The surrender of Italy in September 1943 lifted any possible objections to the return of the evacuees to the Rock . As a result , a Resettlement Board was established in November , and at a meeting of the Board on 8 February 1944 repatriation priorities were finally agreed . On 6 April 1944 the first group of 1 @,@ 367 repatriates arrived on the Rock directly from the United Kingdom and on 28 May , the first repatriation party left Madeira , and by the end of 1944 only 520 non @-@ priority evacuees remained on the island .