Philip: A Strange Child - Or 44783 As I Am Also Known

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The childhood of Philip or 44783 as I am also known.

These are the records of an eight year-old boy who was put into care in the mid 1960s, at the Highfield Branch of The National Children's Home, Harpenden Herts.

File Number 44783 contains 130 items and is shown at the end of the book, and explains the reason why the child was placed into the care of the NCH.

The Highfield Branch of the NCH was open between 1913-1985.

The branch contained twenty flats each with eight to eleven children of mixed ages of both boys and girls in a family group, looked after by either a Sister or Houseparent.

The enclosed site occupied some forty adres including open grassed areas and woodland.

Various group activities were available for the children to attend during their free time and a chapel was located in the grounds.

The children were responsible for various daily chores in their flats and were encouraged to keep things neat and tidy.


My File

"When Philip is 11 years old and changing schools, the possibility of him being returned to his mother could then be considered"

"He is in great need of discipline"

"Fundamentally an unhappy child, socially ill adjusted"

"It would be helpful to know how intelligent he is"

"Philip had not shown any unusual behaviour, although he is the only coloured boy in the school"

"A nervy, highly-strung child, and yet he does not lack confidence"

"The Houseparent has brought in a strict regime, and Philip realises that he will be punsihed for any bedwetting"


Before joining the home, Philip lived in Cricklewood, Burnham-on-Sea and Wootton Bridge. After leaving the home he went to live in Blunsdon near Swindon.

The following text is taken from the Wikipedia entry for the NCH, which can be read in full HERE

NCH (formerly National Children's Home and at one time National Children's Home and Orphanage) is a United Kingdom-based charity providing services for children. Some of its major areas of work are services for disabled children, family and community services, work with young people leaving care and rural children's services. and today runs upwards of 500 projects for vulnerable children and young people and their families. Originally supported entirely by voluntary contributions and mainly providing residential homes for children who had been orphaned or taken into care, NCH now acts mainly as a provider of statutory non-residential services purchased by local authorities and other government bodies. NCH has its main offices on Highbury Park in the London borough of Highbury and Islington. The property feature 4 buildings and extensive gardens.

NCH was established in 1869 by the Rev'd Thomas Bowman Stephenson, a Methodist minister, and a group of fellow-Methodists. The organisation is historically closely linked with the Methodist Church of Great Britain. Throughout its history Methodist churches in the UK have taken a close interest in the work of NCH and have organised large-scale fund-raising in support of its work, both within the church and directed to the wider public. The second Sunday in July, the anniversary of Stephenson's founding of the first NCH home, is kept as "NCH Sunday" by Methodist churches, an occasion both for fund-raising and for study of the work of NCH; public street collections are often held at this time. Currently 50% of the trustees of NCH are Methodists

NCH's vision is that all children and young people have unique potential and that they should have the support and opportunities they need to reach it. The organization claims that, "The children, young people and families we work with face difficulties such as poverty, disability and abuse."