Evacuation

Resources

Children lived as normal a life as possible during the war but the fear of bomb and gas attack was always present. Gas masks were even carried to school although they were never needed. The plan to move children away from towns and cities to safer places was known as evacuation.

The complacency felt by many that Northern Ireland was safe from German air attacks was shattered by the air raids on Belfast in April and May 1941. Over 900 people were killed in these attacks and more than half of the housing stock was destroyed.

220,000 people (mainly women and children) were evacuated from Belfast and many came to County Fermanagh. They arrived at Enniskillen train station and were given shelter in private homes and vacant houses throughout the county such as Enniskillen and Florencecourt. Other were housed in Enniskillen Workhouse.

Please email us your stories to: castle@fermanagh.gov.uk

Print This Page

Sound File

Title:	Evacuees in Fermanagh

Speaker:	Emily Cathcart

Sound:	99-012-80.mp3
Description:	Emily Cathcart: Then we had to deal with the evacuees. WVS were called in to deal with them. And there was one house down. Interviewer: What was called in to deal with them? Emily Cathcart: WVS. Interviewer: WVS - the Women’s Volunteer. Emily Cathcart: Women’s Voluntary Society. And I was made organiser of that, the WVS. And it became a great call, and, of course, I should remember the date, but it was early in the war, and a whole crowd of them were brought to Enniskillen, women and children, and there was a house down there and it was empty at the time, and they were landed in there. And we were called in to provide them with pots and pans and blankets and all kinds of things. An awful time. Interviewer: Well, were they, did they come to Enniskillen, and they were divided out in various areas? Emily Cathcart: Come from Belfast, and they were brought down to Enniskillen and they were divided out to the different areas. Ref: 99-012-80. Interviewer: Joan Duffy, Women's Oral History Project. © Fermanagh County Museum and Clogher Historical Society.