Talks about a six-year old London Girl who is separated from her family as a wartime evacuee from the German air raids, returning to a lonely post war childhood. The lack of love and warmth in her life causes her to develop a remarkable determination and independence that is to dominate her attitudes and subsequent life.

It probably doesn't surprise anyone to learn that for each one of us, a childhood does matter. It's a lesson the planners of Britain's World War II evacuations should have kept in mind. Doreen Drewry Lehr searches for her childhood, lost when she was sent away from her mother before she was even five. She finds precious clues in conversations with those who shared her wartime experiences on the beautiful, isolated and harsh Yorkshire Moors. The second part of the book surveys Britain's social policies that separated children from home and parents from the 17th century until 1967, when the last children left Britain - the majority falsely labeled as "orphans."

In June 1940, 17,000 people fled Guernsey to England, including 5,000 school children with their teachers and 500 mothers as 'helpers'. The Channel Islands were occupied on 30 June - the only part of British territory that was occupied by Nazi forces during the Second World War. Most evacuees were transported to smoky industrial towns in Northern England - an environment so very different to their rural island. For five years they made new lives in towns where the local accent was often confusing, but for most, the generosity shown to them was astounding. They received assistance from Canada and the USA - one Guernsey school was 'sponsored' by wealthy Americans such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Hollywood stars. From May 1945, the evacuees began to return home, although many decided to remain in England. Wartime bonds were forged between Guernsey and Northern England that were so strong, they still exist today.

'A heart-warming story packed with Second World War detail' - Daily Express 'Carrie's War for a new generation of children' - Belfast Telagraph September, 1939: At the breakout of the Second World War , ten-year-old Shirley is sent away on a train. She doesn't know where she's going, or what's going to happen to her when she gets there. All she has been told is that she's going on 'a little holiday'. She soon finds herself lodged deep in the countryside, with two boys from the East End of London, Kevin. But here, living in the strange, half-empty Red House with the mysterious and reclusive Mrs Waverley, the children's lives will be changed for ever. Award-winning, bestselling and beloved author Jacqueline Wilson has created a beautiful, moving story of friendship and bravery against the backdrop of the worst conflict the world has ever known. 'So good, I couldn't put it down.' - Reader review, BookTrust 'The reigning queen of British children's fiction, Jacqueline Wilson, turns to the second World War with Wave Me Goodbye . . .The story handles the balance of big worries - the war - with the smaller details of what it means to be separated from one's family while life still goes on.' - The Irish Times

A moving and revealing insight into the real experiences of children evacuated during WWII and the families they left behind On 1 September 1939 Operation Pied Piper began to place the children of Britain's industrial cities beyond the reach of the Luftwaffe. 1.5 million children, pregnant women and schoolteachers were evacuated in 3 days. A further 2 million children were evacuated privately; the largest mass evacuation of children in British history. Some children went abroad, others were sent to institutions, but the majority were billeted with foster families. Some were away for weeks or months, others for years. Homecoming was not always easy and a few described it as more difficult than going away in the first place. In When the Children Came Home Julie Summers tells us what happened when these children returned to their families. She looks at the different waves of British evacuation during WWII and explores how they coped both in the immediate aftermath of the war, and in later life. For some it was a wonderful experience that enriched their whole lives, for others it cast a long shadow, for a few it changed things for ever. Using interviews, written accounts and memoirs, When the Children Came Home weaves together a collection of personal stories to create a warm and compelling portrait of wartime Britain from the children's perspective.

When the Second World War air raids threaten their safety in the city, Carrie and her brother Nick are evacuated to a small Welsh village. But the countryside has dangers and adventures of its own - and a group of characters who will change Carrie's life for ever. There's mean Mr Evans, who won't let the children eat meat; but there’s also kind Auntie Lou. There's brilliant young Albert Sandwich, another evacuee, and Mr Johnny, who speaks a language all of his own. Then there's Hepzibah Green, the witch at Druid’s Grove who makes perfect mince pies, and the ancient skull with its terrifying curse... For adults and young people aged eight and over. Emma Reeves has created a stunning stage adaptation of Nina Bawden’s much loved classic account of life as an evacuee in the 1940s, which opened at the Lillian Bayliss Theatre in November 2006. This edition includes teachers' notes and activities for classes based on the play.

With the declaration of war in September 1939, the Government Evacuation Scheme was implemented, in which almost one and a half million civilians, mostly children, were evacuated from the British cities thought most likely to be the targets of aerial bombing. The fear of invasion the following year resulted in another mass evacuation from the coastal towns.Hundreds of thousands of school children, and mothers with babies and infants, were removed from their homes and families, and sent to live with strangers in distant rural areas and to entirely unfamiliar environments. Some children were also sent to countries of the Commonwealth, such as Canada and Australia. The evacuations had an enormous impact upon millions of individuals, both those that were evacuated and those that had to accommodate and care for the displaced multitude.Over the course of eight years research Gillian Mawson has interviewed hundreds of evacuees from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Families have also allowed her access to the testimony of those who have passed away. Coupled with the extensive newspaper coverage of the day and official documents Britains Wartime Evacuees provides not just a comprehensive study of the evacuations, but also relates some of the most moving and emotive stories of the Second World War.