Families of British Home Children / British Child Migrants

Between 1869 and 1930, over 100,000 children were sent to Canada from Ireland, Scotland and England. They were known as the “British Home Children” - children orphaned, abandoned, seized from over-crowded workhouses or from parents unable to provide for them, who were sent to the new world “for labour,” and placed with farms and families, from Halifax to Manitoba.

“The Workhouses were being overrun, and criminals were taking over the children,” Karen Mahoney told a capacity crowd at the January 21 meeting of the Innisfil Historical Society. “Some philanthropists thought they ought to do something for the children.”

Among those philanthropists were Amy MacPherson and her sisters, and Dr. Bernardo. They and as many as 50 other organizations funnelled thousands of children taken from almost Dickensian poverty, to Canada - far from family, friends, and everything that was familiar. Children as young as 3 arrived with little more than a pair of shoes, a change of clothing, and a bible.

What they found in Canada was indentured servitude, prejudice and often horrible conditions.

Mahoney was drawn into researching the stories of the British Home Children when she inherited mementoes and letters written by Herbert Blackall - a British Home Child who had found a happy home with her husband’s family, and had kept in touch while serving in World War I. He died at Paschendale, a decorated war hero.

Starkly different was the story of 15 year old George Everett Green, found dead in his room on a farm in Owen Sound in 1895. The subsequent investigation found that his death was due to “starvation, abuse and neglect,” but no charges were ever laid.

British Home Children were supposed to be allowed to attend school and church, and paid for their labour - but often were kept from classes, and given the worst of jobs. Many children kept silent out of fear and shame, or escaped by running away.

Lady Northcote Recreation Farm near Bacchus Marsh has received a $95,000 grant for repairs to a heritage building, Member for Western Victoria David O'Brien has announced.

Mr O'Brien said the funding would ensure the conservation of the only original migrant house remaining, and provide a safe venue for meetings and group events by the Old Northcotians Association.

"The Northcotians is a very committed community group, and with this funding as well as volunteer assistance from the Lions Club and local tradesmen, these important buildings can be preserved for future generations," Mr O'Brien stated.

Lady Northcote Recreation Farm (formerly the Northcote Children's Farm) opened in 1937 as a farm school to house and educate underprivileged British child migrants.

Architects Meldrum and Noad designed the 12 identical cottages and associated buildings. In the late 1970s the camp was donated to the Victorian Government and is currently leased by the YMCA.

The proposed external repair works include re-roofing, gutter replacement and external weatherboard and joinery repairs.

Minister for Planning Matthew Guy said the grant was one of 13 community projects around Victoria being funded to preserve and protect significant heritage places and objects.

He said Victoria's Heritage Grants supported local communities to care for and manage the state's rich and diverse heritage, with this year's program totalling $1.13 million.

Mr Guy said the grants recognised and supported the enthusiasm and commitment of many dedicated volunteer organisations which worked to preserve and safeguard our shared history.

Victoria's Heritage Grants support the repair and restoration of publicly accessible and important heritage places and objects managed by local government and community not-for-profit organisations and are provided for places in the Victorian Heritage Register or included in a Heritage Overlay. Funding for heritage place grants totalling $500,000 was provided by the Victorian Property Fund.

Copyright © 2012. Fairfax Media

This month on the 19th will see me telling the story of British Home Children to our history group.

The group has grown from a handful and now regularly attracts upwards of 30 people and we have moved from the Horse & Jockey to the Edge and now meet in Chorlton Library.

I came to British Home Children through the story of my great uncle who was born in 1898 in Birmingham. His given name was Roger James Hall which he changed to James Rogers in 1915 when he ran way to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Now, telling the story to an audience is a challenge. Of course you present the facts which simply put involved various individuals and organisations collecting children and between 1870 and 1939 sending them to Canada. In all 100,000 might have gone, sent because they were orphans, or survived on the streets or lived in great poverty with few life chances ahead of them. So this was about giving children a fresh start. Some made it others fell by the wayside and plenty had an unhappy time cut off from their family and enduring harsh conditions amongst communities who were not always sympathetic.

And so there comes the real challenge. How far does the historian just tell a story in as an objective way as possible putting the good and bad points or does he/she enter into the moral debate?

What right did mainly middle class and Christian individuals have to transport so many children across the Atlantic to a different life?

What were the motives of those who supported the schemes? Did some see it as a way of emptying the cities and towns of problem children who in time might cause even greater demands on the State? And was this not a golden opportunity to populate what was still a vast country with British people? The Romans as well as the Americans understood the value of settling your own people on land you want to incorporate into your country.

And did the success stories of which there were many outweigh the terrible home sickness and loneliness which was the fate of some children? Or for that matter the awful lack of knowledge of who many of them really were and the families that they had come from matter when taken against the dangers and privations they had left? There is no doubt that some would have drifted into crime, been exploited and died young on the streets.

It is possible to criticise a system which allowed a few great wealth and privileges condemning the many to a life time of toil, under nourished poorly clothed only to finish their days in the workhouse. Ah says the objective historian but these were the values of the time and one must always remember this before casting criticism, which might be helpful if were not for the fact that many from the well meaning upper and middle of society to the working class thinkers and organisations were already pointing out the weakness of the system.

But I could go on, I guess you will just have to ask me how it went and perhaps if you are one of the 3 and half thousand or so who have been following the blog since I started it in November who live in Chorlton do try and come along to the meeting on January 19th at 13,30 in Chorlton Library.