When she fell pregnant in London in 1938, Jean knew that she couldn't keep her baby. The unmarried daughter of an elder in the Church of Scotland, she would shame her family if she returned to the north in such a condition. Scared and alone in a city on the brink of war, she begged the Foundling Hospital to give her baby the start in life that she could not.
The institution, which had been providing care for deserted infants since the eighteenth century, allowed Jean to nurse her son for nine weeks, leaving her heartbroken when the time came to let him go.
But little Tom knew nothing of her love as he grew up in the Foundling Hospital - which, during years of the Second World War, was more like a prison than a children's home. Locked in and subject to public canings and the sadistic whims of the older boys, there was no one to give him a hug, no one to wipe away his tears.
A true story of desertion and neglect, this is also a moving account of survival from one of the very last foundlings. It stands as a testament to the love that ultimately led a family back together.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
'I can still hear the sobs of those lost, lonely children rising from all around me'
When she fell pregnant in London in 1938, Jean knew that she couldn't keep her baby. Unmarried, scared and alone, she begged the Foundling Hospital to give her child the start in life that she could not. Still, she was heartbroken when the time came to let him go.
Her little boy, Tom, knew nothing of her love as he grew up. The Foundling Hospital, which had been providing care for deserted infants since the eighteenth century, imposed harsh discipline and an unvarying regime of exercise drills, chores, lessons and church. There was no one to give Tom a hug, no one to wipe away his tears. He was never told that his mother sent him presents for his birthday or that she desperately wanted him back.
Leaving the Hospital at fifteen, Tom was ill-equipped to cope with the wider world and suffered a series of misadventures until, as a young man, he tracked down the woman who had given him away . . . and found a home at last.
A deeply moving true story, The Last Foundling is a testament to the healing power of forgiveness and love.
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR009113712