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World War 2

A comprehensive World War 2 history guide with facts and information on one of the most important events in British history.

  • Overview
    • World War 2 Summary
    • World War 2 Facts
    • World War 2 Timeline
    • World War 2 Prisoners Of War
    • Soldiers In World War 2
    • WW2 FAQ
      • Who Started World War 2?
      • Causes of World War 2
      • When Did WW2 Finish?
      • Which countries were involved in World War Two
      • When was World War 2?
      • Who won World War 2?
      • How Many People Died In World War 2
    • WW2 Planes: A History of World War 2 Aircraft
  • Battles
    • The Blitz
    • Pearl Harbour
    • Battle Of Britain
    • Dday
    • Operation Barbarossa
    • The Battle Of Kursk
    • Operation Overlord
    • Battle Of Midway
    • Battle of Stalingrad
    • The Invasion Of Poland
    • Operation Cerberus
  • Leaders
    • Winston Churchill
    • Franklin D Roosevelt
    • Adolf Hitler
    • Benito Mussolini
    • Emperor Hirohito
    • Joseph Stalin
  • Home Front
    • Evacuees Of World War 2
    • World War 2 Recipes
    • World War 2 Shelters
  • Anne Frank
  • Miscellaneous
    • World War 2 Books
    • World War 2 Movies
    • World War 2 Poems
    • World War One
    • The Phoney War
    • Blitzkrieg
    • World War 2 Allies
  • World War 2 For Kids
    • World War 2 Facts Kids
    • Children in World War 2

Evacuees Of World War 2

Once war had been declared in 1939, a national fear developed that the major cities of the UK would be bombed. Whilst this did actually happen later on in the war – especially in London – the first few months after war broke out became known as the Phoney War, which is considered to have lasted until May 1940. Nevertheless, in September 1939, the British public thought the wisest move was to send civilians away from major cities so as to ensure their safety from bomb attacks.

The Evacuation Scheme was actually drawn up in the summer of 1938, and the mere threat of imminent war was enough to persuade the Government to start evacuations in the few days before the war was declared. A total of 1.5 million people were relocated in the first three days of official evacuation, and by the end of the war this reached roughly 3.7 million. A second surge in relocations occurred after France had been occupied by the Nazis; one of the major allied forces had been defeated, which triggered an intense fear in the British population that the German army were growing more powerful, and were geographically getting much closer. Many people were desperate to get away from the big cities, for fear that they would be the first target in what seemed like an imminent Nazi attack.

Despite the long-term planning that had gone into the evacuation schemes, when they were actually enforced, a lot of errors were made which caused disruption in many communities. Rural areas who were expecting evacuees often found that those who were arrived were not who they expected, having been told a number of different things about the new arrivals. Some areas received too many people, meaning overcrowding in rural villages became a real issue – for example, communities in East Anglia became inundated with people from some of the London Boroughs, particularly Dagenham. After the Blitz began in September 1940, an increased number of people became eager to leave London, and the population of the capital city is thought to have decreased by roughly 25% because of this.

Amongst the vast groups of people who were sent away, there were predominantly children, but also pregnant women, disabled people, mothers with dependents, and ‘helpers’, which often meant teachers. Evacuees who were from the same area did not always end up in the same location, meaning that immense stress and anxiety was rife. Some valuable items were sent away, too, including high-profile pieces from art galleries. Some evacuees came from the continent, (roughly 30,000 people), and from the Channel Islands, which were occupied by the Nazis from June 1940 to May 1945.

Once the war had finished, any evacuees who were still living in their temporary rural homes were returned home to their families. Many went home before the end of the war, since some families struggled with the separation in a time of national turmoil. In the decades since the war, there have been many books, films, and television programmes about evacuation, since it affected the lives of so many people across the country. One of the most famous examples is Goodnight Mr Tom – the book by Michelle Magorian which was made into a film in 1998 starring John Thaw. The story follows a young boy from London who has great difficulty adjusting to life as an evacuee. Some writers of evacuation fiction have themselves undergone the experience, such as Nina Bawdon.

 

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Overview

WW2 Summary
WW2 Facts
WW2 Timeline
Soldiers in WW2
WW2 Planes
WW2 Prisoners Of War

Leaders

Winston Churchill
Franklin D Roosevelt
Adolf Hitler
Benito Mussolini
Emperor Hirohito
Joseph Stalin

Home Front

Evacuees of WW2
WW2 Recipes
WW2 Shelters

Misc

WW2 Books
WW2 Movies
WW2 Poems
World War One
The Phoney War
Blitzkrieg
WW2 Allies

Kids

WW2 For Kids
Children in WW2
WW2 Facts For Kids

Battles

The Blitz
Pearl Harbour
Battle of Britain
D-Day
Operation Barbarossa
The Battle Of Kursk
Operation Overlord
Battle Of Midway
Battle Of Stalingrad
The Invasion Of Poland
Operation Cerberus

Common Questions

Who started WW2?
Causes of WW2
When did WW2 finish?
Which countries were involved in WW2?
When was WW2?
Who won WW2?
How many people died?

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