The Little Immigrants: The Orphans Who Came to Canada

by Kenneth Bagnell

The Little Immigrants is a tale of compassion and courage and a vivid account of a deep and moving part of Canadian heritage. In the early years after Confederation, the rising nation needed workers that could take advantage of the abundant resources. Until the time of the Depression, 100,000 impoverished children from the British Isles were sent overseas by well-meaning philanthropists to solve the colony's farm-labour shortage. They were known as the "home children," and they were lonely and frightened youngsters to whom a new life in Canada meant only hardship and abuse. This is an extraordinary but almost forgotten odyssey that the Calgary Herald has called, "One of the finest pieces of Canadian social history ever to be written." Kenneth Bagnell tells "an affecting tale of Dickensian pathos" ( Vancouver Sun ) that is "excellent ... well organized, logical, clearly written, [and] suspenseful" ( The Edmonton Journal ).

Genres: History, Canada, Nonfiction, Abuse

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

We used Kenneth Bagnell's 1980 The Little Immigrants (and indeed, this here first edition) when we covered Canadian history in grade ten Social Studies (in the spring of 1983). And while in 2025, the often painful and rather problematic story and facts regarding so-called Home Children, surrounding the many thousands of orphaned (but sometimes actually not orphaned) United Kingdom boys and girls (with some as young as five or six years of age) being sent to Canada (as well as to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, but yes, The Little Immigrants is specifically about Canada) supposedly to receive a chance at escaping poverty and also for younger children to perhaps be adopted by Canadian families but that the truth of the matter was often in fact horribly different, that many Home Children ended up not just as indentured servants and workers but often faced much physical and emotional abuse, ridicule, ethnic disdain etc. is increasingly known and has also been more and more in the news, in the 1980s, these stories were just emerging and being brought to attention. So yes, that we both read and for at least two weeks meticulously discussed The Little Immigrants in class and that our Social Studies teacher not just encouraged but also demanded we consider what Bagnell was pointing out and showing regarding the Home Children programs as more than likely very much representing the truth (or at least a significant part of the truth) and not some kind of untrue and unbelievable horror story, yes, I did very much appreciate this then (when I was sixteen) and also still do now (and that I have since reading The Little Immigrants in 1983 always considered in particular Thomas John Barnado, his charities, his orphanages in the United Kingdom, and in Canada those institutions where Home Children were temporarily housed before being sent to their "placements" as problematic at best, although I also no longer vehemently and totally despise Barnado, his administrators and employees as I definitely and certainly did in 1983 since I do now think those charities were probably legitimately trying to help and support impoverished and destitute British children, but yes, that they collectively speaking obviously were unable and likely also at the same time rather majorly unwilling to prevent the children being sent to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa from all too regularly being abused, denigrated, taken advantage of and siblings often being forcefully separated with no recourse at all, no right to even complain).

So with regard to Kenneth Bagnell's featured text for The Little Immigrants, his and indeed entirely non-fiction words therefore concisely and clearly relate the stories of thousands of impoverished children who were sent by British charities and also by the British government (and supported by Canadian politicians) from the United Kingdom to Canada (see above). And yes, and fortunately so, Bagnell also in The Little Immigrants very seriously questions the actual intentions of philanthropists like the above mentioned Thomas John Barnardo, who, while certainly trying to solve the problem of children in their care facing poverty etc. in England, Scotland and Wales, also helped to meet a labour demand and shortage in Canada (that The Little Immigrants also and for me with more than ample justification demonstrates how the Home Children were resources and as such something to be used and exploited).

Now Kenneth Bagnell's writing style for The Little Immigrants is pretty easy to read albeit the subject mater being presented most definitely is not and is at times wrenching and also necessarily infuriating. And yes, The Little Immigrants was certainly popular for our class in grade ten, so while Bagnell has not penned The Little Immigrants specifically with a young readership in mind, style and contents are in my opinion more than suitable and appropriate for readers above the age of thirteen or so, albeit (and indeed very much appreciatively so), The Little Immigrants never once coddles potential readers either and leaves us asking how could this (and all the horrors etc. being shown and related by Kenneth Bagnell) have happened to children supposedly in the hands of and being supported and helped by government agencies and charities (and of course also demanding answers).

Five stars for The Little Immigrants from both my sixteen year old self and also from me at the age of fifty-eight, and with my only caveat being that since this book was published in 1980, there for one might well be more current non fiction books about Home Children available and that for two Kenneth Bagnell's bibliography does of course not feature any post 1980 titles and also does not contain any online resources either (since in 1980, there would of course not yet be any online resources or only very very few of them).

[Linda Barnhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in Canadian history or are unsure of what a British Home Child was, this is a good place to start your journey. A well researched book that the tells the story of how this emigration scheme got started in Britain and how from the mid 1800's to 1930, some 100,000 children were sent to Canada. Although there were many organizations doing the same thing and every church denomination, the author mainly focuses on the main three, Maria Rye, Annie MacPherson and Thomas Barnardo organizations.
This book really shows how our thoughts on child rearing have changed in the past 150 years and our attitudes towards child labour. The many true stories the author included from his interviews with these, now grown children, are fascinating. I am amazed that any of these children grew to live somewhat normal and productive lives. It isn't a fast read but I highly recommend it. It has certainly stirred a desire to do some more investigation into the subject.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I had to read for my studies. This was about British Home Children sent to Canada. It tells of courage and compassion and gives a vivid account of the plight of thousands of children. This book goes into a bit more detail of the philanthropists involved. The book does not take sides and acknowledges the different views of those involved. There are less harrowing tales but they are there. The book was printed in 2001.

[Brian Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read. This book is about sending children from England to Canada, to help out farmers, provide a means for underprivileged children to learn a trade and go to school. The book tells about the organization that started these programs and how they moved cared for these kids of all ages. When reading at the beginning their hearts were in the right place , although over the years with so many children I think they had lost control at times. There are stories of kids working from dawn to dark on farms and beaten or miss treated. There are stories of kids that were put in loving homes and educated and loved. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in early Canadian history. I can’t help but wonder though of the kids that were placed in homes that these homes never heard about the abuse of the child and never got him or her out of the abusive home.

[Lori Oschefski · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, one of the best, if not the best book written about the British Home Children!

[The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I happen to live in the apartment complex that replaced the centre where "Home Children" were received into Canada. A historical marker outside my building reads the following:


"From 1869 to the 1940s, child aid organizations brought more than 100,000 impoverished British and Irish children to Canada to work in farming or as domestic servants under the child emigration movement. Northwold, a large house once located here, was a receiving home and office for the Dr. Barnardo's Home charity from 1922 to 1948. Founded in England by Irish philanthropist Dr. Thomas John Barnardo and supported by governments across the British Empire, the charity brought to Canada more than 30,000 children aged 4 to 16 - more than any other similar organization. When they arrived, Home Children were taken to receiving homes before being placed with households that agreed to provide lodging, schooling, and an allowance (held in trust) in exchange for work. Promised a new life in Canada, Home Children were often forever separated from their biological families and sometimes denied their allowance, an education, and the comforts of family life. Many were abused. While some thrived in Canada, others faced stigma and isolation. The movement officially ended in 1939, although it took until the 1940s to completely wind down. Northwold was demolished in 1957 and replaced by an apartment complex."


Comparisons could be made between the 100,000+ Home Children sent to Canada and the 150,000 children who went to Indian residential schools in Canada. While most Indian residential school children were able to go home for the summer, Home Children had no such option. Moreover, whereas the average length of stay at an Indian residential school was 4.5 years, Home Children were here to stay. That one group has received only a small fraction of the attention of the other can be explained in part by the inability of the first group to capitalize on "systemic racism" and "cultural genocide."

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very comprehensive account of part of Canada's history that few people know about unfortunately. It is how Britain and Canada had an arrangement to take nearly 30,000 orphans or abandoned children and sent them to Canada as indentured ( read slaves) from the 1800s up until the Great depression halted the system. This was not meant as an evil practice as many of these children ended up eventually having a better life. On the other hand many of them were abused and severely punished.

This book is very well written and documents the organizations who sent children out to Canada as well as giving accounts of many of the children and their experiences. As well as the attitude of the general public to this children. Those children who were old enough during WWI fought in the war many of them sacrificing their lives for our freedoms
I highly recommend that if possible you try and get this book which was published in 1980 and give it a read.

I have read a number of books on this situation as my grandfather was one of these children.
He was an illegitimate child. His mother kept him for a couple of years but eventually placed him in an orphanage. By all accounts this was a well run place where children where housed in houses with housemothers and they were also given an education and trained in some type of work. He had to leave when he was 14 as that is when schooling ended. He ended up living on the streets on London. there a policeman took him to the East London Industrial School and admitted him for vagrancy. When he was 16 he was sent out to Manitoba, Canada to work on a farm. He was one of the few fortunate orphans who ended up in a good family.

[Annaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the second last chapter there is a short story about a girl named Annie Smith and her words sting with truth, “It was not, as Annie had dreamed it would be, the green and stately setting of Anne of Green Gables.” The story of “settling” Canada is not the fantasy that we are forced to remember. An incredibly important book on the thousands of poor, homeless, and foster children who were shipped to Canada between 1870 and 1930 to act as labours. “. . . Annie Smith lit the fire, got breakfast, washed, the dishes, made the beds, scrubbed the floors, arranged, the lunches, cleaned the barns, prepared the dinner, and then, if there was still light in the sky, went back to the fields with the hired boy to pick potatoes until night fell.” Annie was just 14 and for 3 years worked for a family that never paid her, even though they were contractually obligated to.

It’s well written and an engaging narrative story, each chapter leads to the next and but there is no finality, or justice for the victims, it left me feeling hopeless and depressed for a few days.

It’s an important book even though we don’t view child labour in the same way anymore, but we do have the same issues today of immigrant labour. Today’s landscape is the non-English speaking immigrants working in fast food restaurants. The loneliness is important to acknowledge.

[Lori Oschefski · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far, one of the most interesting books written about our British Home Children. Kenneth Bagnell does an excellent job in telling this compelling story of our over 100,000 British Home Children who were brought to Canada in these immigration schemes. The British Home Children Advocacy & Research Association, an organization I run here in Canada, is proud to be presenting Mr. Bagnell as our special guest speaker at the Black Creek Pioneer Village BHC Day Celebration on September 27th 2015.
For those interesting in our BHC and for descendants, you can join our very active Facebook group with over 2,300 members now! Found at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Briti... it is the largest group for the BHC ever. Expert researchers and BHC Historians are on hand to help with discovering your BHC story or to answer any questions you have about these migration programs. As well, if interesting in attending our event at Black Creek you can find details there. If not on Facebook, sign up for our BHC Monthly newsletter to keep up to date on new. http://eepurl.com/bawlJT

[Janet Berkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the often sad story of the immigration schemes that led to thousands of British children being brought to Canada between 1869 and the 1930s. Focusing on three of the main organizations, those led by Maria Rye, Annie MacPherson, and Thomas Barnardo, the author has made good use of interviews with home children and their descendants.

While I can't say that it's an enjoyable read given the nature of the material, it's an important one particularly for those researching their ancestors who were part of the "golden bridge".

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't nearly as hard to read as I expected, partly because the author focused on the overall story instead of simply giving one tragic anecdote after another, and partly because he included some positive stories, too. Still, the point is well made that the best of intentions, without understanding, can do a lot of harm. A sad episode in history, but one that is part of many Canadians' backgrounds, including mine.

[Artur Wilczynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting history of the thousands of British children brought to Canada. It is a story of compassion tinged with opportunism. What struck me is how these children were treated when they arrived in Canada. The abuse. The violence. The neglect affected children for decades. It speaks to how Canada and Canadians treated those less fortunate even if they may have shared a general ancestry. Well written and compelling read.

[Wendy Mazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long book but well worth the effort

Exceptional history of the child immigrants from Britain started in the 1800's continuing until the 1930*s. Both sad and inspiring at the same time.

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This book must have been a real challenge to research and write - published in 1980 it explores the program of child immigration to Canada from the UK between 1869 and 1930. The earliest records are obviously incomplete, Bagnell mentions this several times, and the early record keeping on the whole was likely left to the separate organizations that were running their own programs. Bagnell does not clearly outline how much and what kind of oversight the provincial and federal governments had on these programs or if he had a chance to read any of their records. I know they are available now via the federal archives, but they only extend as far back as say, the early 1900s to 1910s. And I think that, because many of the records that were to be found dealt with the private lives of individuals still living, he was not able to gain much access.

Because of these limitations it is hard to entirely fault Bagnell with much what his book does not deal with. His details on the lives of the 'Home Children' and their experiences on farms across Canada (though primarily he deals with Ontario and one Barnardo establishment in Manitoba) are pretty scarce, which I found really frustrating at first. He provides more life stories in the latter section of the book, but the presentation is very much anecdotal and the analysis is kind of weak.

Really, it is hard to fully comprehend this scheme of child immigration from a contemporary standpoint. The 'Home Children' were mostly taken from London's east end workhouses or off the streets and brought, via religious charitable organizations (were there any other kind in the late 1800s?), to Canada to find 'opportunities'. Mostly they were shipped off, singularly, to work on farms, with little or mostly, no, supervision of the adoptive 'families'. The organizations exacted promises from the families - that the child would receive an education, and would go to church regularly, would be properly fed and clothed and sometimes would receive a small wage when they finished their tenure - but there was really no accountability, so each child's fortunes were kind of left to chance. Eventually some supervision was placed on the placement of the children, once enough stories of abuse and neglect had circulated. But then children were shipped from one farm to the next, one instance reported of a child being shuffled 10 times in 2 years. Bagnell doesn't give enough of a sense of how commonplace this shuffling was, but I found myself wondering if anyone started to question the wisdom of this whole scheme at this point.

And this is where this book is just so interesting - who was it who cared about these issues and these children, and who was it who didn't, and why? It really seems that for the most part, even for people who wanted to better the fortunes of these impoverished children, it was conceived in a very abstract way, with little effort made to see if their ideal did in fact match with the reality that these children experienced.
The politics of this program is just so telling for its time. This book explores an issue, child immigration, that brings together the politics of poverty in late 19th century England, the dynamics of the UK empire and Canada as part of that empire, and the philosophies of childhood and childrearing (with an emphasis on work and discipline rather than, say, love) that were dominant at the time.
An important, but heartbreaking, story in this era of Canadian history.

[Colin Freebury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written. Well-research. Good descriptions of the social and economic conditions that gave rise to the perceived need to remove children from poverty in Britain and place them in tough conditions in rural Canada. Excellent study of one of the key figures in this story, Thomas Bernardo. Useful and seemingly balanced accounts of the experiences of a number of individual children.

While reading this book, I found myself thinking of the Canadian Indian residential school system, which was in operation for roughly the same period of time that British children were being brought to Canada to work on farms. In both cases, there was a prevailing mind-set that saw the children involved as unfortunates to be raised through discipline and out of sight from the more fortunate in society.

In both cases well-meaning individuals and organizations tried to make the programme or system work to everyone's advantage, as they understood what that meant.

And tragically, both involved wicked people who exploited and abused children.

Just one cases of cruel treatment of a British child on an Ontario farm, leads one to condemn the system and all the adults involved. But, then, you have to ask what fate awaited that child in a Liverpool gutter if that is where they had been left. And who was responsible for that?

So, a thought provoking book, with many lessons for anyone concerned with resolving social and economic issues affecting young people. A great read. Thanks to author and historian Kenneth Bagnell for writing it.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the alarming number of impoverished children who were brought to Canada, paid for, and set to work alone for years without much more than food and shelter. The good intentions of those who began this kind of mission were very soon not able to keep up, and a lack of accountability allowed many children to be mistreated. The personal accounts, though briefly told, help express what it meant to live a childhood like this — sometimes in good luck, sometimes in bad luck, and constantly vulnerable to the systems and forces around them. I don’t think sense-making of this history is quite possible; however, opening our awareness encourages compassion and understanding. Noting the extreme Canadian climates as well as the economy and psychologies of the day builds a framework into which these stories are woven.

[Stephanie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Immigrants tells the history of “home children” in Canada, spanning nearly a century of murky history to paint a vivid and impressive picture.

This book was well-written and accessible to any reader. I found it extremely interesting to look at the ins and outs of child immigration and I was impressed at how well Bagnell portrayed all sides of every issue he discussed. He did not shy away from anything and that is what made this book so interesting to me. It wasn’t a black and white picture, but one with all different shades of black, white, and grey.

I learned a lot. I will say however that there were an egregious number of typos in this book, which makes me uncomfortable in the editing process.

[Dianne Kaucharik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells of the heart-wrenching conditions in late 1800's England that resulted in thousands of children to be left homeless, orphaned and/or otherwise surrended by their parent(s) to orphanages. With the best of intentions, many were sent to Canada by Doctor Thomas Barnardo and others, to support families (mostly farmers) in what appears to have been conditions of child slavery (often accompanied by horrific living conditions and/or abuse) versus adoption. This is an emotional yet important story to share about Canada's past. Doctor Barnardo is covered extensively.

[Catherine Austen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad history, like all stories where people are given unsupervised power over especially vulnerable people. So compassionately told. I appreciated the way the author placed the stories within the larger context of childrearing of the times -- it's so easy to forget how much has changed in the way we view ourselves. Spare the rod. The bit about Barnardo's life was fascinating, too. Highly recommended history.

[Marie Birkbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always prided myself on my comprehension ability, and although I am sure there is a story of tragedy and triumph of The little immigrants: Orphans who came to Canada somewhere amidst the rambling one hundred word sentences extolling the thoughts, trials and tribulations of Thomas Barnardo, I had to quit reading at 51% as I just could not make sense or sensibility of what message was trying to be portrayed and by the time I got to the end of a paragraph I had totally lost all train of thought and actually began to think the story was more about the people that spearheaded the movement than of the immigrants themselves! ***(disclaimer - written tongue in cheek!)

Seriously I found it a very hard read. Am sure the author has never had a lesson in journalism or sentence structure, or perhaps he was a court reporter! Who in their right mind writes 100 word sentences!! and not just once? But numerous times!! As I said above, there were several instances where, by the time I got to the end of the sentence/paragraph, I had forgotten what thought was being relayed.

At some point I may go back and try to finish the book, This was a very sad time in our history and I cannot imagine the hardships and the heartbreak the families would have had to endure, or how those young children would have coped being torn away from their homeland never to be returned or reunited with their families. I wonder though, did any of the governments ever apologize and/or pay restitution for the wrongs they forced upon the several 1000's of young British citizens?

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart wrenching reality

There are times when I wished I never held a deep sense of empathy. This book was unending empathy for the fate of small children in the hands of evil people. It began in the visions of good people trying to provide a future for the impoverished, often street kids, in London and other large cities in Britain. They shipped boatloads of children to Canada to be placed to work for farmers...to learn the trade. Yet, those well intentioned agencies did not overlook the lives of these babies! Abuse and starvation of those children was rapant. Some were beaten, starved, abused and killed! This book only gives a small insight of a few! I wish I had never read it!!!!!!!

[Paula Singleton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Documentary - not a book

This was not what I was expecting when I ordered and downloaded this book. This is a documentary with basically the story and problems of importing children from England to Canada. Tells a lot of facts and the process that went on when some people didn't want the children to be imported into Canada and the problems that occurred from this. The book got boring about one-third of the way in and I had a hard time wanting to finish it.

[Ngu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shameful part of Canadian history. Well written.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

repetitive

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very dry. The middle part dragged a bit, however it was definitely interesting to read about the Home Children brought to Canada.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The immigration of children away from their homes and families is a serious consideration. I was only required to read about it, not live it, and I found the events quite distressing.

This book details how children were treated generally as commodities. With good intentions, adults seeing starving and homeless children in England, sought for solutions to assist them. This IS an admirable undertaking, and given the era, the children were understandably seen as 'workers' and advertised as such abroad.

There is a marked contrast between today's society, where not adequately caring for any child could bring about court cases and jail time, and the era this book exposes. Reading about Dr. Barnardos' immigration system, gave me hope that finally the children, would have adequate advocates.

It wasn't until more of the children's experiences were provided (after about page 200) that we hear their 'voice'. Before that, the general account of this book is about attempts to solve the underlying concerns, and move the children to Canada.

After reading, I was compelled to search the internet for more details, even confirming details. I found them, and gratefully a few accounts of positive childhood experiences. As a family historian, it was confirmed that it will be impossible to connect some families, at this time. Not knowing who, where or even when to search makes the lineage links nigh unto impossible. Therefore, encouraging all individuals to recognize they are of value is important, independent of their ‘start’ in life.

Reading this book caused me to think and ponder. Originally I gave it 2 stars, because it was distressing. I will change that to 3 stars because it affected me so much. IT IS an important, well-researched book about one way that Canada's population increased during its formative years.

[Caer Glas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty good history of the 80,000 children shipped to Canada over seven decades. Seems to lack a really strong theme, and I was disappointed by the lack of information regarding the Bernardo home at Russel Manitoba. Fine as a starting point for further reading/research.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough slogging at times but informative and very sad to think of what some of these children went through.