Physical Health Research Assignment

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Physical Health Research Assignment

With the approach of war it was important for the government to make efficient plans for the evacuation of children, pregnant women and women with young babies. Britain was divided into three areas; Evacuation areas, these were places thought to be in immediate danger and likely to be bombed. Reception areas, these places were thought to be safe from attack, and could receive evacuees from the evacuation areas. Neutral areas, these areas could expect light attacks, but cannot send or receive evacuees.Physical Health Research Assignment

The government called for volunteers to investigate accommodation in Reception areas, and reported that around 4800000 evacuees could be accommodated for. This may seem a large number but the government expected more and ordered the construction of emergency camps. The transportation of the children was not as well planned as the research. The evacuation began on the 1st of September 1939. The railway companies played a big part in the evacuation of children as they carried over 1300000 evacuees.Physical Health Research Assignment

The London busses also had a chance to get out of the city as they took about a quarter of a million passengers to the stations, and Reception areas. Although there were enough trains and busses to transport the evacuees, it seems as though the facilities upon them were not adequate for some. Many children arrived at their destinations un-fed and soiled. Some children were even split up from their brothers and sisters, or arrived at the wrong destination. One child’s distress is seen in this text: “sat quiet and saying nothing at this sudden unexpected upheaval”- Alan Sillitoe, quoted in Children and the War, ed.

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A. Calder, 1973. Most of the problems of evacuation occurred on the arrival of the evacuees. The Reception areas soon found that they were accommodating for far less evacuees than expected. The governments campaign to persuade parents to actually evacuate their children had obviously not worked well. Cambridge had been ready to accommodate for 24000 evacuees but in fact only received 6700. Some areas evacuated quite a high percent of children, for example, 70% of children were evacuated from Manchester.

Another problem was that the Reception areas often found themselves caring for women with babies instead of children and vice versa. Overall, the worst problem of the arrival was that reception areas did not organise well for evacuees, even though they were reduced in number. Children were left waiting around at stations for hours, and the locals were often reduced to squabbling over the ‘best’ evacuees: “My sisters were crying because women were pulling them this way and that” – Quoted in B. Wicks’ book, No Time to Wave Goodbye, 1988.Physical Health Research Assignment

Many of the children evacuated found the experience of being carted off to a strange area with people they did not know extremely daunting. However, some children found the countryside an area that they could settle down in and had a pleasant experience. Many of the young evacuees had very positive experiences with their host families. One reason for this was that children came from poor inner city areas or slums where food was rationed and expensive with few comforts. In contrast, some of the homes the evacuees stayed in were farms, or smallholdings.

This aspect ensured that fresh meat, chicken, dairy products, and home grown vegetables were in good supply. This ensured good physical health. The photograph, Source E, page 20 of hindsight volume 13 illustrates this well. The children look happy and in good physical health. It also demonstrates my next point that the new countryside environment supplied them with space to run, play, and explore, in a more peaceful and safe surrounding. However, this source may not be as reliable as first thought as the photograph could have been taken with the sole aim to persuade parents to evacuate their children.Physical Health Research Assignment