Thank you Helen. I did not know he was a British Home Child. My great-grandmother was one as well. (Mary Louisa Spencer). This background provides additional context to his early days and helps us understand his life trajectory as well. I cannot validate the steps after the war, however he lived in Haiti and Puerto Rico. His missionary background with the Seven Day Aventists may have played a role in these next steps. I understand that receiving religious education was a key component of being a Home Child and this may be a factor. I will make some adjustments to my story based on your additonal info. Most of my bio's are more focused on the individual, however I really struggled with this one. The story of the raid needed to be told. At the same time, Gage's history is interesting and compelling. In his later days when he counselled veterans of WW2, they actually took away his role because he was not an American. Thankfully they returned it in the final few years of his life. So much more to tell about the life of Private Reginald Gage!
How interesting that your GGM was a British Home Child! So was mine!
The context at that time was the Poor Law - which was not to support families in need in situ, but to institutionalise. I suppose the charities (mostly with a Christian Ethic) thought they were doing the best they could to help the remaining parent. We know some parents were informed their child/children was being emigrated once they were aboard the steamship! I read yesterday of one little boy who thought Canada was a part of his hometown he hadn't heard of or ever been to.
The child's trauma of being sent away, across a vast ocean and away from all they knew and loved would be received differently. The notable factors were that the children were without any real choice, sometimes sent to locations that were very rural and isolated, (if they were emigrated at the same time as any siblings, they were usually separated on arrival), sometimes to placement families who didn't speak their mother tongue, and most were stigmatised for being from a 'Home'. Very few spoke of their experience for the rest of their lives.
It's remarkable how resilient many of them were (and how determined the boys were to serve - significant numbers enlisting under-age - to get back 'to the old country'). I am particularly interested in those who served in the Great War - the survival of BAC-LAC records is fortunately comprehensive and are fascinating (in comparison they are much more complete than UK records - much of which were destroyed in the bombing of London, England in WW2).
Keep up the good work. We will remember them.
Helen, Volunteer Researcher for Home Children Canada, (Home Children Canada Research Group) The Service Index is searchable by rank and final unit. The enlisting unit is often in the notes but not a searchable term
Thank you Mark, an excellent write-up of the attack at Etaples. Co-incidentally, I was researching Private Reginald Percy Gage to fill in his details on our Home Children Canada Registry (# 65291) I can fill in some gaps where you have commented:
Family background: Reginald was the youngest of seven children, all born in Central London. Reginald's father died the year after he was born (and his mother died when he was 21), but by then he had been taken into care by the Church of England Waifs and Strays Society. At the age of 13, he was emigrated to Canada for indentured farm labour - part of a Government/Charities partnership to relieve the children's homes, workhouses, industrial and ragged schools of overwhelming numbers, and to supply the demand for workers in Canada. It was 'pot-luck' as to whether the children worked hard, or worked hard and were not given the education agreed/exploited/abused. They were inspected only once a year in their placement, sometimes less. Some gained a trade and experience, some ran-away, some died from accidents on or near the farm, some died at their own hand - most survived the multiple traumas and married, raised a family and served for Canada in WW1 or WW2. Home Children invariably enlisted.
Service: Reginald enlisted in 1916 and joined the 116th Bn., but was soon transferred to the 5th Pioneer Bn. He had defective eyesight (and was issued with glasses which were too strong). He embarked from Halifax on 12 Sep 1916 aboard the SS Metagama, and disembarked 22 Sep 1916 in Liverpool. This cohort of enlisted men (1916) received the least medical 'weeding' and the least time training, so were at a distinct disadvantage. However that probably 'only' affected Reginald in that his eyesight was not corrected by the glasses issued. During service in 1917, Reginald was gassed.
In early 1918, Private Gage was in Paris and is documented as having been insubordinate - twice - by refused to obey orders - and he used a threatening manner and language towards his senior. He received punishment 04 Jan 1918 - the forfeit of 10 days pay, and on 06 Jan 1918 - the forfeit 28 days pay. On 17 Jan 1918 he was transferred to be an orderly at Étaples, the McGill Canadian Military Hospital. So....Private/Orderly Gage was at Etaples when the Air Raid occurred
Thank you Helen. I did not know he was a British Home Child. My great-grandmother was one as well. (Mary Louisa Spencer). This background provides additional context to his early days and helps us understand his life trajectory as well. I cannot validate the steps after the war, however he lived in Haiti and Puerto Rico. His missionary background with the Seven Day Aventists may have played a role in these next steps. I understand that receiving religious education was a key component of being a Home Child and this may be a factor. I will make some adjustments to my story based on your additonal info. Most of my bio's are more focused on the individual, however I really struggled with this one. The story of the raid needed to be told. At the same time, Gage's history is interesting and compelling. In his later days when he counselled veterans of WW2, they actually took away his role because he was not an American. Thankfully they returned it in the final few years of his life. So much more to tell about the life of Private Reginald Gage!
How interesting that your GGM was a British Home Child! So was mine!
The context at that time was the Poor Law - which was not to support families in need in situ, but to institutionalise. I suppose the charities (mostly with a Christian Ethic) thought they were doing the best they could to help the remaining parent. We know some parents were informed their child/children was being emigrated once they were aboard the steamship! I read yesterday of one little boy who thought Canada was a part of his hometown he hadn't heard of or ever been to.
The child's trauma of being sent away, across a vast ocean and away from all they knew and loved would be received differently. The notable factors were that the children were without any real choice, sometimes sent to locations that were very rural and isolated, (if they were emigrated at the same time as any siblings, they were usually separated on arrival), sometimes to placement families who didn't speak their mother tongue, and most were stigmatised for being from a 'Home'. Very few spoke of their experience for the rest of their lives.
It's remarkable how resilient many of them were (and how determined the boys were to serve - significant numbers enlisting under-age - to get back 'to the old country'). I am particularly interested in those who served in the Great War - the survival of BAC-LAC records is fortunately comprehensive and are fascinating (in comparison they are much more complete than UK records - much of which were destroyed in the bombing of London, England in WW2).
Keep up the good work. We will remember them.
Helen, Volunteer Researcher for Home Children Canada, (Home Children Canada Research Group) The Service Index is searchable by rank and final unit. The enlisting unit is often in the notes but not a searchable term
Thank you Mark, an excellent write-up of the attack at Etaples. Co-incidentally, I was researching Private Reginald Percy Gage to fill in his details on our Home Children Canada Registry (# 65291) I can fill in some gaps where you have commented:
Family background: Reginald was the youngest of seven children, all born in Central London. Reginald's father died the year after he was born (and his mother died when he was 21), but by then he had been taken into care by the Church of England Waifs and Strays Society. At the age of 13, he was emigrated to Canada for indentured farm labour - part of a Government/Charities partnership to relieve the children's homes, workhouses, industrial and ragged schools of overwhelming numbers, and to supply the demand for workers in Canada. It was 'pot-luck' as to whether the children worked hard, or worked hard and were not given the education agreed/exploited/abused. They were inspected only once a year in their placement, sometimes less. Some gained a trade and experience, some ran-away, some died from accidents on or near the farm, some died at their own hand - most survived the multiple traumas and married, raised a family and served for Canada in WW1 or WW2. Home Children invariably enlisted.
Service: Reginald enlisted in 1916 and joined the 116th Bn., but was soon transferred to the 5th Pioneer Bn. He had defective eyesight (and was issued with glasses which were too strong). He embarked from Halifax on 12 Sep 1916 aboard the SS Metagama, and disembarked 22 Sep 1916 in Liverpool. This cohort of enlisted men (1916) received the least medical 'weeding' and the least time training, so were at a distinct disadvantage. However that probably 'only' affected Reginald in that his eyesight was not corrected by the glasses issued. During service in 1917, Reginald was gassed.
In early 1918, Private Gage was in Paris and is documented as having been insubordinate - twice - by refused to obey orders - and he used a threatening manner and language towards his senior. He received punishment 04 Jan 1918 - the forfeit of 10 days pay, and on 06 Jan 1918 - the forfeit 28 days pay. On 17 Jan 1918 he was transferred to be an orderly at Étaples, the McGill Canadian Military Hospital. So....Private/Orderly Gage was at Etaples when the Air Raid occurred