Empty Cradles cover art

Empty Cradles

Oranges and Sunshine

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Empty Cradles

By: Margaret Humphreys
Narrated by: Emily Watson
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About this listen

Now a major film, the book that exposed the scandal of Britain's forgotten and abused child migrants.

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 and brought authorities to account and worldwide attention to an outrageous miscarriage of justice.

©2011 Margaret Humphries (P)2020 W. F. Howes Abductions, Kidnapping & Missing Persons Europe Great Britain True Crime England Disappearance

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Critic 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)
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I read this book many years ago and it's always the book I recommend to my friends. I was delighted to see it in audiobook and decided to revisit it. its beautifully read, and the tale is just as shocking.

heartbreaking but absorbing

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enjoyed it thoroughly
shocking that this went on
disgusting that government didn't take accountability

excellent

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My heart broke for all these people and their families. Fir the children they were, for the sons and daughters they were and for the lives they had stolen from them.

How could this happen?

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I knew about these children, many of whom would be my age. The fact that religious organisations were involved in their removal from Britain and the subsequent mistreatment and abuse that many of them suffered is a disgrace which should never be forgotten. Such people should never have been given access to these frightened and vulnerable children. Although many, perhaps the majority, of these people are now dead and will therefore never be brought to justice, they will surely be judged by the God they claim to love and serve.

Government sanctioned cruelty

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A part of our history that I never knew existed and enjoyable listen whilst also feeling informed and educated.
Well narrated performance with appropriate tone.

Tangible history

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The author conveys the emotional journey she experienced in a sensitive but very compelling way

Very moving

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I loved the book, everyone needs to listen. Well done Margaret!
One niggle is that chapter 39 wasn't the best and could perhaps have been trimmed.

Shocking story

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moving , tragically sad . amazing human storyline, discust in our so called establishment s . how people went to do much trouble and lies to cover the horrors of decades of poor children

injustice of the whole scheme

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I didn't really know too much about this awful period of history as it's never really explored in the Uk, despite us being a massive part of it & the subsequent cover up.

Well done to all concerned for their dogged determination to get answers, & to reunite as many families as possible.
How sad & tragic that so many have been hindered in their attempts to find long lost mothers, fathers, siblings & other family members that were so cruelly taken from them years ago.

They say we learn from history but I'm not so sure.

Fascinating.

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Shocking what happened in the past but a great book to find out about it

A must read

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