v Primary Sources v

On the outbreak of the Second World War launched plans for the evacuation of all children from Britain's large cities. Sir John Anderson, who was placed in charge of the scheme, decided to divide the country into three areas: evacuation (people living in urban districts where heavy bombing raids could be expected); neutral (areas that would neither send nor take evacuees) and reception (rural areas where evacuees would be sent).

As all the children and their teachers living in urban districts were expected to move to the rural areas, most schools in the towns were closed down. Of these, around two-thirds were requisitioned by the government and were handed over to the Civil Defence Services.

However, only around 50 per cent of the children living in the towns became evacuees. This meant that around a million children were now without schools. There were soon reports of increased acts of hooliganism. Public air raid shelters were often the target of their attacks and in many areas the authorities were forced to keep them locked.

Some people became concerned about the young people in public shelters during air raids. Watkin Boyce, a probation officer for Southwark Juvenile Court, claimed that is some shelters in London: "There are few boys and girls of 17 and 18 living huddled together in public shelters for whose chastity I would care to vouch. I have seen youngsters in their teens, of mixed sexes, making up their beds together on the floors of public shelters, even under their parents' eyes."

Teenage blackout gangs became a common problem during the early stages of the war. In once incident, seventeen-year-old James Harvey, was beaten to death by a rival gang near the Elephant and Castle underground station. There was a public outcry when the court accepted the defendants claim that they had not intended to murder Harvey. Convicted of manslaughter, the three convicted gang members were only sentenced to three years, eighteen months and twelve months respectively.

Young people were blamed for the high rate of crimes in crowded tube shelters. As soon as the chosen victim had gone to sleep the thief would quietly carry off their bags. Teenage pickpockets were also kept busy in public air raid shelters. Others concentrated on burgling the houses of those who had gone to public shelters. One fifteen-year-old was told by a magistrate that it was "a crime almost as serious, if not as serious, as looting."

By February 1941 the government announced that all the country's remand homes were full. Soon afterwards two boys of 14 and 15 escaped from Wallington remand home and then broke into the Home Guard store at Upper Norwood. Luckily they were arrested before they could do too much damage with their tommy-gun and 400 rounds of ammunition.

There was much discussion about the growth in criminal behaviour in young people during the Second World War. The headmaster of Ashurst Wood Council School claimed: "There were many explanations for the growth of juvenile delinquency such as poverty, bad housing, absence of facilities for recreation, insufficient clubs, greater temptations which beset the modern child, decay in the standards of conduct and of parental control, a weakening of religious influence, a lack of opportunity for amusement, new housing estates and the cinema... The desire for adventure and war stories of deeds at sea, the field, and in the air, led to stealing and destructive behaviour. Gangster films and the 'tough' gangster idea also had their influence... A lack of discipline applied to boys owing to the father's absence in the forces was another factor."

Raids on Home Guard armaments stores became a common problem during the war. In February 1943 seven teenage boys stole 2,000 rounds of sten-gun ammunition. The following month three seventeen-year-olds held up the cashier at the Ambassador cinema in Hayes with three loaded sten-guns that had been stolen from the local Home Guard store. After they were arrested they admitted that they had taken part in 43 other raids in London.

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(1) Watkin Boyce, Hammersmith Magistrates Court (7th November. 1940)

There are few boys and girls of 17 and 18 living huddled together in public shelters for whose chastity I would care to vouch. I have seen youngsters in their teens, of mixed sexes, making up their beds together on the floors of public shelters, even under their parents' eyes.

(2) Colonel Henriques, sentencing a fifteen-year-old boy at Clerkenwell Magistrates Court for burgling the house of a family who had gone to a public shelter during an air raid (24th October, 1940)

A crime almost as serious, if not as serious, as looting is going round to houses of evacuated people or people who are taking shelter and stealing. It is becoming more and more common. It is just playing dirty in wartime.

(3) Sussex and Surrey Courier (6th January, 1945)

There was a record attendance at a meeting of the East Grinstead Literary and Scientific Institute on the 2nd January. Mr. Wray, headmaster of Ashurst Wood Council School, gave a talk on juvenile delinquency.

Mr. Wray expressed the opinion that the war had resulted in an increase of juvenile delinquency throughout Sussex. Mr. Wray told the meeting that: "Records show a big increase in the number of children prosecuted and a surprising increase in the number of young people who went unpunished. People in East Grinstead know the amount of undetected crime by vandals and juvenile delinquents. Housebreaking, shopbreaking and all forms of stealing showed a disturbing increase."

"There were many explanations for the growth of juvenile delinquency such as poverty, bad housing, absence of facilities for recreation, insufficient clubs, greater temptations which beset the modern child, decay in the standards of conduct and of parental control, a weakening of religious influence, a lack of opportunity for amusement, new housing estates and the cinema."

"Many cases brought before the Juvenile Courts arrive from broken homes. A lack of discipline in such homes was responsible for many of these crimes. The desire for adventure and war stories of deeds at sea, the field, and in the air, led to stealing and destructive behaviour. Gangster films and the 'tough' gangster idea also had their influence."

"The effect of the decline of religious training is another concern. Sunday School attendance has declined in the last twenty years and this was a factor in the growth of juvenile delinquency." Mr. Wray, who favoured birching, said: "A lack of discipline applied to boys owing to the father's absence in the forces was another factor." Miss Monica Perkins, a probation officer, said that juvenile delinquency had increased since the start of the war and from her experience there were three causes - evacuation, insecurity and broken homes. Miss Perkins said that she believed mentally deficient people should be prevented from having children. Mr. G. Moon claimed that children were petted and spoilt beyond all reason by their parents. As a result, the children grow up to expect everything they wanted. That was not real love for a child.