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Record #5551
Name :
: Frederick RICKARD (1924 - )
  aka : Fred JENKINS
  aka : Frederick Farnhill


Father
:
Mother
: Winnifred RICKARD
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 24 Jun 1924   Notes : Source: Fairbridge Kids

Marriage (1)
:   Spouse/Notes : Joan
Marriage (2)
:   Spouse/Notes : Eileen

Date of Death
:
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, London, Hackney

Sep qtr 1924, 1b 630, mmn RICKARD, as Frederick F RICKARD (FreeBMD)
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: Nov 1935
Country
: Australia

Ship
: Balranald

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
: Barnardos

Agency
: Fairbridge Homes
NotesIn 1935, Frederick F. Rickard, 11, arrived at Fremantle, Australia, in a group of 25 children from the Child Emigration Society, The Strand, London, England, en route to Fairbridge Farm School, Pinjarra, Australia.

In an article written around 1993, Fred Rickard told his story to "That's Life" magazine:

"Mum died when I was 11 and, soon after, two stern women in suits came to our house. 'We've come to take the boy,' one of them said, pointing at me. 'You can't support three children on your own.'

Dad tried to stop them. 'You can't do this!' he cried, but the women just ignored him. They stuck a name tag on my coat and bundled me onto a train like a piece of luggage.

I was taken to the Barnardo's Children's Home in Stepney, East London.

It was a grim-looking building and my only welcome was an ice-cold bath in a tin tub. 'You're a dirty little boy,' the matron said as she scrubbed me with carbolic soap.

Afterwards, I was taken to an office where a man fired questions at me.

'Name!' he barked.

'F-F-Fred Jenkins,' I stuttered and the man consulted a piece of paper.

'That's not right,' he said.

'It says here your name's Fred Rickard.'

'But my father is William Jenkins,' I protested.

'He's not your father,' said the man. 'Your real mother couldn't keep you and the Jenkins family adopted you as a baby.'

It was the biggest shock of my life, but I never had any time to absorb it. From the minute I arrived at Barnardo's, I had to work like a slave. If i didn't I was ordered to strip naked and stand in the freezing-cold dormitory.

After six weeks, the master called me into his office.

'Would you like to go to Australia?' he enquired.

I had no idea where Australia was but anywhere was better than this place.

'Yes,' I said.

I ended up on a farm in a home for British orphans in Fremantle, WA.

Time passed. I took a job on the railways, married Joan and had two children, Barbara and Stephen. I never discussed my childhood. I thought it was best forgotten.

But after Joan died, I ended up marrying an English widow named Eileen. And when we visited the UK, all the old memories came flooding back. I told Eileen what had happened to me.

'Haven't you ever wanted to contact your birth mother? she asked.

'No,' I said the subject was closed.

Back home in Australia, we were watching TV when a documentary came on. It was called Children of the Lost Empire and was about kids who, like me had been taken away from their parents and sent to Australia. A woman called Margaret Humphreys had set up an agency to put the children back in touch with their real families.

'You should write to her,' Eileen said and eventually she persuaded me.

A year later Mrs Humphreys sent me some photographs. 'These are your stepsisters, Maureen and Peggy,' she told me,' and this is your stepbrother, Bill.'

'But I don't understand...'

'After you were born your mother married a Mr Dover,' said Mrs Humphreys. 'These are their children. I've got their telephone numbers if you want to call them.'

I called Peggy next day. And as soon as I said who I was she burst into tears. 'We've been trying to find you for years,' she wept. 'Mum kept all your baby photos...'

Eileen and I flew to England to meet my new family. All of my siblings were waiting at the airport. Maureen even flew in from Canada for the occasion and, today, we still keep in regular contact.

They've told me heaps about my mother and it's a comfort to me.

Even at my age, it's important to know where you come from." 
ContributorsCreated : 2009-03-13 20:57:56 / From original database

Additional Contributions from : mollipops1


Last Updated :

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Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  30 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
27034 ABBOTT, Franz Arnold1918ENG, DEV Oct 1928 : Beltana AUS Fairbridge Homes  
27033 ABBOTT, Harry Franz1917ENG, MDX, Hendon Oct 1928 : Beltana AUS Fairbridge Homes  
5493 ACOL, John1920ENG, LND, Hampstead Nov 1932 : Balranald AUS Fairbridge Homes  
21189 ADAMS, William1916ENG, WAR, Aston Jan 1927 : Ballarat AUS Fairbridge Homes  
27035 ALDER, John Harkis1914ENG, OXF Oct 1928 : Beltana AUS Fairbridge Homes  
20888 ALDERSON, Arthur1912ENG, DUR Jan 1924 : Baradine AUS Fairbridge Homes  
26974 ALEXANDER, Reginald Gordon1917ENG, LAN, West Derby Jan 1928 : Barrabool AUS Fairbridge Homes  
12114 ALLEN, Clifford John1914GBG,     Dec 1928 : Bendigo AUS Fairbridge Homes  
26426 ALLEN, Walter Bevis1901ENG, SRY, Kingston Jul 1913 : Belgic AUS Fairbridge Homes  
5210 ALSOP, Benjamin H.1929ENG, DUR, Darlington Sep 1935 : Duchess of Atholl CAN Fairbridge Homes  
5212 ALSOP, James 1927ENG, DUR, Darlington Sep 1935 : Duchess of Atholl CAN Fairbridge Homes  
5211 ALSOP, Norman Frederick1923ENG, DUR, Dunsdale Sep 1935 : Duchess of Atholl CAN Fairbridge Homes  
25270 AMOTT, James1913ENG, LND, Lambeth Feb 1924 : Euripides AUS Fairbridge Homes  
25136 ANDERSON, Muriel Helen1921ENG, ESS, West Ham Oct 1930 : Barrabool AUS Fairbridge Homes  
5494 ANDERSON, Robert1918ENG, LND, Lambeth Oct 1930 : Barrabool AUS Fairbridge Homes  
25616 ANDREWS, Gwendoline1914 Feb 1924 : Euripides AUS Fairbridge Homes  
25137 ANDREWS, Herbert George1912ENG, SSX Feb 1924 : Euripides AUS Fairbridge Homes  
25138 ANKCORN, Dennis George1925ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jan 1937 : Oronsay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
25139 ANKCORN, Emma Dorothy1922ENG, WAR, Birmingham Feb 1934 : Jervis Bay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
8780 ANNETTS, Raymond Douglas1917ENG, LND, Lambeth Mar 1928 : Benalla AUS Fairbridge Homes  
5413 ANSELL, Maurice George1926ENG, OXF, Banbury Nov 1938 : Themistocles AUS Fairbridge Homes  
5404 ANSELL, Peter Albert John1928ENG, OXF, Banbury Nov 1938 : Themistocles AUS Fairbridge Homes  
23615 APPLEFORD, Harry 1921ENG, BRK, Reading May 1933 : Otranto AUS Fairbridge Homes  
27036 APPLEGATE, Sidney Thomas1916ENG, LND, Hackney Oct 1928 : Beltana AUS Fairbridge Homes  
25954 ARMSTRONG, Benjamin John Emmerson1918ENG, HAM, Hartley Wintney Nov 1929 : Ballarat AUS Fairbridge Homes splmum , Pinjarra1929  
21149 ARMSTRONG, John Kenneth1915ENG,     Aug 1921 : Themistocles AUS Fairbridge Homes  
5496 ARNOTT, Anthony Robert1923ENG, DUR, Darlington May 1934 : Ballarat AUS Fairbridge Homes  
5497 ARNOTT, Michael1925ENG, DUR, Darlington May 1934 : Ballarat AUS Fairbridge Homes  
25271 ARTHUR, Frederick1913ENG, SRY, Kingston Feb 1924 : Euripides AUS Fairbridge Homes  
27391 ARTHUR, James Lafferty1940ENG,     Jan 1949 : Ormonde AUS Fairbridge Homes  
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  30 Entries