Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II

In the 1930s aerial bombing became an ever larger spectre in the minds of government and the public (see Trenchard, Douhet, Spain). The fear that major cities would be utterly destroyed in any war led the British government to plan for the evacuations of civilians from probable targets in order to save them from terror and destruction.

Related Topics:
1930s - Trenchard - Douhet - Spain - Evacuation

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The official view of the impact of bombing began with the ARP Committee of 1924. It made some, in hindsight, rather hysterical casualty predictions for a future conflict. These high estimates were increased throughout the 1930s.

Related Topics:
ARP Committee - 1924

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The Air Raid Precautions service was activated on September 25, 1938. So began a brief flurry of preparations — certain buildings had their basements requisition for shelters, public parks were spoiled with numerous slit trenches, fifty barrage balloons rose into the sky over London, and almost forty million gas masks were distributed. Certain people, already panicky, pre-empted the government and sought refuge in more rural areas.

Related Topics:
Air Raid Precautions - September 25 - 1938 - Trench - Barrage balloon - London

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On September 29, 1938 the Government announced plans to evacuate around two million people from London in the event of war. Based on the pre-war reports this was seen as necessary to reduce demoralisation and control the "inevitable" panic.

Related Topics:
September 29 - 1938

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