In September 1930 nearly 400,000 children were evacuated from London, followed by many more from other cities in the UK.

Many of them were unaccompanied, and for most it was the first time away from home and parents. Yet this well-known disruption of childhood was a drop in the ocean compared to the effect of conflict on children throughout the world. Children have always been the victims of war, and this fascinating new history examines the effects of war on the young, including those from Britain, Germany and Finland during and after the Second World War, as well as children in more recent conflicts in West Africa, among many others. Taking first-hand accounts from survivors, diaries and authentic documents, this eye-opening history reflects the untold story of hundreds of thousands of children whose lives were affected by the horrors of war.