I am reading "The Secret life of Dorothy Soames." It's a memoir written by the daughter of Dorothy. Dorothy was raised in a Foundling Hospital near London during WW11. The author mentions Operation Pied Piper, which I had never heard of, and of course had to go look it up. Here's what I found.
After WW1, when British cities were bombed by zeppelins throughout the 1914-1918 conflict, resulting in the death of 1,239 civilians, half of whom were children, there was heightened interest in how to defend the "home front." A committee on civil-defense, led by Sir John Anderson (whose name was later associated with air-raid shelters), was formed. Their task was to consider practical responses that could preserved human life during air attacks. As the threat of war in Europe loomed by the late 1930's, the Anderson Committed published a report on evacuation, which prioritized schoolchildren and mothers with infants. The plan was to evacuate these people to private homes in safer, reception areas of the country.
On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany. Two days earlier, on September 1, the government had initiated Operation Pied Piper, which would see the evacuation of over 1.5 million people from urban target areas, of whom 800,000 were children. They were loaded on trains and relocated to rural homes for safety. For many, living in a rural setting was an unparalleled adventure, which was enjoyed and remembered fondly. They made connections with people that lasted a lifetime. Others suffered at the hands of cruel or indifferent hosts. Many children did not remain long in reception (rural) areas. By January, 1940, around 900,000 evacuees had returned to target areas and back to their families, although the government wanted to leave them in the countryside for a bit longer. Who knows how many lives Operation Pied Piper saved?
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