Evacuees Even before the Second World War broke out in 1939, British children were being moved out of cities because of the risk of air raids. These children were known as evacuees and came to live in the countryside with complete strangers. Many homes took in a city child, sometimes two or three, who had arrived with just a name tag, a small bundle of belongings and a gas mask. Some evacuees saw cows and hens for the first time in the Peak and one group was amazed to see that fruit grew on trees. One evacuee was only five when she arrived in Winster. She stood with the other children waiting to see who they were going to live with. This little girl ran up to a woman and threw her arms round her, saying, “Please can I be your little girl?” But the woman was expecting a baby and couldn’t take her, so the girl ran to another woman and tried again, and this was the start of a long and happy stay. Read More >> More Pictures Wartime