Figure 1.--These children at a London train station during the early part of World War II are being evacuated. Many children were evacuated in September 1939, but then returned hime. They then had to be reavuated again after the fall of France in June 1940 when the Luftwaffe launched the Battle of Britain.

Another factor that has to be considered in assessing World War II is the number of displaced children and children who lost one or both parents. A variety of factors are involved here. Many London and other city children were sent to live with family and strangers in rural areas that the Germans did not target during the Blitz and subsequent bombing. Some were sent to America and Canada, but this was stopped after some of the ships were torpedoed by U-boats and after the Battle of Britain it was clear that German invasion was not emmenent. Another factor were the civilian casualties. The horrendous casulties in World War I were virtually all male combatents. Substantial numbers of civilians were killed in the Blitz and later V-1 and V-2 attacks and huge numbers of homes destroyed. This was quite different than World War I because of the bombing of English cities resulted in substantial civilian casulties. One Londoner tells that after a V-2 hit a crowded London Wollsworth in 1944 that the neighbor children came by to say that "mummy hasn't come home yet". Many of these children were taken care of my surviving parents or families, but many had to be institutionalized. We have not yet assessed the impact of the World War II displacement on clothing.

The Blitz

Many London and other city children were sent to live with family and strangers in rural areas that the Germans did not target during the Blitz and subsequent bombing. Some were sent to America and Canada, but this was stopped after some of the ships were torpedoed by U-boats and after the Battle of Britain it was clear that German invasion was not emmenent. Large number of children did live for considerable periods apart from their families at various locations throughout Britain. There is a considerable body of literature with fascinating accounts of their varied experiences.

School Evacuees

Some whole schools were evacuated. Many of these schools were private boarding schools located along the coast especially the southern Channel coast. This was done because the coastal locations were considered dangerous, especially in 1940 when invasin seenmed imminent. In other cases, the facilities were useful in the war effort. Most of these schools were moved to more secure rural areas. One HBC reader reports that his school, Langley, in Chertsey, Surrey was evacuated to New York in 1940. He reports receiving quite a different education there. The school never reopened in England. A pupil at the school, Hugo Bergstrom, has written a book about being at Langley and going to New York in 1940. A copy of this book is at the Imperial War Museum (IWM). The book is scheduled for publication in February 2002. Another boy at Langley also wrote a book. His is not being published, but a copy is available ai IWM. There is also at IWM a video from a 16mm movie of the school made in 1939 and in New York during 1943.

The Pacific

A few ships apparently took British children evacuees to Australia, presumably in 1939 or 40. A HBC reader Dora Rees writes, "I am looking for information about one incident where I don't think the ship was sunk, but a lady who was chaperoning a group of children was killed when a Japanese plane machine-gunned the ship they were on. She was a Mrs. Thomas from Wales, and there is no mention of her among the civilian casualties listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Site. Do you know if there any way of obtaining the exact details, date, etc. of this incident?" Some English children were displaced in the Pacific theater after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (Devember 1941). Compared to what was happening in Europe, the numbers were realtively small--but the individual experiences were often horrific as a result of the brutal Japanese treatment of both POWs and civilians. Neither the British in the Far East or te Americans in the Philippines correctly assessed Japanese military prowess, especially the potential of the large Japanese carrier force. As a result, the British did not evacuate civilians in a timely manner. Some were sent by ship to Australia. After the War began, some of these ships were attacked and sunk by the Japanese. Others made it through. The devestating Japanese offensive in December 1941 and early 1942 meant that Australian and English civilians living in Hong Kong, Singapore, and other colonies were interned by the Japanese in concentarion camps. The death rates in these camps through mistreatment, starvation diets, and disease were apauling--especially among the children. The experiences of one English boy were described in a book--Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard which was made into a movie of the same name. Had the Japanese not been forced to surender in September 1945 very few of the surviving internees and POWs would have lived.

The V Weapons

Another factor were the civilian casualties. The horrendous British casulties in World War I were virtually all male combatents. This was quite different than World War I because of the bombing of English cities resulted in substantial civilian casulties. Substantial numbers of civilians in World War II were killed in the Blitz and later V-1 and V-2 attacks and huge numbers of homes destroyed. One Londoner tells that after a V-2 hit a crowded London Wollsworth in 1944 that the neighbor children came by to say that "mummy hasn't come home yet". Many of these children were taken care of my surviving parents or families, but many had to be institutionalized forvarying periods, especially if dad was away in the services. The V-weapons, the "V" standing for vengence, were purely terror weapons.

Clothing Impact

We have not yet assessed the impact of the World War II displacement on clothing.

Created: December 17, 2001
Last updated: November 6, 2002