Britain in the Second World War: The evacuation of British children.

History Cwk

Britain in the Second World War: The evacuation of British children

Question One

There are several reasons why the British government evacuated children from the major cities at the start of the Second World War, which were pivotal to the defeat of Germany in the Second World War.

It was obvious that the Germans were going to attack by air and the British government expected it. The British government had to take precautions to protect its civilians from bombings and other attacks. The attacks were expected to be aimed at major cities to destroy industry, especially munitions factories. Civilians were aimed at to try and reduce morale and raise panic, because a lack of morale on the home front can be very dispiriting and heartbreaking to fighting soldiers to know that their families could be dead.

Children were moved to the countryside where it would be much safer, as no advantage would be gained by bombing the countryside. Evacuation was the only option to keep the children safe, as rural areas were extremely unlikely targets. If the parents knew their children were in safe hands it would influence their work effort and keep them optimistic. A high morale at home would elevate the soldier’s fighting spirit knowing their home front are supporting them. This would be especially effective towards fathers who had gone to war, reassuring them that their children would remain safe while they ...

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While evacuation took place, the parents of the children could carry on with their lives without worry, knowing that their children were safe. It especially reassured the women, and enabled them to become more involved in the war effort. This would have boosted the produce of the munitions factories, which were vital for the British, as the women became more involved and worked harder for the country. Moving the children to a safer area gained the support of people, especially parents, but also would relieve pressure from the emergency services, as a lot less people would be in danger. It was mainly children who were evacuated, this was because children were thought to be the most vulnerable, also the government thought their parents may be able to concentrate on the war effort if they didn’t have to worry about their children’s safety.

To conclude I think the British government decided to evacuate because they predicted that this war might involve more fighting on the home front. With more planes in use it would be easier to bring the war over to Britain and more civilians would be injured. As this was a risk, by evacuating to towns less likely to be bombed they would reduce the death rate. They chose children for evacuation because the parents involved in the war effort would be able to concentrate and wouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their child. Also children are the next generation and if they were killed there would be no one to pick up the pieces after the war and in years to come.

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