Description:World War 2 affected the lives of children far more than any previous war. The fear of enemy bombing raids over British cities led to the mass evacuation of children to safer, rural areas. Between August 1940 and April 1943 Birmingham was hit by 77 enemy bombing raids, killing over 2,000 people and destroying over 5,000 homes.
The first evacuation train left Birmingham at 8.20 am on Friday 1 September 1939. Over two days more than 25,000 school children, 4,000 teachers and over 12,000 mothers with small children were evacuated from the city. There were further evacuations in October and November. About 175,000 children remained in the city, and the schools which had closed on the outbreak of war had to reopen. Many children were schooled at home.