By Patricia Roberts-Pichette
Published by Global Heritage Press, Ottawa, November 2016
332 Pages
8.25" X 10.75"
ISBN 978-1-77240-046-5 (Softcover)
Emigration and settlement of young immigrants, known as home children, from the UK to Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries was and remains controversial. Some Canadians, especially those who are descendants of an immigrant who was exploited, harbour resentment against the whole movement, to the extent of seeking a formal government apology. Others take the positive view that in the long run these young immigrants were generally much better off on the farms of Canada than they would have been on the streets of Great Britain.
Patricia Robert-Pichette holds that tarring the whole home child movement with the same brush is a mistake. This book, the culmination of her 15-year study of the agency founded by John Throgmorton Middlemore in Birmingham, presents evidence that sets his agency apart from some others.
Using a chronological approach the book starts with an exploration of the 19th century social situation in Birmingham and of Middlemore’s origins. From the founding of a Birmingham home in 1872, the book covers the period of immigration to Ontario, the switch to the Maritime provinces starting in 1886 and the last group's arrival in 1932, subsequent cooperation with the Fairbridge Society and on to the present day. The history of the organization is interwoven with the stories of the children and others involved with the agency as well as the positions on child immigration of politicians, senior public servants and social activists.
Each chapter has extensive end notes, sometimes running to five pages. End material includes 12 appendices, 10 pages of references, and a 15-page index.
It would be ideal if a comprehensive database giving the long view of the young immigrants and their paths through life were available to assess Middlemore’s success. That’s not so. Many records have been lost or destroyed in the course of events including the Halifax Explosion of 1917. Moreover, once the immigrant attained an age where they passed out of guardianship, contact was commonly lost. The book draws on children’s letters, letters written later in life, Middlemore agency and government reports and files, newspaper articles and oral history, recognizing that each originator has a perspective and agenda.
What’s the measure of success? The book’s estimate is that of the 5,156 children Middlemore settled in Ontario and the Maritime provinces over 92 percent had chosen to remain in Canada at age 21; another four percent had left for the US or voluntarily returned to the UK.
If you descend from a Middlemore home child this book is an essential resource for understanding their experience. If there are other books on home children on your bookshelves this is one that should be added, and that includes the shelves of Canadian academic and public libraries. Social historians will appreciate the treatment of the conditions that resulted in the rise and fall of the home child movement at large, both in Canada and Britain.
Find the table of contents, information on the author, access to the index and details on availability at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/home-children/resources/1012045.htm
Note that this review is based on a pdf copy provided by Global Genealogy. Also that I have known and appreciated the work of Patricia Roberts-Pichette even before her involvement with genealogy and home children.
ReplyDeleteSome Canadians, especially those who are descendants of an immigrant who was exploited, harbour resentment against the whole movement, to the extent of seeking a formal government apology. Others take the positive view that in the long run these young immigrants were generally much better off on the farms of Canada than they would have been on the streets of Great Britain.
Hi, I have to respectfully disagree with your statement that those who want an apology from the 'Canadian' government harbour resentment and that these young people were 'on the streets'. You make it sound like it is a bad idea to ask for an apology. The British government and the Australian government did apologize because it was the right thing to do. In Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized Nov. 16, 2009, for the treatment of home children in his country.
"We are sorry. Sorry that as children you were taken from your families and placed in institutions where so often you were abused," Rudd said.
"Sorry for the physical suffering, the emotional starvation and the cold absence of love, of tenderness, of care. Sorry for the tragedy – the absolute tragedy – of childhoods lost."
Baker said he can't understand the Canadian government's reluctance to issue a similar apology.
Not all BHC were waifs and strays. Many had a home but were very poor. Grandpa was treated very poorly at the home he lived at in Ontario. He never learned how to be a parent because he didn't have any parenting role models. He had a drunk who beat him and even when he wrote and complained nothing changed.
He was not better off here in Canada. It is difficult for me to think that the children were better off coming to Canada. Grandpa's 3 brothers stayed behind and they did just fine.
I would like to see the Canadian Government at least acknowledge that they could have taken more account of the conditions and tried to make it better for these young people, not because I harbour resentment but because it is the right thing to do.