George - An Evacuee's Story
Advice to parents from the West Bromwich Education Committee
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4th September 1939
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Transcript of the Advice to Parents Document
West Bromwich Education Committee
Highfields, West Bromwich
September 4th, 1939
TO THE PARENTS OF CHILDREN IN THE EVACUABLE
AREA OF WEST BROMWICH
We wish to address the Parents and point out to them the serious responsibility they are taking if they do not accept the Government's offer and have their children evacuated to an area which is less likely to be bombed than West Bromwich. They may live to see their children maimed in body or mind for life.
We jointly urge you to accept the offer to send your children. People in the country districts to which the children will be sent have been exceedingly kind to offer billeting arrangements for them and have promised to look after them.
We wish to point out the following reasons: -
For the benefit of the Child
- Should a raid occur in West Bromwich the noise and fright will be so great that the child will remember it all its life, even if it lives through the raid. We cannot believe that the parents are prepared to keep their children in a more dangerous area and allow them to run greater risk of being maimed physically or mentally for life.<
- The children will be in good surroundings, will be well cared for, will be well fed and will continue their education. They will not be far away that you will be unable to get to see them occasionally and, of course, letters will be delivered to them whenever sent.
- Should a raid occur in West Bromwich so many people will be hurt that the Hospital and Ambulance Services will be so engaged that it will be impossible to give everybody the attention which they should receive and every child that remains in West Bromwich makes this difficulty greater.
- The Teachers will be with the children and will look after them.
From the Parents point of view
- They will be able to go on with their work and protect themselves without the feeling that they have to run about trying to find their children and protect them. As the schools in evacuated areas cannot be opened the children may have to go to a school some distance away or else be at large without proper education, in which case it will be impossible for the parents to keep control of the children and protect them should an air raid occur.
The parents will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have done everything a reasonable person can in order to protect and safeguard their child.
For the Town
The difficulty of running the Services will be greatly minimised as there will not be such a large call on the hospital and ambulance services and it will help not only the parents themselves but their neighbours and the town people to know that many of the children are away from the town in safer surroundings, and the services necessary during the war can be carried on more easily and more efficaciously.
For the children's sake particularly, we urge you most strongly to send your children and so help in this task which we have before us.
We are,
H. BELLINGHAM, The Mayor
C. SIDNEY BACHE, Chairman of the Education Committee
C. B. ADAMS, Chairman of the Elimentary Education Committee
L. G. ROSE, Director of Education and Evacuation Officer
If you have already signed, go back to school and alter it.
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