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The National Archives, Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street

Dr Grace Huxford

Dr Grace Huxford is a social and oral historian of modern Britain, with particular interests in the Cold War (1945-1991), the aftermath of the Second World War, the Korean War (1950-1953) and the social history of warfare. She is also interested in the histories of people touched indirectly by war, such as military families, and the long-term impact of conflict on memory, gender and selfhood.

Child Evacuees in the Second World War: Operation Pied Piper at 80

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Second World War, Social history
A nurse with child evacuees from Plymouth in the garden of the Chaim Weizmann Home at Tapley Park, Instow, North Devon, October 1942 Five children are shown sitting on top of a wall (two girls, three boys), and a girl in the centre is giving a posy of flowers to a nurse who is wearing a uniform.

On 1 September 1939, with war imminent, the government had initiated Operation Pied Piper, which would see the evacuation of over 1.5 million people from urban 'target' areas, of whom 800,000 were children. What were the consequences of this massive scheme, both short-term and long-term?

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History of government

This blog gives insights into the history of government – its development, its departments and some of the roles and people involved. Find out more.

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