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ANNEX III.
EXTRACT FROM LETTER, DATED 6th NOVEMBER, 1941.
RECEIVED FROM SIR PHILIP GAME
As Commissioner I feel:
(a) that the introduction of half a million people into Greater London, just prior to our first experience of invasion for a thousand years, is a very doubtfully wise proposition, more especially as regards the 300,000 from the Brighton group of towns destined for Inner London. Many of them would not know the neighbourhood they found them- selves in, nor its public communications, nor its shopping facilities and a host of other kinds of local knowledge which prevent one from feeling lost in London. They would almost certainly therefore be a considerable embarrassment to the Air Raid Wardens and would cause some addition to the calls on the police.
(b) The children would offer a difficult problem especially if separated from their parents. They would need shelter in Central London and would either have to be accommodated in the private shelters of their hosts, which might well be full, or in public shelters, where they would need someone to look after them, not a popular duty to those on whom they were compulsorily billeted.
On a wider basis I would suggest:-
(a) that if one is in the rifle butts one does not
stand for safety in front of the bull's eye!
(b) that the disadvantages listed in paragraph 8 of
the memorandum far outweigh any advantages;
(o) that the evacuation of their children into
Central London is not at all likely to appeal to parents;
(d) that apart from children many inhabitants of these South Coast towns will feel a strong disinclination to coming into Central London.
I agree with the summary in paragraph 17 of the memorandum, but would go a good deal further for generally speaking I am very doubtful of the wisdom of any further evacuation. No one can know in advance when or where the blow will fall and evacuation may result in making matters worse instead of better. I feel reasonably certain that the wisest course, from a military and every other point of view, is to keep driving home beforehand the advice of "carry on" with your job till invasion comes and "stay put"' once any invasion of any kind has actually started. The few people who can't stick it out would not, I think, be a real embarrassment to military movement for I am confident we can, after the experiences of the last blitz, trust the great bulk of the population to stand up to whatever comes.
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