A bright-blue hardback book of medium size with the title, author and publisher imprinted in gold on the spine only. The fly leaf has the subtitle added and is followed by the same fine portrait of Barnardo as that used in Mrs Barnardo's book of 1907,(Notes 4) with the note underneath: 'His last photograph - kindly lent by the Doctor's widow, Mrs.T.J.Barnardo.

The title page has the title in large bold capitals at the top, the subtitle, 'Father of Nobody's Children',(see Notes 3) and the publisher, already well associated with Barnardo's, listed at the bottom, as from London, without date. The reverse has 1943 as the publication year, followed by further yearly impressions to 1946.

The Preface, written from Barnardo House, Stepney Causeway, London, E.1. on December 14th., 1942, poses the question 'What manner of man was he?' The author, having been Barnardo's personal secretary for the last seven years of his life, and subsequently remained with the organisation, had studied his employer's published writing, personal letters, and the books by Mrs Barnardo and Wesley Bready, and considered that the question deserved a fuller answer. In undertaking this he clearly had the support of Mrs.Barnardo, who had outlived her husband by many years.

Comment: Forty five years of acquaintance with Dr. Barnardo initially and his Homes thereafter should provide a good basis for a new biography using inside information.

The contents list seven Parts to the book, each with a less than informative title, and a number of untitled sections; the plentiful illustrations listed include some portraits that had already appeared in the previous publications to which he referred, and a few of the remarkable pictures from the Barnardo Photographic Archives.

In the first Part we meet Barnardo: "As soon as I entered the Doctor's room, I realised that I was in the presence of a man of commanding personality. He was short of stature, only five feet five inches in height, sturdily built, with a very fine head and shoulders. One could not fail to notice the firm chin, and the keen grey eyes that seemed to have the power of reading one's thoughts. His massive forehead also arrested attention, and gave some indication of the marvellous brain behind it. He was quick and alert in his movements, and bore an unmistakable air of authority."

He then portrays the demanding and hardworking nature of the man, who, in the next section is described as not easy to work with, since he relied more upon his personal memory than an organised office. All this is authorative and comprehensive, as coming from an author who knew his subject well, was prepared to question him, rarely, and admired him. The portrait of Barnardo in his Board Room, and the picture of his coach and driver enhance the text of this section.

Further on, while describing the Stepney Home as it was in Barnardo's time, and working outwards from the Board Room that he knew so well, the author outlines the various activities in which the boys took part, and in the context of the training in music, he diverts to give the story of Walter Reynolds, who entered Barnardo's as an orphan aged nine, learnt to play the cornet, and progressed to become a Promenade Concert brass section soloist, and finally Music Director of the London County Council(pp.25-6).

We also learn of Barnardo's 'benevolent autocracy' and his relations with his staff much that confirms the earlier account by A.R.Neuman(Notes 5).

The second Part gives Barnardo's family background, childhood, conversion, and missionary work in East London, including the Jim Jarvis story, close to which are the two striking 'Street Arab' photographs akin to those later considered by many to be stage-managed, if not actual fakes. He writes in a fluent blend of Barnardo's own words and those of the Memoirs(Notes 4), but without fresh information.

Part three, containing more striking pictures of Street Arabs, uses three sections to describe in detail Barnardo's findings in the back streets of East London, again with extensive usage of Barnardo's own words, and inferring that his purpose was to reveal the conditions behind the destitution and homelessness of which he had become aware. The Edinburgh Castle is described in graphic detail as the den of vice dominating that part of the East End, and Barnardo, having set up a Gospel Tent alongside that competed with missionary zeal, moved on to raise the funds and take it over. It then becomes a powerful Missionary and Social Centre that remained a strong influence around the Mile-End Road in Williams's time.

In a similar manner he describes in detail what convinced Barnardo to provide a Home for girls that led to the establishment of The Girls Village Home at Barkingside through a series of events, including marriage, that Barnardo brought together. At the end of the sections given to this most successful undertaking, he states that Barnardo and his wife lived at "The Cedars" in Hackney, which is within easy reach of Stepney, for seventeen years. A suite of rooms was always reserved for him at Mossford Lodge - their initial house in Barkingside - so that he could visit there where he found 'much peace and relaxation among the children'.

Throughout their married life his wife took an active interest in all the 'Christian and social services at the reformed Edinburgh Castle, and was responsible for the buying and planning of all the household requirements of the institutions which her husband established.' A footnote is added to state that Mrs.Barnardo died in her 97th year on November 21st, 1944. 'She took the keenest interest in the work of the Homes right up to the day of her death'.

In the last section of this part he returns to Barnardo's language describing his sorties to Epsom on the nights before the races in search of homeless children, not only to emphasise the extent of his endeavours on their behalf, but also to introduce the manner in which he induced James Page to enter his Homes: the youngster left aged seventeen, joined the Royal Artillery to fight in the Zulu and Boer Wars, during which he was mentioned in despatches and was awarded a medal, then migrated to Queensland, did well, was elected to the House of Representatives, had a distinguished political career, and publically stated his origin as a Street Arab in London, and his prayerful gratitude 'for the dear man and good benefactor of the poor waifs of London, who saved me from being a criminal.'

The fourth Part elucidates the rapid development and success of Barnardo's work that the author considered provoked the jealousy behind the slanderous accusations of 1877. He writes: 'Barnardo was one of those forceful personalitites who either attract or repel; neutrality with such a man is well nigh impossible. Moreover, he was an Irishman, and it is proverbial that an Irishman enjoys a fight ..... the Doctor therefore called upon his Trustees to examine the whole case. He reminded them that the Trust Deed which he had voluntarily executed, making over all properties in the Institutions he had founded to them, contained a clause empowering them to dismiss him from his post as Honorary Director of the Homes if he should ever, in their opinion, cease to be "a fit and proper person" to have charge of them'. The Trustees, a most distinguished group, 'made a patient and exhaustive enquiry into the several allegations against the Doctor and his management of the Homes,' and drew up and signed a resolution stating that they were thoroughly satisfied that the allegations were untrue, and without foundation.

Nevertheless, the matter went to the Court of Arbitration for a full legal enquiry, the whole affair having become complicated by publicised letters, over the pseudonym 'Clerical Junius' that defended Barnardo to an extent and in language that was unacceptable. Barnardo disapproved strongly enough to dissociate himself from them publically, although accepting that he knew the author and had supplied the relevant information to him, but could not persuade him to appear at the enquiry, nor was Barnardo at liberty to supply the author's name, and therefore refused to do so. Nevertheless, the Enquiry found Barnardo innocent of the accusations, with some reservations, as reported in his wife's book (see Notes 4).

Williams then contributes, in a foot-note, Mrs Barnardo's further information that after Barnardo's death she found the 'Clerical Junius' correspondence among his letters, and could state that he was an Irish Doctor of Divinity of considerable influence, who had taken an active interest in Barnardo's East End Juvenile Mission work for some years. She showed the correspondence to Mr. William Baker, Barrister, and successor to Barnardo as Honorary Director. 'He at once recognised the writer as a warm personal friend, and so, on his advice, the correspondence was then destroyed.' The addition of this information is offset by his ommission of the more critical aspects of the enquiry.

He moves on to the implications of its findings, and on page 116 he lists the fifteen distinguished men who became the Committee of the Homes, under Earl Cairns, the Lord Chancellor, and then elucidates the manner in which the title, "Dr. Barnardo's Homes" by which the East End Juvenile Mission became commonly known during the publicity of the Enquiry, became the accepted name and was included as such in the Act of Incorporation in 1899, having quoted Barnardo's regret over this occurrence.

In the subsequent sections the author confirms the increase and success of Barnardo's work in the 80's and 90's, particularly by boarding children out with good families, and by arranging their emigration to Canada in great numbers. He details how Barnardo's well-devised and organised emigration schemes were exonerated from Canada's subsequent outcry against indiscriminate emigration from England. In this section he gives the account of Jack Shepherd, an Irish orphan, who was sent from London to Canada in the late 1880's and ultimatley became an eminent churchman, Doctor of Divinity, and diplomat.

Further sections provide studied accounts of Barnardo's considerations and actions over many aspects of his work as it continued to expand during the 1880's, and in section ten (p. 137,et seq,), begins with the Whitechapel Atrocities known as "Jack the Ripper Murders" and the consequent high-lighting of the state of East London's streets and the many prostitutes living in them. Barnardo wrote to The Times supporting the Rev. Lord Sidney Godolphin's letter urging action on behalf of thousands of children living squalid lives in the midst of depravity, and Barnardo urged that the lodging houses for adults be closed to children, for whom special Shelters should be provided. Barnardo then related that he had been considering providing such shelters himself, and had visited 'No.32, Flower-and-Dean Street' where he was already well-known, and found the girls and women in the kitchen 'in an obviously frightened and subdued condition.' His suggestions had been listened to with deep interest, and not a voice had been raised in ridicule or opposition. 'One poor creature, evidently under the influence of drink, had exclaimed: "Nobody cares what becomes of us. P'raps some of us will be the next. If anybody had helped the likes of us long ago we should never have come to this."'

Impressed by the seriousness of their manner, he had taken particular note of those present. Four days later, he visited the mortuary and identified the remains of the woman Stride, the latest victim of the assassin, as one of those who had stood around him and listened with such sympathy and respect to his proposals.

Barnardo soon obtained a house in that same street, and another in Dock Street, Limehouse, and turned them into official Common Lodging Houses for Children, and they were rapidly filled. The author then describes a number of other pioneering means of assisting children and adults were described, including the establishment of Ever-Open Doors in a number of other cities, and the larger sea-ports.

Part five contains extensive accounts of Barnardo's relationship with various aspects of the law that he considered failed to protect children, and he had no compunction in arranging 'philanthropic abduction' by admitting the neglected children to his care, and in some cases, ensuring that they could not be reclaimed by arranging their emigration. Greater difficulty was experienced when the grounds for reclaiming children that had come under his care was the faith of one or other parent being different from the Protestant faith taught in Dr. Barnardo's Homes.

In particular, Harry Gossage was admitted by Barnardo to the Stepney Home, on September 17th, 1888, at short notice, having been left beside a lamp-post in Folkestone by two organ-grinders. Harry thought he was a Protestant, like his deceased father; his mother, who was a Catholic, had deserted him a number of times, and signed a formal agreement committing him to Barnardo's care, including possible emigration, an alternative that Barnardo took a day or so later when a good opportunity arose. Barnardo made the admitted mistake of agreeing not to have the address of the boy's whereabouts in Canada, and was soon involved in defending a writ of habeas corpus. The writ was not granted, initially, since the grounds were inadequate, and the boy not available, but the matter was re-called when another, similar, case arose, and this time a writ was issued accompanied by the Lord Chief Justice's strong criticisms of Barnardo's actions.

A large and very public meeting supported Barnardo, having listened to his reasons for retaining the children, and passed a resolution, proposed and seconded by two Members of Parliament, that a change in the law was necessary, so that Voluntary Institutions might be given the power of guardianship in certain circumstances.

Barnardo took the Gossage case to the Court of Appeal, and again was declared to have defied the law, but by then there was great sympathy with Barnardo's position, and he appealed to the House of Lords, who referred the case back to the High Court on a technical point whereby the writ could be issued, and Barnardo's statement on oath accepted as a return to the writ instead of the production of the child.

Three of the Judges then formed a Standing Committee of the House of Lords that was able to produce a Bill in 1891 giving the appropriate Institution the authority to deal with these situations, and termed the Custody of Children Bill.

Later, with the accession of Cardinal Vaughan as Head of the Roman Catholic Church in England an agreement on co-operation in this matter was reached (see Notes 3).

Williams elaborates upon the effect of Barnardo's public stance against the law in pursuit of change in favour of child care through his legal battles as provocative, making him many enemies. He relates how W.F.Stead, an eminent journalist who had served a prison sentence for actions in promoting his views over prostitution, was initially supported by Barnardo, then the latter became a subject of Stead's opposition, on account of his frequent controversies, but finally he wrote an outstandingly supportive article in the Review of Reviews, saying '... men like Dr. Barnardo have the faults of their qualities, and the vices of their virtues'. It was he that first wrote of Barnardo as 'The Father of Nobody's Children.'

The final Part of this book is given to Barnardo's illness from heart disease, his death, and the procession of his funeral through East London, and then by train to his burial place at Barkingside, displaying the great public sorrow for the loss of this small but immensely effective man.

Comment:Throughout this book the personal relationship of secretary to Barnardo has given both depth and breadth to the writing, and although great usage has been made of Barnardo's own writings and publications, these are not directly quoted, but used fluently throughout as text, so that valuable factual details with which they are blended is not always apparent. An interesting feature has been the author's specific inclusion of short biographical accounts of certain successful Old Barnardo Boys.

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