Oranges and Sunshine: Empty Cradles

Margaret Humphreys

Oct 2011 · Random House

About this ebook

Also published as Empty Cradles.

In 1986 Margaret Humphreys, a Nottingham social worker, investigated a woman's claim that, aged four, she had been put on a boat to Australia by the British government. At first incredulous, Margaret discovered that this was just the tip of an enormous iceberg. Up to 150,000 children, some as young as three years old, had been deported from children's homes in Britain and shipped off to a 'new life' in distant parts of the Empire, right up until as recently as 1970.

Many were told that their parents were dead, and parents often believed that their children had been adopted in Britain. In fact, for many children it was to be a life of horrendous physical and sexual abuse far away from everything they knew. Margaret reveals how she unravelled this shocking secret and how it became her mission to reunite these innocent and unwilling exiles with their families in Britain before it was too late.

Ratings and reviews

An excellent non-fiction to read. It is very emotional, eye opening and very well written. There significant cause to ask 'why and how could these events happen' , especially to so many children and families. It also presents the love of people and determination of one person who changed many lives. I definitely recommend this book to all.

A fascinating and disturbing story, but the writing is just average.

Hard to put down, unbelievable that this was done to the children who are the same age as me.

About the author

Margaret Humphreys is the Director and founder of the Child Migrants Trust, supported by Nottinghamshire County Council. For her services on behalf of the child migrants, she was awarded the Order of Australia - one of only a few Britons ever to have been so honoured, and she was appointed CBE in the 2011 New Year Honours list . She lives in Nottingham with her husband and two children.