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of pre-school and school children accompanied by their mothers, consequent upon
the intensive aerial bombardment. In all, 150,256 children were evacuated under
these plans, and the great majority were medically examined before departure from
London. Also 31,951 mothers were evacuated, a large number of whom submitted
voluntarily to medical examination.
In addition, 114 London children were evacuated to Australia, Canada, New
Zealand and South Africa. These children were all medically examined.
The evacuation scheme provided also for the evacuation (originally in school
units) of mentally defective, physically defective, blind and deaf children, and
children in nursery schools. These "special parties of handicapped and very young
children" are accommodated, in the reception areas, in camps or large country
houses of the mansion type, and, with two exceptions, are managed directly by the
Council. In December, 1940, there were, for London school children, 59 such
parties (25 from nursery schools, 15 for the physically defective, 10 for the mentally
defective, 3 for the blind, 4 for the deaf, 1 for tuberculous children, and 1 for diabetics),
accommodating in all approximately 3,300 school children, of whom 2,292 were
" handicapped " children.
Frequent visits were made to these special parties by the Council's school
medical staff for purposes of advice, decertification of defectives, etc. As far as
possible, these parties are linked up with the local school medical services.
Staff seconded to reception areas
At the end of the year 5 of the Council's permanent full-time medical officers,
67 of the school nursing sisters and 15 of the organising staff of the children's care
service had been seconded for service under the local authorities in the reception
areas. In addition, 66 of the school nursing sisters were employed for nursing duties
with the "special parties" of evacuated handicapped and very young children
accommodated in camps and large houses in the country districts, for whose management
the Council has accepted responsibility.
Medical inspection
The number of children of school age still in London at the beginning of 1940
was computed at 180,000 and at the end of the year at 85,000. In the first three
months of the year, parents of children out of school were invited by means of postcards
to present their children for medical inspection. Under this scheme, 57,665
children were examined. During the same period, emergency schools were being
re-opened at which comprehensive medical inspections were made of children of
all ages. By Easter 37,144 children had been inspected at these emergency schools.
Particulars of detailed examinations at schools are as follows:—
Children in special schools 400
Children inspected at emergency schools ... 37,144
"Postcard" examinations 57,665
Children not in the four prescribed age groups 39,045
134,254
"Age groups" inspections, viz.: —
Entrants 7,377
Children aged 7 8,830
Children aged 11 15,884
Leavers aged 13 15,146
47,237
181,491
No doubt, owing to disturbed school conditions, there must have been a number
of duplicate examinations. These conditions also interfered with the re-inspection
of children formerly noted to have defects, as the number of re-inspections totalled
246 only. In addition, 2,007 re-inspections were made of children who were being