Luckwell Primary School students in Bedminster had the surprise of their lives during what they thought would be a typical evacuee World War II dress up day, when they were frogmarched to Parson Street station to become real evacuees and board a train, whilst being waved goodbye by their parents and carers!
Re-enacting the popular and moving event that Luckwell students experienced eight years ago as part of their History learning, these Year 5 and 6 students were sent to the countryside to be given a flavour of what hundreds of thousands of children underwent in the 1940s. Their unusual day involved meeting with Worle Village Primary School and taking part in aerial archaeology mapping, a walk through Worle to see how the location was affected during the Blitz and a pigeon workshop.
Luckwell’s parents and carers worked together to keep this a beautifully kept secret from their children and, as with the similar event from 2016, proved a hugely memorable and well attended occasion.
Lilly Byers, Principal of Luckwell Primary School, said, “We were really excited to give our children the opportunity to become real evacuees for the day. What better way to learn about history than to actually put children in the shoes of those up and down the country who, under such sad and turbulent times, were sent away from home for their own safety.
“Even more poignant is that this replicated the send off that Luckwell Primary School students in the 40s themselves had. I would like to say a big thank you to Miss Brown whose vision and energy enabled this special day to happen.”
Some of the parents and carers waving their child off on the platform also had children at Luckwell Primary School during the 2016 event, making this an even more nostalgic occasion.