BY MID-1945, THE MOMS OF THE EVACUATED CHILDREN FROM LONDON AND OTHER LARGECITIES BEGAN PREPARING PLAQUES FOR BRITAIN’S ACROSS-COUNTRY SMALL TOWNS ANDVILLAGES WHICH READ, “WHEN THE BOMBS CAME, WELCOME WAS MADE HERE FOR OUR
BOYS AND GIRLS WITH LOVE AND KINDNESS NEVER, NEVER, EVER, TO BE FORGOTTEN”
Two days later, on September 3 rd , Britain was at war. Yet, for several weeks, daily life wasvirtually indistinguishable from that of August 31 st , the day before the invasion of Poland. Inbrief, life on the home front had its own somber responsibilities. With their men in the forces,women had to replace them, dealing with the usual problems and concerns, i.e., rationing, longwork hours, night fire-watching duties, and worried sick about the bombs certain to come. Butat least the children were on their way to safety and security. Where? No one knew for certain;with whom, moms could only hope and pray for the best. They would have to wait until theirchildren mailed preprinted postcards sent home providing their new addresses and provider’snames. War without bombs just then was nonetheless affecting everyone. All that a mom coulddo at work, then, at home, awaiting the arrival of the mail, was to smile bravely . . . .Reviewed and highly recommended by Don DeNevi“EVACUEES — Children’s Lives on the WW2 Home Front”, by Gillian Mawson. Pen & SwordHISTORY, Pen & Sword Books Ltd: 2014, reprinted 2021, 192 pages, sc; $29.95. Visit, www.pen-and- sword.co.uk.In September 1939, over 3,000,000 people were evacuated from London alone,accompanied by another million from the Channel cities believed in the paths of Hitler’sinvasion forces from France. “Operation Pied Piper” was the largest transportation of peopleacross Britain, the Islands had ever known, virtually all moving into the countryside beingchildren.Gillian Mawson, a social historian, has spent years collecting the stories of former evacuees,resulting in her most appreciated book which includes the memories and photographs of over ahundred, each with his or her own problems. These accounts, almost all previously
unpublished, reveal what it was like for each to settle into a new home with strangers. Most
found everlasting love, sincere caring, gentleness, patience, coupled with devoted guidance,friendship, and responsibility, while, tragically, some endured ill treatment. This rarely tackledtopic didn’t faze or daunt Gillian who earnestly studied and elaborated her research upon it.Her fine work provides readers with insights into the realities of wartime life and a valuablerecord of a unique moment in British wartime history. “Family Tree Magazine” praises, “GillianMawson’s superb book offer a unique insight into the evacuation experience from the mindsand voices of those still alive who lived through it. Her fierce determination led her to get thestories before they were lost forever to British history. The breadth of the children’sexperiences touched upon is extraordinary.”However different, all the stories in this book underline one thing: there is so much more tothe story of evacuation during that horrific Nazi war than the images of children arriving atrailway stations, clutching gas masks, and with labels tied to their coats, which have enteredthe popular imagination. Gillian writes, “Hopefully, my book with its combination of stories andfamily photographs will paint an intimate picture of the different ways in which the British
people opened up their homes to evacuated children and adults during those dark days.”
“Civil Defense — WOMEN URGENTLY WANTED FOR E V A C U T I O N S E R V I C E – – Offer YourServices to Your Local Council, or Any Branch of Women’s Voluntary Services” – – Women’sVoluntary Service Recruitment poster, September 1939.“HELLO, my – son or daughter’s name___________How are you, My littleEVACUEE?Enjoying being billeted by the sea?I love your letters,Please do send others, Love andKisses from your mommy.”8 th June 1946To-day, as we celebrate VICTORY, I send this personal message to you and allother boys and girls at your home school. For you have shared in the hardships and dangers ofa total war and you have shared no less in the triumph of the Allied Nations. I know you willalways feel proud to belong to a country which was capable of such supreme effort; proud, too,of parents and elder brothers and sisters who by their courage, endurance, and enterprisebrought victory. May these qualities be yours as you grow up and join in the common effort toestablish among the nations of the world unity and peace.
Letter sent by the King in 1946 to the children of Britain
