Letter from Barnardo's Christopher Goldstone

Date: 24 Nov 1982 [unknown]
Location: Essex, England, United Kingdom

Letter from Barnardo's Christopher Goldstone - the copy of the letter was on fax paper and the ink was fading. The letter has been transcribed here.

Barnardo’s

Dr. Barnardo’s (a Company Limited by guarantee)

Re. Office: Tanners Lane, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex 1G6 1QG

Reg. No. 61625 England

ACS/AL/SCC

24th November, 1982.

Dear Mrs. Stevenson,

Further to our acknowledgement of your enquiry concerning your father, Christopher Goldstone, we have now been able to consult our records and find that he and his brother, Herbert were admitted to our care on the 25th April, 1910.

We were informed that your father was born on the 26th September, 1909 at East Ham and Herbert on the 3rd April, 1907 also at East Ham. Their mother, Catherine Goldstone, aged 39, and their father, Charles Hammond George, a married man, had lived together for 13 years.

Following their father’s death from cerebral haemorrhage on the 4th April, 1910, your grandmother found it very difficult to maintain her four children and she sought our help. She felt that if we could admit two of the family that she would be able to get work and support the others. A brother, Horace, aged 6 and sister, Edith, aged 12 remained with your grandmother, who was then living at 100 Rutland Road, Catherine Road, East Ham. She was said to be in good health, hard working, honest and of good character.

It was stated that your father and his brother were registered in their father’s name of George. Their father had been a gardener and it is stated that he was formerly quite comfortably situated, but unfortunately he drank heavily and eventually was unemployed. There are entries showing that your grandmother kept in touch for a short time after her sons were admitted to our care, but we have no later information concerning her or of their brother and sister.

After admission your father and uncle were placed in foster homes, first at Leytonstone at East London and then at Necton in Norfolk and Cotton, possibly in Cambridgeshire. They returned to our Home which was then known as the Boys’ Garden City at Woodford on the 30th August, 1920 and sailed for Canada on the 24th September, 1920 on the s.s. “Scandinavian”, which arrived in Quebec on the 3rd October.

The first recorded address we have for your father in Canada is with Mr. James Harris of Uxbridge, Ontario. He was visited there by one of our Representatives in December 1920, January 1923, October 1924 and Semptember 1926 and in October 1928 your father told our Representative that his brother, Herbert had gone to work for Sir Joseph Flaville at Oakhill. There is also an entry in December 1930 stating that your father was anxious to have information concerning his relatives in England, but there is no record of what information was passed to him.

There is no later address for his brother, Herbert, so I am afraid we cannot let you know how he progressed after your father lost contact with him.

You mention that your father was with a Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, but it could well be that the names have become confused over the years.