit as a child of military parents forms a little bit of who you are.”

Photograph of a mural made up of bold graphic words in a variety of fonts. In the centre are the words Create You. All around them are other words including defeat, dive, climb, build, pull, never give up, conquer, chase, jump, and finish.

Jam or Jelly?

5th Grade students at Feltwell Elementary School explored similarities and differences between the USA and the UK. They found that food and what we call it can be really different between the two countries, and take some time to get used to.

Thanks to teachers Mr. Marshall, Ms Bishline, and Ms Mako for completing this work during digital learning sessions.

Child's drawing showing different words for the same things in the UK and USA - brolly and umbrella, ladybird and ladybug, candyfloss and cotton candy.
A child's drawing on A4 paper split in half diagonally. In the left triangle there is an American flag, and American greetings, Hi! How are you? Thank you! And drawings of lemonade, aka cloudy lemonade in the UK, and Lay's chips, which would be called crisps in the UK. There is also a drawing of a US power socket. The triangle on the right has a Union flag, clear fizzy lemonade, a bowl of chips, which would be French fries in the US, and a UK power socket. It also has UK greetings, Cheers! Hiya! You alright?
A child's digital drawing showing a cookie, biscuit, fries, chips, baked potato, and jacket potato
Child's drawing showing an American football and a soccer ball, chips and crisps, and french fries and chips.
Child's drawing showing a US car with left hand drive and a UK car with right hand drive, the difference between crisps and chips, and President and Prime Minister
Child's drawing showing the US and UK power outlets, left and right hand drive cars, and the different meanings of biscuit
Child's drawing showing that the UK has more roundabouts and the US has more traffic lights, the different spellings for car tyre, and the differences between the British and American flags
Child's drawing showing the different meanings of words in the UK and USA. A torch in the UK is a battery operated flashlight, in the US it's a burning torch. In the UK squash is a drink, in the US it's a vegetable. In the UK football is soccer and in the US it's American football

A child's drawing showing different words for the same things in the UK and USA - biscuit and cookie, rubber and eraser, chips and French fries.
A child's drawing titled 'Three things that are different between the UK and USA' - red leaves for autumn and fall, a round black and white ball for football and soccer, and a plate of scones for scones and biscuits.
A densely coloured drawing with representations of the US flag and Union flag, with drawings of potato crisps and chips, a sweet biscuit and a scone, a jar of jam and a wobbly jelly.
Child's drawing titled Differences between UK and UK foods, showing fries and chips, cookies and biscuits, hard and soft breadsticks, eggplant and aubergine
Child's drawing showing a UK car driving on the left and a US car driving on the right, pounds and dollars, and a soccer ball and American football
Child's drawing of UK foods on a Union flag - biscuits, sausage rolls, and a wobbly jelly. Beneath is a US flag with the same foods drawn on - US biscuits, which would be scones in the UK, pigs in a blanket, and a jar of jelly
Child's drawing showing a bowl of chocolate pudding, which in the UK would be blancmange or custard, a can of coke which in the US is soda but in the UK is pop, and mashed potatoes
Child's drawing with the logos for Tesco and target, the symbols for pounds and dollars, and the UK and US flags
Child's drawing showing that in the US coffee is more popular and in the UK tea is the drink of choice. That what Americans call chips in the UK are called crisps, and that American cookies are British biscuits.
Child's drawing showing different UK and US words for the same thing - pram and stroller, queue and line, tube and subway.

What happened next?

This work with the schools at RAF Lakenheath took place as part of one of our Sharing Suffolk Stories projects, Stories of RAF Lakenheath and Mildenhall.

The students' work featured in Global Events: Suffolk Stories our very first exhibition at our new building, The Hold.

We also produced a pop-up touring display featuring their work, which is available for loan - please contact us on archives@suffolk.gov.uk if you would like to borrow it.

The Month of the Military Child display at RAF Lakenheath

The Month of the Military Child display at RAF Lakenheath

The collaboration between Suffolk Archives and the RAF Lakenheath schools won a Pete Taylor Partnership of Excellence award. Our certificate arrived just in time for Christmas 2020!

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