Portsmouth children in World War II

Portsmouth suffered very heavy bombardment at the beginning of World War II. The local children spent much of their free time playing on bombsites and many built collections of shrapnel, parachute cord and other debris. Some learnt to swim in bomb craters left in the harbour.

There was a mandatory evacuation of children. They were sent generally to the country side, although some inexplicably went to nearby towns such as Winchester and Bournemouth. They were billeted with strangers. As could be expected, for some it was a wonderful experience, for others completely miserable. The education they received was hit and miss with often small country schools having to accommodate double the number of pupils they were used to.

The vacated buildings in Portsmouth were taken over for the war effort. There was considerable controversy in the City when these buildings weren’t given back immediately. Following agitation by parents, the children were allowed to come home officially in 1946, although many had made their way back before then.