Education, inspiration and determination: life lessons of child exiles of the Spanish Civil War

This article examines the impact of war, evacuation and resettlement on the education experiences of some of the children who were evacuated to Britain from the Basque Country during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Combining oral history narratives with contemporary documents produced by the children at the time, it argues that despite the suffering and trauma that is often associatied with war and displacement, and despite the disruption to their education, during their evacuation and resettlement in Britain the children developed a wide range of skills that enabled them to adapt and survive in a totally alien environment