My natural mother, Veronica Smith, who has died aged 83, was an “unmarried mum” when she was compelled to hand me over for adoption in the mid-1960s. We did not see each other again for 40 years, but once reunited were able to establish a happy and supportive relationship, despite some initial ups and downs.
When her pregnancy was discovered, Veronica’s sister and mother arranged for her to be sent to a Catholic Crusade of Rescue hostel in south London. She only had one week with her new-born, then was sent away and told to forget about the whole thing. I was formally adopted at six weeks old.
