The day they left: When the children of London finally got to go home from Sunderland as war ended
Poignant Sunderland scenes as evacuees go home
Imagine the feelings which must have gone through the minds of these children.
It was June 1945 and they were about to leave Sunderland on a train. But this was no ordinary journey.
They were evacuees who were finally going home to see their parents.
Some of them posed for photos in the New Rink club in Park Lane before making the long trip south. Others were pictured in a queue for the train.
And one of our poignant photo memories from the Sunderland Echo archives shows children getting on to the train as adults wave them off.
They were both sad and joyous times after a war which had devastated communities from 1939 to 1945.
Look how all of the children have tickets on them so that they could be safely reunited with the right families. And look at the younger children who would have been wondering what was awaiting them next.
Over one million people, largely children, were evacuated from major targets like London to rural towns and villages in 1939-1940 under a project called Operation Pied Piper.
Sunderland itself was one of the major centres which children were evacuated from as it was seen as a major shipbuilding hub and was a target for German air raids during World War II.
Sunderland children left all over town to head to areas of Britain which was said to be more safe such as Yorkshire.
They were tagged, carried gas masks, and often spent years away from home, with some returning by 1945.
Tell us if family members have shared stories of evacuations, either being evacuated or families which took in evacuees. Get in touch and share the memories by emailing [email protected]