Hello, The idea of the evacuations was to protect the future generations. It was not compulsory. My mother & I were evacuated to Staplehurst in Kent in 1940. We were moved again when a few doodlebugs came down around the house. The last one took of part of the roof, blew in all the front windows and the front door. Finally getting back to London in early 1946. However a woman with her children who were placed in the same house as us returned to London after about a year. bye DaveH