Mr. Roger Hall …. last known in British Columbia has been found ….

It is the sort of discovery which would gladden the heart of anyone engaged in family history.

The Griffth farmhouse, New Brunswick, 2008

More so because Roger Hall had disappeared almost a full century ago and despite the efforts of me in the UK and my Canadian cousins, he remained the “lost relative”.

He had been born in 1898 in Birmingham to Montague and Eliza who were our great grandparents.  Theirs was a tempestuous relationship and after moving from Derby via Birmingham and London, they settled in Gravesend only to split in 1902.  He remained in Gravesend, and she returned to Derby with her three sons and it was there in the Derby Workhouse that she gave birth to her last child.

Her return was not an easy one and for most of their childhood the children were in care before being placed in occupations.  Roger and my grandfather proved more troublesome, and both were sentenced to a naval boot camp.  Granddad went but great uncle Roger opted to go to Canada, migrated as a British Home Child in 1914.*

His Attestation Papers, 1915

In a few short months he worked on three Canadian farms, being sent back twice and absconding from the third to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force.  In the process he changed his name, lied about his age and gave his aunt as next of kin rather than his mother.

His unwillingness to conform on the farms was replicated in the army and he court martialled four times, once for hitting an officer and three times for absence without leave.

But he survived, returned to Canada, and persuaded his sister to follow him out on an Empire Assisted Scheme in 1925, and then sometime after that we lost him.

Until our Marisa found him on the census return for the Municipality of Coquitlam in British Columbia.

One of his letters, 1916

He was lodging with a family, gave his occupation as a labourer on a farm and was single.

There is much more to find out which I know our Marisa will uncover. But its is the first real reference we have after 1925 and confirms his sister’s belief that he had headed out to the west of Canada, a place still in the making and as rough and ready with promise of new things as the western states of its neighbour.

I suspect it was somewhere that would allow a young restless man an opportunity to reinvent himself.

As it was, he had reverted to his given names of Roger and Hall, which had been dropped in favour of James Rogers when he ran away and enlisted.  That reversion seems to have muddied the search but now we have him, living in a community dominated by single men from China and Japan who were labourers.

His landlord was a James William Williams who was also from the UK and was a barber aged 42 and perhaps a search may reveal something more of his Canadian life.  I know he was married to Mary and that their daughter, Elizabeth Mary was born in BC in 1917.

There are several James William Williams who fit the date of birth in various bits of Britain which in turn may offer up more.

But essentially that is it.

To which some will mutter so what?  And follow it up with, “apart from the family what interest can there be in a man who disappeared a century ago?”

Well, whenever research brings anyone out of the shadows that is a good result and even more so when he is a member of that group of children who were migrated to Canada and later other parts of the former British Empire. 

Places he knew, St John River, NB, 2008

They were sent from 1870 and a century later some British organizations were still engaged in settling young people in Australia.

Until recently they were a virtually forgotten group and while they are still a neglected part of our history at least in Canada the study of British Home Children has become a serious area of historic study.*

That study has occasioned a serious debate about the motives of those engaged in the migration, the effects on the young people both at the time and subsequently, and the contribution they made to the countries they settled in.

And our great uncle was one of them.

Special thanks to our cousin Marisa Cooper who continued the search for Roger Hall when I had all but given up.

Location; Canada,

Pictures; One of the farms he stayed at in New Brunswick, 2008, his Attestation papers, 1915, letter from Roger James Hall/James Rogers, February 2, 1916, from the collection of Andrew Simpson and picture of the Griffith's farmhouse, N.B., Angela Faubert, 2008

*British Home Children, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/British%20Home%20Children

Tragic Loveland Family

This month’s history talk at Chorlton Good Neighbours given by Andrew Simpson explored the subject of British Home Children; a scheme which saw many thousands of destitute children “transferred” from Britain to (largely) Canada between 1870 and 1930. 

Thomas John Loveland’s headstone 

One of these children was Thomas John Loveland who, after the death of his father (1) impoverished his mother with five young children, was, at the tender aged of eight, sent to Canada by the Barnardo Homes. Thomas John later returned to the United Kingdom as a member of the Canadian Expeditionary Force which came to Britain’s aid during the First World War. He was invalided home to Britain, where he died on 6th November 1918. He is buried in Manchester’s Southern Cemetery.  Andrew also mentioned Thomas John’s family which he was separated from as they remained in England and that one of his 4 siblings, his brother Edward, was also a casualty of “The Great War”. In his case dying on 6th August 1917 of wounds suffered while serving as a Gunner / Acting Bombardier with the Royal Field Artillery. He is buried in Lussenthoek Military Cemetery, West- Vlaanderen, Belgium. (2)

Canadians returning from trenches on the Somme, November 1916

I was curious about the lives of the other family members and decided to investigate what became of them.

Starting with the 1911 census I found the mother living with a widower (3) William Smith Fearis, a house painter, at 4a, George Street, Walsoken, Norfolk.

Several factors made further progress a painstaking business. Firstly, although the village is located in the west of Norfolk it adjoins the town of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire which results in a split in the registration of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, with some catalogued as Cambridgeshire events and some Norfolk. Of more confusion however is the fact that although William Smith and Eleanor did not marry until the December quarter of 1915, they had several children between them. Also, I found William Smith’s last name spelt at least three different ways.

The 1911 household then comprised of William Smith and Eleanor living as man and wife, Eliza the 15- years-old daughter (4) of Mr. Fearis’s first marriage, Mary, William and Eleanor’s child and John a child of Eleanor’s first marriage. 

  Following further research in the 1911 census I discovered Thomas John’s two sisters Eliza and Harriet had both remained in London, Harriet who was 15 was living at 100, Leven Road, Poplar, London; a few doors away from where her family were residing in 1901. This was also the address Edward gave on his attestation papers at his enlistment into the army on New Years Day 1915. According to the census return Harriet was living with her aunt, a widow, Eliza Walter however, I have discovered she was more likely her great aunt as in the 1891 census, Harriet’s mother Eleanor (Hawks) was recorded in the Walter’s household. 

 Eliza Loveland, Thomas John’s other sister was, working as a general domestic servant for John Conoley, a beer seller, his wife Minnie and their five children at 5, Crosby Road, Forest Gate, West Ham, London.

The 4 years of the First World War were incredibly tragic for Eleanor Loveland / Fearis as not only did she suffer the loss of two of her sons in the conflict but two of her daughters died within months of each other in 1916, Harriet in Poplar during the June quarter, then Eliza in the December quarter in Hampstead. 

Sadly, she had also previously had to grieve the death, during the March quarter of 1899, of a third daughter, Eleanor Elizabeth who was just seven years old

It is not hard to fathom her feelings then when her remaining son was mobilised into the royal Tank Corps on 27th August 1918. He survived the war and was demobilised on 2nd December 1919 and returned to live with his, by then again widowed, mother in George Street, Walsoken.

Both Edward James and Thomas John were taken into care by Dr Barnardo's Homes, as was their younger brother George, who was born in the West Ham registration district during the December quarter of 1902.  Whilst Edward James was to remain in Britain, George was also a British Home Child. He was one of 195 such children, some as young as seven, who sailed from London on 14th March 1912 onboard the S.S. Corinthian bound for Toronto via St. John, New Brunswick. 

 Interestingly in the 1911 census he is shown as a “boarder” with an elderly couple Henry and Ann Dorsett and their unmarried son Herbert (40) and daughter Matilda (42) on the High Street, Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire. Herbert was a journeyman baker while Matilda is described as a chapel cleaner. One of George Loveland’s fellow boarders, Alfred William Dodson was also a “Barnardo's Boy” and in turn was shipped to Canada in March 1914.

William Fearis died in July 1917 and was buried in Walsoken on 6th July. His widow, Eleanor Elizabeth, remained in Walsoken until at least 1931 largely on her own though both her son John and stepson, George William briefly resided with her on the demobilisations from the army.  When she died in the March quarter of 1937 however, she had returned to Poplar, London.

 Mrs. Loveland/ Fearis had two daughters with William Smith; Mary Elizabeth born on 16th September 1909 and Eleanor E. born June 1911.  Mary Elizabeth went to live with her Aunt Eliza in Leven Road, Poplar; she later married Leonard H.W. Hutchins there in the December quarter of 1932. The 1939 register records her living at 17, Constance Road, Leicester with her half-brother John Loveland and his wife Gladys Ethel (née Cunnington) who were married in Leicester during the December quarter of 1935.

 In 1921 Eleanor E. (Nellie) was recorded as an adopted child of the Coleman family at 19, Nene Parade, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The household was a Public House, “The Nene Inn”. The licensee was Henry James Coleman, who was married to Rebecca Ann (née Jackson). Also in the household were two sons and a daughter, one of the sons, George Henry, being married to Nellie’s half-sister Rose Emma.

 Eleanor married William Jackson during the March quarter of 1931 and gave birth to a child in the March quarter of 1933 only for tragedy to strike this extended family yet again. Eleanor at just 24-years-old died in Ipswich, Suffolk in 1936’s March quarter.

Finally, what is evident that in the face of all the hardship and loss this family suffered they steadfastly endeavoured to maintain family connections.  Desperately sad evidence of this can be seen in this request sent by Eleanor to the Army ---

  “---- can son be sent home, on leave, as sister is dying”.

Notes: - 

 “Bow Creek Mystery” -The Echo London 10th September 1903

1) Thomas John’s father Edward Loveland married his mother Eleanor Elizabeth (née Hawks) in the West Ham registration district during the June quarter of 1891.  As this cutting from “The Echo (London)”, dated 10th September 1903, reveals his death was both tragic and mysterious.

2)  Thomas John’s story and that of Arthur Wisdon Ervine, another British Home Child and soldier of the Canadian Expeditionary Force buried in a neighbouring grave in Manchester’s Southern Cemetery are covered extensively in these blog posts. 26th June 2019 and 11th November 2018.

3) William Smith’s first wife, Emma, appears on the 1891 census at 12, Morley Carr, North Bierley, Bradford, Yorkshire. It is likely she is the Emma Feairs who died in Wisbech during July 1897 and buried in the town’s Mount Pleasant Cemetery on 25th July 1897. Despite repeated searches I have found no record of their marriage.

4) Due to the variations in the spelling of William Smiths surname allied to the family moving counties regularly it is hard to be accurate concerning their pre- 1901 history.  The daughters Emma Rose and Eliza were born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and Cleckheaton, Yorkshire respectively. Emma Rose on 12th March 1887 and Eliza during the September quarter of 1896.  According to the record of his time as a prisoner-of-war in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany George William was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire on 17th August 1891. These detailed and well-preserved German records also state alongside his home address, name, rank, and serial number that he was captured “Nicht verwundet” at Lille on 20th October 1914. However, the birth details shown on them are incorrect as George William appears with his parents on the 1891 census aged 7 months, born in North Bierley, Bradford, Yorkshire (West Riding). 

Pictures: - Thomas John Loveland’s headstone from the collection of Tony Goulding, Canadians returning from the Somme, November 1916 by Castle, W.I. (William Ivor) - Library and Archives Canada -Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33407592  “Bow Creek Mystery” -The Echo London 10th September 1903 Content provided by THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive. www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.

What to do with the children? …… British Home Children …. a story only partly told … the talk June 10th

 Between 1870 and 1930 100, 000 children were sent to Canada, and placed on farms and in domestic service ….. the youngest were aged just 4 years.

Young people admitted to the Manchester & Salford Boys' & Girls Refuge, undated

Opinions are still bitterly divided as to why they were sent, the morality of the project and the impact on the young people who were migrated.

Emma before admission, undated

In the early years some of the children were those who were found homeless, living on the streets and potentially vulnerable to predators and open to petty criminality.

Others were from families who had fallen into poverty through illness, unemployment or the death of one of the parents and sought help from charities who promised that migration offered a better life and a new start for one or more of the children.

And it was children’s charities, along with the Poor Law Unions who offered the opportunity to participate in the scheme.

Critics pointed out that many were used as cheap labour, were open to all sorts of abuse and in the case of those sent to farms were cast adrift at 16 to fend for themselves.

In the absence of strict supervision some farmers failed to keep the promises they made to adequately feed and clothe the children or ensure they had access to a school.

To these critics the programme was the exploitation of young people who were powerless to protect themselves, an opinion summed up by William Edward Skivington one of the three Socialist Poor Law Guardians on the Chorlton Union in 1905 who wrote, “they were robbed of their childhood and of the opportunity of a sound education .... the emigration of young children for working purposes savoured of a traffic in child labour carried on between agencies in this country and agencies in Canada and children would not be allowed to go from the care of the Guardians to anything like such conditions in this country.”

Leaving for Canada on the steps of Manchester Town Hall, 1897

It was a policy which those engaged in the practice recognised was a cheaper solution to keeping the children in care.

But many of the advocates of the policy genuinely believed they were engaged in giving hope and lifting children from appalling conditions. 

Leonard Shaw of the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges argued that “some [children] would be dragged back to vagrant, drunken and vicious associations …. their only salvation for them was to be placed far away from the baneful environment of their early life … and supplied a colony with one of the other needs – healthy, honest Labour”.

Mr. Shaw was speaking in 1910 of the situation that he had encountered forty years earlier, when destitute children were to be found in many of our cities and towns, and while that scandal had pretty much vanished there were still families who were on the margin of poverty and some who had toppled over.

Application for a BHS boy, 1914

Today the arguments about the policy remain and the battle lines no less tightly drawn. Many who discover they have a family member who was transported are bitter and condemn the practice.

Other’s like me whose great uncle went out in 1914 aged 16 are more nuanced, and as the study of British Home Children finds its way on to University courses, and attracts more writers, the story enters the grey zone.

That said it is a subject which is still not well known.  More so in Canada than in Britain but still a story which deserves better coverage.

So, while there are a growing number of books and sites devoted to British Home Children across Canada, here in Britain the list is small which led me and Tricia Leslie to set up a Facebook site, where stories can be shared and information exchanged all of which will raise awareness of the subject. *

And added to the site I am back again talking to groups about the story which is the lead into my next presentation this coming Tuesday at 1.30 on June 10th to Chorlton Good Neighbours at St Ninians Church on Wilbraham Road.**

And beyond the talk  .... there is Home Children Canada which is "a proactive charity established in 2012, has been dedicated to elevating the profile of the Home Children and preserving their memory. 

Emma after admission, undated

Through diligent efforts, the organization has worked tirelessly to shed light on the historical experiences of the Home Children and to honor their legacy. With a strong commitment to raising awareness and promoting understanding, Home Children Canada strives to ensure that the stories of these children are recognized and respected. 

By honoring their memory, the charity seeks to ensure that the Home Children's contributions and struggles are never forgotten and that their rightful place in history is acknowledged with dignity and compassion".***

Location, June 10th, 1.30, St Ninians Church on Wilbraham Road 

Pictures; Young people admitted to the Manchester & Salford Boys' & Girls' Refuges, undated, Emma before and after admission to the same Charity, undated, party of boys on the steps of Manchester Town Hall about to leave for Canada, 1897, courtesy of the Together Trust, Application for a BHS boy, 1914, British Home Children, poster from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* British Home Children ....... the story from Britain, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1624406061006317

** Chorlton Good Neighbours, https://chorltongoodneighbours.org/ Wilbraham St Ninians Church, Egerton Road South, Manchester M21 0XJ, 0161 881 2925

***Home Children Canada, https://www.britishhomechildren.com/

Remembering those who crossed the Atlantic as British Home Children .... September 28th

Now for all of us who can count a British Home Child as part of our family, September 28th is a special day.

It is that moment in the year which has been recognised in Canada as British Home Child Day, and judging by the events recognising the thousands of young people sent from Britain to Canada, this year will be a very significant one. 

There will be illuminations, proclamations and exhibits as well as other “happenings” mounted by communities across the country.

As yet we lag along way behind, but I know there are people like Trish Leslie and others beavering away at increasing the awareness that it was British institutions which migrated children across the Atlantic from the 1870s into the early decades of the next century.

Our web site has been steadily growing, attracting interested people keen to know more, or prepared to share their knowledge and skills at tracking down British Home Children.*

Last year, one person persuaded a local authority to illuminate the Town Hall, while others were giving talks.

All of which leaves me to publicise the latest newsletter from Home Children Canada.*

Amongst a heap of interesting articles there is a full list of the events celebrating BHC Day.

And when you have read the newsletter I suggest you dig into the home site Home Children Canada which is a vast resource for those wanting to know about BHC.***

*British Home Children …. The story from Britain, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1624406061006317

**Home Children Canada, September 2022 Newsletter, https://www.britishhomechildren.com/_files/ugd/186d15_460bd16d3e374e12b6e4a6804ac22e40.pdf?utm_campaign=01a18020-3d51-483e-8bf8-2840d8183c5f&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=5bcec5e8-1b55-40b1-8dc0-5dc5575b9217

***Home Children Canada, https://canadianbritishhomechildren.weebly.com/

September 28th …… the day to commemorate Roger Hall and thousands of young people

It is now three years since Tricia Leslie and I set up British Home Children ....... the story from Britain, with the purpose of highlighting the history of the migration of thousands of young people from Britain to Canada, and other parts of the old British Empire during the late 19th and early 20th century.*

Young people at Manchester Town Hall, prior to migration, 1897

We were only one of two BHC groups based in Britain and our aim was to make more people in this country aware of that story.

And here I want to give full credit to Tricia who has grown the group from a handful of people to a membership of over 2,000.

It was always our intention to make the site somewhere to exchange information, put people in touch with each other and seek new ways of advancing the knowledge of BHC.

Abd we are now coming up to September 28th which is National BHC Day in Canada, and it would be appropriate if we could play our part.

In Canada this year the celebrations will be dedicated to Judy Neville who was the driving force behind National BHC Day in Canada. Sadly, Judy died a few weeks ago. 

This year also marks the 10th Anniversary of British Home Child Day in Ontario - spearheaded by Judy’s brother Jim Brownell.

Application for a BHC, 1914

And across Canada there are a series of events planned which include the illumination of public landmarks in red, white, and blue - the colours of the organization. To date these include The High Level Bridge in Edmonton, Alberta, The Calgary Tower, Calgary, Alberta, The Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls, Ontario City Hall, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, The Toronto CN Tower, Riverwalk Commons and the falls at Fairy Lake in Newmarket, Ontario, City of Cambridge pedestrian bridge.**

Now I fully admit that it is a bit late for these biggies, but perhaps following on other Canadian activities, members could leaving your porch light on or a light in your window for the Home Children, or perhaps the badge of BHC.

The Burial index administered by Lori Oschefski now has the burial locations of almost 5,000 Home Children from across the world. Those who wish to participate might want to visit the index, place your location in the search bar to see if you have a BHC buried close to you. Visit the grave, leave sunflowers or a token if you can. Take a photo to post in our BHCARA Facebook group.***

Alternatively you could down load or adapt our poster, and display it publically, as well as posting something on social media, or writing to your local paper.

Pictures; Young people on the steps of Manchester Town Hall, prior to migration to Canada, 1897, courtesy of the Together Trust,and documents from the story of Roger Hall, 1914, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*British Home Children ....... the story from Britain, https://www.facebook.com/groups/bhchildren/members

**Adapted from Home Children Canada, September 2021, newslatter of Home Children Canada

*** The Burial index https://www.britishhomechildren.com/british-home-children-burials

****British Home Children pins are now back in stock and available from Home Children.  They  include a  new crest for ironing on or sewing on. Canadian orders can be taken online at: www.britishhomechildren.com - outside of Canada, contact us at info@britishhomechildren.com for ordering and information. Ordering and pricing details are available on our website.

Manchester honours and remembers one children’s charity

Now it is rare for the blog to have two differentstories about the same event on the same day.*

The plaque, unveiled, July 20th 2021

But today it does, with the first story going out this morning about the unveiling of a blue plaque commemorating the opening of a refuge for destitute boys on Quay Street in 1870, and the second recording the ceremony which was supported by the Lord Mayor and a host of trustees, staff, and guests.

 

The Lord Mayor unveiled the plaque, watched on by the Charity's C.E.O

Liz Sykes, the archivist of the charity first came up with the idea of a plaque on Sunlight House which is on the site of the former refuge over a decade ago.

 But bureaucracy can grind slow and it wasn’t until recently that all it came together.

 The opening of the Refuge marked the first step in transforming the lives of a handful of boys found on the streets of the twin cities, offering them a bed and breakfast, before turning them out on to the streets again.

 Within a decade the organisers had expanded into a  ranges of activities designed to help young people and a full half century later could point to a whole series of achievements, from rescuing children  off the streets to residential and vocational homes,  seaside holidays, and involvement both in the courts and in legislation to protect young people.

Giles Gaddum acting Chair of the Trustees 

Today that charity still exists but is known as the Together  Trust.

Given the support of both Manchester and Salford city councils over the last century and a half it was fitting that Cllr Tommy Judge the present Lord Mayor of Manchester participated in the unveiling of the blue plaque along with Giles Gaddum acting Chair of the Trustees and the C.E.O of the charity.

But for me it was also the presence of so many of the staff at the event, which sadly was limited by Covid regulations.

The unveiling was followed by a reception in the Lord Mayor’s Suite in Central Ref.

I was there as the author of the Ever Open Door which is  the official history of the charity, but modesty prevents me from saying more.*

But I would just like to mention Julie Isted who commissioned the book, and had faith in a jobbing historian and Liz Sykes the archivist whose deep knowledge of the charity’s work filled the gaps in my knowledge and was always at hand to point me in the right direction, so much so that the book was really a joint venture and owes as much to her as me.

So that is it, one unveiling, 150 years of continuous care for young people, and a permanent reminder of of the work undertaken by the Together Trust.

 Location; Manchester

 Pictures, Quay Street, 2021, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*History is coming back to Quay Street …… today ....remembering 1870, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2021/07/history-is-coming-back-to-quay-street_044300205.html

**The Ever Open Door: 150 years of the Together Trust, Andrew Simpson, The Together Trust, 2020, 140p, £14-99. ISBN 978-1-5272-5671-2. Available from, The Together Trust, https://shop.togethertrust.org.uk/.

History is coming back to Quay Street …… today ....remembering 1870

Today at 11, there will be one of those events which the city should always remember.

The Refuge Quay Street, 1911

That event will be the unveiling o a commemorative plaque at Sunlight House on Quay Street to mark the site of the first home of the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges.*

The ceremony will be led jointly by The Lord Mayor and Giles Gaddum, Acting Chair of the children’s charity, The Together Trust.

It still beggars belief that in a city some called the “second city of the Empire”, which proudly displayed its trade links to the world in its brand new Town Hall and would ambitiously build its own route to the sea, children slept rough on the streets,  making a pitiful living selling matches, and shoe laces late in to the night.

But of course it happened and in response to the stories of children sleeping under a Salford Railway arch and another below an old staircase in a Deansgate entry, the Night Refuge for Homeless Boys opened its doors.

Its full title was “The Boys’ Refuge and Industrial Brigade” and on January 4 1870 it offered a handful of boys found on the streets of the twin cities, a bed and breakfast, before turning them out on to the streets again.

Within a decade the organisers had expanded into a  ranges of activities designed to help young people and a full half century later could point to a whole series of achievements, from rescuing children  off the streets to residential and vocational homes,  seaside holidays, and involvement both in the courts and in legislation to protect young people.

Sunlight House, 2013, site of the first Refuge

Along the way it also migrated some young people to Canada.

Painting; Sunlight House, © 2013 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,

Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk

Facebook:  Paintings from Pictures

Picture; the Refuge on Quay Street, 1911, courtesy of the Together Trust, https://www.togethertrust.org.uk/

*The Manchester and Salford Boys' and Girls' Refuges, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Manchester%20and%20Salford%20Boys%20and%20Girls%20Refuges

History is coming back to Quay Street ……. remembering 1870

Now in just a week and a bit's time an important bit of history will be unveiled on Quay Street in the form of a commemorative plaque to mark the site of the first home of the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges.

The first Refuge on Quay Street, 1870

The ceremony will be led jointly by The Lord Mayor and Giles Gaddum, Acting Chair of the children’s charity, The Together Trust.

It still beggars belief that in a city some called the “second city of the Empire”, which proudly displayed its trade links to the world in its brand new Town Hall and would ambitiously build its own route to the sea, children slept rough on the streets,  making a pitiful living selling matches, and shoe laces late in to the night.

But of course it happened and in response to the stories of children sleeping under a Salford Railway arch and another below an old staircase in a Deansgate entry, the Night Refuge for Homeless Boys opened its doors.

Its full title was “The Boys’ Refuge and Industrial Brigade” and on January 4 1870 it offered a handful of boys found on the streets of the twin cities, a bed and breakfast, before turning them out on to the streets again.

Within a decade the organisers had expanded into a  ranges of activities designed to help young people and a full half century later could point to a whole series of achievements, from rescuing children  off the streets to residential and vocational homes,  seaside holidays, and involvement both in the courts and in legislation to protect young people.

Along the way it also migrated some young people to Canada.

Boys on admission to the Refuge, date unknown

But it began with that one building.

It was on Quay Street off Deansgate and a quarter of century later Mr Shaw one of the prime movers in the shelter reflected on those early days.

Christmas Appeal, 1898

“In a dark little room on the ground floor of the house was a living room where meals were served.  A front collar was a living-room by day and a school and band room at night.  The back cellar, described as being dark and damp as a cavern, was made to serve the purpose of a bathroom and lavatory .  

The sleeping accommodation was almost amusingly primitive. 

It took the shape of hammocks hung out round the upper room from strong hooks in the wall, each hammock having two iron legs which fitted into sockets in the floor.    [and] when the boys jumped into bed ‘with a burst’ away went the held fasts and sockets and even a portion of the wall too, and that a dusty heap in the middle of the floor was generally the rest.

In the year 1870 there were some forty inmates of the Refuge.  Today nearly 500 boys and girls are being cared for and trained within the institution to a life of usefulness, while according to the last report issued in 1894 , not less than 2,595 children come more or less under the influence of the Society and its branches in the course of 12 months.”*

Those involved were motivated by strong religious convictions, but also by that simple and obvious response that not only was the plight of destitute and neglected children and an abomination but “while we leave the little children practically uncared for we shall never want for a fully supply of candidates for our reformatories, workhouses and goals.”

Emma... a success story, 1880s

The building had a short life and the organisation relocated to Strangeways but the scale of the problem was such that one refuge was not enough.

That lack of provision was highlighted “in the winter months of 1871 when three boys applied at the Refuge looking for shelter.

As the home was already full, they had to be turned away. Seeking warmth and shelter and being unable to afford three pence to stay in a lodging house for the night they had wandered up to the brickfields of Cheetham.

A few days later a newspaper reported on the demise of a young boy who had been burned to death at one of the brick kilns in the neighbourhood. This boy was one of the three who had, had to be turned away much to the consternation of the committee.

It was this incident that convinced the charity that they needed another building in which to receive any child in need of help, whatever the hour and this led to the opening of another on Major Street.

"Open all day and all night children in need of shelter could be brought and receive food and a bed for the night, whilst their individual circumstances were investigated. It ensured that no child requesting aid would ever be turned away again.”

And the full story of the charity from its inception in 1870 to today is told in the new book The Ever Open Door.**

The unveiling will take place at 11 am on Tuesday July 20th, outside Sunlight House on Quay St.

Location; Manchester & Salford

Pictures; the first refuge opened in 1870,  Christmas Collection Leaflet, 1898, Boys on Admission, date unknown, Emma, a success story, 1880scourtesy of the Together Trust, https://www.togethertrust.org.uk/

* The Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges A quarter of a century’s progress, Manchester Guardian, January 4 1895

**A new book on the Together Trust, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/A%20new%20book%20on%20the%20Together%20Trust

A story of British Home Children in 20 objects .... no. 2 ... Grace Ruth Sillett, from Susan Hillman Brazeau

Grace Ruth Sillett, born June 19, 1892, in Bungay, Suffolk, England, was one of 8 children of Harry Charlish Sillett and his wife, Margaret Ann (Mallett).  In 1898, Harry died of cancer, leaving Margaret financially destitute. 

Grace Ruth Sillett

Grace Ruth Sillett, born June 19, 1892, in Bungay, Suffolk, England, was one of 8 children of Harry Charlish Sillett and his wife, Margaret Ann (Mallett).  In 1898, Harry died of cancer, leaving Margaret financially destitute. 

Although she received assistance from the church, Margaret was unable to care for her children.  Refusing the workhouse, she permitted four of her daughters to be removed from her care.  

Grace, the only daughter sent to Dr. Barnardo’s, was admitted on May 7, 1900, age 7 years, 10 months. She was described as 3 feet, 5 inches; 44 pounds, shy, quiet and polite. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and a dark complexion. Months later, she went to live with a couple in Thorndon, Suffolk for two years. 

In 1902, Grace set sail for Canada on the Colonian. Days after arriving at Hazelbrae Receiving Home in Peterborough, Ontario. she went to Brighton, Ontario, where she resided for the next 12 years with 4 different families. 

When she was 14, Grace asked if she had family in England and Barnardo’s helped her make contact with her mother. In 1965, after 65 years of separation, Grace returned to England and reunited with siblings.

Submitted by granddaughter, Susan (Hillman) Brazeau

Location; Suffolk and Canada

Picture; Grace’s Admission photo to Barnardo’s

Getting the story out ….. in uncertain times

As we enter another period of lockdown, finding the most effective way of promoting the story of one children’s charity commemorating its 150th anniversary has been challenging.

The book, The Ever Open Door was commissioned by the Together Trust just over two years ago and told the story of the charity from its early days in 1870 offering a bed for destitute boys to a huge organization, offering homes, help, and industrial training for young people as well as an after care service for released prisoners.

Of course advertising and selling the book, will always come second to caring for the young people at the heart of the work of the Together Trust.

But the proud story of its 150 years remains an important piece of social history, and with book shops closing and opportunities for book launches disappearing, the Trust has become inventive.

The book came out in early 2020, just as the first lockdown forced the cancellation of two book launches, and now as we enter a second shut down which sits on the back of Tier Three, the charity has found new ways to getting  its history out.

And they have now launched a new online way of offering the book for sale, and for those interested in the book, they just have to follow the link.*

All of which just leaves me to lift the notes from the back of the book for anyone who wants to know more, before they purchase.

“In 1870 a ‘Night Refuge for Homeless Boys’ was opened on Quay Street in Manchester. Founded by Dublin born Leonard Kilbee Shaw and Manchester businessman Richard Bramwell Taylor, it saw the beginning of a charity that has gone on to help thousands of children across Manchester, Salford and beyond.

Over the years the charity has adapted to the changing needs of young people in our society, with its names reflecting these changes: the ‘Manchester and Salford Boys and Girls Refuges and Homes’, as it was first known, then ‘The Boys and Girls Welfare Society’, and now ‘The Together Trust’. Celebrating the charity’s 150th anniversary, the book recounts the stories and achievements of a pioneering organisation that has been instrumental in improving child welfare”. 

The Ever Open Door, Author: Andrew Simpson / Together Trust

Paperback – March 2020

The Together Trust, https://shop.togethertrust.org.uk/

Share your stories ..... making history today and all week ..... The Together Trust

This is the 150th anniversary of the Together Trust,  which started out as the Manchester and Salford Boys' and Girls' Refuges and Homes in 1870.*

And as part of the ongoing commemorations, the Trust has created an online activity, using Facebook, to share the memories of those who were in the care of the charity.***

The event starts today and runs for the week and will be exploring their 150 year heritage and sharing stories from the archive.

They “would love to hear from anyone who has been part of the organization, from former students, care experienced persons, family members or an ancestor of a service user, along with staff volunteers, community partners, or have been involved with the charity in any way and have memories to share."

If you can’t join the Facebook conversation,  you can send them a tweet, or an email by following the link.

Leaving me just to recommend their excellent blog.***

And to recommend the book commissioned by the charity to coincide with its 150th anniversary.****

Pictures; courtesy of the Together Trust

*Together Trust, https://www.togethertrust.org.uk/

**Share Your Together Trust memories, https://www.facebook.com/events/329865441580549/

***Together Trust Archive, http://togethertrustarchive.blogspot.com/2020/10/share-your-together-trust-memories.html#more

****The Ever Open Door, Andrew Simpson, The Together Trust, 2020, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-ever-open-door-150-years-of.html 

Sharing memories of the Manchester children’s charity …….. October 12th

This is the 150th anniversary of the Together Trust,  which started out as the Manchester and Salford Boys' and Girls' Refuges and Homes in 1870.*

It is an organization that I have been writing about for over a decade, and began when I was first exploring the story of my great uncle, who was migrated to Canada in 1914 as a British Home Child.

Now he was not from Manchester, and he was migrated by Middlemore on behalf of the Derby Union, but given that most charities engaged in the welfare of young people at that time, sent some to Canada, I reasoned I might find out something about the general programme by talking to them.

Their archivist Liz Sykes was very helpful and in the fullness of time we worked on a book commissioned by the charity to coincide with its 150th anniversary.**

And as part of the ongoing commemorations, the Trust has created an online activity, using Facebook, to share the memories of those who were in the care of the charity.***

The event will be on October 12th on a day when the Trust will be exploring their 150 year heritage and sharing stories from the archive, and they “would love to hear from you if you are a former student, care experienced person, family member or ancestor of a service user, staff volunteer, community partner, or if you have been involved with the charity in any way and have memories to share."

And if you can’t join the Facebook conversation on October 12th you can send them a tweet, or an email by following the link.

Leaving me just to recommend their excellent blog.****

Pictures; courtesy of the Together Trust

*Together Trust, https://www.togethertrust.org.uk/

**The Ever Open Door, Andrew Simpson, The Together Trust, 2020, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-ever-open-door-150-years-of.html 

***Share Your Together Trust memories, https://www.facebook.com/events/329865441580549/

****Together Trust Archive, http://togethertrustarchive.blogspot.com/2020/10/share-your-together-trust-memories.html#more

Remembering the 100,000 children migrated to Canada

Today across Canada , there will be ceremonies to mark the migration of thousands of children who were sent from Britain between 1870 and 1930.

They are the British Home Children and until recently their stories were mostly unknown, but in the space of just over a decade the history of that migration has become a serious area of historical study.

Along the way many of the individual stories have come back out of the shadows, and now along with scholarly research which fastens on the reasons why they were sent, and the impact on both Britain and Canada, there are the untold accounts of the children themselves.

Most of us with a BHC relative, stumble over their story by accident.  In my case I had no idea that we had a great uncle Roger or that he was migrated by the Middlemore organization on behalf of the Derby Union in 1914.

That small revelation has taken me on a journey of discovery, leading to a book, a series of blog stories, a facebook site and finally a lot of friends who also count a BHC in their family.

My Canadian colleagues will be well aware of the day, but to those in Britain I would ask that you look up British Home Children and explore the subject.

Location; Britain, Canada and other parts of the former British Empire.

Pictures; BHC badges, courtesy of Lori Oschefski, and the poster for one of the British based BHC sites.

*British Home Children, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/British%20Home%20Children

The Ever Open Door, 150 Years of the Together Trust ......the story of one children's charity

The Ever Open Door, 150 Years of the Together Trust, is now available.*

It covers the charity’s on going work with young people and has been issued to coincide with their 150th year.

I first got interested in the charity when I was looking for background information on British Home Children, because like many children’s organizations they migrated young people to Canada.

But unlike others they stopped earlier and migrated fewer than most charities.

They had begun in 1870 with a modest undertaking to take six destitute boys off the streets of Manchester and Salford, give them a  bed for the night and breakfast in the morning.

Within a decade this had expanded to girls as well as boys, a group of permanent homes, and vocational training schemes.

Emma before admision in 1913

Added to this they intervened in the courts on behalf of children in need of protection from neglectful or cruel parents, campaigned for better  monitoring of children who worked on the streets, selling matches and newspapers, as well as calling for legislation to protect them.

The charity provided holidays for those in their charge and even ran a programme of meeting ex- convicts, newly released from Strangeways prison, offering them a meal and advice.

And amongst all these activities they also migrated young people to Canada.

The book draws on the archives of the charity, including reports, photographs, letters, reminiscences, and other memorabilia, and is supplemented by newspaper coverage, and government documents.

Emma after admission, 1913

But above all what comes through are the experiences of the  young people who went through the doors, the dedication of the staff over that 150 years, and the changing approach to the care of those young people.

Pictures; cover of The Ever Open Door 150 Years of the Together Trust, 2010, and Emma before and after admission to the charity in 1913, courtesy of the Together Trust

*The Ever Open Door, 150 Years of the Together Trust, Andrew Simpson, 2020. You can obtain copies of the book from, books@togethertrust.org.uk But given the current circumstances there may be a delay in getting books out in the post to people.

The Ever Open Door 150 Years of the Together Trust ………

So, in the next few days the book will go to print, and the history of this children's charity will be available.

Cover design; Liz Ackerley

The Ever Open Door, 150 Years of the Together Trust, Andrew Simpson, 2020, can be ordered via, The Together Trust; enquiries@togethertrust.org.uk and Liz Sykes, archivist, liz.sykes@togethertrust.org.uk

Doing that anniversary thing ……………… remembering the 100,000 young people migrated to Canada

Now it is easy to get anniversary fatigue.

Young people at Manchester Town Hall, 1897 about to be migrated to Canada

After all most of us will have signed up to commemorations for events ranging from the outbreak of the Great War, to Holocaust Memorial Day, Black History Month, V.E. Day and many more.

And I have rather taken my eye off the work being done to remember the thousands of young people migrated from Britain to Canada and other bits of the old British Empire, purely because we in Britain couldn’t provide for them. *

This September marks the 150th anniversary of those migrations, and today as British Home Children has become a recognized area of historical study it is fitting that all of us should be engaged in promoting the event.

Beacons of Light poster

This omission on my part to have done anything for  the 150th is all the more embarrassing, given that I have my own relative who was migrated, and have written extensively about the subject, both here and in Canada, and have a book coming out later in the year which touches on that migration.

To be fair along with Tricia Leslie, I run our own British Home Child site on social media, have given talks and encouraged individuals to set up their own groups.

But away in Canada they have been very busy with a special project called Beacons of “Light for British Home Children & Child Migrants”, which "is an initiative started by British Home Child Advocacy & Research Association member Kim Crowther when she asked if we would sponsor a bridge lighting in Edmonton for Sept 28th on BHC Day to mark the 150 the year. Bruce Skilling secured a bridge in Calgary and I Niagara Falls.

Since then it has become a quest of all members and groups to find as many landmarks and structures to participate. Some are doing flag raising some are proclaiming it BHC Day in their city.  We have 37 supporters and counting”. ***

BHC badges

Of the 41 events today, most are in Canada, but there three scheduled for the UK, and one in Australia, and I know one member is attempting to get something organized here in Manchester.

It may be too late to get something organized for Manchester Town Hall, but there are plenty of smaller things people to do ahead of September 28th, including hosting an evening for friends, talking at a local organization or downloading our poster and leaving it in a public place, having of course secured permission.

Poster

Leaning me just to say that I shall be contacting some Manchester Councillors and dropping the anniversary into every talk, and walk I undertake from now till September 28th.

So, there you have it ………. Lots to do till September 26th.

Location; Britain., Canada

PIctures; Young people on the steps of Manchester Town Hall, prior to migration to Canada, 1897, courtesy of the Together Trust, Beacons poster and badges courtesy of Lori Oschefski, BHCARA, and poster from British Home Children ... the story from Britain


*British Home Children, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/British%20Home%20Children The Story of the Together Trust due out late 2019
**British Home Children ....... the story from Britain, www.facebook.com/groups/bhchildren
***Lori Oschefski, BHCARA, https://www.britishhomechildren.com/