A closer look at the life of a child growing up in Britain during World War II...

Created by: Amy H, Lutho T, Shane S, Paige van O

Children were put on the first available train, regardless of its

destination. School and family groups were further separated in the

transfer from mainline trains to more local transport. Some

reception areas received more than the expected number of

evacuees and others found themselves receiving people from a

priority group or social class different to the one they had

prepared for.

Almost 3.75 million people were moved from their country with

around a third of the entire population experiencing some effects

of the evacuation. In the first three days of official evacuation, 1.5

million people were moved-827,000 children of school-age; 524,000

mothers and young children (under 5 ) 13,000 pregnant women; 7,000

disabled persons and over 103,000 teachers and other 'helpers'.

House keepers were often put to inconvenience, especially by many

children who seemed to be vulnerable to stress symptoms.

Evacuation was confirmed on August 31, but began on September 1,

two days before the announcement of war. From London and the

other main cities, the priority class people boarded trains and were

dispatched to rural towns and villages in the designated areas.

With the doubts over registering for evacuation, the actual

movement was also disorganized—evacuees were gathered into

groups. neurosis and other ailments (some estimates have been put

between 4% and 33%).

Some strained areas took the children into local schools by

adopting the World War 1 expedient of double shift education—

taking twice as long but also doubling the number taught.

The movement of teachers also meant that almost a million

children staying home had no source of education.

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During World War 2 there was an increase of vandalism and hooliganism because their parents weren't around, and there wasn't any discipline in the country. The children contributed a lot to the war effect and helped their hosts “Dig for victory” by gardening. They picked wild fruits and plants such as blackberries, crab apples, mushrooms and dandelion leaves which teams of women then turned into a rosehip syrup. Board games, cards and reading was used to entertain them, they were very popular pastimes, especially in the shelter where the was little else to occupy them.

The children and their hosts ate vegetables and

canned food, like American “Spam”, sweets and

they put liquid paraffin in cakes.

Milk powder and dried eggs were introduced in

1943 some food like fish and bananas were rarely

seen...

For many people rationing, synthetic foods,

strange food combinations and the restrictions of

the daily diet were among the most vivid memories

of life in WW2.

The government

appointed a

Minister of

Food. His job

was to sell the benefits of rationing to the

public and educate people into better eating

habits.