The British Evacuees Association needs your help to survive

The British Evacuees Association, which has Lady Emma Barnard, the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, as a patron, was formed in 1996 and has members all over the world.

It was the idea of James Roffey, 91, who came to Pulborough in September 1939 as an evacuee from Camberwell, and he was awarded an MBE in 2019 for services to evacuees and their families.

The charity, which based in Gringley On The Hill, Nottinghamshire, was formed with the assistance of The Imperial War Museum in London for children evacuated during the Second World War.

Karen Follows, The British Evacuees Association manager and editor, said: "We are currently experiencing financial difficulties due to the naturally decreasing membership numbers but we are aware that there are many out there who have not yet heard of us.

"We publish our members' stories in the pages of our bi-monthly magazine The Evacuee, together with photographs, articles of interest, news of events and a Lost Touch section. We have recently reunited two sets of friends which had not seen each other for over 80 years!"

More than 3.5million people, mainly children, were evacuated during the Second World War. Some were lucky to experience a happy childhood away from their family, home and all that was familiar, and some unfortunately did not. All have unique stories to tell and are the last link to the Second World War.

Karen added: "They are such an important part of British history and it is vitally important that their legacy lives on so that future generations are aware of their sacrifices and experiences as children growing up during World War Two, when they were taken from their familiar surroundings and sent to live with complete strangers in unknown locations.

"Their education was severely disrupted and their formative years were spent away from home, many suffered from homesickness and anxiety. Counselling was not offered and the impart of their separation is still being felt today."

After the end of the war, some children never returned home, having been told they had no family or home to return to, all had been lost in their absence. Those who did return came home different, they were ‘grown up and independent’ as a result of their experiences.

They had encountered and witnessed things many children would not have seen before. Some were unlucky in that they experienced hostile relationships from their ‘foster’ parents and some were billeted to adults who had no children of their own so had little empathy or experience in looking after them.

Siblings were often separated for the first time in their lives, just when they needed to be together. Evacuation itself was not compulsory but if you had spare rooms in your home, it was compulsory to take in children, so this made for some uncomfortable situations.

Some never felt welcome and suffered silently for years. It was the luck of the draw where you were placed. Some were lucky to be taken to caring loving homes and treated as one of the family, to be placed to eat at the family dining table and not used as ‘cheap’ labour. Long-lasting relationships were formed and are still in place with family descendants today.

Karen said: "The association, a registered charity, provides these people with a voice and a sense of togetherness. They write their stories for publication, and read those of others, and realise that they were not alone. We encourage our members to tell their story and the cathartic aspect helps them come to terms with their past experiences.

"We provide schools, other educational establishments, the media, local history groups and individuals with information. We are also regularly asked by television and radio for input into their programmes. The late Queen Elizabeth II gave her first radio broadcast as Princess Elizabeth, aged 14, during the Children’s Hour Programme on October 13, 1940, to children during the Second World War whilst she was evacuated to Windsor Castle. She told them that she and her sister, Margaret, were thinking of them at this difficult time.

"Over the past 27 years, we have held a number of reunions and events giving our members a chance to talk and reminisce with each other. We staged an event in Westminster Abbey in 1999, which marked the 60th anniversary of the start of World War Two, St James’s Park in 2005 and after many years of fundraising, we held the dedication of the National Memorial to the Evacuation sited at the National Memorial Arboretum in July 2017 in the presence of HRH The Duke of Gloucester.

"This will ensure that the evacuees are not forgotten. Our biggest event saw 1,800 of our members and their families congregate for a service at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2009. The atmosphere inside the cathedral was palpable, with staff saying that it was one of the most emotive services they had witnessed, all present invisibly joined together. We also proudly take part on the Cenotaph Parade in central London each year.

"Sadly, unless we are able to secure funding, new members, and/or donations we are facing closure at the end of June 2023. Can you join us or show your support! We need you help to keep this historically important organisation going!"

Donations can be made online at www.gofundme.com/f/second-world-war-two-evacuees-need-your-help

Membership is currently £28 per year and open to everyone. Children and grandchildren of former evacuees, other family members, educational establishments, history societies or anyone interested in the subject are welcome to join. There are still lots more stories to tell and the association would love to hear from you.

Contact details: The British Evacuees Association, The Mill Business Centre, Mill Hill, Gringley On The Hill, DN10 4RA. Website: www.evacuees.org.uk. Email: [email protected]. Telephone number: 01777 816166.

Parham, near Storrington, has been in Lady Emma's family for more than 100 years. During the Second World War, the Elizabethan house sheltered a huge number of people, including staff, 30 child evacuees from Peckham, and relations, dependents and friends of the family who had nowhere else to go.