Sad little souls and they probably also had a whole load of jobs to do. Damp, cold beds and a crust of bread and dripping.......
What a shame the book wasn't published.
They may have had poor living conditions and diet, Granny, but I bet they weren't miserable, judging from my grandmother's tales (born 1888). I also bet that most of them grew up to be good citizens and with good family values; not grossly overweight either...see where I'm going with this?
You could be right Chris. Paul's picture shows no shoes but happy smiling faces.They possibly knew that there wasn't another life to the one they lived, for themselves, although I'm sure some must have ended up 'in service'.
Different times. My Gt. Grandfather went to sea on a masted sailing ship aged
12 yrs. That was 1860's . Posssibly many of those children in Birkenhead would have had seafaring fathers.
Does anyone know what the infant/child mortality rate was in Birkenhead during those years of the early 1900's ?
Rickets was also quite prevelant in those days.