childrenineuropeduringww2



During World War Two, Great Britain was heavily bombed by German planes in a span of time called "The Blitz". To protect the children of the nation from harm during the air raids, mothers were encouraged to send their children to the countryside. These evacuations were volunteery but strongly encourged- so much so that almost 1.5 million children were evacuated during the war.

**Evacuations ** Why? Main Goal Who? How? Where? When?
 * 1) The British government was concerned that a new war would begin when Hitler came to power in 1933. They were also worried that cities and towns might be targets for bombing raids
 * 1) To ensure the safety of young children from the cities that were considered at risk of bombings
 * 1) School children
 * 2) Mothers with children under five
 * 3) Pregnant women
 * 4) A few disabled people
 * 5) Some wealthy individuals left on their own accord
 * 1) Trains
 * 2) Roads
 * 1) Smaller towns and villages in the countryside, some with relatives, some with complete strangers
 * 1) Thursday August 31st, 1939
 * 2) Took about 2 days
 * 3) Since there were no large-scale bombing raids on Britain during the first few months (aka The Phony Way) many children returned home by 1940
 * 4) Autumn, 1940
 * 5) 1944[[image:pp69.jpg align="left"]]

** Rationing ** - Food had to be rationed so that everyone got a fair share. People had to go to the same shop, and the grocer would stamp their ration book to say that they had had all they were allowed.
 * To make up for what they weren't allowed to purchase or to stretch what they did buy, victory gardens were planted anywhere and everywhere there was space
 * Victory gardens are home gardens that were used to grow vegtables to conserve food and canning metal for the troops



**The Threats...** - Gas attacks -Bombings
 * Although a gas attack never happened on Great Britain, everyone was strongly advised to carry a gas mask at all times.
 * During the Blitz, bombings destroyed cities, set fires, and killed thousands of citizens
 * All citizens were told to carry an identification card with them always in case of a bombing