I can understand why bureaucracy is part of our lives and in my case it has protected me from birth. I was adopted as a baby and when I felt the time was right I wanted to trace my birth mother, it has been an uphill struggle for over eighteen years often with everything I try hitting a brick wall. Like most adopted people I didn't feel a need to trace my birth mother until I hit my thirties and I contacted social services and started the ball rolling.
I went and had an assessment that is a legal requirement before they issue you a form that entitles you to get your birth certificate. Your adoption file holds all paperwork to do with your adoption and sometimes if your lucky your birth mother or family may have put in letters, but it my case there was only one piece of paper the Guardian-ad-litem's report on application to adopt. It states that my birth mother Joan Irene Dawson at her interview said that she placed me for adoption through a Mrs Letts and gave an address because she was not in a position to bring me up in a satisfactory manner.
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement because most of the information I had been told many years before by my adoptive parents. I knew her name, her address and I was told it was done through the Church of England, which is now in doubt. A few years ago I had exhausted all leads including her marriage to a gentleman with the surname of Whatley. I understand they divorced in the 70's.
From my parents I had been told a few facts which now seem very odd after speaking to someone this morning on the phone. I was born at the British Mother and Babies Hospital in Samuel Street Woolwich in November 1963 and ten days later I went home with my adoptive family. I had no social worker pre or post adoption and my adoption went through in just over 18 weeks, I understand this is short period of time in the adoption procedure.
My mum had told me that my birth mother had become a nuisance being seen hanging around the area where they lived in Greenwich and she had left me presents of a layette pram set in yellow but also a present for my brother and a large sum of money which they were advised to return by who I don't know.
My baptism at St Alfege Church in Greenwich in April 1964 seems to have been complicated affair. My godfather Canon Ronald Diss baptised me and this mysterious Mrs Letts was a godmother. This is what I do not understand because she wasn't a family friend and when I pushed my parents they just clammed up. I was also warned by people not too ask too many questions.
This morning in the phone conversation it was suggested it might have been a private adoption. Which I understand is illegal and my parent wouldn't have had had kind of money. I truly hope that that I get some answers this time.
