The Second World War started in September 1939 and to start with nothing much seemed to be happening. It was not until after April 1940 with the invasion of France, the evacuation of Dunkirk and the start of the Blitz that the war really came home to the people of London. The British referred to this period of relative quiet as the 'Bore War' or the 'funny war' and later they used an American term - the 'Phoney War'.

Londoners were now used to the blackout but there had been few air raids to justify its gloom. Many homesick evacuees began to return home despite much government propaganda directed at mothers that warned against it. Some propaganda tried to persuade mothers that they would be doing Hitler a favour if they brought their children back to the danger zones. The government introduced special railways fares for mothers so they could visit their evacuated children in the country. These were called "Visit to Evacuees" Cheap Day Returns.

The movement home, away from the safety of the countryside back to the familiar streets of the city, is sometimes known as the 'drift back'. By January 1940, 3 out of 4 evacuees had returned home. This move back to London was soon reversed when the Germans invaded France. The summer of 1940 saw a second wave of evacuation just before the start of the Blitz.

The resources on this page look at some of the ways that the government used to persuade London parents to send their children out of the city. This includes posters, photographs for newspaper stories and a photo-journal of a day in the life of one mother, Mrs Carter, and her visit to her evacuated children. All the sources were produced by the Ministry of Information.