William Francis Conabree, an ordinary man with an
extraordinary story, sat down one day in 1952 and wrote an account of his life
as one of Canada’s British Home Children. When he finished, he folded the
sheets of paper and stuck them in a drawer.
He died.
His daughter retrieved the
story and put it in her bureau drawer.
Decades passed. William’s daughter died.
Her family, while clearing her home, found the crumpled sheets of paper that
contained William’s story. They almost went in the trash.
William had titled his story, “Believe me Friends, it’s the
Truth.” He didn’t write about his experiences as a POW in WWI. That would have
made an interesting story. He was interred with Con Smythe, the famous owner of
the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team.
William chose to write about his early days in Canada and
the horrific treatment he endured as a fourteen year-old immigrant boy working
on Canadian farms.
It’s not easy to tell of painful events. Most people lock
their hurtful memories in a trunk and throw away the key. Yet, history rests on
the shoulders of people brave enough to tell. Books about the holocaust, fiction
and non-fiction, written for adults and children, continue to keep alive the
memory of the worst massacre in history, a massacre committed at a time when the
world considered itself enlightened.
The world needs stories from people like William. Most of
the 100,000 child immigrants who arrived in Canada between 1869 and 1939 kept
their pasts a secret, even from their spouses and children. Of the ones who did tell, few shared their
lives on paper.
William wasn’t writing a book for publication. He simply
scratched out his story on cheap lined sheets because he felt the need to tell.
More than six decades later, long after his death, his words have come to us.
No one could tell this story. Only William.
Writers, skilled and unskilled, play an important role in
the passing of history from one generation to another. William’s story came to
me too late for my book, Promises of Home – Stories of Canada’s British Home Children.
I’ve shared it on my blog, Promises of Home, in the hope
that many will read William’s story and remember the sufferings of the young
immigrants who landed on our shores looking for a place to belong and give them
their rightful place in Canadian history.
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Rose McCormick Brandon is the author of Promises of Home - Stories of Canada's British Home Children. She writes books and articles on faith, personal experience and Canadian history. Visit her blogs: Listening to my Hair Grow and Promises of Home.
History is about real people. Literally hundreds of key residents had their stories told and their family history recorded for posterity. Anyone who has lived or worked for any time in the Seymour/Deep Cove area will recognize face after face of gifted dedicated people who have made a lasting difference. It is remarkable how many local residents have given hundreds of hours to serve their community. An example of such unselfish dedication is seen in the 
