Evacuation

In the years leading up to WW2, the Government anticipated that war with Germany was inevitable and plans were made in preparation. The tragic events of the Spanish civil war had demonstrated that aerial bombardment brought war to the heart of towns and cities where civilians suffered terribly. Consequently, the British Government adopted a policy of official evacuation for humanitarian and military reasons.

An official committee was formed in the summer of 1938 to plan evacuation. The country was divided into three categories:

a. Evacuation zones

b. Reception areas

c. Neutral areas

The committee contacted all local authorities in the reception areas in early 1939 and made them responsible for identifying suitable billets for evacuees. Based on the returns from local authorities, the plans to accommodate evacuees were made. Country-wide, surplus accommodation for some 4,800,000 people had been found.

How Clacton Planned for Evacuation.

In 1938, Clacton was designated a reception area (although this was to change later in the war) and the Council was given the task of planning to receive evacuees. As early as October 1938, the Clerk to the Council reported that his whole time had been taken up with making arrangements for the billeting of school children from London in the event of war.

The Government Evacuation Scheme required Clacton to:

a. Survey the town and identify all surplus accommodation on a standard of one person per habitable room.

b. Identify surplus in houses suitable for reception.

c. Identify households which are willing to receive unaccompanied children or teachers.

In order to do this, the Council appointed a special committee, carried out a survey and sent a letter to every house in the town, appealing for help. As a result of the survey the Ministry of Health required the Council to accommodate 10,000 people.

The Council had responded saying that the survey had been carried out in February, when the population of the district had been normal. If the emergency was to occur in the summer, however, the town would be full of visitors and it would not be able to accommodate the numbers of refugees suggested by the Ministry. At this time, the Council referred to the people, coming into the town for safety, as refugees not evacuees

There is no record of the Ministry's response to the Council's complaint about numbers to be accommodated but it is assumed that planning went ahead and arrangements were made to distribute window cards to those who had expressed a willingness to lodge, board and care for an unaccompanied child.

In addition to the planning for official evacuation, the Council had to deal with the increasing number of people who had decided to move away from areas likely to suffer in the event of war and come to Clacton, then seen as a safe haven. Their presence in the town was clearly putting a strain on the infrastructure and on 7 June the Council agreed that refugees , already in the town, be permitted to use the public conveniences free of charge.

The Plans Are Activated.

On 1st September 1939, the Government activated the evacuation plans. Special trains were arranged to transport women and children from the cities to the reception areas. On arrival, billeting officers allocated the evacuees to the accommodation that had been earmarked. In Clacton, trains containing an estimated 3000 people, arrived from North and East London.

 

Luggage Label of child evacuated to Clacton by train

The Latymer School.

During the summer of 1939, arrangements had been made for the staff and pupils of The Latymer School in Edmonton to be evacuated en masse when the official evacuation order was announced. Their destination was to be Clacton.

The school magazine of April 1940 gives a good account of the evacuation which began on 24 August when it was announced that the school should re-assemble after the summer holiday. The evacuation arrangements were rehearsed on 28 August, then on 1st September the school assembled at 8.45 am, and 50 staff with 457 pupils proceeded to Silver Street railway station where their train departed for Clacton at 11.30 am. On arrival at 2.15 pm. they were met by the Headmaster of Clacton Senior School, given some food and then allocated billets in the town. It seems that most of the billets were in the poorer parts of the town, in addition, the Hadleigh Hotel on the sea front was taken over for a short time and the Bedford Hotel accommodated senior boys.

Evacuees from Edmonton, North London at Holland-on-Sea

With the outbreak of war in September 1939, children with their mothers from Edmonton arrived at Holland-on-Sea, to be billeted with local families.

Mr G Kennell, offered this clubhouse situated in Preston Road for use as a social centre. Standing at the right hand side is a Women's Voluntary Service (WVS) lady, who helped to organise their welfare.

By May 1940, Clacton was no longer a safe area, indeed it was likely to be a prime location for a German invasion. Latymer School was ordered to re-evacuate, this time to Tonypandy in Wales, where a warm and friendly welcome awaited them.

Evacuees in Clacton.

After the initial influx of official and unofficial evacuees, Clacton continued to struggle with the problems that these unwelcome visitors posed. In October 1939, arrangements had to be made with the Colchester Corporation for the reception and treatment of evacuees arriving with infectious diseases.

Expenditure was authorised for a social centre for evacuated mothers and an empty house, Harland House in West Avenue, was requisitioned to accommodate ‘children of bad domestic habits'.

In March 1940, the Council received notification that it could be sent a further 1500 unaccompanied school children. The Council rejected this plan, stating that there would be no space in the summer months because of the holiday makers, there were no spare education facilities and all empty houses were occupied by troops. Nevertheless, in April the Ministry of Health ordered that plans be made immediately for further evacuees. The Clerk reported that 9000 notices had been sent to householders seeking billets but only 300 responses had been received.

However, by May 1940 the national security situation had changed dramatically and, although the Council had accepted that it might be able to help refugees from Holland and Belgium, it was decided that it was too dangerous to send evacuees to Clacton because of the increased enemy action. Indeed, because of the threat of invasion, Clacton was to be designated an ‘evacuation zone' and the town soon emptied, left to the large number of troops drafted in to defend the coast.