General Chat

- sent to Canada and Australia from the mid-1800s to as late as 1967.

(I don't know why the article linked below says the children were sent from Britain starting in 1920; perhaps those are the only ones being apologised to.)



http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/nov/15/apology-child-migrants-gordon-brown

Government records show that at least 150,000 children aged between three and 14 were taken abroad, mainly to Australia and Canada, in a programme that began in 1920 and did not stop until 1967.

The children, almost invariably from deprived backgrounds and already in some form of social or charitable care, were cut off from their families or even informed, falsely, that they were orphans.

While their parents were told the child migrants had gone to a better life, in many cases they remained in institutions or were sent to farming families and treated as unpaid labour. A key subtext to the programme, particularly in relation to Australia, was an aim to supply Commonwealth nations with sufficient new white settlers.



It has also been described as Britain exporting its poor.

It is estimated that 1 in 10 Canadians descends from a home child. In my family, my mother's mother's sister's husband, Uncle Charlie, was sent to Canada in 1905, after his father and then his mother died. I've recently had contact with someone via Ancestry who is descended from his mother's brother. I was lucky that he had named his parents on his Ontario marriage record, although his children in Canada, my mum's cousins, never knew that he had knowledge of his birth family. Being a Home Child, at the time, was not a social advantage. These days, being descended from a Home Child is a point of interest, a bit like being descended from a convict in Australia. ;)

Charlie was a classic case: in the 1911 census, when he was about 17, he is recorded as a farm labourer. Most children sent out did not become the adopted children of loving families; they became cheap labour, either in the fields or in households. Uncle Charlie eventually prospered as a farmer himself, but never had any contact again with family in England. Some Home Children, however, did return to England permanently as adults.


There are regular questions on the TTF boards here about tracing Home Children in Canada. This site allows for searches of child migrant immigration records, although it is not complete, in case it might be useful for someone:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/home-children/001015-100.01-e.php

One of the main organizations involved in sending children out from Britain was Dr. Barnardo's. It has historically put obstacles in the way of families looking for their lost children, or famlies looking for their Home Child's birth families, all in the name of privacy, despite its own obvious misdealings with the children in its care.

I 've a thread on the same subject on Chat , Janey and there is also one on Tips if people wish to read . :))

link to BBC news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8360150.stm

Oops. ;)

I searched this board, didn't think it was likely to be on Chat, and didn't look at the other boards ...

certainly started before 1920 as my mums half sister was sent in 1909 aged just 10.
She and her 3 brothers lost their mum in 1904 and grandad struggled for some time before putting them in a McPherson home in london's East End
grandad remarried in 1909 just three weeks after she was sent and although he got the three boys back they wouldnt give any info on where aunt nell was.

Have you ever traced her, Shirley? I'd be happy to take a shot at it -- although of course Canadian records can't be accessed for long periods, but it might be possible to find her in the 1911 census and/or marrying (children's births would not be accessible).

all the news items that I've heard have referred only to Home Children sent mainly "to Australia but also to a few other Commonwealth countries such as Canada, New Zealand and South Africa" from 1920 to the mid-60s


which seems an interesting distinction between these later children and the thousands of ones sent out earlier.


Dr Barnardo's Homes were heavily involved in this removal of children from the UK to overseas.




sylvia

Thank you for your kind offer Janey Luckily we are in contact with her family.One of her daughters came to london in WW2 in the Canadian Nursing Service and managed to find one of the brothers, Through him the contact was made with Nan(her step mom) and with her other two brothers and half siblings ,Unfortunatly grandad had died in 1939 so she never got to see her dad but Nan went to Canada in 1948 for six months and then Aunt Nell came over in 1949 for 3 months and met all the family/ They have all passed away now but I am still in touch with the youngest daughter who is in her 70.s plus the eldest daughter& her OH who are in their 90,s A brother in his 80,s lives in the USA. Of 6 children these are the last ones but of course they have their families and grandchildren so the line goes on in Canada
Aunt Nell wasnt treated well she was on a farm and treated like white trash!! she only wore shoes on a Sunday when the family went to Church but she had to walk behind the horse and cart that carried the family to church.Lots of similar stories she told us but she married well and had a lovely husband and great children, Pity though she didnt see her Dad again,and grandad passed away without knowing where his eldest daughter was as how she had been treated.
Shirley

very sad this isnt it

how pious that gordie brown said he appologise in new year

well gordon its only been 50 odd years, so why not wait bit longer,
arrgghhhhhhhhh makes me cross,
wots wrong with the government
why wait it aint gona change

geeze i think me tablets are wearing off

hi could you please tell me on which site you can try to trace people that were sent to canada in 1930s thankyou