A Wartime Childhood A closer look at the life of a child growing
up in Britain, during World War 2…….
By; Nicolle, Kayleigh, Jesse and Cherish
Children were given lessons on how to evacuate the building if a bomb drops. Children who stayed in the bombing areas went to school and each school had their own air raid shelter facilities. All children that were evacuated wore labels to indicate their destinations. Most were sent to foster homes in the country side and some were sent over seas. Children carried gas masks around at all times, and were taught to be put on in a hurry. The war lasted six years but for most children their childhood was ruined. For a few children they had never travelled out of Great Britain.
The evacuation of Britain's cities at the start of World War Two was the biggest and most concentrated mass movement of people in Britain's history. In the first four days of September 1939, nearly 3,000,000 people were transported from towns and cities in danger from enemy bombers to places of safety in the countryside.
The daily life of the wartime children, was rather
scary with many parents away or at work, children
were often left to look after themselves. They
played in fields or in the street. Street games were
safer than they would be today, because there were
so few cars. Children helped clear up after air raids.
They ran errands to the 'corner shop'. Older
children looked after younger ones. Often
neighbors and grandparents helped too. Many
families were 'bombed out' (their homes were
damaged by bombs). When this happened,
neighbors offered food and beds, and lent clothes
or furniture.
Thousands of children left home for the first time as evacuees. School lessons and exams went on
more or less as usual, though children also learned 'air raid drill' and how to put on a gas mask. At night, many children slept in air raid shelters.
There were fewer toys for Christmas or birthdays, and not many sweets either. Many seaside beaches
were closed. However, children found new playgrounds on 'bombsites' - waste grounds where
buildings had been flattened by bombs.
In World War Two there were no supermarkets.
The people would go to different shops for
different items. They would mainly shop for fruit
and vegetables, at the greengrocer. For meat, they
would go to the butcher. For fish, they would go to
the fishmonger. For bread and cakes, the would go
to the baker. For groceries such as jam, tea,
biscuits and cheese they went to the grocer. Other
shops sold clothes, shoes, medicines, newspapers
and all the other things people needed to buy.
In most shops, the shopkeeper or shop assistants
served customers from behind a counter. Many
shops were small family businesses. Most big
towns had department stores.