Sylvia was born in 1937 and attended the Foundling Hospital School at Berkhamsted. On leaving the school she studied a secretarial course at Brooklands Technical College, and worked for a solicitor in Walton. She married while she was still working at the solicitor’s and had three children. She divorced after thirteen years and married for a second time.
Early Life
‘Yeah, we- oh, we had great times we used to have all the kids in the street used to come out, we used to play all the street games you know we used to- I learnt to ride a bicycle up and down the road because you could in those day, because there wasn’t the traffic and then all the girls would come out and we’d have the skipping rope, we’d have a great time with skipping ropes, playing games, hop scotch, hoops, roller skating, wonderful. And then often we’d go down to the local park, because in those days, that was another thing you could do, we could all just go off, it was safe, you know, great time in the park. Go to the river, mum used to take us for picnics and we’d go down to- to the river in Chertsey and have an afternoon by there and everyone used to swim in the river, yeah it was, it was good. I certainly remember the other kids in the road and we all mixed and it was, it was nice.’
Into the World
‘But they also had to speak to your employer to see how you were doing and I was supposed to have told him, you know, my circumstances. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And I remember her ringing the office one day and she said, “It’s Miss Marshall, I need to speak to- to your boss,” and I said “I haven’t told him,” she said “Well you really, you’ve really got to tell him.” I found it so difficult. In fact I found it quite difficult to tell anybody to be honest.’
Reflections
‘Although mum and dad were loving and they were always great together and the family was good you still, you know, there was the years when we weren’t with mum and you’re not with her all the time, so you’re not seeing how relationships should be and so yeah, I think it definitely takes its toll.’
School Life
‘I remember my, my foster sister Beryl they all did a nude swim and got caught. I think they were all running across, stark naked, across the playground desperate to get back to their dormitories. Oh because she was a great swimmer Beryl was. Yeah, there were lots of really fun times I think, I know a lot of people have sort of you know negative memories and thoughts but I think mine are generally happy.’
Search for Birth Families
‘I- my recollection is that when we were about nine, in the school chapel we were told that they weren’t our real parents, because I think that’s when we going to go back home after four years and I think they were telling us that they weren’t our own parents and if we wanted any information about our families we could go to the Head teacher’s study and he would talk to us. I did want to know though about my family so I did go to the Head teacher’s study and he just gave me a basic background really. He told me that my mother wasn’t able to keep me because she had to look after her mother, my grandmother, who was crippled with arthritis, told me that the family worked on boats, they were boat-builder–not boat-builders but they worked in a boat-building yard. It didn’t really worry me too much because my foster mother was so lovely that I didn’t really want to be with anybody else and it’s only sort of over the last what 20 years I suppose really that I’ve wanted to find out more but my mother didn’t want to know because I did write to her. And so I wrote to her there and I know probably I shouldn’t have done that without getting professional help but I didn’t think the letter was too bad but she wrote back and said, “How dare you write to me,” she said “I was told when I put you-” She said she was told that when she put me into the home that she could never have anything to do with me and you know “you get on with your life and leave me alone.” I don’t know why I’m so upset about it because you know I haven’t really got any feeling for her. But why am I so upset about her? Because I didn’t really have any feelings. My mum was my foster mum you know and I loved her dearly so why am I crying about someone who didn’t really want me? Well I would have liked to have known her, I would have liked to have met her and for her to have you know, seen how I am and my kids, and it’s just the rejection isn’t it really. At the time I thought because my foster mother died at quite a young age, tragically in an accident and she was wonderful to my kids and I just thought how nice it would have been if they could have met their real grandmother. But it wasn’t to be…‘
