Before the war began, many residents of Dover fled to areas in Wales and in the English countryside as far away from Dover as possible. In 1931 there were 1,191 males living in the area and 406 females living in Guston according to the census reports. By 1951 this number had been cut dramatically to only 397 men and 365 females living in the area. This emphasises the huge number of men that left the area to fight and did not return after the war, as well as the devastating effects the bombing had on the housing at the time. This is one reason why the population may have dropped so significantly; the housing was now not substantial enough to support such a large number of people.