Tales from a young wartime evacuee

WITH the rise of Nazism and the spectre of war haunting Europe, from the mid-1930s the British Government sent instructions to major local authorities likely to be targeted by enemy bombers to make plans for the evacuation of children.

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A cutting from the Birmingham Daily Post showing children waiting to board a train at Aston Station on Evacuation day, September 1, 1939

Because of Birmingham's size and its range of working and middle-class areas, its council had to assess the risks of bombing on different parts of the city.

The Chief Education Officer was appointed as the Evacuation Officer and Birmingham was divided into three zones.

Zone 1 included the central wards and those containing munitions works or public utilities.

These were regarded as most at risk of attack by the Luftwaffe and children were to be moved away from them upon the outbreak of war.

Roughly, this Evacuation Area covered the districts within the Inner Circle number 8 bus route with the addition of Bournbrook and Selly Oak.

Zone 2 was designated Neutral and covered the inner ring areas, whether residential or partly residential districts, were.

Finally, Zone 3 embraced the residential suburbs which were classed as Reception Areas.

Birmingham's Evacuation Scheme was based on an orderly movement taking place over two days.

On Day 1, children at primary, secondary, elementary, special and nursery schools would be evacuated with their teachers.

The next day was the turn of expectant mothers and those with young children and of adults who were blind or disabled.

Responsibility for them was shared between maternity and child welfare organisations and the After-Care departments of the Royal Institution for the Blind and what was then known as the Royal Cripples Hospitals (now the Woodlands).

With war fast approaching, on July 20, 1939, there was a test evacuation of 29 local schools at Hockley Railway Station.

Then at 8.20 am on September 1, the official evacuation began from New Street, Snow Hill or Moor Street stations with stops at various local stations to pick up more evacuees.