Figure 1.--Here evacuated British school boys are helping with the potato harvest just as the Battle of Britain was shaping up (July 10, 1940). They are part of the Five Ways Grammar School in Birmingham whuch was evacuated to the safety of the Welsh countryside.

The schools were an important part of the war experiences of British children. Major changes were planned in Britain after World War I (1914-18). For a range of reasons, inckluding the cost of the war and the Depression, these chsnges never took place. As a result, Btiish schools when World War II broke out were little changed from World War I. Two areas which had improved was nutritional programs (School lunches and milk) and medical checks which were especially imprtnt for children from low-income families. Most British children still finished their education wuth primary education at about the age of 13 years. A minority, mostly middle-class children went on to seconadry school. The Governmebnt planned o begin a major expansiion of the secondary system (1939). That action again had to be postooned when Hitler abd Stalin lunched World War II. What happened in 1839 that about half of the country's school children were evacuated from the cities to the countryside out of fear of German air and gas attacks. It was a phenomenal operation. Nothing like it had ever tried before. The gas attacks never came, the areial bombing or Blitz did come. And the children would be observers of the first great air offensive of history.

Evacuation

With the rise of Hitler and the NAZIs in Germany (1933), Britain had to begin to consider the possibility of another war. And as the Germans had bombed Britain World War, there was concern about another bombing campaign and with much more powerful modern aircraft. Britain began working on its air defenseves. That included both aircrsft and the revolutionary Chain Home System. As part of gthise opreparations was plan to evacuate school children from London and the oher major cities which would be the Germzn target as they had been in World War I. Home Secretary John Anderson was respinsible for the evacuation effort. The Wirkd War II anderson Shelters are named after him. The plan was well developed when execuited because Britain had almost gone to war agakinst Germsny during the Munich Crisis (1938). The plan was to evascuate most city school children. The schools would be closed and turned over to civil authorities for war time use. The plan was, howver, volutary and many parents did not want to klet go of the children nor did the children want to leave home. But ultimately about half of the city children were evacuted. Sctually there would be several evacuatiions because when the Gerrmann s did not begin bombing atb once, many of the chikldren returned home and had to be reevacuated when the bombing did begin after the Fall of France (June 1940).

Schooling

This meant that facilities for educasting them had to be created the countryside. Basically creating a while new school system. Schools in town and rural areas remaimed open. But they had to accomdate the evacuees. Many weent on double shifts. The local children odten attended in the morning and the evacuees in the afternoon. Authorities also found building which could be opened as new schools. These were often churches, village halls, warehouses, asnd otyher building. This took time. One historian writes, "... for weeks in some cases, teachers and children assembled at some agreed point and walked the country lanes until they could be housed in some suitable hall." 【Sayers】 The Goverment quickly realised that the evacuation had some uim=ntended conequences. In the middle of the Blitz, Prime-Minister Chamberlain decided that some city schools would be reopened to accomodate the the children who had not evcusted. (November 1939).

Health and Nutrition

The evacuated xhildren not only lost their schools, bu nutrition was compromised. They no longer got school lunvhes (dinners) and free milk, but school medical inspections, Health authorities reported a sharop increasde in scabies and headlice.

School Drills

We are not sure about the beaucratic dimensions of school air raid percautions. We do not know if this was overseen by the ARP or the Ministry of Education. Perhaps it was a copperative venture. Nor do we know the time line involved. Presumbably some unit drew up guidelines for the schools. And then each school had to develop its own plan, kidentifying for example the strongest structures and most secure shelter area. One night think that someone fom the ARP or Ministry of Education would then assess the plan or provide technical engineering assistance to each headmaster/head teacher. But we do not know if this occurred. Perhaps readers will know more. Nor are we sure when the schools began holding drills to train the children how to react when an air raid sireen sounded. We suspect that there was some drilling during the Munich Crisis (September 1938), but this needs to be confirmed. There was some optimism when Chamberlain returned from Munich and announced that he had achieved 'peace in our time'. The public was related and this probably affected school preparations. Only 6 months latr, Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia (March 1939). From that point it was clear to even Chamberlain that war was coming. What occurred at the schools we are not sure. As it was close to the end of the school year, thee may not have been air raid drills instututed, but this needs to be confirmed. By the time school began (September 1939), war had been declared. The first order of business, at least in the cities was evacuating the children. This was up to the parents, but many of the students in city schools were evacuated. This was done primarily through the schools. The evacuee children reported to their neighborhood school and then were bussed or marched to the train stations. Once the children were evacuated, the schools got down to the buiness of drilling the children. This occured at both the city schools and the small towns and vullages that hosted the children. Of course the efforts at the city schools were much more intense as the cities became the primary targets of the Luftwaffe. What we do know a great deal about is what whent on inthe schools to train the children how to react in case of an air raid.

Day Air Raids: The Schools

Britain had been bombed by the Germans in World War I. The Govrnment was convinced this would occur again. Thus the Government decided to evacuate chikdren with the permission of their parents. This was done immediately after the German lunched the invasiin of Poland (September 1, 1939). There was a carefully prepared opperation as the Government made efforts to convince Hitler to change his mind. Thus during much of the War there were children evacuated to the countryside and children still in the cities. The children were all carefully drilled how to use their gas masks and became very adept at it. Even before Britain actually declared war the vhildren were also drilled on how to to react when the air raid sireen went off. The children took it all very seriously even before the actuall bombing began. At the onset of the War British authorities believed that the NAZIs would use poison gas on civilians. When children travelled about they had to carry their gas-mask. Gas attacks did not occur. Bombing did not begin yntil after the fall of France (May 1940). The Luftwaffe on Hitler's order began bombing London (September 1940). Attacks soon spread to other cities. The children had to go into safe araea when the air raid warning was sounded. Scools did not have actual shelters. This was primarily the cities. But every school no matter how rural has air raid drills and preptations for possible raids. Raids could happen happen at any time of day or night whether the children were at home, at school or in town (1940-41). This must have been a fearful time to be out and about. At such time children could be made orphan have their friends or bothers or sisters killed in the bombings. After the climatic air battles over London (September 1940), the Grmans turned primarily to night raids which meant the children were fairly safe at school. And then with Narbarossa the Kiftwaffe was noved east. Even so they were well drilled. Danger surfaced again after D-Day when the Germans began hammering Britain again, primarily London with V-1 buzz bombs (June 1944). Finally V-2s balistiv missles began hitting Britain. Again London was the primary target. Here there was no advaned warning.

Food Programs

Schools played an imprtant role on the British home front. Several different areas were involved. And one of those was food, a major concern for British officials. The primary purpose of the German effort was to starve Britain out. Britain was so dependentb of imprted food, that cutting off its Atlantic life line to America and Canada would have foorced Brtain out of the War. The older children at school were a potential labor force which could be mobilizxed at imortabnt times, especially harvest times. And gh evacuatiin of school children to the countryside mean that nmanhy were where the labor was needed. Another important food role was education. Many schools had gardening programs. This not only produced a little needed food, but meant that the children could help more in home gardening projecs and even encourage mom and dad to get with the program and create a home garden. Schools also played a role in ensuring good nutrition. They were a way of ensuting the yiunger children got the food that they needed. And schools began offering lunches, which the British called dinners. The general assessment is that they were not all that appealing, but they were nutritional. Schools lunches cintuinued to expand in the austrity period after the War. They were welcomed by many mums because they were off ration food, like British Restaurants, canteens and other restaurants..

Sources

Gardner, Juliet. The Children’s War (Portrait, 2005). Garder's book was the basis for the Imperial War Museum.

Sayers, W. C. Berwick. Ed. Croydon and The Second World War : The Official History of the War Work of the Borough and its Citizens from 1939-1945 Together with the Croydon Roll of Honour (The Croydon Corporation: 1949)

Created: 8:16 AM 4/26/2023
Last updated: 8:16 AM 4/26/2023