The UK entered World War II on 3 September 1939. However, for many people in the UK, especially children, the war started before that date. These people were the evacuees.

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Between 1938 and 1939 the British government  started to prepare for war. The government diceded to move children out of the cities and into the countryside .

at 11.07 a.m. on 31 August 1939 the government sent out an important message: "Evacuate forthwith".

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In the next four days, more than three milion British children moved out of the cities and into the countryside. Their parents had jobs in the cities, so they stayed behind the work. Most children travelled with their teachers. About 100 000 teachers joined the evacuation. Everybody travelled by train. The government gave parents a list of things that children should take. The list include clothes, food and a gas mask. Everything had to be put in one bag. Younger children had their name and address on labels on their clothes. For many children it was their first visit to the countryside. It was exciting, and terrifying…

 

 The children stayed with "host families". Some of these families didn't want to have city children in their homes, but they had no choice! Some children had a good time and they made friends with their new families. Other children found it a lot more difficult. They were a long way from home and they missed their families. Of course, not many people had phones at that time, so they could only write letters home. The evacuees went to local schools, in the countryside. There were too many children in these schools, so often the local children went to school in the morning and the city children went in the afternoon.

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