Evacuees

During the Second World War (1939-45) about 200 children with teachers and in some cases mothers, were evacuated from their home towns and billeted here with Gotham families. The movement of children to rural areas was undertaken primary as protection from potentially harmful enemy bombing at main centres of population and production. This procedure didn’t protect one young unfortunate who was involved in a road traffic accident in Gotham, happily all the others staying in Gotham survived the experience of life within a rural community.

The numbers involved, when evacuated and from where:

• 80 evacuees on 1st September 1939 from Sheffield (Darnall C of E School)
• 34 evacuees on 5th September 1939 from Nottingham (Manvers, Blue Bell Hill, Trent Bridge and Carlton Road schools)
• 12 evacuees in October 1940 from South London schools
• 58 evacuees in October 1940 from Birmingham (Sladefield Road Infants School and Thornton Road Junior School)
• 44 evacuees in July 1944 from South London schools

The History Society keeps records of the evacuees’ names, their home town addresses as well as their billeted addresses in Gotham

Any ex-evacuees, or their relatives who have stories of experiences of the time in Gotham, do please forward your details to us, or if you require information of other evacuees or any of billeting Gotham families or other involved persons, again please contact the History Society using our contact form.  We would be pleased to supply any appropriate information in our possession.

Above is a photograph of the Birmingham evacuees at Gotham School in 1941