Moving Experiences: responses to relocation among British military wives

Abstract: This book chapter discusses the 'double whammy' of losses that 'military wives' often sustain when they accompany servicemen to overseas postings. It argues that, among other things, trailing wives are removed from: relatives, friends and former support systems; careers and/or other valued roles that contribute to their sense of self; comforting familiar environments, including former homes; sometimes, even their own children, who, because of repeated military relocation, are sent away to boarding school. The chapter suggests that recovery from these emotionally unsettling experiences, which can amount to culture shock, may be hindered by an on-going failure within the military to recognise servicemen's wives as independent, autonomous individuals.