Operation Pied Piper

[Riklaa]

Operation Pied Piper

First broadcast: Tuesday 01 September 2009, Radio 2
Repeated Sat 9 Nov 2013
Duration: 57 minutes

BBC Radio 2 looks back to the momentous operation that saw the mass evacuation of more than three million British children on the eve of the Second World War.

In the early hours of 1 September 1939, German troops crossed the border into Poland. At the same time in Britain, thousands of children, in cities all over the country crocodile-marched to the nearest railway station to board trains that would take them to the safety of the countryside. Two days later, war was declared. Operation Pied Piper was the secret code name given to the mass evacuation of over 3 million children.

With the use of archive and newly recorded actual testimonies from evacuees themselves, Radio 2 recreates this momentous operation with a docudrama which transports the listener back to the first few days of September 1939. Sounds of the cities preparing: buses, trams, steam trains, lines of school children singing The Lambeth Walk and Wish Me Luck, parents crying and waving good-bye. The noises of the countryside: farm animals, birds singing, different accents - all provide a kaleidoscope of sounds to accompany the personal stories.

The plans for the evacuation of thousands and thousands of youngsters from London, and other major cities, were a masterpiece of organization. And it had a profound effect on the children who were uprooted from their homes with their gas-masks, crocodile-marched to stations and dispatched to live with strangers in a 'foreign land'. There are many stories, both sad and happy from that historic event at the outbreak of the Second World War, and this programme touches on just a few of them.

Contributors include Terry Charman, Senior Historian Imperial War Museum; James Roffey Founder of the Evacuees Reunion Association; and the personal stories from evacuees from across the UK.

Producer: Sue Clark

160/44; 65 MB; sound quality excellent

Operation Pied Piper LINK

[Robert Johnson]

These posters are absolutely wonderful.

Thanks Rick.

Robert Johnson

[Riklaa]

I have been collecting them for years.   There are many more out there as I found out.  I went looking for my posters when I told Lesa I had them and would post them for her.  I then went to get them to post and couldn't find them and I had lost a 3 Tb drive recently.  I thought Oh No not my poster and picture collections, they were all in one place, so i went looking and found some on the net and right when i was going to start and download them one by one I thought.  To make a long story short I remembered that I had save a ton of jpg images on DVDs and looked and they were safe and sound.  In the process I found a site with a ton more and first chance I get I am going back and get more.  I will post them when I have a chance to go and see what they have.  I spotted some I didn't have and where there's a few likely there is more. 

When I saved them on disk I emptied the folders and put them all together.  The second set contains 3 distinct groups 1. Great Britain, 2. Australia and 3. United States.  The 3 sets I cannot find are my Russian, my Japanese and  my German Sets from WWII.  Those were much smaller but some of the graphics were excellent even though I couldn't read them.  I am still looking.  Those were found later and very well might have been on the drive that died.  So, anyways more to come if you want them.  -----------------------  R

[Riklaa]

Here is #3  it contains a few that were separate and I put in the folder along with the german and Japanese ones.  There are only a couple Russian because i got sick of downloading posters i couldn't read.  LOL

WWII Posters 3: German, Japanese, Russian and loose mixed all LINK

Enjoy!  -----------  R

[Bill Hollweg]

Rick- THANK YOU!!!

[Bill Hollweg]

These are fantastic Rick!!

Thank you again for all the fantastic shares over the years! Hope all is groovy in your realms my friend!

[Lesa Williams]

Oooooh !  This looks so interesting.  What a great selection of posters too !  Thanks..

[Riklaa]

Lesa, Let me know if you would like my collection of WWII Posters.  If you do i will zip it up for you.  ----------  R

[Lesa Williams]

Would I ever !!!!  That would be such a treat...Thank you, sir !

[Riklaa]

Lesa, You have a PM from me.  ------------------------------------------------  R

[Robert Flood]

Thanks so much Rick for all the offerings.

Bob