‘People thought we were scum’ – forgotten legacy of British children sent to Canada
“A lot of people thought we were the scum of the earth,” he says of the Canada he encountered upon arrival as a teenager in 1938.
George Beardshaw is immaculate in pressed Canadian military green, beret and blazer. On his lapel, a strip of medals is anchored by the French Legion of Honour, for action during World War II.
George’s appearance and his past speak to the service this Yorkshire-born veteran gave to Canada, a country he grew to love. It would love him back, in time, after a difficult start.
George was one of 115,000 so-called British Home Children transported from orphan homes to Canada between 1869 and 1948. They were used as cheap labour, typically farm workers and domestic servants.
Their stories of being routinely overworked, mistreated and abused have been well-documented over the years. Many died young and suspicions persist that some were murdered.
George saw service in France during the Second World War
Campaigners for the Home Children have demanded that Canada follow the UK and Australia in apologising for their involvement in child migrant schemes. When asked by Sky News if his government owed them an apology, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau didn’t address the question, saying only: “Good to see you.”
Today, George Beardshaw is one of the last surviving Home Children in Canada. The fighting days of an old soldier might be far behind him but this centenarian doesn’t shy away from the struggle to hear the word “sorry” from his adoptive country.
Asked if Justin Trudeau owed the Home Children an apology, he replied: “Yes, I think so. Yes.”
Sky News asked Canadian PM Justin Trudeau: ‘Does your government owe an apology?’
George was born in Thorne, South Yorkshire, in 1923. His mother sent him to live in a Barnardo’s home when he was a small child and he was shipped to Canada when he was 14 and put to work as a farmhand.
He told Sky News: “People thought that Britain was sending over some of the scum from off the streets of London, they all thought we were thieves.”
“Some got pitchforks through them. Some slept in the barn with the cattle.
“There was a furnace in this house (where I lived) to keep it warm, you know, down in the basement. But there was no heat on my side, where my bedroom was, and it used to get pretty chilly.”
Many British Home Children, when they were old enough, enlisted in the military to be sent back across the Atlantic and reunited with their families.
George joined the Second World War effort and was posted, temporarily, to the UK.
He told Sky News of the day he walked back into the family home in Yorkshire, for the first time since he was a small child, wearing the uniform of Canada’s Queen’s Own Rifles.
George in Canadian military uniform. He served with the Queen’s Own Rifles.
“Can you imagine? ‘Georgie Porgey’, here he is – 20 years-old, knocking on [my mother’s] front door. She didn’t know I was coming and she’d not seen me since I was three. When I went inside, people didn’t know what to say or do, you know, ‘Here he is, George from Canada’.”
He continued: “My grandmother was sitting in a big easy chair. As I walked by, she grabbed me by my webbing belt, sat me on her knee and she rubbed her face up against mine.”
Today, roughly 10% of Canada’s population is descended from the British Home Children. In a corner of Toronto’s Park Lawn cemetery, a memorial stands to more than 70 children whose remains have been discovered, in recent years, in unmarked graves.
A memorial to British Home Children at Toronto’s Park Lawn cemetery
The memorial consists of a block of granite with a piece of plate steel – complete with porthole – taken from a ship in the style of the vessels that transported children to Canada. Carved into the steel are the names of youngsters who died.
It was commissioned by the charity, Home Children Canada, which works to preserve the memory of the Home Children and to reunite families separated by child migrant schemes. It has led the campaign for an apology by the Canadian government.
The charity’s founder, Lori Oschefski, told Sky News: “This country was built on the backs of these children. It’s just a travesty. They knew about the horrific treatment.
“A lot of these kids were stripped of their identities. They were taken from their parents and they never saw their families ever again. And a lot of them were not even told about who they were and where they had come from.
“It’s human trafficking. It’s a violation of their fundamental human rights. They were put out on farms and… were often made to sleep in barns and unheated attics to stay far away from the families.
“Typically, for a young boy, they would be woken up at daybreak and work until nightfall. A lot of them were fed scraps of food. And when they showed any defiance, if we can call it defiance, they were beaten.”
The memorial lists the names of more than 70 children.
Home Children Canada has also called on Canadian authorities to include the history of Home Children in the educational curriculum and to honour youngsters who fought for Canada at war.
At the heart of its campaigning, however, is the demand for a formal apology.
“We’re looking for an apology from the government of Canada and one of the primary reasons is because Canada failed these children. They had a hand in in bringing them here. They paid money to the sending organisations to have them here in Canada,” Ms Oschefski added.
“Why wouldn’t you apologise, especially when there are other countries stepping up to the plate and and apologising and becoming accountable for what happened? We’re not looking for compensation in the form of money. What we’re looking for is proper recognition for the Home Children.”
George shows James Matthews his birthday messages from the King and Queen, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
In 2010, the then-UK prime minister Gordon Brown apologised for those involved in child migrant schemes to former British colonies. The year before, former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd offered a formal apology for its role.
In 2017, Canada’s parliamentarians passed a motion of apology for the treatment of Home Children, but a formal apology hasn’t been forthcoming from the government itself.
The Canadian government did issue a statement to Sky News, which spoke of regret but didn’t say ‘sorry’. It read: “The Government of Canada is committed to keeping the memory of the British Home Children alive so that we can all learn from past mistakes.
“Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada deeply regrets this unjust and discriminatory policy, which was in place between 1869 to 1948. Such an approach would have no place in modern Canada, but we will not pretend that this did not happen.
“In 2017, a motion was passed in the House of Commons, by unanimous consent, to offer its sincere apology to the former British Home Children and to the descendants of these 100,000 individuals.
“The Government acknowledges the injustice, abuse and suffering endured by the British Home Children, and thanks them sincerely for their remarkable efforts, participation and contribution to strengthening our communities and our country in the face of extreme adversity.”
Lori Oschefski founded the charity Home Children Canada
Back at the Parkwood Institute in London, Ontario, George Beardshaw was celebrating his 100th birthday. We joined him as he assembled friends and fellow veterans.
“If things improve with age, I’m getting pretty near perfect,” read the legend on his T-shirt and no-one was arguing – his friends and fellow veterans are familiar with, and fond of, the legend inside.
“All my buddies are in here,’ George told us, and he was duly serenaded with his favourite song, The White Cliffs of Dover. The Vera Lynn classic was sung by Grace, who happened to be a Patsy Cline impersonator. It was a mild incongruity but this was George’s party and it was what he wanted to hear.
At the age of 100, he still waits to hear the word “sorry” – officially. The hardest word comes with a hard reality. He can’t wait forever.
We see the boat from a distance – the orange of the life jackets reflected in the rising sun.
And as we draw closer, we can make out dozens of people crowded on board as it sets off from the shore, from a beach near Dunkirk.
.
There is no sign of any police activity on the shore, and there are no police vessels in the water.
Instead, the migrants crammed into an inflatable dinghy are being watched by us, on board a private boat, and the looming figure of the Minck, a French search and rescue ship that soon arrives.
Minck, a French search and rescue ship, shadows the boat
The dinghy meanders. It’s not heading towards Britain but rather hugging the coast.
A few of the passengers wave at us cheerfully, but then the boat starts to head back towards the shore.
As it nears a different beach, we see a police vehicle – a dune buggy – heading down to meet it.
Normal practice is for French police officers to slice through the material of any of these small boats that end up back on shore.
Sky’s Adam Parsons at the scene
Two police officers get out of the buggy and wait. A police helicopter arrives and circles above, performing a tight circle over the heads of the migrants.
The police think they might be about to go back on to the beach; in fact, these passengers know that most of them are staying put.
The boat stops a short distance from the shore and four people jump out. As they wade towards the beach, the boat turns and starts to head back out to sea.
We see the two police officers approach these four men and have a brief conversation.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
They don’t appear to check the bags they are carrying and, if they do question them about why they left the boat, it is the most cursory of conversations.
In reality, these people probably don’t speak French but they were almost certainly involved in arranging this crossing, which is against the law. But all four walk away, disappearing into the dunes at the back of the beach.
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We follow the boat as it chugs off in the direction of Britain, carrying around 50 people.
The Minck returns to shadowing its progress, but its job is limited to offering help if the boat gets into trouble.
Otherwise, if the engine keeps working, then this flimsy vessel will reach British waters in a few hours’ time.
World
IDF chief says conditions ‘created’ for Gaza ceasefire – as Trump says it could be ‘this week or next’
Donald Trump and a leading figure in the Israeli army have suggested a ceasefire in Gaza could be close.
Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), told Israeli media that “conditions were created to advance a deal” to bring about an end to the conflict in the coastal territory, and the release of hostages.
In a televised address, he said: “We have achieved many significant results, we have caused great damage to the governance and military capabilities of Hamas.
“Thanks to the operational power that we have demonstrated, the conditions have been created to advance a deal to release the hostages.”
‘This week, or next’
It comes as the US president hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington DC on a prolonged visit this week.
Mr Trump said his meetings with Mr Netanyahu were focused “on Gaza for the most part”.
He said: “I think we have a chance [of a ceasefire] this week, or next week.”
However, the US leader added: “Not definitely,” saying nothing was certain about the situation in Gaza.
Donald Trump speaks, as Pete Hegseth looks on, during a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pic: Reuters
Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a bilateral dinner with Donald Trump this week.
Pic: Reuters
Hamas reiterates ‘keenness’ to end fighting
Meanwhile, Hamas has repeated its message that it is committed to the negotiations but warned of a number of sticking points despite the positive noises from senior Israeli figures.
In a statement, the militant group said: “In its keenness to succeed in the ongoing efforts, the movement [Hamas] has shown the necessary flexibility and agreed to release 10 prisoners.
“The key points remain under negotiation, foremost among them: the flow of aid, the withdrawal of the occupation from the territories of the Gaza Strip, and the provision of real guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.”
Read more:
What is the possible Gaza ceasefire deal?
The man acting as backchannel for Hamas
‘One issue’ still to be resolved in ceasefire, Sky News understands
Mr Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff previously told a cabinet meeting that the anticipated ceasefire would last 60 days and involve the release of ten hostages and nine bodies.
A source close to the negotiations told Sky News that the hostage release would take place in two waves during the 60 days and was conditional on the ceasefire.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Israeli strikes continue
It comes as Israeli attacks on Gaza continue.
According to hospital officials, at least 40 Palestinians were killed in the latest attacks on Gaza – including 10 people from the same family.
Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis said the dead included 17 women and 10 children.
While the politicians talk, so many people come from around the world to try to get across the Channel on small boats. But why?
Why make such a perilous crossing to try to get to a country that seems to be getting increasingly hostile to asylum seekers?
As the British and French leaders meet, with small boats at the forefront of their agenda, we came to northern France to get some answers.
It is not a new question, but it is peppered with fresh relevance.
Over the course of a morning spent around a migrant camp in Dunkirk, we meet migrants from Gaza, Iraq, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and beyond.
Some are fearful, waving us away; some are happy to talk. Very few are comfortable to be filmed.
All but one man – who says he’s come to the wrong place and actually wants to claim asylum in Paris – are intent on reaching Britain.
They see the calm seas, feel the light winds – perfect conditions for small boat crossings.
John has come here from South Sudan. He tells me he’s now 18 years old. He left his war-torn home nation just before his 16th birthday. He feels that reaching Britain is his destiny.
“England is my dream country,” he says. “It has been my dream since I was at school. It’s the country that colonised us and when I get there, I will feel like I am home.
“In England, they can give me an opportunity to succeed or to do whatever I need to do in my life. I feel like I am an English child, who was born in Africa.”
‘England is my dream country,’ John tells Adam Parsons
He says he would like to make a career in England, either as a journalist or in human resources, and, like many others we meet, is at pains to insist he will work hard.
The boat crossing is waved away as little more than an inconvenience – a trifle compared with the previous hardships of his journey towards Britain.
We meet a group of men who have all travelled from Gaza, intent on starting new lives in Britain and then bringing their families over to join them.
One man, who left Gaza two years ago, tells me that his son has since been shot in the leg “but there is no hospital for him to go to”.
Next to him, a man called Abdullah says he entered Europe through Greece and stayed there for months on end, but was told the Greek authorities would never allow him to bring over his family.
Britain, he thinks, will be more accommodating. “Gaza is being destroyed – we need help,” he says.
Abdullah says ‘Gaza is being destroyed – we need help’
A man from Eritrea tells us he is escaping a failing country and has friends in Britain – he plans to become a bicycle courier in either London or Manchester.
He can’t stay in France, he says, because he doesn’t speak French. The English language is presented as a huge draw for many of the people we talk to, just as it had been during similar conversations over the course of many years.
I ask many of these people why they don’t want to stay in France, or another safe European country.
Some repeat that they cannot speak the language and feel ostracised. Another says that he tried, and failed, to get a residency permit in both France and Belgium.
But this is also, clearly, a flawed survey. Last year, five times as many people sought asylum in France as in Britain.
And French critics have long insisted that Britain, a country without a European-style ID card system, makes itself attractive to migrants who can “disappear”.
Read more:
Channel crossings rise 50% in first six months of 2025
French police forced to watch on as migrants attempt crossing
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Migrant Channel crossings hit new record
A young man from Iraq, with absolutely perfect English, comes for a chat. He oozes confidence and a certain amount of mischief.
It has taken him only seven days to get from Iraq to Dunkirk; when I ask how he has made the trip so quickly, he shrugs. “Money talks”.
He looks around him. “Let me tell you – all of these people you see around you will be getting to Britain and the first job they get will be in the black market, so they won’t be paying any tax.
“Back in the day in Britain, they used to welcome immigrants very well, but these days I don’t think they want to, because there’s too many of them coming by boat. Every day it’s about seven or 800 people. That’s too many people.”
“But,” I ask, “if those people are a problem – then what makes you different? Aren’t you a problem too?”
He shakes his head emphatically. “I know that I’m a very good guy. And I won’t be a problem. I’ll only stay in Britain for a few years and then I’ll leave again.”
A man from Sri Lanka says he “will feel safe” when he gets to Britain; a tall, smiling man from Ethiopia echoes the sentiment: “We are not safe in our home country so we have come all this way,” he says. “We want to work, to be part of Britain.”
Emmanuel is another from South Sudan – thoughtful and eloquent. He left his country five years ago – “at the start of COVID” – and has not seen his children in all that time. His aim is to start a new life in Britain, and then to bring his family to join him.
He is a trained electrical engineer, but says he could also work as a lorry driver. He is adamant that Britain has a responsibility to the people of its former colony.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
“The British came to my country – colonising, killing, raping,” he said. “And we didn’t complain. We let it happen.
“I am not the problem. I won’t fight anyone; I want to work. And if I break the laws – if any immigrant breaks the laws – then fine, deport them.
“I know it won’t be easy – some people won’t like me, some people will. But England is my dream.”
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