General Chat

A MAN abandoned as a baby in a public loo more than 40 years ago is trying to find his family.

Mark Gilliam was found by the attendant in the ladies' loo at Clapham Common Tube on the Pavement on March 16, 1966. When he was 18 the family who raised him told him he was adopted, but he always assumed he had been left at a hospital. It was not until three weeks ago when he checked an old copy of the South London Press that he found out what happened. According to the report, toilet attendant Elizabeth Coulbeck of Fernlea Road, Balham, found two-month-old Mark on the floor of a cubicle at 5.15pm while she was carrying out a routine check. He been fed and was dressed in a white and yellow romper suit embroidered in green and orange cotton, a white wool cardigan, white booties and was wrapped in a yellow blanket. He was handed over to officers at Clapham police station who named him Mark Patricks because he was found the day before St Patrick's Day. They placed him with a family in Streatham who adopted him and he grew up in the area, going to school just a few minutes' walk from where he was found. Mark, now a married dad-of-one and living in Penge,said: 'I went to school at Henry Thornton on Clapham Common Southside and actually worked for a while in an off-licence on the Pavement. 'I was told I was adopted when I was 18 and knew I was found in Clapham but assumed it was at the old South London Women's Hospital. 'It was only about three weeks ago when I found the old newspaper stories that I found out what had happened.' Mark, who is now a registered childminder, said he had always wanted to know more about his past and hopefully find his birth mother. 'There is no animosity and certainly no anger,' he said. 'I just have this need to know. 'After all, I might have brothers or sisters out there somewhere that I don't know about.'

Oh I hope he's successful! :-))

A similar thing was shown on television a while back,he evntually did find birth family in Ireland where he had been born and found,,, I wish him well and hope that his birth was registered by his birth parent,,and they would know at the time if he was a home birth or hospital one, These cases are much much worse then adoption.. PS,I hope that by highlighting it,,someone will remember something or that the birth parent will come forward,,,,,,,,,,,

I hope Mark finds his birth parent/s and wish him every success in his quest to find if he has brothers and/or sisters. As he was about two months old when he was found I expect he was born early January 1966.

Im always intrigued by stories of foundlings, I believe NORCAP's foundlings group is very helpful. Im often frustrated at my 'brick walls' in my tree, yet at least I now know who my family are/were, unlike many others. Good luck to him.