No Time to Wave Goodbye: True Stories of Britain's 3,500,000 Evacuees - Softcover

Ben Wicks

Softcover

ISBN 10: 074750377X ISBN 13: 9780747503774

Publisher: Bloomsbury, 1989

Synopsis

A personal record of the experiences of children who were evacuated in World War II, recalled here in their own words. The book includes snapshots of the children then and now and letters written to their parents in the cities. The introduction is by one-time evacuee Michael Caine.

About this title

About the Author

Ben Wicks was born in London's East End in 1926. One of Canada's most celebrated cartoonists, and journalists, he was awarded the Order of Canada in 1986. Committed to helping those in need, Ben believed that every child deserved the right to learn to read and write. In 1995, Ben created the Born to Read series. A collection of six practical literacy guides for families and educators. In 1999 he and his wife, Doreen, established the I.Can Foundation which is dedicated to providing poor children around the world with materials and services to enable them to become literate. Ben Wicks passed away in September 2000.

From School Library Journal

YA-- As early as 1924, a government committee decided that if England were ever at war again, the children would be evacuated from London to small villages in the countryside. This is the story of those evacuated children, often told in their words. In one four-day period alone, over 16,000 children were removed from London; ultimately a quarter of London's population was removed. There are repeated reminiscences of heartbroken parents seeing their children off on trains and having no idea of their destinations. In many instances the children arrived in villages unprepared for lodging them. Many times they endured humiliation and cruelty--sometimes even sexual abuse. But for many others it was an opportunity to escape London's poverty and experience indoor plumbing, use knives and forks, ride in a car or train, and see animals. Actor Michael Caine shares his own experiences as an evacuee in the foreword. Wicks provides his own special insight since he, too, was one of these children. He makes it clear that evacuated children are still trying to cope with the impact of this episode on their lives. --Barbara Weathers, Duchesne Academy, Houston
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Publication date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 074750377X
• ISBN 13: 9780747503774
• Binding: Paperback