Schoolchildren experience WWII evacuee life at South Devon Railway

Local schoolchildren were transported back in time on June 6 as they experienced life as evacuees during the 1940s. 

The South Devon Railway's 11.20am steam train from Totnes took the young 'evacuees' to the countryside at Buckfastleigh, offering them a unique and immersive historical experience.

As the train departed Totnes, members of the local Women’s Institute waved farewell to the children, evoking scenes from wartime farewells. 

Upon arrival in Buckfastleigh, the children explored a 1940s military ambulance and climbed into the Station Master’s air raid shelter, adding to the authenticity of their experience.

ABOVE: Local schoolchildren with a 1940s military ambulance at South Devon Railway

South Devon played a significant role in the preparations for D-Day. 

Buckfastleigh and Totnes hosted American camps where GIs stayed for exercises on the South Devon coast and across Dartmoor. 

Many of these soldiers formed friendships with locals and shared their ration packs with children from the surrounding towns and villages.

The event was organised by South Hams District Councillor Anna Presswell, who has an ex-military background and a personal connection to the town’s D-Day commemorations. She said: “The child evacuee experience was arranged as part of events in Totnes to commemorate 80 years since D-Day.

“This was an emotional and memorable trip, which also involved the Women’s Institute who, in the 1940s, helped in the dispersal of these evacuee children out of the bombed cities and welcomed them to their new countryside home.

Councillor Presswell highlighted the emotional impact of the experience, noting: “The children would not have met the host families before going to live with them and would not have seen their own families for several years or more. For some, it was a very traumatic experience.”

The multi-award-winning South Devon Railway, celebrated as one of Devon's and the West Country's most beloved tourist attractions, played a central role in this commemorative event. 

The railway, which has been in preservation for over 50 years, is the longest established steam railway in the South West. 

It runs a seven-mile former Great Western Railway branch line, built in 1872, along the picturesque valley of the River Dart between Buckfastleigh and Totnes.