It is eighty years since the evacuation of people from British cities began. Starting on 1st September, the Government took the step of issuing Evacuation Notices even before WWII was officially declared on 3rd September.

Operation Pied Piper was the name given to the mass evacuation, and Radstock Museum will be marking the 80th anniversary with a week of features. Many evacuees to the West Country regularly returned after 1945, and some made Somerset their new home. The museum’s tribute to all evacuees pays respect to the upheaval and extraordinary times of 1939–1945, as well as recognising that for some children and their parents, evacuation was not always a positive experience. Join the museum with family and friends to mark this event that affected 1.5 million people during the war years.

On Tuesday, watch a slideshow describing hour by hour events of eighty years ago, leading to the outbreak of war, and listen to events unfolding in Berlin with extracts from ‘Berlin at War’ by Roger Moorhouse, who is kindly supporting the event.

On Wednesday, there is a 3 p.m. talk from Ted Marsh, a former Evacuee, who made Somerset his home and went on to be an industrial rights campaigner, holder of the British Empire Medal, author and speaker.

Thursday’s features are letters from local evacuees, by kind permission of the South West Heritage Centre, audio extracts from Roger Moorhouse’s book, First To Fight on the experience of Poland in September 1939 (which is published on Thursday, 5th September, and finally a special coffee morning for all former local evacuees from 11 a.m. – 12noon. Please email to reserve your place, so we can ensure space and your own requirements are met.

On Friday, all visitors will receive an ID card, luggage tag and billeting address with their entry ticket and on Saturday, from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., another local evacuee, Audrey Gane, will be reading her memoirs about her life during the war years in Paulton and Timsbury. There are also a range of self-led activities for children, including handling replica Home Front documents, creating radio broadcasts, storyboards and colouring sheets.

Evacuee Week takes place alongside the Double Hills Glider Tragedy & Arnhem 75th Anniversary Exhibition, which runs until 30th November.

Lisa Pool