A Long Way From Home: Evacuee Memories 80 Years On by Sandra Delf and Clive Capps (Paperback)

Eighty years on, a new book tells the fascinating stories of forty children evacuated during World War Two

Eighty years ago, some 3000 children and their teachers from Lowestoft and the surrounding area were evacuated away from the threat of bombing and invasion, leaving on special trains with no idea of their destination or what would happen on their arrival. ‘A Long Way From Home’, written by former Evacuee Clive Capps and Author Sandra Delf contains the personal accounts of forty children, now aged in their 80s and 90s, providing an insight into what it was like to be a child evacuee enduring the trauma and, in some cases, the excitement of being displaced from home for an unknown period of time.

  Co- Author Clive Capps was just 5 years old when he was evacuated along with his older brother, Carl. Clive found safety with a family that lived in an old farmhouse and despite being separated from his sibling, soon settled in with the Boffey family, making a new pal with their 7year old son. Clive said; “We compiled the stories featured in ‘A Long Way from Home’ as we wanted to capture these important memories and preserve them for future generations. The mass evacuation of children is such an important part of the history of this country and the stories featured recognise many unsung heroes of World War 2.”

The book is also available to buy in person from Lowestoft Railway Station.