Hampstead Garden Suburb Care Committee for Refugee Children: index

Nothing is known about the origin or background of the Hampstead Garden Suburb Care Committee for Refugee Children. The Inter-Aid Committee was founded in March 1936 by agreement between the Central British Fund, Save the Children Fund and the Society of Friends with the special object of looking after Christian Children of Jewish extraction. The Inter-Aid Committee sought out children whose anti-Nazi parents had been arrested or were in danger of incarceration. This committee re-formed under the title of the Movement for the Care of Children from Germany in 1939. These index cards are evidence of the activities of the Hampstead Garden Suburb Care Committee for Refugee Children in connection with the Movement for the Care of Children from Germany (British Inter-Aid Committee). The index cards of the children contain personal data and passport photographs. It seems that the cards were produced following a British Government initiative to simplify admittance procedures for children up to the age of 17 years.<br><br>There are essentially 3 types of index card. One gives the particulars of the child, including the fate of the parents, and often has passport photograph(s) attached. They are usually annotated with the words 'Inter-Aid' or 'Movement' depending which organisation dealt with their case. Another has details of the sponsor and a third has the name and address of the householder with whom a child was placed. .<br><br>There are 2 alphabetical series of cards detailing the children's particulars and another cancelled series of the same. It is not known why 2 alphabetical series exist. In addition there are several markers mostly within the series of sponsors' cards, which were apparently inserted some time after the collection was deposited at the Wiener Library, and which signify the absence of particular cards. It is not known why this happened. Open