On the outbreak of the Second World War, during the first week of
September 1939 over three million people were evacuated. Operation Pied
Piper was the largest ever transportation of people across Britain, and
most of those moved to safety in the countryside were schoolchildren.
Social historian Gillian Mawson has spent years collecting the stories
of former evacuees and this book includes the personal memories of over
100, in their own words. Their accounts reveal what it was like to
settle into a new home with strangers, often staying for years. While
many enjoyed life in the countryside, some escaping inner-city poverty,
others endured ill-treatment and homesickness.
A fascinating insight into the realities of wartime life, and a valuable
oral history of a unique moment in British history.