Building    From 11/11/1942  To 9/1/1946

Rainbow Corner

Club for the American forces in the UK during WW2. Also known as the American Red Cross Club. This is where those "oversexed, overpaid and over here" GIs hung out.

From British History online: The club occupied two buildings: 23 Shaftesbury Avenue, on the corner with Denman Street, previously Maison Lyons (a different branding for a Lyons Corner House), and the next door building, the extension to Cafe Monico. We believe both buildings were erected in 1888-9, no. 23, Piccadilly House, having "a fussy elevation" and both had been demolished by 1963. The whole block is now (2014) a pretty grim building of offices, fast food and tourist tat shops.

The club opened on Wednesday 11 November. This seems an odd choice, it having been the national memorial day since immediately after WW1, only 23 years previous.

The Guardian describes the activities the club provided. Hell's Angels contains the innocent reminiscences of an English dance hostess who volunteered there, while JCS-group paints a less chaste picture.  British Pathe footage of the closing ceremony - a jovial and crowded 'GI Jamboree'.

The 1945 film “I live in Grosvenor Square”, about a American soldier's experience in England during the war, features Rainbow Corner. The exterior appears in the opening credits and there are a few scenes set inside. Though almost certainly shot in the studio, these do give an idea of what the place was like.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Rainbow Corner

Commemorated ati

Rainbow Corner

RAINBOW CORNER This plaque is placed here as a tribute to all ranks of the Un...

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Other Subjects

J. Clayton

J. Clayton

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
18th Battalion (London Irish Rifles)

18th Battalion (London Irish Rifles)

The 18th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (London Irish Rifles) was formed on 1 April 1908 by the amalgamation of regiments under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907. Both ...

Group, Armed Forces

1 memorial
T. Phipps

T. Phipps

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
J. H. Starr

J. H. Starr

Co-partner or employee of the South Suburban Gas Company. Served but did not die in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
W. G. H. King

W. G. H. King

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial