Genealogy Chat

Hi Two questions I hope someone can help me with. Was it the custom for elderly folk in WW11 London to be evacuated or just children and are there any lists? Also does anyone know when searches on Freereg are likely to be ready? Jan

Hello Janet,I was an evacuee in WW11,some parents went with thier children but I do not think the elderly were evacuated by the goverment.I was evacuated to Birmingham from Essex 1944. Brenda in Australia

no it wasn,t apolicy for elderly to be evacuated mainlychildren i was one i dont think records now exist

I also was an evacuee in W War 2. It was children that were sent to "Safe" places although some parents did go with their children but not many. London 's children were sent off to the country in 1939 but many drifted back to their homes and it was not until the Blitz of 1940 that the evacuation began in real earnest. Cities like Plymouth, Bristol and Liverpool were considered "neutral zones" and the policy was not to evacuate children from nor to evacuate children to these areas because they were considered safe from German bombs, being too far to the West of London. All these cities were badly blitzed and in the case of Plymouth, the city was totally destoyed and many schools and houses bombed before the city had an evacuation policy, too late! There is an organisation called Evacuees Reunion Association that will help you more on this aspect. Many people now give talks to schools on this aspect of our history as it is at present part of the National Curriculum. Records are patchy and do exist in some record offices and local libraries but you have to search for them. London records are in the Metropolitan Archives.

Janet