Isle of Wight Kids Travel Back in Time for Wartime Evacuation Experience
Schoolchildren on the Isle of Wight are set to step into history with a gripping WWII evacuation re-enactment at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, Havenstreet. Running from 18 to 21 June, this hands-on event gives youngsters a rare taste of what it was like to be evacuated during the war.
Step Into a Wartime World
Organised by the Isle of Wight Council’s Heritage Education Service, the event recreates the tense moments endured by tens of thousands of children at the war’s outbreak. Pupils will don authentic WWII clothes and carry gas masks as they board vintage steam trains, reliving the eerie journey to safety.
“This is an interesting and thought-provoking chance for our schoolchildren to gain a small insight into the war that they would not be able to obtain from their school books,” said Councillor John Hobart, Cabinet Member for Education and Heritage.
He added, “Experience days like this ensure future generations understand the sacrifices made for the freedom they enjoy today, bringing to life what children their age went through back then.”
Wartime Lessons and Rationing Realities
- Children will taste wartime food, including ‘eggless’ cake.
- They’ll learn about rationing and make-do-and-mend toys.
- Experience historic classroom lessons, complete with air raid siren interruptions.
- When the alarm sounds, they’ll rush to a makeshift air raid shelter, mimicking real wartime drills.
Train Timetable for Evacuee Journeys
Pupils will catch steam trains from Havenstreet Station, feeling what it was like to be waved off to an uncertain fate.
- Monday 18 June: Depart at 10:30am & 11:51am, return 11:18am & 12:28pm
- Tuesday 19 June: Depart at 11:51am, return 12:28pm
- Wednesday & Thursday 20-21 June: Depart 10:30am & 11:51am, return 11:18am & 12:28pm
Bringing History to Life
The Heritage Education Service designed the event to boost local history lessons and ensure the island’s kids don’t just read about the past — they live it.
This unique trip back in time promises to leave a lasting impression, showing children just how tough life was during the darkest days of the Second World War.
