A tale of two Cuckoos?

[chochokeira]

My Grandad, who I called Dad, used to collect me from school, in his overcoat and trilby (!) and the other kids would ask me why my dad was so old!! So I started asking questions. But I didn't find out the real truth until I was 28.

Poor old you, no wonder you feel down sometimes. That must have affected your trust in your family.

[shonapugs]

I hope that I'm not hijacking a thread, here. But I do understand ( a bit) the adoption process in the 60's. I was born in a mother and baby home and was supposed to be adopted, but my grandfather took me home when he came to collect my mother. It was a time of great shame, for unmarried mothers.

[chochokeira]

I hope that I'm not hijacking a thread, here. But I do understand ( a bit) the adoption process in the 60's. I was born in a mother and baby home and was supposed to be adopted, but my grandfather took me home when he came to collect my mother. It was a time of great shame, for unmarried mothers.

Aah, that's really sweet. Your grandfather couldn't let you go.

[Alias]

My Grandad, who I called Dad, used to collect me from school, in his overcoat and trilby (!) and the other kids would ask me why my dad was so old!! So I started asking questions. But I didn't find out the real truth until I was 28.

WOW - that must have been hard for you! When I was 21, I found out I have a half sister. My older sisters and my mother (and my father obviously - she was his!) knew, but they never told me. I was FURIOUS.
I know that is nothing compared, I can just imagine your confusion, because I reacted very strongly to what I found to be deception from my closest relatives!
Poor you, shona!

I discovered that I have a half sister, 18 months older than me and called Helen. I've never had the courage to find her.

I went straight and found my half sister. That was a good thing. First of all, I was the first from my family to contact her. She had ZERO contact with anyone from our father´s family, since he committed suicide (yeah - we all have "funny" families, huh!) when she was one and I was four. She was really, really glad that I did this. It also opened the door for my sisters (reluctantly) accepting her, but they did eventually. She is a sweet person, smart and talented.
You should try to find your sister, shona, maybe something good will come from it.

[chochokeira]

My Grandad, who I called Dad, used to collect me from school, in his overcoat and trilby (!) and the other kids would ask me why my dad was so old!! So I started asking questions. But I didn't find out the real truth until I was 28.

WOW - that must have been hard for you! When I was 21, I found out I have a half sister. My older sisters and my mother (and my father obviously - she was his!) knew, but they never told me. I was FURIOUS.
I know that is nothing compared, I can just imagine your confusion, because I reacted very strongly to what I found to be deception from my closest relatives!
Poor you, shona!

I discovered that I have a half sister, 18 months older than me and called Helen. I've never had the courage to find her.

You want to find her, don't you Shon? Go on go for it, gal! She'll be so happy to hear from you. If you'd like my help, just PM me her details.

[tyler]

I agree Shona.You should look her up.You will probably find that she has been looking for you too.Good luck if you decide to find her x

[shonapugs]

She might not. My real father died just after I was born, of a heart attack ( he was 30, and a serving policeman) and when I started asking questions, I was told it was because of me. The stress of covering up what he'd done to his family and the police force. So, whether she knew about me or not, she'd probably hate me. Best to let it lie.

[chochokeira]

She might not. My real father died just after I was born, of a heart attack ( he was 30, and a serving policeman) and when I started asking questions, I was told it was because of me. The stress of covering up what he'd done to his family and the police force. So, whether she knew about me or not, she'd probably hate me. Best to let it lie.

You are not giving your half sister credit for having a mind of her own. She will have seen through that nonsense claim and is sitting there now thinking exactly the same of you: best to leave it because Shona blames me for...whatever nonsense she was told. Go for it, find her.

[grahameb]

My Grandad, who I called Dad, used to collect me from school, in his overcoat and trilby (!) and the other kids would ask me why my dad was so old!! So I started asking questions. But I didn't find out the real truth until I was 28.

WOW - that must have been hard for you! When I was 21, I found out I have a half sister. My older sisters and my mother (and my father obviously - she was his!) knew, but they never told me. I was FURIOUS.
I know that is nothing compared, I can just imagine your confusion, because I reacted very strongly to what I found to be deception from my closest relatives!
Poor you, shona!

I discovered that I have a half sister, 18 months older than me and called Helen. I've never had the courage to find her.

You want to find her, don't you Shon? Go on go for it, gal! She'll be so happy to hear from you. If you'd like my help, just PM me her details.

My wife was adopted. Her parents were very old fashioned and secretive and didn't tell her much at allabout her mother. She went to a place in Witham down a road the other side of the train station and the lady their found out a great deal about her mother and her father and she had even got hold of original letters sent to and from her mother. It made very moving reading. She decided not to follow it up and so did not trace her mother after all.

[tyler]

For Keira. I got confused in an earlier post and wrote wrong information.
The people that I actually thought lived in one of the cottages attached to whf were Len Foakes and his wife,and that this couple worked on the farm and were good friends of the Bambers.
I dont know why I thought it was the Howies,but I always seem to get them mixed up.
In actual fact,I know nothing about the Howies at all to be honest,so Im afraid I cannot help you there.Sorry! x

[chochokeira]

For Keira. I got confused in an earlier post and wrote wrong information.
The people that I actually thought lived in one of the cottages attached to whf were Len Foakes and his wife,and that this couple worked on the farm and were good friends of the Bambers.
I dont know why I thought it was the Howies,but I always seem to get them mixed up.
In actual fact,I know nothing about the Howies at all to be honest,so Im afraid I cannot help you there.Sorry! x

No problem and no need to apologise, Tyler. I bet I get more confused than you do. The complexities of this case are guaranteed to confuse all of us.

[tyler]

Keira,I found an old post of yours,where you stated that a young orphaned Howie was adopted by Granny Speakman. Interesting................!

[chochokeira]

Keira,I found an old post of yours,where you stated that a young orphaned Howie was adopted by Granny Speakman. Interesting................!

I hope I also said that I've read that on here and elsewhere, Tyler, as that's where this information came from.

[chochokeira]

were sheilas natural parents married?

I don't they were married, Andrea, because Sheila's birth was registered under the name of Sheila Jay and her mother's maiden name was Jay.

[chochokeira]

wasnt he something to do with the arch bishop of canterbury or was that jeremys dad?

canon eric jay

Eric G. Jay Sheila's grandfather (father of Christine's mother) took part in ceremony of Queen's Coronation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_participants_in_Queen_Elizabeth_II_coronation_procession

He's listed under 'The Archbishops'.

It's interesting that Jeremy's natural father also had connections with Royal Household.

These weren't just 'ordinary' adoptions it seems.

The following picture is of the Duke of Edinburgh playing Cricket in Tolleshunt D'Arcy in 1949.