Meet the Evacuees

We have interviewed over 90 people for the Children on the Move project. These include not only former evacuees, but also members of host families and local people who remember evacuees coming to their areas and filling their schools. Many still live in Staffordshire and the Midlands and were interviewed in their homes or at local libraries. Others now live as far away as Kent, Bournemouth and Wales, and were interviewed over the telephone about their experiences of evacuation.

To find out more about a particular person’s memories of evacuation and hear clips from their interview, simply use your mouse to click on their name or the Read more link and you will be taken to a separate page with information including photographs and audio clips from their original interview. Once you have selected a story, you can come back to this page or read all of the stories using the ‘Next’ and ‘Previous’ links at the top of that page.

This page only shows twenty stories at a time, so if you can’t find a story you want to read simply refresh this page to see a different selection. Or, if you know the name of the person’s story you would like to read about, type their name into the search box at the top right of this page.

Ivy Field

Ivy Field had returned from her first evacuation when her teacher told her about Pipewood Boarding Camp. She couldn't wait to go...

Read more

Betty Allen

Betty Allen is still friends with the boy her parents took in during the Second World War. The family were very sad when he left.

Read more

Dorothy Jarvis

When Dorothy Jarvis was evacuated to Alton from Longsight, Manchester, she was awestruck by the beauty of the buildings and thought she was in 'fairy land'.

Read more

Norma Hadley

Norma was evacuated to Pipewood Boarding Camp from Small Heath, Birmingham. Her house was burnt out whilst she was away.

Read more

Gordon Ellis

Gordon shared his family home with an evacuee from Manchester. He can remember seeing him for the first time, clutching onto a bar of Cadbury's Fruit & Nut!

Read more

Margaret Thurman

Margaret Thurman was a child local to Burton upon Trent when families of evacuees arrived. She made good friends with many of them.

Read more

Lily Wilson

Lily was one of the teachers at Pipewood boarding camp, and remembers how excited the girls were when her husband came to visit dressed in his uniform.

Read more

Tony Longdon

Tony was 8 when he was evacuated from Bexhill-on-Sea to Stoke-on-Trent. He had his first oatcake in 1941 and has been stuck on them ever since.

Read more

Barbara Hewitt

Barbara was billeted in Gloucester before coming home and being evacuated with classmates from Tilton Road School to Pipewood...

Read more

Ernest Chadwick

Ernest was evacuated to the Chadwicks in Brown Edge from Ancoats in Manchester. Before his evacuation he had never seen a chicken, or played with a ball...

Read more

Olga Harvey

Olga and her brother were 'running wild' in the streets of Birmingham during the WWII bombing. That was until arrangements were made for their evacuation.

Read more

Jean Wilks

Jean Wilks was evacuated to Leek where she stayed with the Keaseys and helped in their sweet shop on Stockwell Street.

Read more

Brian Howard

Brian Howard was separated from his siblings when he was evacuated from Margate to Gentleshaw. He can remember sitting on the school bank singing them 'Cockney' songs.

Read more

George Nye

George was evacuated from a children's home to Staffordshire. It was only on the day of his evacuation that he found out he had a brother and two sisters.

Read more

Margaret Hancock

Margaret was evacuated to Stockton Brook from the East End of London. She was taken in by all those living in the village and became 'one of them'.

Read more

Reginald Walsh

Reginald was evacuated from Ramsgate in 1940. During his time in Staffordshire, he stayed with a total of 13 different families.

Read more

Evelyn Green

Evelyn was born in India, and moved to Colchester when she was 6 months old. From here the family were evacuated to Stoke-on-Trent, and lived in many homes.

Read more

Ethel Rice

Ethel was evacuated with her family to Burton upon Trent after picking hops in Kent. She remembers the taste of hops on her fingers made her sandwiches taste funny...

Read more

John Woodward

John Woodward was extremely happy to be told he was going to be billeted on a farm in Elford. His favourite toy as a boy has been a toy farm!

Read more

George Emptage

George was evacuated from Margate to Tamworth. He was billeted on a farm in Clifton Campville and expected to do much work to earn his keep.

Read more