The Last Foundling by Tom H Mackenzie

The Last Foundling by Tom H Mackenzie

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Summary

A deeply moving memoir from one of the last children to be taken in by the Foundling Hospital, London.

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The Last Foundling by Tom H Mackenzie

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.
Tom H. Mackenzie was born in London in 1939 to an unmarried mother who intrusted him to the Foundling Hospital. He was one of the last children to be taken in by the Hospital after 200 years of institutional care. Following a spell in the army, he has worked in journalism and business and now writes a weekly column for the Plymouth Herald. Tom is happily married and lives in Plymouth, Devon.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9781447253266
ISBN 10 1447253264
Title The Last Foundling
Author Tom H Mackenzie
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Year published 2014-03-13
Number of pages 320
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.