Exodus

The evacuation of children during the World War II.

The opening intertitles role over shots of crocodiles of children marching towards the camera, giving an impression of a large number of young people on the move. There is a still of a country house and then a static shot of Horham Hall. Small children and adult helpers play in the ground, including a game of ring-o-ring-o-roses played around a rose bed. The film shows a number of stately homes that were loaned to Barnardo's during the war. These included Euston Hall, seat of the Duke of Grafton, Birch Hall, Wretham Hall, Langford Hall, Pampisford Hall, Fornham House and Great Saxham Hall. The film follows a general pattern of showing a static shot of the building and then shots of the Barnardo's children and staff in the grounds. At Euston Hall the boys play in a playground that includes a model train on rails. They go for a walk with their gas masks and help to prepare gorse-land for ploughing. They are filmed attending Chapel. In all shots the Barnardo's children walk in an orderly line and they carry gas masks. At Wretham Hall the boys join the grow more food campaign and are filmed in the fields pulling crops and helping to build a straw stack. At Langford Hall, where babies and older girls are staying, their is a gas mask drill for the older girls and the nurses. At Farnham House the boys try on gum boots, given to them, and then walk in them. They are served food and eat on a trestle table out of doors. One boy is given a hair cut. At Pampisford Hall and Great Saxham Hall boys are filmed playing cricket.

Featured Buildings

Birch Hall, Colchester; Horham Hall, Horham, Suffolk; Euston Hall, Euston, Norfolk; Langford Hall; Farnham House; Pampisford Hall, Pampisford, Cambridgeshire; Great Saxham Hall, Great Saxham, Suffolk; Wretham Hall, Wretham, Norfolk

Keywords

Evacuation; Child residential care; Children; Dr. Barnardo's

Intertitles

The first wartime duty of Dr. Barnardo's Homes was to see that not a child in their care remained in an area vulnerable to air attack. When the call for action came 2,500 children had to be moved, including the entire child population of the Girl's Village Home, the Boy's Garden City, and many of the smaller Branch Homes and Ever Open Doors. Thus, the young pilgrims in this great Barnardo exodus included babies in arms, toddlers, invalids, cripples, school children, and young trainees. Within 2 days of the evacuation order being issued, everyone had been safely and expeditiously transferred to a new home.Private homes, country mansions, even a ducal residence, offered hospitality to these Barnardo evacuees.Horham Hall. A fine old building dating back to the 12th century, is now the wartime home of 30 Barnardo children. Queen Elizabeth held court here in 1571 and 1578. Euston Hall. The seat of the Duke of Grafton, makes an ideal evacuation centre for 120 Barnardo boys who find in its spacious grounds ample room for their youthful energy. The morning constitutional! (not forgetting their gas masks.) Who said dinner? Some of the stronger lads help to clear gorse-land in readiness for the plough. Evacuees attend Divine Service in the private Chapel on the Estate. Birch Hall. Twenty toddlers find a quiet retreat near Colchester. Wretham Hall. Here a party of 65 boys are safely sheltered in the heart of the country. Doing their bit! Barnardo lads lend a hand in the grow more food campaign. Langford Grove. Babies and older girls to the number of 120 found sanctuary at Langford Grove. War seems far removed from these peaceful surroundings, but just in case -- Pampisford Hall. Good quarters were found for another 100 lads at Pampisford Hall. Farnham House. In another country district 20 Barnardo's boys had reason to thank their hostess for the gift of a pair of gum boots apiece! Let's try them! This speaks for itself. All in the day's work. Great Saxham Hall. This is the house of a former Middlesex cricketer who has opened his doors to 30 Garden City Boys and loaned them his private cricket pitch. Could sportsmanship go farther? War is adding greatly to the difficulties of DR BARNARDO'S HOMES. Will you see what you can do to help the World's Biggest Family in these anxious times? Exodus. The hope of the future lies in the coming generation.

Other Places

Colchester, Essex; Horham, Suffolk; Euston, Norfolk; Pampisford, Cambridgeshire; Great Saxham, Suffolk; Wretham, Norfolk

Background Information

Wretham in Norfolk was taken into the Stanford Battle Area in 1942. (See Stanford, Norfolk, 1960, Battleground Interview.)