In September 1939, a black and white photograph (Source B) shows school children and teachers who are evacuees walking to a train station in London. Alongside this, Source C features the memories of a teacher who went through the experience of being evacuated with the school children.
The source comes from a 1988 interview. Source B is considered a primary source as it consists of a photograph taken during the evacuation period of the Second World War. Being black and white, the photograph reflects the early integration of photography into daily life, allowing us to see how school children and teachers appeared during the evacuation. Thus, it provides a visual representation of the time.
Upon closer examination of the image, it becomes evident that the children and teachers are happily moving towards the train station, carrying minimal possessions and a box containing their gas masks. However, this source has a drawback in that it is highly subjective, as a photograph captures only a fleeting moment. While the individuals in the photograph appear content with their smiles and waves, this could simply be a pose for the camera. The true emotions of the evacuees remain undisclosed, but it is likely that they feel fear and terror as they depart from a familiar place to an unfamiliar one, far from their true home.
Source C is a secondary source where the teacher recalls her memories in an interview, over four decades following the events. The teacher describes the children and shares that all she could hear was their footsteps and a murmuring sound because they were too frightened to speak. This suggests that their fear stemmed from uncertainty about their destination and whether they would ever return home.
Although the children were hesitant to get on the steam train and say goodbye to their mothers, this made the evacuees even more miserable as they realized they were leaving their mothers behind. It is worth noting that this narration was documented in 1988, over four decades after these events occurred. Hence, there may be doubts regarding the accuracy of the memories since the storyteller might have forgotten or perceived certain emotions differently.
The most valuable evidence regarding the beginning of the children’s evacuation journey is Source C. This source provides descriptions of emotions, the journey to the station, and other associated events. On the other hand, Source B is a photograph that only captures a brief moment in time, with posed emotions for the camera rather than genuine ones. Additionally, Source G is an excerpt from the novel Carrie’s War, written by Nina Bowden in 1973 and based on World War Two.
In this passage, Carrie and her brother Nick are told by their host, Miss Evans, to put on their slippers. However, Carrie informs Miss Evans that they do not have any slippers. As a result, Miss Evans reacts negatively and sarcastically, expressing regret for assuming that they would have slippers. This reaction causes her face to turn red, indicating her short temper and reluctance towards taking care of two evacuees. The reason behind this could be attributed to her young age and unmarried status since she is referred to as “Miss” Evans and does not have children. Additionally, the passage mentions the cleanliness of Miss Evan’s house with the phrase “Not a speck of dust anywhere,” further emphasizing her lack of kids.
Evacuees during the Second World War had limited belongings when relocating from cities to rural areas. They were permitted only essential clothing, toiletries, and possibly one luxury item. However, Carrie and Nick were unable to include their slippers in their already full bags. As a result, Miss Evans concluded that the absence of slippers indicated a lack of wealth for Carrie and Nick.
During the Second World War, evacuees faced poverty and food shortages while living in inadequate slums. Additionally, they encountered financial challenges that hindered their access to essential supplies. Rural communities had high expectations of these evacuees as they originated from cities. The countryside inhabitants assumed that evacuees were wealthy and well-behaved due to the presence of numerous industries and job opportunities with potentially decent salaries in urban areas.
The majority of those who worked in the industries were laborers and received poor pay. In the countryside, people had a slightly negative outlook on poor children because there were hardly any poor people there. This is reflected in Source G, an extract from the novel Carrie’s War by Nina Bowden, which was written in 1973. Bowden was born in London on 19th January 1925 and later became an evacuee during the Second World War, settling in a mining valley in Wales.
I believe Source G is a reliable source of evidence on evacuees because the author Nina Bowden personally experienced the evacuation period as a young teenager. She recounts her experiences in first person narrative through Carrie’s perspective in the book Carrie’s War, closely mirroring her own. This source effectively portrays the attitudes of country hosts towards evacuees and offers evidence regarding items evacuees were not permitted to bring, such as slippers (3). Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, the government was devising plans to evacuate children, teachers, and mothers to rural areas.
The British government expected that German bombers would heavily target major cities. In late August 1939, the evacuation process began and approximately two million children were moved from high-risk areas. However, the bombing did not start until eleven months later, during the Phoney War period. Consequently, numerous evacuees went back to their homes. The Blitz subsequently took place, which entailed extensive bombings carried out by German aircraft.
This led to a second round of evacuations to rural regions, comparable in magnitude to the initial evacuation, in the autumn of 1940. In 1944, the Germans created an airborne explosive called the Doodlebug, which would remain airborne until its fuel was depleted and then detonate. Nonetheless, the Doodlebug had a significant disadvantage due to its sluggish speed and loud noise, rendering it susceptible to being intercepted. Expanding on the concept of the Doodlebug, the Germans introduced a swifter and more potent iteration known as V2 Rockets.
The Doodlebug and V2 Rockets caused a third evacuation, forcing over one million people to leave their homes. Among the evacuees were children, who often traveled to the countryside with their schoolmates and teachers. The significance of this can be seen in Source B, a primary source consisting of a photograph taken in September 1939, as well as Source C.
The photo captures a group of teachers and children joyfully making their way to the train station, carrying their belongings. Source C, recorded in 1988, documents an interview with a teacher who reflects on their memories. This makes it a secondary source since it was shared many years after the actual event. Source C provides insights into the emotions experienced by the children, teachers, and mothers.
The emotions in this source closely align with those in Source B. Source C depicts the children as ‘… too afraid to talk’, whereas in Source B, the children appear quite contented.
Both Source B and Source C corroborate that teachers and children utilized trains as their mode of transportation. According to Source B, they made their way to a train station, while Source C mentions that the train was ready when they reached the station. It seems that most evacuees opted for trains as their primary means of travel when going to rural areas.
Trains were the favored means of transportation for numerous passengers due to their rapidity and security. Source D, a war photograph released by the government, depicts evacuees bathing collectively, particularly four young boys sharing one bath.
The boys in the picture appear happy, likely because they are evacuees and feel safe from the dangers often found in cities. During World War Two, bath time was an open and communal activity, with public baths located on street corners. It was a leisurely time for people to socialize and unwind, which is exactly what the boys in the photograph are doing. They are meeting and relaxing, free from the fear of bombs dropping.
Source H is a primary source, an advertisement issued by the government in 1940 during World War Two. It appeals to people in Scotland to provide homes for evacuees. The headline is ‘Thank you, Foster – Parents’..
“We want more like you!” is written boldly in the center of the advert, indicating that the foster parents are doing an excellent job in caring for evacuees but there is a need for more foster parents. The advertisement is highly encouraging, presenting compelling reasons why caring for an evacuee is beneficial for the carer, the evacuee, and the birth parents.
The short advert in Scotland emphasized the urgent need for homes for evacuees during the Second World War. Upon seeing the ad, people would have promptly registered with the local Authority, as it convinced them to consider the possibility of saving a child’s life. The purpose of the evacuation process was to protect lives and prevent death.
The image depicts two children, a boy and a girl, capturing their journey from a dangerous area to a secure environment. The children display joyful expressions, emphasizing their relief from the threat of bombings. The concluding paragraph, highlighted in bold at the bottom of the page, serves as a farewell while emphasizing the urgency in finding foster parents. It states, “Evacuation was a great success.”
“I am in complete agreement with this interpretation due to the notable number of lives saved. It is evident that without the government’s careful planning and execution of evacuations, there would have been a significantly higher death toll in the cities targeted by bombings. Source D demonstrates the gratitude felt by those who were evacuated, as they found safety and freedom in rural areas. Source H, an advertisement, acknowledges evacuation as a commendable act but also emphasizes the importance of foster parents providing care for the evacuees, which is the primary focus of the advertisement.”
Evacuation was instrumental in the survival of many individuals, as illustrated by the teacher in Source C who shared their memories of the Second World War.
