World War II Slang: GI Soldiers

A GI is a soldier in the US army, especially an ordinary soldier who is not an officer.
Many GIs came to the UK during World War II, and were seen as attractive and exciting by British women because they could provide things such as certain kind of food and clothes that were not easily available in the UK at that time. Some British women, known as GI brides, married American soldiers and went to live in the US.
The GI Bill was a law passed in the US in 1944, which makes it possible for people who have served in the army, navy, etc to continue their education and receive other benefits:
He went to college on the GI Bill.

Cigars: famous people's favourites

A cigar is a tube-shaped roll of uncut tobacco leaves for smoking, usually larger and more expensive than a cigarette. Cigarettes are connected in people's minds with certain famous, and often rich men or powerful men such as Winston Churchill, Fidel Castro and Groucho Marx.

Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was a British politician in the conservative party who was Prime Minister during most of World War II and again from 1951 to 1955. He is still remembered and admired by most British people as a great leader who made possible Britain's victory in the war. He is also famous for the many speeches he made during the war, especially on the radio, encouraging British people to believe that they would eventually win. Pictures of Churchill usually show him wearing a hat and smoking a large cigar. He is also known for making the V-sign to show his belief in a British victory in the war.

The army officer behind the poster

Horatio Kitchener (1850-1916), who was also known as Lord Kitchener, was a British army officer. He fought successfully in the Boer War. During World War I, he was responsible for buiding up the British army, and his picture appeared on a famous poster with the words "Your country needs YOU. Join your country's army, God save the King".

In 1916 Lord Kitchener sailed the cruiser HMS Hampshire for his diplomatic mission to Russia. The Hampshire struck a mine laid by a German U-boat and sank west of the Orkney Islands. Kitchener, his staff, and 643 of the crew of 655 were drowned or died of exposure. As his body was never found, a number of conspiracy theories were put forward. Some claimed that Kitchener was assassinated, or that his death would have been convenient for a British establishment that had come to see him as a figure from the past who was incompetent to wage modern war.