between 1869 and the early 1970's, the british government told poor children that their parents had died and shipped them off to australia, rhodesia, canada, and other parts of the commonwealth. at the same time, they told the children's parents that they had placed the children up for adoption in the u.k. why? because the government didn't want to pay for their upkeep. this was known as the home children program. if it hadn't been for whistleblower margaret humphreys, u.k. citizens - and you - would never have found out, and the program might never have ended.