# Did Australians give USN free drinks during WWII? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 26, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-australians-give-usn-free-drinks-during-wwii/533876 "2010-03-26T14:35:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-australians-give-usn-free-drinks-during-wwii/533876/1 "2010-03-26T14:35:13Z")
My dad has told me many stories about life in the “olden days”. One of them is that during and just after WWII the Australians were so grateful to the US for keeping Japan away that, they gave free drinks to all members of the US Navy that came to visit. This supposedly took place during and just after WWII. This sounds plausible but, dad has stretched the truth on more than one occasion. So did US sailors get free drinks? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-australians-give-usn-free-drinks-during-wwii/533876/2 "2010-03-26T18:04:01Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised. A friend who recently returned from Iraq said that he can walk into almost any bar in rural Minnesota (and also in many working class urban neighborhoods) and people will buy him drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-australians-give-usn-free-drinks-during-wwii/533876/3 "2010-03-26T18:21:16Z")
I would not find it at all surprising. However, the sailors may not have quite understood the local customs. After you are shouted a drink in a bar in Australia, it’s understood that you will return the shout on a following round of drinks. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-australians-give-usn-free-drinks-during-wwii/533876/4 "2010-03-26T19:18:36Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > I would not find it at all surprising. > > However, the sailors may not have quite understood the local customs. After you are shouted a drink in a bar in Australia, it’s understood that you will return the shout on a following round of drinks. This is the custom among drinkers all over the world. It’s always happy hour somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-australians-give-usn-free-drinks-during-wwii/533876/5 "2010-03-26T19:43:28Z")
It’s not uncommon for Canadian servicemen, or hell, even the RELATIVES of Canadian servicemen, to get free drinks in the Netherlands to this day. And it’s been 65 frickin’ years since we liberated the Netherlands. So, hell, why not? A lot of Americans died in the Coral Sea. A few drinks is a reasonable thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-australians-give-usn-free-drinks-during-wwii/533876/6 "2010-03-26T21:15:16Z")
[Battle of Brisbane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brisbane), a low point in the alliance ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-australians-give-usn-free-drinks-during-wwii/533876/7 "2010-03-26T21:23:19Z")
Here’s an interesting article from _Time_, March 31, 1941 > [@](#): > > For three days the U. S. Navy took over Sydney. Sailors rode free on busses, trains and trams, were ushered into theatres without charge, fed in Australian service men’s buffets. With Sydney’s girls, hungry for masculine entertainment since some 150,000 young Australians went abroad to fight for Britain, they bathed in the warm surf on Sydney beaches, picnicked, danced, reclined in the parks. At busy King’s Cross intersection one sailor stopped traffic, led passers-by in song while police good-naturedly looked on. Full story from [Time](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,765351,00.html)