Empty Cradles (Oranges and Sunshine)

(Paperback)

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Subject of the film,Oranges and Sunshine, starring Emily Watson, this is the book that exposed the heartbreaking scandal of Britain's forgotten and abused child migrants, which has now been the focus of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. THE BOOK THAT EXPOSED THE HEARTBREAKING SCANDAL OF BRITAIN'S FORGOTTEN AND ABUSED CHILD MIGRANTS - now a film, Oranges and Sunshine, starring Emily Watson. 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 were told that their children had been adopted. In fact, for many children it was to be a life of horrendous physical and sexual abuse far away from everything they knew. Margaret and her team reunited thousands of families before it was too late, brought authorities to account, and worldwide attention to an outrageous miscarriage of justice.

Reviews

It is a story that defies belief. * Independent *
The secrets of the lost children of Britain may never have been revealed if it had not been for [the actions of] Margaret Humphreys. * Sunday Times *
A modern Florence Nightingale. * Sydney Morning Herald *
A truly astonishing, haunting, real-life detective story. * She (Australia) *
Brought tears to my eyes. It is impossible to read...without thinking "These could be my parents. These could be my children."...Despite the sadness and anger at its centre, hope remains the principle message of this remarkable book. * The Times *

Author Bio

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.