Children from schools across the Island enjoyed going back in time this week with activities organised by the Heritage Education Office from the Isle of Wight Heritage Service based at Carisbrooke Castle Museum.
Taking place at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in Havenstreet, this event saw children “evacuated” from their families and in readiness of perhaps several years of living away from parents were prepared for their new lives away from home during WW2.
Staff from the schools taking part had prepared the children well for this experience and most children and adults were dressed in 1940’s fashions.
Activities included playing with toys from the 1940’s and before, having a lesson in a war-time class room, which was disrupted by an air-raid siren, learning about rationing and shortage of food and tasting food such as fish paste, carrot spread and egg-less cake. To enable the evacuation to take place a trip on the train from Havenstreet to Smallbrook and Wootton was also undertaken and the children had to look out for a bomb on the line!
A Home Guard sergeant and a land army girl were on hand to explain to the children what life was going to be like in the village and just what to do with a gas mask on your way to the air-raid shelter.
Activities were across several days and on one morning the Chairman of Isle of Wight Council, Cllr Charles Chapman, made a visit to Havenstreet where he was only too pleased to join in the serious business of making sure all the children were placed with a family who were willing to take on the added responsibility of an evacuee. This was something a senior officer from the Council during the war years would have undertaken as part of their duties.
About 400 children and school staff attended the event which has taken place annually over a number of years.
Report and photographs thanks to Alan and Suzanne Whitewood
