Dianne came to our office in 2012 looking for her birth father. She had been adopted by her step father when she was six years old. Her mother gave birth to her when she was 16 years old. As Dianne said “an unwed mother was a big no no in 1945 and my mother told me when I was about 12 years old my real father had died in the war. Enclosed is a photocopy of what information I have on my birth father. Hope that you can obtain a photo for me, it would be appreciated.”

The information she had was a letter written to the Department of Navy in 1965 by her birth mother seeking information about Dianne’s birth father – so we had his name to start the research with. James had been married twice. The first marriage ended in divorce and produced two sons. The second marriage also ended in divorce and produced four children. We found the current address of one of them. After writing to him he responded positively and agreed for his contact details to be passed on to his half-sister, Dianne. It was a surprise for all concerned when we found that James’s second wife, Eleanor was still alive. She was able to tell Dianne that her birth father was in sound health up until the time of his death aged 83 years and that she had some photos she would send to her.

The photos arrived of a young man in naval uniform and some later ones when he was older. Dianne’s son is also in the Navy and looks just like his grandfather. “Thank you, Thank you, Thank You, from the bottom of my heart”, said Dianne. “It has completed my life!”

The names have been changed for privacy purposes.

Ruth Jagger was born at 3 Shrewsbury Street, Oldham, Lancashire to James Jagger, the manager of a Co-operative Society Store, and his wife Mary on 17 September 1878. Something went tragically wrong and before her daughter was three weeks old Mary Jagger had died. James Jagger needed help with his large family of five daughters and four sons ranging in age from 19 years to Ruth, the infant. It was common at this time for women to produce a large number of children, not all of which would be strong and survive, including their mothers. One son named Joseph had predeceased his mother. A year after Mary’s death James married a local woman named Hannah Ratcliffe. When the census enumerator called on the 3 April 1881everybody was at home including Ruth aged two years, delightfully described as “Light of the House”!