page_title: Evacuation of the Gibraltarian civilian population during World War II
section_title: Jamaica
hierarchical_section_title: Evacuation of the Gibraltarian civilian population during World War II / Jamaica
caption_attribution_description: English: Gibraltarians at the Gibraltar Evacuee Camp in Jamaica during the World War II evacuation of the Gibraltarians.
context_page_description: The British Government's decision to enforce a mass evacuation of the civilian population during the Second World War from the Crown colony of Gibraltar, in order to increase the strength of The Rock with more British Armed Forces personnel, meant that most Gibraltarians were forced to be away from Gibraltar and did not have a place they considered to be home. Only those civilians with essential jobs were allowed to stay. However, this event gave the entire community a heightened sense of "Britishness" by sharing in the war effort.
context_section_description: In September rumours were already circulating among the evacuees, and in Gibraltar, that the possibility of re-evacuating the Gibraltarians once more was being discussed, this time the destination being Jamaica, in the West Indies. After much contention, it was decided to send a party directly from Gibraltar to the island, and 1,093 evacuees left for Jamaica direct, on 9 October, with more following later on.
  Petitions followed and the demands were met, partly for strategic reasons and the lack of available shipping. The situation at the end of 1940, therefore, was that approximately 2,000 evacuees were in Jamaica and a lesser number in Madeira, with the bulk of around 10,000 housed in the London area. The camp that they were in was only designed to take 7,000, but the population of Malta had refused to be moved to Jamaica and the authorities wanted to use the unused capacity as a prisoner of war camp or as barracks for the local militia. 
  Discipline in the camp was quite strict, with residents only being allowed out on the local trams between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., and local Jamaicans could be fined if they entered the camp. However, the camp enjoyed social events and gardening, but there was heated discussion with Gibraltarians who wished to not eat communally.
caption: A group of Gibraltarians at the Gibraltar Evacuee Camp in Jamaica during World War II evacuation
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