IT IS A STORY that defies belief. It seems inconceivable that a British government would order the migration of tens of thousands of its children to far- flung corners of the globe, severing, at a stroke, all connection with family, country and past.
But after the Second World War, ministers, aided by respected charities including Barnardos, the Salvation Army and the Catholic Church, did exactly that, emptying the nation's orphanages of a generation of children, some as young as four, who were shipped to Australia, Canada and other outposts of the empire.
My uncle was one of them. Sent to Australia and raped by priests into his teens.
It's not the first time. England has a history of trafficking kids. This needs it's own post and I'm surprised it hasn't been made more public-
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-shameful-secret-of-britain-s-lost-children-tens-of-thousands-of-child-migrants-were-sent-abroad-after-the-war-now-they-are-trying-to-piece-together-lives-shattered-in-the-name-of-the-empire-mary-braid-reports-1484622.html
My uncle was one of them. Sent to Australia and raped by priests into his teens.