Childhood in British Empire was time of great changes [audio 15min]

"Invention of Childhood" is major 30-part narrative history series exploring British childhood and the experience of British children over the last thousand years, with one 15-minute programme each weekday from Mon 25th Sept for 6 weeks. Each programme may be streamed online for 7 days after broadcast. Week Five -- 23 to 27 Oct: Children of the Empire and the Early 20th Century. Episode 21: What Is the Meaning of Empire Day? The novels of G.A. Henty and maps on the schoolroom wall were just two of the ways that children learned about the British Empire at the height of its power. For most children, the Empire was a repository of romantic dreams and heroic aspirations, but a few were to experience a harsher reality, as the Empire once again provided a solution to some of the country's most deep-rooted social problems. Meanwhile, what was it like for immigrant children -- Jewish or Irish -- as they attempted to anglicize themselves, sometimes in the face of considerable hostility? Popular children's writer Michael Morpurgo is Britain's former Children's Laureate. Readers include Jack Blumenau, Anna Maxwell Martin, Timothy West and Adam Godley.