Evacuees on a
train out of London, September 1939.
All photographs
like this were vetted by the government before they were
released.
How
useful is Source B to an historian studying the reaction
of the children to evacuation? Use Source B
and your own knowledge to answer the question.
Extraction from a
Source
(markscheme)
A teacher remembers being evacuated with children from her school
(from an
interview in 1988 with a teacher).
All
you could hear was the feet of the children and a kind of
murmur, because the children were too afraid to talk.
Mothers weren't allowed with us, but they came
along behind.
When we got to the station the train was ready.
We hadn't the slightest idea where we were going and
we put the children on the train and the gates closed
behind us. The mothers pressed against the iron gates
calling, 'Good-bye darling'.
What does Source C tell us about the reaction of
people to evacuation in September 1939?
Evacuees
enjoying a bath – again, a photo published with government
permission.
This picture was published in London, where the
children’s mothers lived.
Why do you think the photo in Source D was taken?
Use Source D and your own knowledge to answer
the question.
Evaluation of
an Interpretation
(markscheme)
D Taylor,
a modern historian writes about .relations
between evacuees and host families
in his
textbook, Mastering Economic & Social History
(1988)
Many
children, parents and teachers were evacuated when war
was declared. The evacuees were received at reception centres and then placed with local families.
Arrangements, however, did not always go
smoothly. Unfortunately many evacuees could not settle
in the countryside. The country people were shocked at
the obvious poverty and deprivation of the town
children, not to mention their bad manners.
There were reports of children 'fouling'
gardens, hair crawling with lice, and bed wetting.
Is the view given in
Source H an accurate interpretation of people's
attitudes to evacuation?
Use Source H and your own knowledge to answer
the question.