#242 | Operation Pied Piper: The Evacuation of British Cities in World War II

 

In September 1939, the British government embarked on the biggest civilian operation in British history when it moved over a million children out of British cities to live with strangers in the countryside.

In this episode, we'll learn about this amazing mission and the mark it left on the country.

• September 1st, 1939 - the start of Operation Pied Piper
• Why children were sent away before the first bomb had even fallen
• Which cities were affected by evacuation?
• Dividing the country into three separate zones for evacuation
• Why it was called Operation Pied Piper
• Who was actually evacuated?
• Sending gold to Canada and paintings to Wales
• How the children were chosen to stay with host families
• How urban children reacted to countryside life
• Why the children returned after a few months of "the phoney war"
• Government propaganda: "Don't Do It, Mother. Leave the Children Where They Are"
• The Blitz starts and the children return to the countryside
• The mixed reaction of the evacuated children
• Psychological effects on evacuated children
• The mark Operation Pied Piper left on the country

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/operation-pied-piper

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