World War II Unaccompanied Child Evacuees
In 1940, with the threat of a Nazi invasion looming, certain more affluent parents in Britain decided to evacuate their children to Canada. A database in our Name Index lists the names of 1,834 of these children and where they were accommodated.
Some children were sent to relatives; others arrived in organized parties from companies and schools. Unlike the boys and girls of the earlier home children program, evacuee children were deemed “guests” rather than “immigrants.” The intention was that they would return to Britain when the danger had passed. Most did, but many eventually decided to make Canada their home—including Nobel Prize winner John Polanyi.
This database is a transcription derived from a 20-page document held at Library and Archives Canada (Reference RG7 G26, file 2085-C-2 sub.1). It includes each unaccompanied child’s first and last name, host organization and province where hosted. The document is included at the end of a PDF file released by LAC in May 2019, which can be viewed and searched here. Be aware that some names may not be found: a) due to quality of the scan of the original document and b) since ditto (" ") marks are frequently.
The source document was originally compiled in 1943 by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. It contains responses to a letter from the secretary, who in turn was acting pursuant to a request from Queen Elizabeth, spouse of King George VI. She wished to send a thank you letter to those who had hosted evacuee children.
A separate governmental evacuation program was started under the direction of the Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB). Canada received 1,532 of these children. Their story is told inThe Absurd and the Brave: C.O.R.B. - The True Account of the British Government's World War II Evacuation of Children Overseas, by Michael Fethney, which includes a list of those evacuees.
Other recommended references:
- Claire Halstead, "From Lion to Leaf: The Evacuation of British Children toCanada During the Second World War" (dissertation, 2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 3329
- Amy Schaffman, "Keep Calm and Carry On?: Examining WWII Great Britain through the Lens of Overseas Evacuation" (thesis, 2014).Undergraduate Honors Theses, Paper 4.