On 1 September 1939 the British government's plans for evacuation swung into operation. About 1.5 million children aged 4–14 were moved from towns and cities that were thought be at risk of bombing, before war was declared on 3 September. addition, thousands of pregnant women, mothers with infants and teachers travelled with the children. Most evacuees were taken to billets the British countryside, or on the south and east coasts. Although most evacuees were transported by train, thousands travelled by boat. Children from Portsmouth were taken to the Isle of Wight, while hundreds of Dagenham evacuees boarded paddle steamers that were bound for Yarmouth.
Prior to
