The civilian evacuation which began on 1 September 1939 represents the biggest social upheaval in Britain's History. Government officials had planned evacuation merely as a military manoeuvre which was designed to disperse the civilian population and make them less vulnerable to enemy attack. For those involved however, evacuation meant that their lives would never be the same again. While government propaganda and jingoistic journalism portrayed the young evacuees as happy smiling children set for a great adventure, the reality was somewhat different.
In this book Dr. Martin Parsons looks behind the government propaganda and traditional portrayals of evacuation in order to uncover the myths which have surrounded this period in British History. His in-depth analysis of documentary evidence reveals an altogether more complex picture of evacuation than has hitherto been recognised. Parsons has also allowed the evacuees to speak for themselves through his collection of oral history testimonies. As a result the book has uncovered the many ways in which the experience of evacuation disturbed a myriad of human relationships, often with traumatic consequences.
As an academic text, the book is essential reading for all those who are involved in the teaching of 20th century history. It is also a must for anyone who is interested in discovering the truth behind the movietone images of wartime Britain.
As an academic text, the book is essential reading for all those who are involved in the teaching of 20th century history. It is also a must for anyone who is interested in discovering the truth behind the movietone images of wartime Britain. --
Dr Penny Starns, Wartime Evacuation Project, University of Cambridge, School of EducationMany studies have been made of the great evacuation and numerous books written on the subject, but because the story has so many different facets no account can ever be considered complete. What has generally been overlooked is the long-term effects that evacuation had upon those who were involved. Many of these former evacuees try to avoid speaking or even thinking about this crucial part of their lives. Most cannot do so without finding long repressed emotions welling up inside them, emotions that have affected them throughout their adult lives and which will never go away.
In this book, using newly released material and oral evidence Martin has attempted to tell the true story of the greatest family and social upheaval ever known in modern Britain, an experience which altered not only the lives of those who were evacuees but also the attitudes and social structure of the nation. -- James Roffey, Founder and General Secretary of the Evacuees Reunion Association
There was a time when the evacuation of children from urban to rural areas at various points in the Second World War was seen as a process with obvious consequences. Its underlying purpose was to avoid the perils of aerial bombardment and its essential outcome was a better awareness throughout the country of the privations suffered by the urban young. More recently this simplistic view has been challenged by a number of historians, whose work has highlighted evacuation as a wartime event of considerable social significance, involving much organisation at the national and local level. Martin Parsons has added very usefully to this debate in a researched and skilfully composed book. -- Dr John Martell, Author & Historian
What I didn't until I read Martin Parson's splendid and comprehensive account of the evacuation is that planning for it began as early as 1931.... Parsons supplies fascinating details of those early deliberations. -- Nina Bawden, Times Educational Supplement, Jan 8th 1999
