Empty Cradles
Empty Cradles by Margaret Humphreys, published by Corgi Books on April 13, 2009, is a poignant exploration of a significant yet overlooked chapter in British history. This 384-page book recounts Humphreys’ journey as a social worker who, in 1986, investigates the case of a woman claiming to have been sent to Australia as a child by the British government. What begins as a single story unfolds into a broader narrative revealing the deportation of approximately 150,000 children from British children’s homes to distant parts of the Empire, often under false pretenses regarding their families.
Readers will find a detailed account of Humphreys’ relentless pursuit of truth and justice, as she uncovers the harrowing experiences faced by these children, many of whom suffered severe abuse. The book delves into the complexities of social history and public policy, highlighting the impact of governmental and institutional failures. Through her mission to reunite these individuals with their families, Humphreys not only sheds light on a dark past but also offers a message of hope for the victims of this scandal. Empty Cradles serves as a critical examination of historical injustices, making it a significant contribution to the discourse on social history and human rights.
Official synopsis Publisher
EMPTY CRADLES is a powerful testament to an ordinary woman’s astonishing dedication, compassion and stubborn courage.
In 1986 Margaret Humphreys, a Nottingham social worker and mother of two, investigated the case of a woman who claimed that, at the age of four, she had been put on a boat to Australia by the British government. At first incredulous, Margaret Humphreys soon discovered that this woman’s story was just the tip of an enormous iceberg. As many as an estimated 150,000 children had in fact been deported from children’s homes in Britian and shipped off to a ‘new life’ in distant parts of the Empire – the last as recently as 1967.
Many of the children were told that their parents were dead. Their parents, too, were often deceived; many believed that their children had been adopted in Britain. The reality was very different- for numerous children it was to be a life of horrendous physical and sexual abuse in institutions in Western Australia and elsewhere.
Margaret Humphreys reveals how she gradually unravelled this shocking secret; how she became drawn into the lives of some of these innocent and unwilling exiles, how it became her mission to reunite them with their families in Britain, and how her lonely crusade led to the founding of the Child Migrants Trust.
EMPTY CRADLES is a strong indictment of government, as well as charitable and religious organisations. It is a sad, harrowing story that will move the reader to anger and tears. Yet it offers a message of hope to all the victims of a shameful scandal that has been ignored for too long.
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