Escaping the Blitz: A WW2 Evacuee Remembers

<p>Today's guest Kitty Baxter was aged just nine when World War II broke out in 1939. One of five children born to a road sweeper and a cleaner, Kitty joined thousands of children being evacuated to the countryside as German bombing raids loomed.</p><br><p>This would be the first of three times that she was rehoused far from home over the course of the war. Sometimes treated more like a servant than a small child, Kitty endured gruelling years cut off from her parents rather than a safe haven from war. </p><br><p>In this episode she regales James with her experiences living with strangers' families in environments radically different to working-class London, and how she navigated joyful moments as well as times of struggle & loss. One of the last generation of women from this era, Kitty's voice remains as whip-smart as her irrepressible nine-year-old self who triumphed over the adversity of a most unusual childhood.</p><br><p><a href="https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/biography/ill-take-that-one-an-evacuees,kitty-baxter-9780749028398" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kitty's new book <em>I'll Take That One: An Evacuee's Childhood</em> is available here.</a></p><br><p>Edited and sound designed by Aidan Lonergan.</p><br><p>For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.historyhit.com/sign-up-to-history-hit/?utm_source=timelinenewsletter&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Timeline+Podcast+Campaign" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a> If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at&nbsp;<a href="https://access.historyhit.com/?utm_source=audio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast+Campaign&utm_id=Podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">History Hit</a>&nbsp;- subscribe today! To download, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.historyhit&hl=en_GB&gl=US" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Android</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/history-hit/id1303668247" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple</a>&nbsp;store.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>