The third book by a Parksville retired teacher traces the life of Millie, one of more than 100,000 children brought to Canada over a 70-year span as part of the British Home Children program for destitute children and orphans.
John Grain's novel The Silver Pocket Watch: A British Home Child’s Journey is fictional account of real historical events that occurred between 1869 and 1939, according to a news release.
Following the death of her sister, Winnie Ormsby is left alone and penniless, raising her niece in the squalid slums of Victorian London.
Winnie and baby Millie find emergency shelter at a church where she briefly meets Captain Thomas Turtle. Following a series of tragic and life-threatening adventures, including the loss of Thomas’s wife, Winnie and Thomas marry and begin a new chapter.
The spiteful Vera, who had anticipated marrying Thomas following the death of her sister, kidnaps young Millie and Stanley, Thomas’s son, turning them over to the British Home Children program.
Thomas and Winnie search for and eventually discover that the children were sent to Canada and forced into years of indentured child labour.
At the heart of the story is the silver pocket watch, a family heirloom that weaves through the lives of the characters, providing hope and uniting the family over a span of five generations.
In Canada, Sept. 28 has been earmarked as National British Home Child Day in recognition of the sacrifices and valuable contributions of these children and their descendants.
The Silver Pocket Watch is available at the Mulberry Bush Bookstore in Qualicum Beach, Chapters Indigo in Nanaimo and Black Sheep Books on Saltspring Island.
The book will also be released on Sept. 28 at the Mulberry Bush Bookstore to coincide with National British Home Child Day. Net proceeds from this book will be donated to the advocacy organization, Home Children Canada.
