WW2 child evacuees to commemorate 85th anniversary

Wartime evacuees who fled the imminent threat of invasion and bombing are to reunite to mark a milestone anniversary today.

The summer reunion, taking place at Lowestoft railway station is for World War Two evacuees who boarded trains up to Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 85 years ago.

The event will give attendees the chance to reminisce about their experience of being part of the more than 3,000 schoolchildren and teachers evacuated from the Suffolk town.

Jacqui Dale, of the Lowestoft Central Project, said: "It's always a great privilege to host the reunion and enable evacuees to meet and reminisce about their time away."

The then-youngsters left the town on 2 June 1940, with more than 600 of them and their teachers finding sanctuary in and around the town of Glossop.

Since then, strong ties have been remained between the two towns which are celebrated by the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership and Lowestoft Central Project annually.

In 2021, for example, the two projects installed two giant interpretation panels on the station concourse as a permanent reminder of the Lowestoft schools' evacuation.

Neil Williams, chairman of the Friends of Glossop Station, is one of many determined to ensure the relationship between the two communities is maintained.

"I'm so pleased that both our communities continue to cherish these important memories and that the friendships made are not only still celebrated but are now being retold for future generations," he said.

Mr Williams will be the special guest at Saturday's event which will also celebrate 200 years of passenger train travel in the UK.

"We are thrilled Neil will attend and give an update on what is happening in Glossop, especially as so many were given refuge there during the war," added Ms Dale.

The event runs from 12:00 BST until 15:00.

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