Milnes John and Jan

Co-authors of the new novel Stepping Stones, with a congratulatory certificate from the province.

Article by Todd Hambleton
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13 September 2016

ST. ANDREWS WEST - It's a story that Jan and John Milnes believe needed to be told.

So two years of research went into their project, and "Stepping Stones," a 400-page novel based on the stories of immigrant children to Canada, including the British Home Children, has been released.

"Until recently this is a part of our history that had not even been taught in Ontario schools," said John Milnes, who did much of the writing of the novel. "This needs to be brought out, it's a part of Canadian history."

The novel is in memory of John Buchan and the British Home Children. The Milnes - it's Jan who did much of the research - in the preface say the novel is a tale of three children, two fictitious and Buchan, who they personally knew.

The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain led to increased riches for the wealthy, the authors note, and desperate poverty for the poor. With large numbers of rural people following the job route and becoming the new urban poor, one result was hordes of children John and Jan themselves living on the streets of cities. .

The British government, in an attempt to help the lost souls, entered into an agreement with the Canadian government, resulting in large numbers of British children emigrating. They would become known as the British Home Children because they largely started out in a philanthropic home.

The authors note that some ever migrated through other means, as in the case of Buchan. The Milnes say they determined that "the wealth of books present available (do not) truly reflect the reality of the situation to which these children were subjected."

Jan and John Milnes are both from the Leicester; England area, and they were featured in the Standard-Freeholder in the spring, not long after that city's soccer team, the Foxes, pulled off a shocking upset in winning the Premier League.

Jan is 82, and John is 84. They emigrated to Canada and settled in eastern Ontario in 1970, and both are former long-time teachers in the Cornwall area, and John is the
President of the Eastern Ontario Stroke Survivors Support Group.

Both were directors of the Eastern Ontario British Home Child organization, one that participated in causing these children to be recognized in the province through a day - Sept. 28 - designated in their name.

The couple many years ago "rubbed shoulders with those who were relocated from the slums, those dwelling within the inner ring roads of a large British city."

John Milnes has been published previously, but this is a first for the couple that recently celebrated 40 years of marriage - co-authoring a book.

"We've had rave reports (since the book was released), which is all very encouraging," John Milnes said.

One person who was impressed is Jim Brownell, the founder of the Ontario East British Home Child Family organization. It's Brownell who, when he was Member of Provincial Parliament for Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry, was instrumental in a private member's bill passed designating as British Home Child Day in Ontario.

Brownell said the Milnes did "an outstanding job, (the descriptive) detail is awesome."

Added Brownell: "(In reading the book) I walked in the shoes of that Scottish lad, John Buchan - some parts certainly tug at the heart strings ... I like the way historical facts of towns and cities (have been) woven into the story."

Stepping Stones is available at several locations in the region, including at the Cornwall Community Museum, Glengarry Memorial Hospital and The Lost Villages near Long Sault.