General Chat

TONIGHT ITV 9pm
Shipped to Australia... (1st of 2 programmes)

Follows the story of some of the British children sent out mid 20th Century in the hope of a better life.
Some of them faced harsh conditions and abuse.

Now some hope to find birth family.

(this programme is repeated on Wednesday 27 April at 11.55 pm )

Thanks for that Gwyn :-)

Another early bird ;-)

It’s the same as the BHC

My aunt was sent to Canada in 1909 from Hackney childrens home aged 10

She was the eldest of 4 who were put into the workhouse in 1905 when their mum died and grandad had no one who could look after them

They were then transferred to the workhouse run children's home

He met gran in 1909 and they married and then set about getting the children back to find the girl Ellen had been shipped off

The eldest boy Arthur had been selected to be sent to Australia but this was stopped by the application for release of them

My mum ,the first child of the second marriage ,always said that Arthur played Nan up because he was angry she has stopped him from going to Australia as he thought he would have had a great adventure

He had a lucky escape !

Ellen was badly treated in Canada

:-(

I remember my Mum reading a book about this years ago.

It was called Empty Cradles (Oranges and Sunshine).

This whole episode was not generally in the public sector. I can remember my Mum reading this getting very upset.

I read Empty Cradles several years ago and was struck by how much deceit and cover ups existed.

Just as Shirley indicated, birth families sometimes had no idea that their children were going to be sent overseas.

The film,Oranges and Sunshine gave an insight in to the lives of some children, who were sent to Australia.
I wonder if and when the truth would have come out had it not been for the persistance of Margaret Humphreys.

I read the book and watched the film a few years ago. Margaret Humphrey’s laboured for years trying to unite families before it was too late.

Many of these children were told their parents were dead or that they were not wanted. The woman deserved a medal for her perseverance.

Well, I was in tears.

I was too maggiewinchester.

It was kind of the opposite for my Mum, her Mother went to Australia in 1927/8 leaving my Mum in an orphanage here.