Hey, I'm at school and I was wondering if anyone could help me with the above question. It's for my GSCE coursework and I don't really know where to look. My Grandad was an evacuee but he was only six and he seems to have enjoyed it! Thanks in advance, Danielle. (What was the publics reaction to the Government policy on Evacuation) <- That is the full question
Hi Danielle, Can't help with the details, but you might want to look at these aspects for a comprehensive social history: Familial separation; parents and children would be upset. How much information did the parents and children receive prior to the implementation of the Evacuation Policy? How much choice did they have over the matter? Were there lots of reports of children being sent to the 'wrong' families; did the parents have any control over where their children were sent and with what kind of people they lived? Was the evacuation conducted in a smooth manner in 1939, or were there lots of delays and children ending up without adoptive parents waiting at the end of their journies. How easily could those parents that could afford it visit or otherwise contact their children. (This is important, since many of the children from the East End of London would have come from very poor backgrounds and their parents might not have been able to afford the train fare, etc.). Did the children of the rich fare any better than those of the poor? Was it fair? A lot of children returned to their parents in early 1940 when there was no mass bombing, as had been predicted before the war, since the Blitz did not start until August/September 1940; almost 12 months into the War. Were these children able to be sent away once again when the bombing started? If not, people would be very worried. Anyhow, just a few things you may wish to consider. Have a look around the Internet, for I am sure there will be lots of sites, and you might want to look at copies of several newspapers from the period to look at related stories. Richard
My husband and his mother were evacuated from London to Northamptonshire during the V1 period in 1944. They stayed on a farm and he says he enjoyed it. His two fondest memories are the thrill of the spectacle and noise when the USAAF took off from a nearby base and an Italian POW with a big moustache, who worked on the farm, giving him a ride round the farmyard on one of the horses. They probably did not stay very long, because he was back in London soon enough to remember the sound of a V2 landing not far away. His memories are obviously patchy, as he was only two at the time, but I think that two things stand out: 1. In 1944 at least, the mothers of very young children were evacuated too. 2. Whatever the perception of evacuation earlier in the war might have been, there were people still prepared to undertake it in 1944.
1. In 1944 at least, the mothers of very young children were evacuated too. In 1939 too I think, and even pregnant women? One of my great aunts was almost 9 months pregnant when the war started, and was evacuated from central London to the countryside. My father's cousin was born in Suffolk in September 1939. On a similar subject, does anyone know when childrens identity cards were issued? I have one that is dated 1940. Too late for the start of the war. Was this card issued to a new child born in 1940? Did they change the pattern of childrens identity card? Had they not got around to the issue of childrens cards when the war started? I have seen pics of evacuees wearing luggage labels to identify them.
As war approached children were evacuated, first from London, then from centers of industrial production, airfield locations and other large cities, to various "safe" locations. In the summer of 1939 one of my aunts housed two evacuated boys from Kent -- named Martin -- who were around my age and assigned to my school. We got along together pretty well -- we played together daily, went to the cinema weekly (Saturday morning "Mickey Mouse Club") and organized a Lancashire vs Kent cricket match (local lads versus the evacuees) in the field back of my auntie Clara Howarth's house. They soon returned to their homes in Kent, however (I believe right after New Year, 1940) -- that seemed to have happened quite a lot -- homesickness and family love overcame the threat of bombing. Besides, there hadn't been any air raids on Britain at this time ("The phony War"). Government poster There had been a resurgence of Air Raids on London by the Luftwaffe in early 1944 but in late spring officials began hinting that this was a last gasp effort and the danger was pretty much over. I seem to recall newspaper reports that a large number of children evacuated to the outlying countryside due to the earlier air raids were now returning to London. A couple of weeks or so later everything changed. A new kind of pilotless airplane was used to attack London. It didn't take long before they were given a name: "Doodlebugs". The V1 attacks once more resulted in large scale evacuation of children from London to outlying countryside areas. Note: I edited my original message to remove extraneous information.
Thank you all very much for your help! The comments you left will help me a great deal in my coursework. Err, when it gets marked, I'll let you know how I did! Thanks again, very VERY appreciated. Danielle
Some more information: The 1939 evacuation announcement was pretty much greeted with the same grim resignation that the British greeted all the bad news of 1939 and 1940: declaration of war, blackouts, rationing, conscription, air raid shelters. Angus Calder's "The People's War" has a very good chapter on the evacuations. It was a great culture shock for middle-class folks living in "green, pleasant England" to meet the grubby kids from the East End. Some of the East End kids had never seen farm animals and meadows. Others had never seen indoor plumbing and were afraid to sleep on the clean sheets. Some families grew bored in evacuation, missing the home turf and their friends. Others thrived in the open air and farmland, and their health improved with the higher nutrition levels created by fresh farm produce. the Imperial War Museum has a lot of material on the evacuation efforts, as well. I hope that helps.
Here are details of exactly "who" was evacuated in 1939. Includes pregnant women, as suspected, but also "Cripples" - no PC in those days! I am not being allowed to post this JPG. If anyone wants to see it email me and I will send it.
