 During this period, it became known to a wider audience due to a high-profile annual day trip to Southend organised by the London Taxi Drivers' Fund for Underprivileged Children.During World War II, the children were evacuated to homes in Worthing and Hertford and the building was used by the London Fire Brigade as a training centre.After the war, the number of children at the Orphanage started to decline as they became more integrated within the community.