Evacuations of civilians in the United Kingdom during the Second World War

Uncommon card · No. 191603

The evacuation of civilians in the United Kingdom, during the Second World War, was arranged by the government and private individuals. It was intended to protect vulnerable groups of people, mainly children and mothers of young children, from the dangers of aerial bombing. The idea of evacuation in the event of war had been considered throughout the interwar period. In the late 1930s, the government had begun planning for a state-organised evacuation programme. The groups eligible for government evacuation were children under the age of fourteen, mothers of children under five and pregnant women. Evacuation was organised by the Ministry of Health in England and Wales and the Scottish Office. Evacuation took place throughout the Second World War and the numbers of evacuees varied depending on levels of concern about air raids. Most evacuees were billeted in private homes; some were placed in institutions. Many remembered evacuation favourably but some were mistreated. Evacuation in Northern...

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