How Britain’s ‘Brown Babies’ history found its way onto Danish screens
While researching a new storyline for their hit TV series Sygeplejeskolen (The New Nurses), the Danish production company SF Studios came across an archival photo on The Mixed Museum’s website. With an episode of their latest series exploring the experiences of Denmark’s wartime ‘brown babies’, the company reached out to us to learn more about the image. Read on to find out how The New Nurses brings attention to Europe’s wider ‘brown babies’ history and how this image from our collection unexpectedly found its way onto Danish screens.
From Somerset to Denmark: How Britain’s ‘Brown Babies’ history is helping to tell a European Story
A photograph, taken in 1940s' Britain, has unexpectedly found a new home on Danish television.
Last year, The Mixed Museum received a request from SF Studios, producers of the hit period drama Sygeplejeskolen (translation: The New Nurses). The series, reminiscent of BBC’s Call The Midwife series, follows men training as nurses in post-war Denmark and frequently tackles social issues of the period.
In researching for the latest series, the producers came across an image on The Mixed Museum that caught their eye: a photograph of eight mixed-race children at Holnicote House, the residential nursery in Somerset where some of Britain’s ‘brown babies’ were raised.
Familiar to many as the cover image of Professor Lucy Bland’s award-winning book into the British children of Black GIs dubbed the ‘brown babies’ by the African American press, the producers also wanted to feature it in an episode exploring Denmark’s own forgotten ‘brown babies’. In Denmark’s case, these are the children born to German mothers and Black Allied soldiers, some of whom were later adopted by Danish families.
With Lucy’s help, we consulted with people who appear in - or whose family history is connected to - the Holnicote House photo to see how they felt about their photo appearing in Sygeplejeskolen. Some of this group are also currently taking part in our DNA family history project.
Although the show would be using the image in a historically inaccurate context - to illustrate a German-born rather than a British-born ‘brown baby’ - those consulted felt that it was a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of Europe’s wider ‘brown babies’ history.
The episode has now aired, and the Sygeplejeskolen production team sent this message for us to share with the group:
"It means a lot to know that there is such a strong connection between the story of the people shown in the image and the story we are telling in this episode. The creators of the series are deeply committed to shedding light on untold stories from Danish history, such as the story of Greta, which sadly took place during this time in Denmark. We are very grateful for your contribution in helping us achieve this goal."
Sygeplejeskolen, the Danish TV Series: Telling a Hidden Story
The episode of Sygeplejeskolen in question follows Greta, a German ‘brown baby’ adopted by a Danish family who mistreat her, a storyline based on real experiences of mixed-race children in post-war Denmark.
The Holnicote House photo is used within the episode by a character who explains Greta’s backstory to one of the nurses. While the image isn’t historically accurate (the children in the photo were British, not German), its inclusion in the episode reflects a growing recognition that these histories transcend national borders.
During and after World War II, at least 2,000 mixed-race children were born in Britain to white mothers and Black GIs. While some children grew up in loving homes with their mothers or grandparents, many others met with hostility and prejudice in the mostly white rural towns or villages they were born in. Many were placed in residential homes like Holnicote House. A few were adopted or fostered, again with differing experiences of acceptance, though generally they were not put forward to prospective adopters as adoption agencies considered them ‘difficult to place’. In addition to the social prejudice they faced, interracial marriage was illegal in many US states until 1967, while travel between the UK and US tended to be out of reach on both sides. As such, few ever knew or met their fathers. Now in their late 70s and 80s, many are still searching for answers.
In recent years, the history of Britain’s ‘brown babies’ is beginning to come to wider attention. But their stories are not unique. Germany and Denmark, too, had their own ‘brown babies,’ children of Black GIs and white European mothers, who faced similar struggles of identity, discrimination, and belonging.
The Histories of Germany and Denmark’s ‘Brown Babies’
In post-war Germany, between 5000-7000 mixed-race children were born to German mothers and Black American soldiers. These children – who were referred to in German as Mischlingskinder - grew up in a society still grappling with the legacy of Nazi racial ideology. Many Germans viewed them as a challenge to post-war national identity, and their presence was met with systemic discrimination. Many were denied citizenship and faced state-sponsored exclusion. Some were forcibly placed in orphanages, while others were put up for adoption abroad. Under the ‘Brown Baby Plan,’ led by African American journalist Mabel A. Grammer, 500 Afro-German children were sent to the United States, where Black families adopted them in an effort to provide better opportunities and cultural belonging. It is estimated that thousands of German children of Black GIs ended up being adopted by Americans.
For those who remained in and employment opportunities, and formal recognition of their experiences only came decades later, as Germany began to publicly acknowledge the racial injustices of the Germany, life was a struggle against racism and marginalisation. Many were denied access to education post-war period.
Reports suggest that Danish families became the second largest adopters of wartime Afro-German children after the US. Unlike in Germany, where formal state intervention shaped adoption policies, many of these Danish adoptions were informal and unregulated, leading to a range of experiences for the children involved. As in Britain, some grew up in loving homes, while others suffered neglect or discrimination in an overwhelmingly white society that often treated them as outsiders.
Only in recent years has Denmark begun to publicly discuss this hidden history. Efforts have been made to reconnect individuals with their pasts, and the inclusion of a storyline on Sygeplejeskolen marks an important step in bringing these narratives into public consciousness.
Why these histories matter
For decades, Europe’s ‘brown babies’ were overlooked, their existence exposing uncomfortable truths about attitudes towards race, citizenship and belonging in Allied countries such as Britain, Denmark and the USA during a period of fighting fascism.
The airing of Sygeplejeskolen’s latest season, and its use of The Mixed Museum’s Holnicote House image, demonstrate how these histories are finally emerging from the margins. This is not just Britain’s story, it is part of Europe’s - and the USA's - collective memory and the broader conversation about race, belonging and identity during and immediately after WW2.
At The Mixed Museum, we are committed to preserving and sharing these stories. Through archival research, collaborations, and other activities, our goal is clear: to ensure these histories are not just remembered but recognised as integral to understanding our past and present.
With thanks to Professor Lucy Bland for additional information and references
Learn more
Visit our 'Britain's 'brown babies' digital exhibition
Support more filmmakers to tell the history of Britain's 'brown babies'
Read Martina Koegeler-Abdi's chapter about Denmark's 'brown babies'; Heidi Ferenbach's chapter about Germany's Afro-German children; and Yara-Colette Lemke Muniz de Faria's chapter about American adoption of the children.
Watch an interview with Regina King, maker of the documentary The Mischlingskinder Story about wartime Afro-Germans
Find out about the show The New Nurses