Because Devon was such a rural county it was not affected
much by the blitz. The cities such as Exeter and Plymouth were targeted, but
there still remained hundreds of acres in between. The countryside was left
well alone by the Germans; as it had no military significance and they wouldn’t
hit anything worthwhile in the dead of night anyway. On the contrary, London
and Birmingham were being blown to bits and every night was terrifying as
people didn’t know what would be left of either them or their house in the
morning. Parent’s biggest concern was the welfare of their children and so many
decided to send their children down to rural areas such as Devon to live with a
host family where they would be safe.
The children – known as evacuees – showed up at the train station much like Paddington bear, with a suitcase and a tag with their name. They were kept in school groups and auctioned off to host families. The evacuees didn’t know the people they were going to go with, they wouldn’t get a say in who they went to either. Hosts wanted a presentable, polite child that would probably be up to some hard work. This meant that sometimes children were sent back to their city if no one wanted them. If you were an evacuee, you had to hope that families liked the look of you, and that you arrived on a day that there were lots of people.
Over 800,000 children were evacuated to Devon, and the length of their stay depended on many factors. Their parents had the overriding power to choose whether or no to send them, and could even ask for their children to return home. The government didn't make evacuation compulsory, however they issued many propaganda posters to try and get parents to send their children to the much safer countryside.
Some evacuees had a ball whilst they were down in Devon. Their family treated them well and in return they were polite and made their family proud. There have however been many reports of child cruelty, and some evacuees were treated terribly – much like slaves. They were forced to do lots of work, weren’t fed properly and weren’t allowed to go and see siblings that lived even half a mile away!
The difference between the two types of children caused a lot of friction too. They sometimes created amazing bonds with each other, and remained friends for life, others argued and antagonized each other. Find out how to be a good evacuee in the how to be a good evacuee guide.
The children – known as evacuees – showed up at the train station much like Paddington bear, with a suitcase and a tag with their name. They were kept in school groups and auctioned off to host families. The evacuees didn’t know the people they were going to go with, they wouldn’t get a say in who they went to either. Hosts wanted a presentable, polite child that would probably be up to some hard work. This meant that sometimes children were sent back to their city if no one wanted them. If you were an evacuee, you had to hope that families liked the look of you, and that you arrived on a day that there were lots of people.
Over 800,000 children were evacuated to Devon, and the length of their stay depended on many factors. Their parents had the overriding power to choose whether or no to send them, and could even ask for their children to return home. The government didn't make evacuation compulsory, however they issued many propaganda posters to try and get parents to send their children to the much safer countryside.
Some evacuees had a ball whilst they were down in Devon. Their family treated them well and in return they were polite and made their family proud. There have however been many reports of child cruelty, and some evacuees were treated terribly – much like slaves. They were forced to do lots of work, weren’t fed properly and weren’t allowed to go and see siblings that lived even half a mile away!
The difference between the two types of children caused a lot of friction too. They sometimes created amazing bonds with each other, and remained friends for life, others argued and antagonized each other. Find out how to be a good evacuee in the how to be a good evacuee guide.