When the Children Came Home

By: Julie Summers

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Synopsis: On 1 September 1939 Operation Pied Piper began. Its aim was to place the children of Britain's industrial cities beyond the reach of the Luftwaffe. The figures are breathtaking. One-and-a-half million children, pregnant women and school teachers were evacuated in two days. A further two million children were evacuated privately, and some of these children went abroad. Operation Pied Piper was well coordinated and highly efficient. In total, over a four year period, in excess of three and a half million children were removed from areas in Britain vulnerable to attack or invasion. It added up to the largest mass evacuation of children in British history and although by and large it worked, its impact is still felt today. With a mix of vivid narrative and illuminating social history Evacuees tells the story of those children and the families they left behind. Many of those evacuated never knew if or when they would see their parents again. Many of them had no idea about life outside the city, and almost all were homesick. It was distressing for the parents and bewildering for little siblings left behind. Evacuees also looks at the situations faced by returning evacuees and explores how they coped both in the immediate aftermath of the war, and in later life. Using interviews, written accounts and memoirs, Evacuees weaves together a collection of personal stories to create a compelling portrait of wartime Britain.