The Forgotten Children: Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Britain's Child Migrants (Main)

By: David Hill

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Synopsis: In 1959 David Hill's mother - a poor single parent living in Sussex - reluctantly decided to send her sons to Fairbridge Farm School in Australia where, she was led to believe, they would have a good education and a better life. David was lucky - his mother was able to follow him out to Australia - but for most children, the reality was shockingly different. From 1938 to 1974 thousands of parents were persuaded to sign over legal guardianship of their children to Fairbridge to solve the problem of child poverty in Britain while populating the colony. Now many of those children have decided to speak out. Physical and sexual abuse was not uncommon. Loneliness was rife. Food was often inedible. The standard of education was appalling. Here, for the first time, is the story of the lives of the Fairbridge children, from the bizarre luxury of the voyage out to Australia to the harsh reality of the first days there; from the crushing daily routine to stolen moments of freedom and the struggle that defined life after leaving the school. This remarkable book is both a tribute to the children who were betrayed by an ideal that went terribly awry and a fascinating account of an extraordinary episode in British history.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:: 9781760638771
Related ISBNs:: 9781760631321
Publisher:: Atlantic Books
Date of Addition:: 04/25/20
Copyrighted By:: David Hill, 2
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: History, Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Education, Social Studies
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.