Comments on: Evacuees – millions evacuated from their homes at the start of the Second World War

By: Blog author

Blog author — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 01:39:04 +0000

Glad you enjoyed it! There certainly were some very positive experiences.

By: Sufidreamer

Sufidreamer — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:27:19 +0000

Fantastic post – It must have been frightening for everybody concerned – children, parents and host families alike. It is an often forgotten part of the war effort, yet the evacuation showed that, on the whole, the British know how to pull together.

My grandmother was evacuated from Salford to the depths of the Lancashire countryside. There, she met my grandfather, so evacuation did have the odd positive!

By: Blog author

Blog author — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:38:27 +0000

I don’t doubt that it must have been well-meant, and being bombed could certainly have ruined anyone’s whole day. Overall, the programme was a success, but it still must have been absolutely terrible for the children and their parents, separated from each other.

By: hels

hels — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:20:37 +0000

Of course there is going to be great uncertainty and confusion as war approaches, and mistakes will be made. But at least you can be certain that everything done for the vulnerable people of London (mostly children) was meant in their best interests.

I have become morbidly fascinated by the reclassifying of recently arrived German-speaking refugees as Enemy Aliens. Mainly teenage boys and mainly Jewish, they were locked into camps on the Isle of Man and other sites. See (http://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com/2009/11/isle-of-man-internment-camps-1940.html).

As you noted about the children, many German-speaking refugees in Britain were imprisoned on ships to British Commonwealth nations. Arandora Star left for Canada in July 1940 carrying German and Italian internees, but it was torpedoed and sunk with huge loss of life. 2,542 men were taken to Australia on the Dunera. See http://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com/2009/11/dunera-and-its-jewish-internees-in-1940.html

Thanks for Preparing For War. There is a lot to be written!

By: Christine King

Christine King — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:42:38 +0000

Hi, Just wondering where I could to find out more information on where my Mother was evacuated to from London. She remembers it was Dog Kennel Cottages Summerset, and how she helped on the farm.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:06:15 +0000

I am from Canada and am looking for an adult summer school university/college course in England (preferably in the London area but not a deal breaker) to study WWII history.
Any suggestions, advice, etc. would be very much appreciated.

By: Blog author

Blog author — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:50:49 +0000

Thanks, I’m glad he found it useful.

By: Marguerite

Marguerite — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:38:15 +0000

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed time of your evacuation. My son is just learning about that time and yours was a real positive story to relate.
Many thanks again and best wishes.

By: Robert Waterfall

Robert Waterfall — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:32:39 +0000

I was evacuated from Ilford in Essex to Midsomer Norton in Somerset. When we arrived we were assembled at the town hall then columns of us were marched off in different directions and people came out and chose which child they fancied. My first billet was with a couple who sold parrafin and other such items. I was then moved to another billet, a Mrs Hughes who was a miners widow with 4 young daughters, the eldest being Jeannie who I just didn’t get on with. I next moved to live with two old people Jack and Winnie? Head who had a mobile greengrocers business. I consider that I was then the luckiest evacuee ever as they really looked after me extremely well. I always had a block of dates to take to school along with my sandwiches (Brawn or Tongue, homemade of course). Jack Head had a field with an old abandoned Austin 7 which we made to run so that I learned to drive at the age of 10! I also learned much from the local boys about nature including how babies were made. I had to pay 6d for that information and thought that it was such a load of bull that I gave the boy a good hiding and took my 6d back. I still owe him that 6d as I later found out that his information was correct. Hapy, happy days. (Oh, by the way there was not enough room in the normal school so 12 of us boys were put in the Ursulian School for Girls where we were always in trouble as the female teachers didn’t know how to handle boys. Ex. punishment for a girl was a hit on the palm of the hand with a ruler, we used to ask if we could have another hit on the other hand as well.)

By: Blog author

Blog author — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:46:51 +0000

I agree – my son is 4, and the idea of sending him off on a train, not knowing where he might end up, is horrific!