get to Canada House.Photo by Jack Weyler.
“There’s Trafalgar Square! Can we get over there?” A boy yelled out.
It was a feat getting all the children across the street. For the past several months, they had spent all their time at the home, except for their daily monitored excursions to the local day school. Nurse was thankful when all were in the square and safe for the moment. Her obligations were almost at an end. She pointed and said, “Look, children, there’s Canada House.”[2] If all went as planned, she and the master could catch the late afternoon train back to Birmingham.
Squeals of delight rang out as the children ran around the square. It would not be wise to take them over to Canada House until they ran off a little energy. Two of the boys were sitting by one of the lions and yelling for someone to notice them. Master waved to them and told them to be careful. A younger boy chased the pigeons, but just when he thought he had one, the bird flew away, leaving him staring at his empty hands. The three girls wandered off and were walking arm-in-arm, staring about and looking agog at all the sights. A small group of boys stood by the statue of Lord Nelson.
“Blimey, that statue is high! I wonder who he is.”
Nurse was about to give a history lesson but was interrupted. It was unfortunate timing as it was one of those rare moments when the children seemed to have forgotten their plight and were living in the moment. The master’s voice broke the spell as he ordered the children to form partners again and line up. A groan broke out, but they scurried to comply. He counted them first, then walked up and down the line, inspecting each one, pointing to the child as he barked out his orders:
“Button your coat.”
“Put your hat on straight.”
“Pull up your socks.”
“Tuck in your shirt.”
It was important for the children to look their best before going into Canada House. His job was to ensure that the Canadian officials had no immediate grounds to reject any of the children.
“Now, boys and girls, we will be leaving you soon. You must be on your very best behaviour. You are getting to go on a grand adventure, but you must prove that you are worthy of such an honour. The King and your country expect you to be brave. Do not disappoint us. Alright, my little soldiers, line up by twos and follow me.”
Suddenly it hit Marjorie — it was important for her to make a good impression because if Canada did not want her, then who would?
The children marched to the far side of the square and waited for their chance to walk across the street. They clambered up the front stairs of Canada House.
“C-A-N-A-D-A. It spells Canada.” The girl beside Marjorie pointed to the letters at the top of the wall high above the columns.
As she scrambled up the foreign stairs, Marjorie longed for the familiarity of the home. She pictured Joyce looking everywhere for her. What would she think when she found out she was gone? Forever and ever. She had wanted to get away from Middlemore, but not like this.
In 2001, Marjorie visited Canada House with her grandson Jack Weyler, sixty-four years after she had been taken there in preparation for her departure for Canada.
Photo by Patricia Skidmore.
Eight
The Last Tea Party
Sent o’er vast shores
A pocket full of promises
Hush-a, hush-a,
We are Brits no more!
September 8–9, 1937
The little Brits stepped over the grand entrance and into the Canada House foyer. Instinct made them look up. They were gobsmacked. The magnificent room was lined with several columns, large chandeliers with lights sparkling like diamonds hung from the high ceiling. Someone whispered that they must be in a palace. Another boy said that this must be the King’s house. With his eyes on the splendour and not where he was going, he bumped into the boy in front of him, who shoved him back and told him not to be so daft, that the King’s house was much bigger.
“Mind your manners. Stand quietly along the wall,” growled the master as he walked over to talk to a man sitting behind a nearby desk.
The two men glanced over at the weary group as they talked. The children tried to stand quietly, but the day had been long and difficult. Two of the younger boys slid down the wall, landing on their bottoms with a plop. Nervous giggles filled the hall. Nurse quickly grabbed the little mutineers by their collars and yanked them up, warning them to stand still. Master walked over and told Nurse to make certain that the children behave and that he would be back shortly. The two men disappeared down the hallway.
Keeping order was almost impossible. The day had been such an ordeal, yet the next several days would test the children’s endurance. That day’s travel was nothing compared to the challenges they would face before they settled in their new home. As she waited, Nurse struggled with the pros and cons of child emigration. Not all accepted the country’s policy of sending poor children off to the colonies, without their parents and sometimes even separating them from their siblings. Well — there were Marjorie and Kenny for example. It would be very difficult for their sister Joyce to cope with this loss. She had overheard a conversation between the headmaster and the doctor representing the Canadian Immigration Officials while she was standing in the hallway. The headmaster had argued fiercely against the rejection of so many children. She had not planned to eavesdrop, but it couldn’t be avoided. The last word belonged to the doctor, so there was little anyone at the home could do about it.
“I’m sorry,” the doctor’s voice rose. “It is all I can do. I have my guidelines. This group will have to go through one more set of tests at Canada House when they get their inoculations. If I let any riff-raff through, that will be the end of my reputation with the Canadian Immigration Department. And bear in mind that the Fairbridge Society is very strict regarding the age limit of the children.”
“Yes, but what about the children with younger brothers and sisters going? It is not fair to separate them,” the nurse had burst in, unable to contain her frustration any longer.
The doctor had simply said that in a perfect world that wouldn’t happen, but unfortunately, accommodating all the children and their needs just was not possible. To approve older children who would likely be rejected once they were in London would not be a feasible situation. He had promised the Canadian officials to send sound stock only, and that was what he planned to do. Sound stock and the right age group were his two main criteria. With British Columbia already having expressed fears of becoming a dumping ground for England’s street urchins, it was important to keep the bigger picture in mind. The society had plans to open farm schools in every province of Canada, so making a good impression at that time was very important.[1] If the “material”[2] arrived in London in anything less than a perfect state, the authorities at Canada House would simply reject the child then and there and send them back at the Fairbridge Society’s expense. “My hands are tied. I don’t make the rules. Now, please let me get on with my job, as I do not have all day.” And he dismissed her.
Nurse looked over at Marjorie. She had not moved an inch. The child’s
