551,000 CHILDREN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 30 November 1940, Page 8

551,000 CHILDREN

EVACUATED FROM LONDON STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF HEALTH TRANSFER OF OLD AND SICK PEOPLE [British Official Wireless] (Received 30th November. 2.0 p.m.) RUGBY, 29th November. Of London school children—of school age and under—ssl,ooo have been evacuated, leaving only 119,000, stated the Minister of Health, Mr Malcolm I MacDonald. He added that the figures ; were very impressive but there was still much to be done. From London shelt- ! ors 4.500 aged and infirm had been put j into hospitals or homes in a reception area and an aditional 4.500 old and chronic sick had been taken from LonI don institutions and accommodated in hospitals in reception areas. These \Vere ! all who could be persuaded to go. In addition hundreds of aged and infirm ! had been taken from food and rest centres in London to be looked after in homes in reception areas. Billeting was very satisfactory but the establishment of after care or welfare services for adult evacuees was of vital importance. They had urged the establishment of hospitals and sick bays, community feeding centres, and nursery centres for young children and above all social centres and mothers’ clubs where apart from doing their own work | such as sewing, mending and laundry, j mothers could get together and have a J “good old Cockney gossip.”