2015 saw the release of The Ballads of Child Migration: Songs for Britain’s Child Migrants, a specially commissioned collection of fourteen songs by leading British folk musicians which brought a focus and public awareness to a dark chapter of social history.
As Helen stated in the opening of her album review: Often children, some as young as three, were uprooted without their parents’ knowledge or consent and shipped around the Commonwealth: those many nations invaded and settled by force, generally for the purposes of exploitation of the indigenous peoples and natural resources. The many and varied abuses implicit in the enforced migration – deportation – of children from Britain were tacitly legitimised as part of this shameful exercising of colonial power and it’s a side of white imperialism which is often overlooked by those who write the history books.
“Britain is the only country in the world with a sustained history of child migration. Only Britain has used child migration as a significant part of its child care strategy over a period of four centuries rather than as a policy of last resort during times of war or civil unrest”. Child Migrants Trust
Watch: Ballads of Child Migration performance at BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2017 at The Royal Albert Hall, London.
In November 2018, a collective of brilliant and respected musicians and singers are taking to the road to tell the moving story of Britain’s forced child migrants. They include an All-star cast with award-winning folk artists: John McCusker, Michael McGoldrick, Boo Hewerdine, O’Hooley & Tidow, Chris While, Julie Matthews, John Doyle, Jez Lowe, Andy Seward and Andy Cutting.* Narrated by Barbara Dickson.
The concert, presented as a series of songs, narration, slides, audio and film clips, premiered at last year’s Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, where it was described as “without doubt the most memorable concert of the festival.”
The songs in this concert were recently heard as part of a major BBC Radio 2 dramatisation of Michael Morpurgo’s book Alone on a Wide Wide Sea, which deals with the same subject. The radio drama, including the music, starred Toby Jones and Jason Donovan and reached an estimated audience of 6 million listeners.
Forced child migration is a little known and dark part of the history of Britain. More than 100,000 children from Britain were sent overseas (to places including Australia and Canada) with the promise of finding a better life. Some did find the happy lives they longed for; many others found only hardship, abuse and loneliness.
The Ballads of Child Migration is a tribute to those children, some of whom were sent abroad as recently as 1970.
After each concert there will be a short Q&A session where members of the audience can ask questions of the performers and other experts about child migration.
“We have only praise and commendation for The Ballads of Child Migration” – Folk Radio UK
This tour is supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and is produced by 7digital – the digital music and radio services company that also produced the BBC Radio version of Alone on a Wide Wide Sea.
The Ballad of Child Migration November 2018 Tour
Monday 12th – Folk In The Barn, Gulbenkian, Canterbury
Tuesday 13th – Saint James Church, Clerkenwell, London
Wednesday 14th – Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Thursday 15th – The Albert Hall, Nottingham
Friday 16th – Floral Hall, Southport
Tickets available from www.ticketline.co.uk / 0844 888 9991 from this Friday 8th June (For Gulbenkian – www.thegulbenkian.co.uk / 01227 831 493)
* The producers reserve the right to change the lineup.