Thomas John Barnardo

Thomas John Barnardo (1845–1905), philanthropist and founder of Dr Barnardo's Homes, was born on 4 July 1845 at 4 Dame Street, Dublin, the fourth of five children of John Michaelis Barnardo (1800–1874), a Prussian subject and furrier, and his second wife, Abigail, daughter of Philip O'Brien and his wife, Elizabeth (née Drinkwater).

As a young man he moved to London to train as a doctor. When he arrived, he was shocked to find children living in terrible conditions, with no access to education. When a cholera epidemic swept through the East End, leaving 3000 people dead and many orphaned children, the young Barnardo felt an urgent need to help.

His first step, in 1867, was to set up a ‘ragged school’ where children could get a free basic education. In 1870, Barnardo opened his first home for boys. As well as putting a roof over their heads, the home trained the boys in carpentry, metalwork and shoemaking, and found apprenticeships for them. In 1873 Barnardo married Syrie Louise Elmslie, who was to play an important role in the development of the charity. As a wedding present, they were given a lease on a 60-acre site in Barkingside, east London, where the couple opened a home for girls.

In 1887 Barnardo introduced the practice of ‘boarding out’ children to host families – an early form of fostering. By the time he died in 1905, Barnardo’s charity had 96 homes caring for more than 8,500 vulnerable children.

Thomas John Barnardo (“Dr Barnardo”) obtained College Licentiateship on March 31st 1876 after being examined on surgery, anatomy and pharmacy, and was thus qualified Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (LRCSEd).

On 16 April 1879 he was then elected to Fellowship (FRCSEd), which, during this period was by petition and ballot as opposed to examination. In 1850, the separate examination for Fellowship candidates was discontinued, requiring them only to have the Licentiateship and then petition for election by vote of Fellows. However, this policy met with growing criticism, and the Fellowship examination was reinstated in October 1885. He was elected after being proposed by Mr Henry A Reeves and seconded by Dr Halliday Croom.

Therefore, contrary to some claims, Dr Barnardo was certainly a fully qualified medical practitioner (surgeon).