The Fanling Babies’ Home really had its origins in 1936 when young missionary Miss Mildred Dibden returned to Hong Kong from England and took in her first abandoned baby in Tsimshatsui. She had first gone out to Hong Kong in 1931 with the BCMS, but had been repatriated due to a severe attack of malaria, which nearly took her life.
While in Hong Kong the hundreds of babies being abandoned had really caught her attention. Nearly all babies abandoned were girls. A boy could carry on the family name and would worship at the Ancestral Tablet, a girl married and went out of the family, becoming part of the husband's family. Premature birth, undersize, or having a blemish were all reasons for abandoning girls.
Back in the UK recovering, Mildred had used her time to seek backing from missionary societies to start up a rescue mission for them. When backing was not forthcoming, she was encouraged to start up on her own by seasoned HK missionaries Dr and Mrs Lechmere Clift, with the support of their Emmanuel Church in Nathan Road.
From the beginning, numbers of babies grew to the point where in 1940 Miss Dibden and her helpers and 49 babies moved into Lai Yue Hing Tong (Hall) on Sha Tau Kok Road in Fanling, and the Fanling Babies' Home came into being. The owner had intended the property to be occupied by his extended family, but those plans fell through, and he put the property up for rental.
The property was a two-storey Western-style villa, with a fountain/pool in front of the house and two Chinese-style bungalows in its grounds. Each bungalow had 8 rooms and kitchen facilities, and housed the staff of the home (Assistants and amahs).
The main building had 5 large rooms and 3 smaller ones on the ground floor; upstairs it had 7 bedrooms and verandas, with adjoining dressing rooms. These served as a kitchen, dining room, a nursery school, bedrooms and dispensary. Surrounding the house were decorative and well-stocked gardens including lychee trees, which later on the children loved.
Numbers continued to grow. Babies were brought in by the police, sent from maternity wards and by charitable societies.
However war with Japan was looming, but Miss Dibden was set to stay and look after her family. In 1941 she was joined by an equally determined Australian nurse, Ruth Little, and along with another missionary colleague, Iris Critchell, who came after the start of the war, the three women together saw the home through the war, enduring illness and some very tough conditions. As well as that, starvation was an ever present threat, and all the youngest babies died in the first few months of the war, either from starvation or exposure as there were insufficient blankets and clothing to keep them warm in winter. Of the original 98 children, some 52 survived the war years.
Towards the end of the war the property’s owner died and when peace came the property was put up for sale. At this point the US charity China’s Children Fund purchased the property and enabled the home to continue. In 1946 an Advisory Committee was established mentioned here. At this time Ruth Little was called home by family needs, and she was replaced in 1948 by missionary nurse Lucy Clay.
In 1950 Mildred Dibden was again obliged to return home for health reasons and sadly back in HK it was taken as a reason to remove her as head of the Home. Lucy Clay and China’s Children Fund took over the running of the home and from 1955 Miss Clay was assisted by the very capable Miss Tsen.
In 1951 China’s Children Fund became the Christian Children’s Fund and their policy was to offer children for adoption into Christian family homes in New Zealand, Canada, England, Hong Kong and the USA. This policy operated through the 1950s and 60s, and numbers in the home reduced.
The Prayer Letter for 1963 announced 41 babies had been admitted that year and all had been found homes. Many were suffering from neglect and malnutrition when found, but they were soon restored to health. The largest group to leave the home had gone to England in December 1962.
In the early 1960s the Fanling property was deteriorating. A new home was planned and built in Taipo and in 1966 the staff and remaining children moved from Fanling to the Pinehill Babies’ Home, managed by Lucy Clay until her retirement in 1977.
It is thought that in its time, several hundred babies, mostly girls, were rescued by the public, the police and hospitals and brought to the Fanling Babies' Home.
On her recovery Mildred Dibden started a second home for abandoned babies in 1952, which became the Shatin Babies' Home.
Sources:
The Yip Family of Amah Rock by Jill Doggett.
Photos of this organisation:
Comments
Fanling Babies Home Christmas Party 1940
The armed forces personnel in Hong Kong gave valuable support to the Babies' Home. This snippet from the Fanling booklet gives a snapshot of the services in action. By this time there were about 50 babies/toddlers, the oldest aged four.
"December 25th. The party given by St. Andrew's Young People was just great. They have indeed sacrificed themselves for these little ones, and we did have such a good time. The Christmas tree was laden with toys and at the foot there was a wee pair of coloured shoes for each baby. After the tree came the tea party, where the Young People waited on the babies! It was most amusing to watch. Here a young Air Force lad was feeding a two year old with a sugar cake, and over there a "Government Servant" was supervising the serious business of eating a banana! Just near to me, where I sat watching these proceedings, was a table of four toddlers with a young Naval man in charge. His time was fully occupied, for jelly is slippery stuff for even the experienced to handle, and when we are only three years old, and it is our first attempt with jelly, it is rather difficult to keep it on a spoon! Down with the spoon, fingers are better! But no, the jelly squashes into bits, such a mess! To lick it up with the tongue is best! But now the young Naval man has something to say! "Here, you must use a spoon, what - come on, I'll help you."
Such sleepy little ones they were who at last climbed into the little blue cots, clasping their new toys. So sleepy! So full! So happy! Thank you God for the generous friends who love little children."
Fanling Home in 1964 Facebook Pics
Peter Brindley was an art teacher at St George's School HK, and he took these pictures of Fanling Babies' Home in 1964 showing students from the school visiting the Home as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme. I think the buildings are the bungalows and not the main building. The last two show the front of the house and the buildings over the road. Superintendent Lucy Clay is shown in 2 of the pics.
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Source: SCMP, 29th August 2021 by Rachel Yeo
1940 Fanling Babies' Home
A letter to the editor praising the work of the Fanling Babies' Home and pleading for continued support of the institution in the Hong Kong Sunday Herald 22 December 1940 at: https://archive.org/details/NPSH19401222/page/n7/mode/2up?q=dibden%2C+
3 in 1 bumper Sunday Herald item.
Thanks to Moddsey for the above Sunday Herald link. In the one piece we get updates on 3 different charities in Hong Kong in 1940. I have done a transcript and split the three items to their relevant pages.
December 22nd 1940 The Hong Kong Sunday Herald
HK Orphans of the Storm
Sir, through the agency of a mutual friend, I recently heard of the splendid work of three institutions in this Colony, which have never, to my knowledge, publicly appealed to the residents of Hong Kong for support.
I have felt constrained to make a few enquiries about these institutions, and the little information which I have been able to gather will probably be of interest to your readers. I might add that I am personally a total stranger to those in charge and the publicity I now give them was not solicited for in any way.
Babies’ Home Fanling
A few weeks ago, Miss Mildred Dibden appeared before the Public Tribunal on behalf of Miss Little with the request that she (Miss Little) might be permitted to enter the Colony to assist her in her work of running a foundling home. Miss Little is a trained nurse, but her application was turned down. Behind this incident is a story of faith and courage seldom met with nowadays.
Miss Dibden is a young Iady of faith and character. She returned to the Colony from England about four-and-a-half years ago with the avowed intention of founding a home for unwanted Chinese babies. The story of her difficulties and vicissitudes is a long one but against the advice and forebodings of her friends she persevered and to-day she is in sole charge of a large family of 45 children ranging from 4 and a 1/2 years to a few weeks old.
As can be imagined, the cost of clothing, feeding and caring (she has a few paid Chinese helpers) for these children must amount to a considerable sum monthly and Miss Dibden has no backing from any governing body in Hong Kong or elsewhere. Her friends have rallied round her, and she receives gifts of money, food and clothing, but without ever soliciting for her requirements, she relies on her God to supply her needs and He has not failed her.
What of the future? At this time when nobody wishes to add to his responsibilities or commitments, Miss Dibden still takes in poor unwanted children who come to her often deformed, diseased or discarded because of extreme poverty or superstitious ignorance on the part of the parents, She also plans to start a kindergarten for the older tots for whom her friends are now collecting stumps of pencils and scraps of paper. The Fraternity Bookroom, 216 Nathan Road, Kowloon, will, I understand, gladly receive any gifts for this deserving work.
Part 1 of 3, for part 2 see the BCMS Foundling Home and for part 3 see Florence Raetz, the Door of Hope, Taipo.