The Barwell Boy
It is four years since the Great War ended. For the young men of Britain, enthralled as schoolboys by wartime reports of perils and heroism, adventures of their own seem an impossible dream. Until, that is, an announcement in the press promises the chance of excitement in a distant land. The remote farms of South Australia need their own army of young men after the devastating losses in the war. In 1922 premier Henry Barwell launches a migration scheme offering the opportunity of a new life. Over the next two years, hundreds of British boys voyage to the other side of the world. Sixteen-year-old Billy is one of them. Desperate to escape the monotony of his office job, Billy Bourne leaves the security of his friends and family for a journey into the unknown. This is the story of that journey - the conflict, the yearning and the hardships he faces during his three years as a 'Barwell Boy'.
The Barwell Boy - based on a true story
From the thousands of British boys who applied to emigrate in the early 1920s, more than 1400 arrived on the farms of South Australia before the scheme was halted. The Barwell Boys, six weeks away from home and all aged between fifteen and eighteen years, communicated regularly with the authorities, allowing a valuable insight into their experiences. This novel recreates the story of Billy Bourne, an office worker from Birmingham, from correspondence held in the South Australian government archives.
Links
- www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_barwell
- www.archives.sa.gov.au
- www.slsa.sa.gov.au
- www.history.sa.gov.au
- www.rootsweb.com
- www.abc.net.au/rural/telegraph/content/2009
Biography of the instigator of the Barwell Boys scheme
State Records of South Australia, keepers of SA Government archives, including files on the correspondence between the Barwell Boys and the immigration authorities
State Library of South Australia holds the oral histories on the Barwell Boys
The History Trust of South Australia produces the magazine History Matters, which included features on the Barwell Boys in the November 2005 and February 2006 editions
Search the message board for Barwell Boys
Feature on ABC's Bush Telegraph
