Book Sources

Evacuees: Evacuation in Wartime Britain 1939-1945
By: Michael Brown
Published in 2000

Topics: Data studies, Statistics, Comprehensive coverage of evacuation

This book provides a detailed history of the evacuation of British children in WWII. Beginning with the origins and background history of the plan that was put into action in September of 1939, Brown follows a chronological order of the evacuations that occurred in Britain throughout the war. Brown details the government’s plans and what events actually occurred from an objective perspective. Included in this book are official government plans and statistics, personal stories, and a comprehensive examination of the evacuations that occurred throughout England.


We Can Take It!: Britain and the Memory of the Second World War
By: Mark Connelly
Published in 2004

Topics: Morale, Government Planning

While this book contains overall information about WWII in England, it also has a section dedicated to the evacuation. It provides a personal glance at the British people’s will to survive, and morale throughout the war. The evacuation of the children was about the preservation of people and doing whatever was necessary to survive. This book allows the researcher to delve into the determined perspective of the common citizen and gain insight into Britain’s cultural values of freedom.

The Impact of Civilian Evacuation in the Second World War
By: Travis L. Crosby
Published in 1986

Topics- Comprehensive overview of Evacuation, Post-War impact

Crosby follows the evolution of the evacuation policy and how it was put into place during the war. It also describes the aftermath of post-war England and how the evacuations affected the country. Included in this are the ways that the English people changed due to the war and evacuations, and how it affects them to this day. This source provides an objective overview of the evacuation process, and their impact on Britain's educational system, family life, and culture.

They Tied a Label on my Coat
By: Hilda Hollingsworth
Published in 1991

Topics: Primary source, Domestic evacuation experience

This is the true story of the author's experience as an evacuee in Britain. Hilda was moved around from place to place with her sister during the six years of the war and how it affected them later in life. This book was intended for young adults and above, and depicts the instability of evacuation life.

The Children's War: Evacuation 1939-1945
By: Ruth Inglis
Published in 1989

Topics- Secondary sources, Domestic and international evacuations

This book focuses mainly on the first wave of evacuation of 1.5 million children and mothers of infants. The included evacuation sites are not only the English countryside, but also those who were moved to America and Australia. Also described were the methods the children were distributed to the foster homes. This source provides a look at both the negative and positive aspects of the evacuation, and is filled with anecdotes of life as an evacuee.

Who Will Take Our Children?: The Story of the Evacuation in Britain 1939-45
By: Carlton Jackson
Published in 1985

Topics- Planning, Impact of evacuation

This book describes the children's evacuation both domestically and internationally. The book includes the logistics, and planning of the evacuation as well as firsthand evacuation stories. Jackson ties in the way that the evacuation eventually led to National Health Service. Jackson's book provides vital information and illustrates the ways the evacuations have changed Britain.

Out of Harm's Way: The Wartime Evacuation of Children from Britain
By: Jessica Mann
Published in 2005

Topics- Primary Source, International Evacuation

Mann describes her and other evacuees' experiences, including the dangerous journeys crossing battling waters and life abroad. She details how they coped with living away from home and how they viewed life back in the U.K. once they returned. The author also interviewed some celebrity evacuees, including Elizabeth Taylor and Shirley Williams. This book goes into great detail about the international evacuation experience, following the stories of children from the U.K. as they were relocated to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and America.

Children of the Doomed Voyage
By: Janet Menzies
Published in 2005

Topics: International evacuations, First-hand accounts, Logistics

During World War II there were many attempts made to evacuate children out of Great Britain. The greatest disaster involving British children during an evacuation overseas happened on the SS City of Benares evacuee ship. Children of the Doomed Voyage is a book of first-hand accounts from survivors of the infamous ship.

Evacuation
By: Fiona Reynoldson
Published in 1990

Topics- Phases of Evacuation, Life as Evacuees

One volume of a World War II series, this book looks at the good as well as the bad of the evacuation. It also describes the plan of the evacuation as well as what it was like to live in the reception areas. The author goes into the different phases of the evacuation program that occurred between 1939 and 1946.

Problems with Social Policy
By: Richard M. Titmuss
Published in 1950

Topics: Comprehensive coverage of evacuation, planning

Richard M. Titmuss was a professor at the London School of Economics. Problems with Social Policy is a collection of lectures that Titmuss gave to his classes about the history of the Second World War. Throughout the lectures, Titmuss covers many topics , including: preparations for the evacuation and the different phases that the evacuations took place in.

To see excerpts from Problems of Social Policy click here-

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-Civil-Social/index.html

No Time to Wave Goodbye
By: Ben Wicks
Published in 1988

Topics: First-hand accounts, Domestic/International Evacuation

During World War II the British government evacuated hundreds of thousands of children from London to the countryside, US, and Canada to escape German bombs. In No Time to Wave Goodbye, Wicks interviews children that were evacuated out of London and how the evacuation still impacts their lives today. Wicks also provides his own personal insight for the book since he too was one of the evacuated children.

The Day They Took the Children
By: Ben Wicks
Published in 1990

Topics- Primary sources, Photographs, Interviews with evacuees

This book is a compilation of first hand experiences, including letters, 200 photographs and personal mementos. The stories are diverse, some funny and some sad, illustrating the differences in the situation. Due to the reaction to his first book, No Time To Wave Goodbye, the author decided to follow up with a second book: The Day They Took The Children, which details the various situations of children evacuated with Operation Pied Piper.

The Emergency Evacuation of Cities
By: Wilbur Zelinsky and Leszek A. Kosiniski
Published in 1991

Topics: Evacuation Waves, Government Planning, Statistics, Maps

The Emergency Evacuation of Cities deals with the evacuation of cities due to differing disasters. The disasters range from floods and storms to industrial accidents and wars. The non-technical writing style and use of tables, maps, and diagrams makes this book easily accessible for those interested in the evacuation of a city during war time. This source shows the movement of evacuees throughout the war, and the complications that came with planning a government-organized exodus of a population.