Pupils at an Aberdeen independent school were yesterday plunged into the experience of a WWII child being evacuated to the countryside – with their gas masks in their arms.
Children at Albyn School boarded the 9.58am train to Inverurie as they sought out safety with their host families.
Dressed in 1940s-style clothes complete with suitcase, identity labels and gas masks, the children embraced the lives of their forefathers for the war project.
On arriving at Inverurie, they were met by a billeting officer who took them to meet their families, played by the pupils of Strathburn Primary.
As part of their research on World War II, the pupils from both schools spent the day doing a series of activities related to the home front.
These included playing games of the day such as marbles and cards, visiting the war memorial, singing war songs to boost morale and listening to Chamberlain’s Declaration of War on the ‘wireless’.
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In the afternoon, the star activity was getting “those townies how to do the Gay Gordons.”
“This experience is priceless for the children as it’s given them a taste of what it would have been like to be a child 75 years ago. It was great to see that the pupils all made such an effort to step into the shoes of a WWII evacuee with their authentic looking costumes and props.”
Dr Ian Long, Headmaster at Albyn School, said: “This experience is priceless for the children as it’s given them a taste of what it would have been like to be a child 75 years ago. It was great to see that the pupils all made such an effort to step into the shoes of a WWII evacuee with their authentic looking costumes and props.”