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Miss Treacher reports that during 1958 her help was sought for 51 illegitimate
children and their parents resident in West Ham, There were, in addition, two families
for whom help was sought for other reasons. Seven cases concerned married women having
illegitimate babies; the remainder were single women. Twenty-one were admitted to
Mother and Baby Homes, and in l8 of these, application was made to the local health
authority for financial assistance.
Altogether, the department was involved in the making of arrangements for the
accommodation of 19 West Ham mothers. Nine were admitted to St. Agatha's Home during
pregnancy and returned to the home after having the baby in hospital. Two were admitted
to a home or hostel outside the Borough. When circumstances made it necessary, financial
assistance was granted forwards the cost of maintenance.
The problems which confront some mothers of illegitimate babies during pregnancy
and in the weeks following delivery are both complicated and diverse, and demand careful
thought, understanding and patience. No routine solution can be found and the mother may
need much support while making her decision. This is well illustrated by the following
four case histories from Miss Treacher's report:-
Miss A. was referred for help by her doctor. She was 30 years old and expecting
her first baby. She lived at home with her parents and was employed as a book-keeper.
The father of her child was a married man, who could only offer financial help. As
Miss A's parents were unwilling that she should remain at home, arrangements were made
for her to go to a Mother & Baby Home. She had a baby daughter and did not feel she
could part with her, but was not able to take the child home. A foSter-home was found
and after the baby had been there for a few months, during which time her mother visited
regularly, the parents agreed to her taking the baby into their home.
Miss B. came to see us with her parents, in great distress. Arrangements for
her to marry the expected baby's father were cancelled when her father found, upon
enquiry, that this man had a wife in Canada. Miss B. worked as a machinist. She was l8
years old and had a small brother of three. The parents asked if she could enter St.
Agatha's and if the baby could be adopted, in due course. Subsequently Miss B. was very
anxious to keep the little boy who was born in hospital, and when her parents suggested
they would adopt him so that he would grow up with her small brother, she willingly
agreed to this.
Miss C. had taken no action about her pregnancy and was referred to us by the
Hospital after she had been admitted there as an emergency case. She had a son and
could not return to her lodgings in West Ham. We learned that Miss C. had herself
been brought up in a children's home and knew nothing about her parents. A vacancy
was offered at St. Agatha's, and after a short time there Miss C. decided adoption
was in the best interests of her baby, as the putative father had disappeared. An
adoption was arranged through the local authority, and Miss C's landlady visited her
in the Home and asked her to return there.
Mrs.D. is a married woman living with her husband, with a family of eight children.
She was admitted to hospital for a confinement and the baby was coloured; she then
confessed that the father was an Indian, who had been a friend of her husband's and
herself. The husband was told the facts at the hospital and was greatly distressed.
He agreed to forgive his wife for the sake of the family, but said he could not accept
the child, as it would not be fair to the other children. An interview was arranged
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