Evacuees at 10 bob each

QUESTION As a former child evacuee, I’ve often wondered if the people who took us into their homes were paid?

OPERATION pied piper, the Government evacuation scheme, was set up during the summer of 1939 by the anderson Committee and implemented by the Ministry of Health.

it aimed to move children, pregnant women and the disabled from towns and cities where heavy bombing was expected to safer, rural areas.

they were to be housed in residential camps, stately homes or with locals. From early 1939, local authorities were tasked with drawing up lists of available accommodation. a lack of volunteers meant home owners could be ordered to house evacuees.

the Government agreed to pay the hosts ten shillings (equivalent to £26 today) a week for one child and eight shillings and sixpence (equivalent to £17) for each additional child.

payments were met from the Civil Defence budget, which was to be reimbursed from the exchequer.

Under-fives were evacuated with their mother or another carer; older children were in school groups with teachers.

assessments were made in terms of the accommodation available, rather than its suitability or the hosts’ inclination for raising children.

Often, youngsters came from poor inner city areas and foster carers felt obliged to buy them suitable clothing for country living, such as jumpers, coats and sturdy shoes, out of their own pocket.

Starting on august 31, 1939, almost three million people were evacuated in four days, making it the biggest and most concentrated population movement in British history.

Ian Gower, Malvern, Worcs.

QUESTION Why can’t rechargeable batteries be used in some devices?

a reCHarGeaBle battery, which can be restored to full charge by the use of electrical energy, is technically called a secondary cell. a disposable battery is a Great escape: Evacuees leave Ealing Broadway on September 1, 1939 primary cell. Most modern rechargeable batteries are made of nickel- metal hydride (niMH), which has superseded niCd (nickel-cadmium) on environmental grounds.

they have come a long way since they came onto the market in the nineties: they hold a charge for much longer and can be recharged hundreds of times.

the energy profile of primary and secondary cells is quite different. Secondary cells have flat discharge at a steady 1.2 volts until depleted and then drop off very quickly to below 1.0 volts.

primary cells (carbon zinc or manganese-dioxide, which is alkaline) use cells that have 1.5V open circuit voltage when fresh, then drop to 1.2 and continue to 1.0 when the appliance stops working.

Digital cameras, flashlights and toys, where there is a high energy consumption, are best suited for niMH batteries.

these batteries self-discharge at a rate of 1 per cent per day, so in a low energy consumption or stand-by device, they will need to be recharged after 90 days.

a disposable battery is more suitable for smoke alarms, emergency flashlights, clocks and tV remotes, which are low energy devices, or where the battery is not used within 30 days.

Disposable batteries are also better for emergency applications and military use.

Dan Rutherford, Nottingham.

QUESTION What happens to birds during a hurricane?

BirDS have a variety of strategies for dealing with storms. they can leave the area, fly ahead of, or into, the storm or take shelter.

in the case of intense localised weather events, such as tornadoes, avoidance is the only option. Many bird species can hear low-frequency sound and detect changes in barometric pressure, so can predict a storm.

non-migratory birds may simply fly out of the storm’s path or seek shelter in branches or tree cavities. they may instinctively crouch or huddle, tucking their bills into their feathers, minimising exposure to conditions.

Birds seen clinging to branches or wires in windy conditions may appear to be holding on for dear life, but this is their natural resting position. talons naturally close and lock; their feet release only if the bird flexes its muscles.

the atlantic hurricane season coincides with autumn migration, so many birds face these powerful storms head on.

research using wind tunnels by Western University’s advanced Facility for avian research in Canada demonstrated white-throated sparrows bring forward their autumnal migratory departure date in response to falling barometric pressure, but not falling temperatures. they delay their spring migratory departure in response to falling temperature, but not falling barometric pressure.

in 2005, Hurricane Wilma swept up a flock of north american chimney swifts and deposited them hundreds of miles away in Western europe — 18 of these rare visitors were spotted in Britain.

Irene Harris, Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

QUESTION Are hollow cones still used to deter rats from running up a rope and on to a ship?

FUrtHer to the earlier answer, i joined my first ship, a tramping iron ore carrier, in 1970. though we always fitted rat guards to the mooring lines, we didn’t really need them because we had Hooley, the ship’s fearless young tabby cat.

He was perhaps the only British-born feline to visit Mauritania on the western edge of the Sahara.

He jumped ship at Sagunto in Spain. perhaps he became bored with the sea or didn’t relish our next trip — a long, slow voyage to Brazil.

i like to think that having found a Spanish moggy for companionship, he settled in that Mediterranean port city.

Alun Rees, Cardigan. n IS THERE a question to which you want to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question here? Write to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT; or email charles.legge@dailymail.co.uk. A selection is published, but we’re unable to enter into individual correspondence.