Trekking during the Blitz

Large numbers of British civilians engaged in trekking during the Blitz. This usually involved leaving their cities each night to sleep in nearby towns and rural areas. The practice was most prevalent in secondary cities. While the British Government was concerned that trekking was an indication that civilian morale was under strain, the practice was generally motivated by a desire to avoid the risk of death or injury and to be able to sleep.

Incidence

Trekking involved civilians in cities which were threatened with air attack during The Blitz leaving their homes each night to sleep in nearby towns and rural areas. These movements were not officially organised.

Relatively few Londoners engaged in trekking compared to residents of secondary cities. The practice was most prevalent during the early stages of the Blitz in September 1940, with some civilians evacuating to the edge of the city and nearby towns. This led to a need for government agencies to provide food and shelter. Some people who evacuated London each night did so in their cars, which they slept in. The scale of trekking from London dropped over time as civilians grew accustomed to the nightly air raids.

See also

• Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II

References

Citations

Works consulted

• Titmuss, Richard M. (1950). Problems of Social Policy. History of the Second World War. United Kingdom Civil Series. London: His Majesty's Stationary Office and Longmans, Green and Co.