Oceans Apart

From May 1940 many British parents moved their children to safety abroad to Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand. Over 200,000 applications had been made by the time the scheme closed just four months later, and these 'Seavacs' as they became known had a variety of experiences. After weeks at sea and then a new life thousands of miles away, letters home took up to 12 weeks to reach their destinations and many of these children were totally cut off from their families in the UK. This book reveals in heartbreaking detail the unique experiences of Seavascs, and their surprising influence on international wartime policy, used as they were as an attempt to elicit international sympathy and financial support for the war effort.

Auteur

Penny Starns has a PhD in the history of medicine from the University of Bristol and is an established historian and writer who has written about many of the female heroines of the twentieth century. She is the author of Odette: World War Two's Darling Spy (2009), Surviving Tenko: The True Story of Margot Turner (2010) and Blitz Families: The Children who Stayed Behind (2012), all published by The History Press.

Résumé
From May 1940, the Children's Overseas Reception Board began to move children to Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand for their own safety during the Second World War. The scheme was extremely popular, and over 200,000 applications were made within just four months, while thousands of children were also sent to be privately evacuated overseas. The 'sea-vacs', as they became known, had a variety of experiences. After weeks at sea, they began new lives thousands of miles away. Letters home took up to twelve weeks to reach their destination, and many children were totally cut off from their families in the UK. While most were well cared for, others found their time abroad a miserable, difficult or frightening experience as they encountered homesickness, prejudice and even abuse. Using a range of primary source material, including diaries, letters and interviews, Penny Starns reveals in heart-breaking detail the unique and personal experiences of sea-vacs, as well as their surprising influence on international wartime policy in their power to elicit international sympathy and financial support for the British war effort.