Bertha Bracey, the Kindertransport and aid for refugees in the 1930s and 1940s

Born in 1893, Bertha Bracey was brought up in Bournville where her father worked at the Cadbury chocolate factory. She became a Quaker in 1911 and spent the rest of her life engaging in humanitarian aid including, perhaps most notably, her instrumental role in persuading the British government to accept the 10,000 refugee children of the Kindertransport in 1938. This talk will discuss Bracey’s life and work with a particular focus on her efforts to support refugees in the 1930s and 1940s.

Bertha Bracey’s contribution to humanitarian aid will be commemorated later this year with the unveiling of a blue plaque.

About the speaker

Dr Siân Roberts trained as an archivist and worked as senior archivist in the heritage sector for several years. She was involved in a number of large Heritage Lottery funded archives and heritage projects, most notably Connecting Histories and the Children’s Lives projects. After this, Siân worked as Research Associate at the University of Worcester and in 2016 moved to the School of Education at the University of Birmingham where she is a lecturer in Education and Social Justice. Sian is a member of the Birmingham Civic Society Heritage Committee.

Venue: Selly Manor Museum, Maple Road, Bournville, B30 2AE

£5 / BCS members free. Booking here – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bertha-bracey-the-kindertransport-and-aid-for-refugees-1930s-1940s-tickets-519013472267

Image – Kindertransport monument at Liverpool Street station, London, by Frank Meisler. Via Wikimedia Commons.