SINGING: Run rabbit, run rabbit, Run! Run! Run!
We're going to Ongar for our World War 2 trip.
We are going to experience how children in the 1930s were
evacuated because of the bombs.
Children were evacuated so that they could be safe in the countryside.
My name is Helen Spencer and I'm the Local Heritage Education Manager
for Barking & Dagenham.
We're working in the local community and local schools to try and
enable children to get a better understanding of their local heritage.
This is the children's identity tag...
...this is a children's identity card...
... and this is the ration book for all the children.
One of the main aims of the project is to get schools to see literally
what is outside their school gate and understand that there is a rich
history right on their doorstep.
When it said unexploded bombs I was really scared like as if it
was really real. But it wasn’t, so I was relieved.
RATTLE NOISE
The rattle was used to warn of a possible gas attack.
We've had people from local historical societies and friends of the local museum
who have volunteered their time to come and talk to children
about their experiences of the Second World War in Barking & Dagenham.
Some of them are actually former evacuees, so they were able to talk to the
children about what it was really like at the time.
Thank you for your information.
The most important thing they should learn is what that generation,
the children and everything went through to enable them to
live the lives they do now.
I saw a man, he said that when people were meant to be evacuated
he had to stay because his parents did not want him to go.
He slept under the stairs and in the basement.
I think he was really brave and I wouldn't have been able to
not be scared. I would want to go.
In the Second World War you had Hitler.
He wanted to take over the whole of Europe and he attacked Belgium,
France, he went to the Netherlands. He also attached Russia which was
a bad move and he ran out of steam.
This is a game called Evacuation. The back of the card has
evacuation area and then if you turn it up the other way,
it says reception area, which is clearly the country.
It was designed to get, young people in particular, but also families,
used to the idea of being somewhere else.
It's a long, complicated game, but the important thing is you have
extra gas masks, the air raid alarm card, which allows you to do anything,
to break the rules or whatever. It's a gin rummy sort of game.
Very useful.
The children have been enjoying themselves immensely today.
They've got so much out of it. They were involved in part of the
planning - what to wear, songs and things that they took away with them.
The experience of today is that the children have not experienced
anything like this before. They have never been on a steam train,
they've never been on a bus, a lot of them have never seen
the countryside...it's been absolutely amazing for all of them
and us adults. It's been good.
SIGNING - Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
SIGNING - Cheerio, here I go, on my way
SIGNING - Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
SIGNING - Not a tear, but a cheer, make it gay
SIGNING - Give me a smile I can keep all the while
SIGNING - In my heart while I'm away
SIGNING - Till we meet once again, you and I
SIGNING - Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye