Repatriation: summary of replies from centres to the circular on repatriation sent out from Head Office on October 11th, 1938

              REPATRIATION.
SUMMARY OF REPLIES FROM CENTRES TO THE CIRCULAR ON REPATRIATION SENT OUT FROM HEAD OFFICE ON OCTOBER 11th, 1938.
BIRMINGHAM
Number repatriated:  24
News received of:  21.
Mr. Leaker reports that only one parent has written. The news comes in letters from the children to other children at Elford Hall, or to friends outside. In 5 cases the children report that their parents were not expecting them. Pilar and Begona Osormo (aged 9 and 11 respectively) arrived to find their mother in jail; no news of these children since. In the case of Fernando and Julio Gil (aged 8 and 10) a letter received shortly after arrival says nothing is known of father, whether dead or not, and also states that it was difficult to obtain food. Magdalena Fernandez (aged 12) returned to find her parents missing, and no news of their whereabouts; her aunt was awaiting her arrival. Other letters announce safe arrival, family waiting, all well.
CAMBERLEY
Number repatriated:  48.
News received of:	 46.
Miss Britton writes : "All of these children except two little ones marked x have written to us, and most of them seem happy, though many advise their friends to stay here as long as they can. Only in a few cases were the parents expecting the children or ready to receive them. Work is not easy to find, but food is plentiful for those who can afford to buy it. As far as we know, none of the children repatriated from this centre have been called up, though a few of them mention that they are wearing uniform and drilling. Some persons who have got out of Spain have written to our boys on behalf of our parents, telling them not to write as sons, or use their own names, as the parents would be obliged to reclaim them."
COLWYN BAY
Number repatriated:  14.
News received of:	 3 different families
"but very brief letters"
Mr. Welcome Mitchell writes: "Our impression from the few letters received has been that the parents were afraid of saying anything which might offend the authorities; and that may have affected the letter-writing. It cannot, in one case at least, have been shortage of money, for one of our Committee gave a girl 4/6 and his address and said: "write to me". She quite understood, but no letter has come. It cannot simply be a lost address, for she knew this Rooftree address well enough, and that a letter addressed there would get to him." One girl who had been given clothes to take out with her, by an adopter, had these taken from her at the frontier.