Evacuees Coin Pack

Product Description: The Evacuees coin pack contains an original George VI nickel brass threepence. The double-sided pack has a black and white photograph of children waiting to be evacuated on the front. On the reverse is information about the coin and the evacuation of women and children.

Information: George VI nickel brass threepence. Obverse bust of George VI. Reverse thrift.

During World War II three pence would buy one whole weeks ration of tea, 1lb or rice or two whole herrings.

After war was declared on Germany in 1939 it was envisaged that the prime target of Germany would be the city of London. The government devised a plan that all children, and all those women who were not on any form of service should be sent to safer areas of Britain. These places were away from strategic targets like cities, ports, airfields and industrial centres. Although many children had been evacuated in the early months of the war, the largest evacuation from London started on 1st September 1939. Included in the evacuees were: children up to the age of fifteen, mothers, expectant mothers, elderly and frail people and hospital patients.

All major railway stations were choked to capacity as trains altered timetables, plus additional trains had to be scheduled to move the vast number of evacuees out of London.

Front Image – Children wait to be evacuated.