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| Click to watch trailer: http://www.iconmovies.co.uk/orangesandsunshine/ |
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| http://www.childmigrantstrust.com/ |
Recently after reading Sunshine and Oranges, written by Margaret Humphreys this true story rang a bell with me. Mrs. Humphreys work with our international brothers and sisters in the Hand of God's caregivers so faraway and long ago, was in fact our story retold with a Global Scale perspective.
We were in the care of the Archdioceses of Philadelphia Catholic Social Services from the early 1953 - 1966, when my twin brother and I were removed from our poor home, after our father was sent to prison, and older sisters were sent to the The Catholic Home for Destitute Girls and we were sent to St. John's Orphan Asylum for Boys, and later moved in the system to St. Joseph's House for Homeless and Industrious Boys. We were identified by our assigned laundry numbers-my laundry number was # 135, and Joe's was # 116. If we were ever addressed it was always by our last name only. -Bangert, go get the Bangerts twins, never Johnny or Joe. One name I remembered was sister saying "Hey You, you character of the worse description".
The nuns would ring hand bells to call us in like sheep.
My website/blog http://stjohnsorphanage.blogspot.com/
In the 15 years since starting this blog, I have received over 150 responses or inquiries about a homey or their daughters or sons, and leave inquires or will comment if the survivor, did not survive. Over 50 of our classmate were rewarded for the military like training and died as expendable cannon fodder in Vietnam.
As one of our committee members, John Beitzel, is often remarking " the the war in Vietnam was a cake walk compared to the daily physical abuse" The Sisters of Saint Joseph used corporate punishment just for not knowing our catechism questions, then beaten with belts, sticks and or bear hands to teach us the moral lessens which had failed from our our no good rotten parents.
Q: "Why did God make us?"
A: "God made us to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him is this world and to be with Him the next!"
So many times did we wish we were in the next world with or without Him, or them!
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| Margaret Humphreys |
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| Mervyn Humphreys |
We would like to know if Margaret & Mervyn Humphreys ever cross the pond, and if they do we would like to invite them to join our many survivors for a private screening or the honor of their presence at our next reunion in Philadelphia.
Thank you Margaret and Mervyn for opening the closeted doors of our dormitory's across the globe!
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| John & Joe Bangert circa 1953 |
John J. Bangert
Survivor to Thiver 1953-1966
**Special Thanks for Lindsey Hughes for calling us back from Nottingham, England Land of Robinhood
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