Evacuees in WW II

[Fozzer]

The 70th. Anniversary.

Are there any of my Sim V Chums who were Evacuees from the big Cities at the start of World War II...>>>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8229175.stm

I was evacuated from London by Train, together with hundreds of other Children, in 1939 at the age of 5, following the outbreak of the War, and the start of the German aerial Blitz on London, (and other big cities).

...which brought me to the Market Town of Hereford, in the county of Herefordshire, followed shortly after by my Mum and Dad, where we have remained ever since.. ...!

...anyone more WW II evacuees here?... ...

Paul... 8-)...!

[olderndirt]

The 70th. Anniversary.

Not sure I qualify but I was moved out to the country from Edinburgh, in 1940.

[C]

My direct family are from the Midlands and South London, so not on my side, and didn't have any children of that age anyway (Dad was a war baby, Mum postwar).

Mrs C's grandparents were both evacuated as children though, one having a great time is Darling Buds of May style, and the other not so great elsewhere.

[H]

I know The Cliffs were shelled from France even before the arrival of the buzz bombs. How and where were evacuation destinations determined, particularly for those with no inland relatives to assist their shelter? What was done for sustenance and medical assistance?

8-)

[Hagar]

I know The Cliffs were shelled from France even before the arrival of the buzz bombs. How and where were evacuation destinations determined, particularly for those with no inland relatives to assist their shelter? What was done for sustenance and medical assistance?

8-)

I've never really thought about that before. I'll see what I can find out. I think it depended on the stage of the war. England was under attack by the Luftwaffe long before the buzz bombs were invented. Not sure those long range guns were much of a threat.

I know that even before war was officially declared (70 years ago this month) children were sent from London to Worthing & other South Coast towns as it was considered safer. This was a mass evacuation & they were billeted with local people, some of whom didn't want them. Then when the South Coast was threatened during the Battle of Britain in 1940 a lot of these children returned home just in time to be caught by the Blitz.

A good friend of mine lived at Hove on the South Coast & was evacuated to somewhere in Yorkshire. This would have been in 1941 when the Luftwaffe turned to hit & run raids on coastal towns by lone fighter-bombers. He told me that he was once chased down the street on his way home from school by a Bf 109 which was the reason for him being sent away. He was treated very badly in his new home & mentally scarred for life as a result. As things turned out he would probably have been better off staying in Hove but nobody knew that at the time.

If you can get hold of it there's an excellent TV drama dealing with the subject. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/180185/Goodnight-Mister-Tom/overview

PS. Just found this. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/war/evacuation.htm

[H]

PS. Just found this. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/war/evacuation.htm

Thanks for the links.

"Children had labels attached to them, as though they were parcels. They stood at railway stations not knowing where they were going nor if they would be split from brothers and sisters who had gathered with them. They felt scared about being away from their families but also excited about going to a place they had never seen before and only read about in books.
The children arrived in the countryside, tired, hungry and uncertain whether they would ever see their families again."

"They were taken to the village hall, where they would be met by the billeting officer (the person in charge of finding them homes). A 'pick-you-own evacuee' sessions would then take place, where host families (the people they were going to live with) haggled over the most presentable children while the sicklier and grubbier children were left until last."

I had my suspicions... :-/

8-)

[Fozzer]

I remember, where we lived, in Petts Wood in Kent, just outside London, hearing the V1 and V2 Flying Bombs passing over our House on their way to the City of London.

If they ran out of propellant en route, (which they regularly did), they would land on us, with deadly effect.

We used to listen out for the exhaust sound suddenly ceasing, if it did, we knew we were in trouble!

Paul... 8-)...!

http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/

[Hagar]

I remember, where we lived, in Petts Wood in Kent, just outside London, hearing the V1 and V2 Flying Bombs passing over our House on their way to the City of London.

If they ran out of propellant en route, (which they regularly did), they would land on us, with deadly effect.

We used to listen out for the exhaust sound suddenly ceasing, if it did, we knew we were in trouble!

Paul... 8-)...!

http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/

You mean the V1 or the Doodlebug as it was commonly called Paul. The V2 was a supersonic rocket & I understand you couldn't hear it coming. The first thing you would know about it was the explosion when it hit the ground or your house.

From your link. http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/V2_intro.html

[Fozzer]

I remember, where we lived, in Petts Wood in Kent, just outside London, hearing the V1 and V2 Flying Bombs passing over our House on their way to the City of London.

If they ran out of propellant en route, (which they regularly did), they would land on us, with deadly effect.

We used to listen out for the exhaust sound suddenly ceasing, if it did, we knew we were in trouble!

Paul... 8-)...!

http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/

You mean the V1 or the Doodlebug as it was commonly called Paul. The V2 was a supersonic rocket & I understand you couldn't hear it coming. The first thing you would know about it was the explosion when it hit the ground or your house.

From your link. http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/V2_intro.html

The V2 must have entered service after we had been chased from London my the V1... ...!

I do remember the V1 very clearly...Phut...phut...phut...followed by total silence...for a while!... ...!

Paul... ...!

[Hagar]

I remember, where we lived, in Petts Wood in Kent, just outside London, hearing the V1 and V2 Flying Bombs passing over our House on their way to the City of London.

If they ran out of propellant en route, (which they regularly did), they would land on us, with deadly effect.

We used to listen out for the exhaust sound suddenly ceasing, if it did, we knew we were in trouble!

Paul... 8-)...!

http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/

You mean the V1 or the Doodlebug as it was commonly called Paul. The V2 was a supersonic rocket & I understand you couldn't hear it coming. The first thing you would know about it was the explosion when it hit the ground or your house.

From your link. http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/V2_intro.html

The V2 must have entered service after we had been chased from London by the V1... ...!

I don't know when you left for Herefordshire but according to that article the first V2  hit London on 8th September 1944.

I do remember the V1 very clearly...Phut...phut...phut...followed by total silence...for a while!... ...!

I was ony two years old when the war ended so don't have any memories of it. My family lived on the South Coast throughout the war & were never evacuated. My Mum told me that I once screamed in my Grandma's ear when I heard a V1 go over. I was a babe in arms at the time & don't know who was the most scared. My Dad watched a Mustang shoot down a V1 into the sea near Worthing Pier. That's about it.

[Fozzer]

We left London for Herefordshire in 1939 or 1940 following the Blitz of London, (and us!).

My Dad was fortunate to get offered a transfer from Woolwich Arsenal, where he worked, to Rotherwas Arsenal in Hereford.
So I left first by Train, followed by my Mum, and shortly after by my Dad, where we lived in our own Country Cottage for the duration of the War.

In 1945 when the War finally ended, we

[olderndirt]

My grandfather told me this story of watching some Luftwaffe bombers trying to hit the Forth Rail Bridge, a few miles downstream from Rosyth.

[Hagar]

And those sirens - never forget that sound.

The air raid siren was a familiar sound where I lived. There was one on the fire station roof, might still be there for all I know. After the war it was used to call out the fire service well into the late 1960s. It was eventually replaced by pagers.

[Fozzer]

And those sirens - never forget that sound.

The air raid siren was a familiar sound where I lived. There was one on the fire station roof, might still be there for all I know. After the war it was used to call out the fire service well into the late 1960s. It was eventually replaced by pagers.

Our Fire Brigade used to use the local Air Raid Siren to muster the Firemen until recently.
I could never figure out why they used that method when it was well known by most of the population that the sound of a warbling siren heralded imminent Danger from whatever source....especially around the time of the "Cold War" and the constant fear of Nuclear Explosions at the time.

Warble: Take Cover.
Constant : All clear

No other warning device was as effective as the Siren for covering a large area, and I always felt it should only be reserved for such an occasion, as it was instantly recognisable.

It no longer sounds now.

Paul.

[Hagar]

It's a long time ago now but if I remember correctly they used the constant "All Clear" siren to call out the fire brigade in my home town. Most of the firemen (they were all men in those days) were retained part-timers & it was the most effective way of calling them out before the pager was in general use. I expect they use mobile phones now.