A group of child evacuees outside holiday huts at Carbeth, Stirlingshire, in 1941. Originally built to give children from industrial Clydeside a taste of the country, the huts to the north-west of Glasgow were taken over to provide permanent accommodation for evacuees when the Second World War broke out in 1939.
A typical hut contained four bunk beds, but could hold many more at busy times such as spring 1941, when there were particularly heavy bombing raids on Clydeside. Vegetables were grown at the rear of the huts, to help with food supplies. Children of primary school age attended Craigton School, about 3 miles away; they travelled by bus in the morning but had to walk back. Older pupils attended Balfron High School.
Pre-war fears of the damaging effects of bombing led to plans being drawn up to evacuate 190,000 people, mainly children, from Glasgow to less vulnerable rural areas all over Scotland. Many spent their formative years in totally unfamiliar surroundings, in various types of accommodation. Reactions to their experience varied, with some retaining happy memories while others were glad to return to the city.
Reference: Children's box 5/3
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow Caledonian University, Research Collections, Kevin Morrison Collection
Keywords:
air raids, Balfron High School, bombing, children, Craigton School, evacuation, evacuees, holiday huts, refugees, Second World War
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