Reasons for Evacuation

During World War II, London was hit with what is refereed to as the "Blitz" in 1940-1941. In short, London was a target of numerous air raids by German bombers. In advance of this deadly series of bombings, the British government prepared to evacuate children from six cities, including London. This plan was initiated in 1939. The flowing clip from the popular 2005 movie, The Chronicals of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, shows the characters during the bombing. This movie shows both the bombing and scenes of mass children evacuation- however, the first main evacuation took place in advance of the bombings.  Evacuations took palce again at the start of the Blitz in 1940 and then again during the attacks of V1 bombs and V2 rockets in 1944.

The interactive site, The Blitz: Google Map, allows you to click on areas of a map of London to see how they were affected by the Blitz. You can also look through color photos of Blitz damage. By begin able to see these photos in color, many people find it easier to relate to today, instead of just seeing black and white photos.