John Lewis was the first black child on Barnardo’s records.
Born in the heart of East London, John was born to an English mother and a father from the West Indies. He was one of thirteen children, only six of whom survived.
John was deserted by his birth father and rejected by his mother. His mother was married to another man, who was not John's father and he refused to accept John as his own.
John’s older sister Meredith, who was also of dual heritage, let him stay at her flat when her husband was away. Otherwise, John was left homeless on the streets of London for most of the time from a very young age. He tried to get by working as a ‘shoeblack’, cleaning and shining shoes.
John was spotted by the Hon. J. Pulham, who referred him to Barnardo’s. John was admitted to the boy’s home on 30 April 1874, when he was fifteen years old.
One year later, John was offered a job by a Mr Butler.
Sadly, John’s siblings also struggled to get the care they needed. In 1878 John contacted Barnardo's boys home asking the charity to take in his half-brother. Our records indicate all of his siblings went on to live separate lives away from each other.