CHILDREN OF THE BLITZ: BBC ANNOUNCES FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY

During The Blitz, the British government had plans in place to evacuate approximately 3.5 million people, but only around 1.5 million left towns and cities for the countryside, with the majority of those being children. Children of the Blitz tells the stories of those who remained at home, often to help their families, or because their parents couldn’t bear to send them away.

Through the eyes of survivors who were children at the time, the film will explore how The Blitz contributed towards our sense of national identity and how the ‘Blitz Spirit’ is still held up as a defining characteristic of Britishness today.

The film will also examine the starker reality for children whose homes were destroyed, including those who lost parents, and some who were left to fend for themselves - many grew up with their stories unheard. Now, mostly in their nineties and centenarian years, they’re finally able to tell the full story of what happened to them, whilst describing how their childhood experiences continue to affect them to this day.

Executive Producer Morgan Matthews said: "Recording the experiences of some of the last survivors of the Blitz across the UK is a true privilege...

"Their combined testimony invites us to reflect on the reality of living through the most devastating aerial bombing campaign the UK has ever endured, and on how that experience has shaped not only their lives, but also the physical geography of our cities and our psychological sense of what it means to be British."

Children of the Blitz, a 1x90’ for BBC Two and iPlayer, is made by Minnow Films.