DRESSED in period costumes and carrying home-made gas mask boxes, youngsters from a Blandford school were evacuated to a Poole museum for a day.

The role-play saw children from years three and four at Durweston First School treated like real-life evacuees.

They were taken to Scaplen's Court Museum where they were taught in a World War Two classroom by teachers who they later described as being "much stricter than today's standards".

They learned about rationing and cooked up some stodgy foods such as potato pastry, pasties and scones.

They were taught to line their windows with newspaper to protect against bomb blasts. And they wrote moving letters home describing what it was like to be evacuated.

Their teacher Sian Ayling said: "The museum day was a brilliant experience for the children.

"It gave them the opportunity to learn about the past in a hands on way while really enjoying themselves."

First published: October 18