Books Reviews

Churchill's Children: The Evacuee Experience in Wartime Britain – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Jul 15, 2010, 15:27 GMT

"We were dumped at a roundabout with our labels on. People pulled and tugged at the children they wanted. It was a bit like a cattle market... people just waded in. I went with a lady and her daughter - she was like a second Mum." --Alexander King, evacuated aged eleven.Based on the stories of thirteen children and adults, Churchill\'s Children tells the often moving story of ...more

Books about WW2 evacuees are common - what makes this volume unusual and definitely worth reading, is the fact that it puts the whole saga in perspective. 

How did parents and children stay in contact?  What did it mean for family life? What happened when siblings were separated?  And when the end of the war came - how did the children get home? Were they confused as to what was home? 

It also looks at the effect on adults - not just parents, but teachers, billeting officers, civil servants.  As Welshman shows, the evacuation had long term consequences not just on children and families, but on the future involvement of the state in education, housing, and attitudes. 

The stories of individual evacuees are woven neatly into this wider picture creating a very thought provoking book.  Could such an evacuation happen again?  As Welshman points out, the way in which attitudes have changed so dramatically towards family life, concerns about putting children into the care of strangers makes it highly unlikely. 

This book offers a very different slant on a well known event - and makes thought provoking reading.