When the Children Came Home: Stories of Wartime Evacuees

by Julie Summers

On 1 September 1939 Operation Pied Piper bgan to place the children of Britain's industrial cities beyond the reach of the Luftwaffe. 1.5 million children, pregnant women and schoolteachers were evacuated in 3 days. A further 2 million children were evacuated privately; the largest mass evacuation of children in British history.

Some children went abroad, others were sent to institutions, but the majority were billeted with foster families. Some were away for weeks or months, others for years. Homecoming was not always easy and a few described it as more difficult than going away in the first place.

In When the Children Came Home Julie Summers tells us what happened when these children returned to their families. She looks at the different waves of British evacuation during WWII and explores how they coped both in the immediate aftermath of the war, and in later life. For some it was a wonderful experience that enriched their whole lives, for others it cast a long shadow, for a few it changed things for ever.

Using interviews, written accounts and memoirs, When the Children Came Homeweaves together a collection of personal stories to create a warm and compelling portrait of wartime Britain from the children's perspective.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Historical

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

I was born near Liverpool and grew up first on the Wirral and then in Cheshire. Although the greater part of my childhood was spent outside pursuing any number of outdoor activities, I have always wanted to be a writer.

I am passionate about writing and unembarrassed to be so. I love researching my books, especially when they involve meeting people and finding out about their lives. I have a little study in the attic of our house with one of the best views in Oxford – the dreaming spires seen from Iffley. I write in the mornings after the children have gone to school and find the problem is not sticking to the routine but tearing myself away from writing at the end of the day. I describe myself as a biographer and historian but the most important thing for me is to be a story teller.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this book as its the first I have read on the subject of evacuees. I was left a little disappointed as it was very repetitive throughout the book. The stories were all very similar and without the anecdotal detail that I was hoping for. I would like to have known more detail about the evacuees experiences rather than reading the same summing up of each evacuees experience. It just felt a bit lazy. I still enjoyed the book, just would have liked to know more about the detail of their billets.

[Alicea · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the time I got to this book I was starting to get a bit fatigued with the topic of WWII but once I got truly stuck into this book and discovered just how much I didn't know on the topic...I was hooked. Children were evacuated to the countryside during WWII (this much I knew before) but I learned that they were also sent to America, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. Parents weren't especially picky as long as they were away from London. This book is chock full of recollections which recall the 'waves' of children which would leave suddenly only to be called home again especially during the Phoney War when the prejudice against 'townies' coupled with the desire to see their children again prompted parents to yank their kids back to the city. Understandably, the uncertainty of the situation created a lot of anxiety among children and adults alike. The psychological trauma of abandonment had a lifelong effect on most of the children which manifested itself in a variety of ways. Some children never reconnected with their biological family while others felt their foster family was their 'true' family (some were eventually adopted and stayed in their new homes). I had never really given much thought on the intricacies of the evacuation scheme and what kind of result it had on the children and their families so this was an eye-opening reading experience. 9/10

[eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

some really interesting insights into the end of evacuation and the effects it had on society- it did drag on in places & i got lost with some of the arguments & there were parts that were not as significant/ useful for me, but a good collection of quotes/ resources

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four main type of experiences:
1. Children were well taken care of and children continued some type of relationship with them
2. Children were not well taken care of. Treated as slaves. Some sexual abue.
3. Children had mixed feelings. They loved both "sets of parents" and able to deal with it.
4. Children had not great parents originally. Ended up loving the people they were placed with. Some stayed with them. Most went back to original parents.

[Lynette Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed When the Children Came Home by Julie Summers. This book covers all aspects of the evacuation of the children in Britain and the Far East during WWII. While repetitive in places, the telling of these stories is comprehensive. I enjoyed all the personal anecdotes sprinkled throughout this book.

[Claire Holman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. So well researched & written. The way the children's stories were interspersed with the Evacuation story overall was excellent.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this from my library as it had came highly recommended to learn more about what was life was like for children in the second world war. It was interesting, if a little repetitive at times.

This book contains stories of children's thoughts and perspectives during war time. The stories are so interesting and I found them ever so fascinating, sometimes it doesn't feel real to read these anecdotes of real children's lives but they are. They're ever so much more than just fictional stories that have been acted out and relived through fictional adventure stories that I read mostly as a child to teach me about the history of the II World War.

It's pretty clear the Julie Summers, who has written similar styled booked based on this genre, has carefully researched into this time and spoken with or to different people to get the responses required for the book, which I greatly appreciate. It's a time we should capture the memories and really enjoy them. I enjoyed this book a lot and would refer to it if I need to.

[Aveen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could I would give this book 3.5 stars, as I feel somewhere in between liking and really liking this book.

I found the stories of everyone fascinating to read and it was good to read from all sides of things, not just the children's perspective, although perhaps a bit more from the Foster carers points of view would have been nice.

It was evident that a lot of time and research went into this book and I appreciated that, even though I wasn't looking for as in depth information about certain things and would have preferred more of a focus on the personal stories, it still allowed a deeper context for them to be set in.

I did find the book slightly repetitive at times not because of peoples experiences being very similar at times but because the author felt the need to summarize things she had already said multiple times throughout.

[Dogeared Wanderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on the large-scale evacuation of over a million London school children by the government to various foster homes in the British countryside, Canada, USA, Australia, and South Africa. It looks at numerous first-hand accounts, journals, and documents to provide a portrait of the evacuation from the children's perspectives.

There are many sad, distressing stories, as you would expect, but the stories that have largely remained silent are the children who benefitted from it. Many children came from poverty and broken homes in the city and experienced a loving family, good food, and an education in country life. The issue was complex because of the myriad of factors in each child's life.

[Janice Forman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julie Summers has weaved together a collection of personal recollections of British children evacuated during WWII. Their stories vary from wonderful experiences to physical and sexual abuse. The difference in class, cultures, country vs city, for some were educational and for others difficult. Homecomings were similar — many families found it difficult — and were ill prepared for the changes in their children and families. One common thread appears to be a general concensus that the evacuation changed their life considerably.

Very thought provoking — would I as a parent have been able to send my children to live with strangers!

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to eading this book but was a bit disappointed. Lots of repetition. I would have like to have heard from individuals instead of just a general out line of their experiences. Some areas of the book were boring and i found myself skipping pages. I just couldn't finish it after 3/4 of the book.

[Megan Trempe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. The library got me a loan from out of state and I really appreciate getting this deeper look into children and families effected by ww3 evacuation "operation pied piper" this was very good.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and thorough study of the children evacuated from the cities during WWII. The section about families in the Asian colonies who were evacuated due to the Japanese invasions was unexpected.

[Victoria Grusing · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be hard to imagine having to give up my children as these amazing people were asked to do and did.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book. Very sad in places .

[OpalGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bits were interesting but I found it a trudge to get through.

[Leeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, well written, very moving.

[Kay Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting book

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of stories that highlights the experiences of young wartime evacuees from Britain.

[HerbieGrandma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not as informative as I was expecting.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read that sometimes drifted too far into the why's and wherefore rather than concentrating on the human side of the story.

[Hannah Novosad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, lots of things I did not know. A bit repetitive in some areas, chapters are also long sometimes hard to keep focus.

[Noble Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie Summers' book 'When The Children came Home" offers the reader a glimpse of vast array of lives that was affected by World War II. Millions of children were sent into the countryside as well as abroad to safety and Summers' tries to bring out the richness of their lives in this book.
It is quite a fascinating read to learn about how these children whom some may have never left London, travel alone into the countryside or abroad to live with total strangers for years if not the entire duration of the war. Some of these evacuees expressed a positive feeling about their foster families with some not wanting to return - while others felt abandoned and suffered psychological torment due to the anxieties of war and of their new lifestyles and surroundings.

The only part of the book which I found difficult to get through was Summers' transitions between one story to another. The author writes as if every idea needed to say, 'on the other hand' like Tevye in the Fiddler on the Roof contemplating whether or not the Tailor should marry his daughter with the thinking, 'on the other hand'. This can get rather annoying for her transitions usually comprise of something along the lines of, "this is not always the case. For...so and so..."

It give this book 4.5/5 stars due to the fact that the main purpose of the story is to portray the lives of these children and give voice to their experiences.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Found myself near tears at many points, considering what some of the kids and their parents went through - really touched a nerve as a parent of a pre-schooler, and I understand the sentiment from a lot of evacuees that although they were glad it happened, they weren't sure they would do it themselves.

My one disappointment is that there was no mention of those children who were sent away and came home to no remaining parents - there must have been a number.

Good anecdotes, easy-flowing story telling, great reading for those interested in the war without having to drudge through details.

[C.G.Koens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the third of the WWII books by Julie Summers that I read, and I think this one might have been the most disturbing. There was so much research included in this book (which I loved), and it was really well written, but the stories that came out of it were tough to read.

From child evacuees who died when their ship to Canada was torpedoed by the Nazis, to those who were molested and abused by their host families, to those who (much later) found out what happened to fathers in the Japanese camps... it was sobering.

Summers does a good job of representing all sides of the British evacuation programs - sharing the positive stories as well. Not every story was sad, and many that she interviewed talked about how their time as evacuees was life changing - in the best way.

In conclusion: despite the stories that made it hard to read, I do recommend reading this book (along with her others) so we don't forget what happened in this world, just 75+ years ago. Just be prepared when you start, knowing that Summers doesn't sugarcoat what happens in wartime.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at Dover Castle which also has wonderful tunnels (first built during the Napoleonic Wars) which were used during WWII, especially after the fall of Dunkirk where the only redeeming part was that so many British military personnel were able to be evacuated to England. After being exposed to this time period, this looked like an interesting book to read and it was. I had heard that British children were evacuated during WWII but I really didn't know all that much and this book was quite informative. Summers thesis is investigating how these evacuations affected the children and especially how they did when they were able to come home (although in many cases, there was no home left although most of the children did have families to come home to). Along with many sad stories it seems there were more happy stories on how these children were affected. It especially made me aware of how important class was in Great Britain and how the war disrupted this system.

[Debs Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned new things about the evacuation - like it wasn't just one wave, and the first wave wasn't for very long. It was also eye-opening to read the stories of those for whom this experience was so positive and led to a different way of life, a different future for some of the evacuees. There are also the sad stories. Overall, an informative and interesting book. I saw lots of connections to TCKs (third culture kids).

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed this book & learnt a lot about the subject.
The historical accounts & facts & figures helped structure the book. At times there were a few too many personal accounts from the evacuees to illustrate the book so it could seem a little repetitive by the end, though at the end of the day it's them that bought the book to life.

[Heather Pearson]

I was really looking forward to this book and found it very interesting. It was a slog to get to the end but I learned a LOT and am left wanting to know more about evacuees and the families affected by this amazing time.

[Linda Shook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting but so sad that the children had to be taken from their parents. So many families shattered. Thank you Julie Summers for letting us see a glimpse of what so many families went thru during WWII.