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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of Alan Lambert and has been added to the site with his permission. He fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

The Government arranged for children under 16 years of age to be able to leave the towns and cities, also areas where concentrations of factories manufactured weapons for the armed forces to fight the war. Places chosen were villages in rural and agriculture situations, the response of the residents was tremendous, they choose all the households able to take one or more children and act has foster parents. Local Councils and schools organised transport – buses coaches and trains, labels to be used for identification were obtained.

On the day of evacuation parents took their children to school, teachers took charge of individual classes, mothers and other volunteers i.e. church workers and other charitable organisations, travelled with the class to make sure all arrived safely. All carried their gas masks over their shoulders .

Some of the pupils from Birley Street School, Ardwick had a long journey to Uttoxeter . Winnie and Ida boarded the train believing they were just going for a day out. On arrival at Uttoxeter, Mr and Mrs Blood took Ida into their home in New Street. Winnie stayed with a family in the same street. All evacuees of school age attended local schools on alternate half days.

To arrange where to meet in the evening, messages were typed, placed in small envelopes and posted by hand in friend’s letter boxes.
Two of the messages are printed below:

Dear Ida,
I’m washing my hair tonight xxxxxxxxxxxx
So I will not be staying out long. But call for me just the same, we can have a little talk then go in. Because you don’t get any amusement on Friday night We can make arrangements for Saturday.
Call 6-30.

Love Winnie
P.S. This xxxxxxx is typed in a hurry

21/2/40.

Dear Ida,
I will call for you to night at 6-30.
we will go for a walk.

Love Winnie

P.S. Be ready. early.

This is part of a letter one of the girls who went back to Manchester, wrote to Ida:

Dear Ida,
I hope you are alright and are getting used to your new place…….
I often think of Margaret and I in those nettles is she still afraid of cows?

Another friend wrote to Ida:

Dear Ida
.........Some of the kids have come home & I hope the war will be over & we can all be together again..........At night we cannot help but bump into people because it is dark & on the road you [see] bycycle & motor-car lamps coming towards you..........
They are building A.R.P. shelters in Spire Street & the other streets on a line with it but they only like houses with concrete roofs & I think that if a bomb dropped near them they wold blow up into the air. Toffee has gone up & instead of getting a pennyworth you get half-pennyworth for the same price.

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