Empty Cradles

[CatrionaL]

Empty Cradles Margaret Humphreys.
Corgi Books ISBN 0 552 14164X £9.99

I would call this a book of practical, compassionate genealogy. Margaret Humphreys travelled thousands of miles and spent long hours searching through births, marriages and deaths. Her purpose? To help child migrants make contact with their roots.
A shocking story, one we might have expected to read about in a Dickens novel. That these children were shipped out, the last as recently as 1967, left me speechless.

From the cover: “Empty Cradles is a strong indictment of government, as well as charitable and religious organisations. It is a sad harrowing story that will move the reader to anger and tears. Yet it offers a message of hope to all victims of a shameful scandal that has been ignored too long.”

Best wishes
Catriona

[wini]

Thanks for that Catriona I must read it.
My first neighbour when I came to Australia in 1963 was a "Fairbridge" girl.
She remembers when she was eight her mother giving her a watch and putting her on a ship to Australia.
She didn't hear from her mother again until she was sixteen. She was 23 when I knew her and she had not made any attempt to contact her mother in England, couldn't forgive her.
She was reasonably happy at "Fairbridge Farm School"in PinJarra, West Australia but they all had to leave at 15 years of age. Many of the girls went nursing as they could get accommodation while training. Life was more difficult for the boys, they had to try and find an apprenticeship and pay rent for a room in someone"s house.
A corollary to this story is that she wouldn't let her own children out of her sight.

wini

[joette]

I loved this book & was shocked that such things could happen.
Often the parents had no knowledge or control over what happened to their children -especially if the parents were considered feckless or immoral.

It reminded me of the "Orphan Trains" where children were sent to the American & Canadian farmlands often they were not orphans either just a burden on some Society or again removed from an unsuitable home.There would be no vetting of prospective parents & in many cases these children were abused-sexually & physically & exploited some working long,hard hours & recieving no schooling.