City Children on the Eve of War

Convinced that war will be accompanied by massive bombing of the cities, the British government has long prepared the evacuation of the vulnerable populations. On 31 August 1939, on the eve of the invasion of Poland, the order is given to launch Operation « Pied Piper »: from the next day, trains will carry the children of the great cities towards the countryside, accompanied by teachers, mothers of young children and the infirm.

For urban families, it is a heart-rending decision that presents itself within a few hours. To entrust one's child to the evacuation is to remove it from the danger of bombs, but to separate it from home and entrust it to unknown hosts, in the countryside.

You are a London family. Should you register your child for the official evacuation and let them leave for a distant village, among strangers, to be put out of harm's way? Keep them at home in the city, gambling that the bombing will be slow to come or will not happen at all? Or should you attempt to send them to relatives in the countryside, outside the official scheme? The choice bears on the safety of your child and the unity of your family.