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Emigration from Birmingham

BordesleyExile

master brummie
Here are 2 posters & a pamphlet extolling the joys of Australia. The illustrations are from the very academic book Australia, Britain & Migration 1915-1940 A study of desperate hopes by Michael Roe.
1) Does anyone have any posters or pamphlets encoraging migration to Australia, Canada or (then) Rhodesia? If not can anyone suggest links or sources? I searched the newspaper catalogue for the last years of the 19C but found nothing except small ads.
2) Does anyone know how migration was publicised in England or how potential emigrants were able to research, beyond getting information from family, friends & aquaintances?
 
In the 1950/60' migration was advertised in the newspapers and advertised on the TV - so I suppose it would be the same in the 19C (not TV obviously. Australia etc were desperate to increase their populations so I guess there are more posters out there.
Sheri
 
Thank you Sheri. Given that emigration had such a high profile in the early 20C its odd that it is now difficult to find the publicity. Current migration is well addressed by academics, but not historical migration.
 
shirley..those a brillient pamphlets...it would be nice if we could get some more info on how migration was publicised here in england..a most interesting subject...

lyn
 
Thank you, Lyn. Yes, it was an intriguing area of decision making for Brits here wasn't it? I know from Henry Green's book Living, written around 1930 if memory serves, that in Birmingham at least migration was very much discussed amongst workers.
 
When I was about 14/15 in the very early 60's I was at an exhibition at Bingley Hall where they were showing the virtues on moving to Australia. You could have gone on the £10 assisted passage. They made it sound that good I wanted to sign up there and then, but at 14 I don't think they would have had me:cry:

Terry
 
well remembered terry..but yes at on 14 i dont think they would have had you...:cry: and it only cost a tenner..even in the 60s i would think that was cheap...

lyn
 
Thank you, Terry. I suppose nothing disappears so fast as an exhibition, so maybe thats why I am having trouble discovering the decision making material.
 
Has anyone ever seen any similar material extolling the virtues of moving to the cotton mills of Lancashire please? --- one branch of my family seem to do this and I can't really understand why...
 
I find that newspaper report exciting for its relevance, SMTR. My grandfather emigrated to Australia the previous year, 1922. He returned to Birmingham, though I never heard why. I gather from Michael Roe's book that for many years the number of people who came back here from Australia equaled the amount that webt out. There was not always the work promised & conditions were hard. Many men stayed less than 2 years. Given that the common reason for emigration was to improve wellbeing & improve situation it must have been such a let down for so many to return home.
SMTR how did you access that newspaper report? I am wondering quite how I can improve my research for the last century. If you accessed Birmingham Archives then I cannot hope to do the same. I enquired, but never got a reply. Thank you so much for your kindness, SMTR.
Aidan I seem to remember seeing on WDYTYA that familes out of work were sent up north to the mills, but found dreadfull housing when they arrived. Families were even split up. Shame I cannot remember which celebrity was on the programme.
 
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Australia was obviously a good deal cos i too have people leaving London to settle over there.
Was there a deal for peeps from Warwickshire going to USA? I have some of my Parrs leaving (c 1901)and settling in Cooks county .
 
I'm finding this thread very interesting, since my family emigrated from Birmingham to Sydney, Australia, in 1964 when I was 15. We were what the Australian authorities termed "assisted migrants", so it cost £10 each for Mom and Dad, and nothing at all for my sisters and myself. We left from Southampton in December (English winter) aboard the P and O liner "Canberra" (one of the last ships to be allowed through the Suez Canal). I can well remember arriving in Sydney (Australian summer): the beautiful harbour, the HEAT, the air redolent with the smell of eucalyptus oil, and the loud noise of cicadas (doing whatever it is they do: the din is tremendous!).

It was a great adventure for us children, but the streets were by no means "paved with gold", and many immigrants were unhappy and returned home. My Mom was quite homesick and unhappy for a while (until she found a job and made friends). We of course came in for some teasing as "Poms", but it was all fairly gentle and good-natured. In Australia it's always the latest bunch of immigrants who are discriminated against: "Poms", Italians, Greeks, Vietnamese, Chinese, Lebanese (in that order). Now it's refugees from Africa who are being teased (and sometimes, sadly, worse). But Aussies generally are welcoming and friendly, and Australia has become a truly multi-cultural society, and is much better for it.

I'll keep my eyes open for publicity material, BordesleyExile: there might be items available on line from the Australian archives.
 
hi thylacine....how lovely to get first hand the thoughts and experiences of someone who migrated to australia and the posters are wonderful...i am sure shirley will be delighted to read your posts...

lyn
 
Thylacine,
You seem to have a good knowledge of emigration,could you help with this.
Two of my unmarried gt.aunts went to Australia c 1920,they were Mary Jubilee Barrett born 1887,and her sister Sarah Mabel Barrett dob 26.8.1889.
I have tried ships lists and various other sites with no luck,having been to W.A.six times I should have had a look when I was there,but it was before my interest in family research began.:rolleyes:
 
Hi Ray! I'm afraid that kind of research is not really my forte, sorry. But I'll keep my eyes open, and if I come across something relevant I'll let you know.
 
Thanks anyway.As a point of interest,I remember having a chat with a bloke in Perth who told me he was amongs the last of the £10 poms (the last ship)...but it cost him £300:rolleyes:,this was in 1974,would that be about right?.
 
Thylacine,
You seem to have a good knowledge of emigration,could you help with this.
Two of my unmarried gt.aunts went to Australia c 1920,they were Mary Jubilee Barrett born 1887,and her sister Sarah Mabel Barrett dob 26.8.1889.
I have tried ships lists and various other sites with no luck,having been to W.A.six times I should have had a look when I was there,but it was before my interest in family research began.:rolleyes:

Dunno if it is helpful but I have found the following:

UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 about Sarah M Barrett (Tailoress from Birmingham, travelling with an Agnes)
Name: Sarah M Barrett
Birth Date: abt 1891
Age: 37
Port of Departure: Australia
Arrival Date: 19 Mar 1928
Port of Arrival: Hull, England
Ports of Voyage: Brisbane
[Melbourne]
[Adelaide]
[Sydney]
[Colombo]
Ship Name: Jervis Bay
Shipping Line: Australian Commonwealth Line
Official Number: 150187

England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005 about Sarah Mabel Barrett
Name: Sarah Mabel Barrett
Birth Date: 26 Aug 1889
Death Registration Month/Year: 1970
Registration district: Bedford
Inferred County: Bedfordshire
Volume: 4a
Page: 56
 
There are a number of Mary Barretts that took the free earlier, harder transport to that hemisphere if you ever find a missing one in your tree - otherwise I can see no trace of Mary-Jubilee (great name)
 
Thank you very much for the links & posters, Thyacaline. The visuals will help liven up the family history that I am writing. All text would be dull for the family members reading the history.

Australia docs / microfilm can be located in file DOS35 & DOS5 7at the National Archives for anyone interested who is ever in the vicinity of Kew. The handbook detailing Australian joint microfilm copying project contains guidance. The Salvation Army may have material. The book Ten Pound Poms: Australia'a Invisible Migrants by A J Hammerton & Alistair Thomson. The cheapest new copies that I have found are available at the Book Depository. I am indebted to Michael Roe for his prompt & kind help.

Does anyone know of any sites for emigration to Canada or (then) Rhodesia? I am aware of the Zimdays site.
 
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