Changing Conceptions of the “Poor Child”: The Children’s Country Holiday Fund, 1918–1939

Abstract

From 1919–1939, nearly 600,000 holidays were organized for London schoolchildren by the Children’s Country Holiday Fund (CCHF). This article uses the CCHF to explore changing conceptions of the “poor child,” as the charity struggled to reconcile a sense of mission born in the 1880s with the social challenges of interwar London, yet also looked forward, anticipating the developments of the post-1945 period. The article also highlights the reactions of the young Londoners themselves. Despite the CCHF’s concern that an urban environment could stunt emotional development, the children’s comments demonstrate a self-awareness and self-confidence that was grounded in an attachment to London and their families.