Books: about child migration

[Kate]

In the job I'm doing (Child Abuse of Wards of State in Tasmania) one claimant I spoke to on the phone told me about being a migrant who was sent to Boys Town here from the UK.  I told him how my father was a Dreadnought Boy (came of his own volition but didn't get treated very well either) and this guy told me about the book "Empty Cradles" by Margaret Humphrey which I have just read.  Humphrey does not menton the Dreadnought scheme because they came voluntarilty unlike some the ophans who ended up here.  I have also ordered the DVD "The Leaving of Liverpool" from the library which I have never seen.  I have noted the inference to this in Kandor's post.  Empty Cradles affected me greatly, knowing what I know in the process I am working in.  It also affected me because I know my dad did it tough when he arrived here at 16 on his own to be sent to a "farm school" to be trained to work on the land.  Read this as he was sent as slave labour really.  But he survived.  Some who came with him did not.  If anyone on this site knows anything or anyone associated with the Dreadnought Scheme please contact me. I understand there were over 5,000!

 

[O.C.]

Kate
Very interested in this subject as it affected a few of my friends, Barnado’s were the main culprits but it applied to most of the homes and orphanages, even Erdington and Middlemore Cottage Homes were involved in sending children abroad to hell holes on Earth. A few got lucky and had a good life.
I think the subject though has been talked about in other posts.
In the 1860’s there was a reformatory in Saltley set up by Mr Adderley M.P. who took in 75 boys from poor homes or had gone off the rails and tried to train them in industrial occupations and if they failed after their detention was over and they “wished” to Emigrate there were agencies in Canada, Natal and Tasmania who could assist them so the machinery was already in place later on for the Dreadnaught schemes and such like
Have you seen the film The Rabbit Proof Fence ? Another terrible stain we left on the land

 

[rowan]

Kate, I read the book a few years ago, as it was of great interest to me, my late
brother-in-law was a child migrant age 11 in the '30's.

He was sent to Australia from Middlemore homes and seemed to have had a fairly
good life until his death at 82, a few years ago.

Empty Cradles is a book I would recommend to all who are interested this subject.

 

[Grace]

There is another book called "Middlemore Memories" by Michael Staples, a Canadian. Tales of British Home Children. Michael contacted me when he was writing his book for permission to put my photograph of Middlemore on the front cover. Was proud to be associated in some small way. I still have the pictures if anyone is interested.

 

[Kate]

Me for one Grace.  Cromwell, certainly have seen "Rabbitproof Fence" .  In the process I'm working in the Aboriginal children were treated very badly.  My friend who is a little younger than me here in Hobart told me that she wasn't allowed to look at the "Boys Town boys" being marched up the very street where I lived.  I can't remember seeing the boys, but probably because my mother wouldn't let me look either.  I can remember boys coming to our door at the weekend offering to do odd jobs for money.  I know now that those boys may have been from Boys Town (UK boys) who were let out of the institution to earn money and when they got back to the Home the money was taken away from them.  Also any presents they received didn't last long.  There are many more horrible tales I could share but to no avail. Sad sad stuff.  I am very pleased I can have a week off next week to get relief from a lot of these sad stories.  Not avoid - just relief.