Children then were far more resilient and independent than nowadays. I doubt if a little girl of nine would be shoved on a train for a six hour journey all alone today.

Probably more about fear from adults (and maybe the law?) about what can go wrong, rather than the resilience of children I'd think. But my mother used to get "packed off" to a sunny holiday in Birstall for 2 weeks in the holidays with her aunt/uncle from very rural borders Shropshire. main thing she talks about re that is the grime in that area of Yorkshire then, train journey was looked after, relations were great but it wasn't her home countryside.