Help Tommy find his lost family

Nov 2 2012 by Jennifer Buchanan, Ayrshire Post

A family is being reunited after more than 50 years apart.

And bizarrely, most of the siblings didn’t even know the others existed.

Tommy Johnstone was just five years old when he moved to Girvan to live with a foster family.

Tommy lived in the town with his brother Alexander for 10 years, and enrolled in the Royal Navy when he was 15.

But he always had a niggling memory of having a sister when he was younger.

Little did he realise when he started looking into his family earlier this year, that he didn’t just have one sister, he had five.

Tommy, now 60, explained: “I was in Girvan visiting my foster family and decided to try and find out if I did have a sister.

“I was referred to the social work department and when my records came through I found out I was one of seven children.

“I had no idea.”

Tommy, who went by the name McGill while he lived in Girvan, had almost no memories of his life before Girvan.

And he soon started trying to track down his lost siblings through the internet.

He said: “I sent letters to every address I could find that might be them.

“Then one day I got a call from one of Elizabeth, and the next day Frances called.”

And this week, Tommy and two of his sisters, Elizabeth and Frances will be reunited in Girvan for the first time since they were children.

Elizabeth Bartlett, is now 56 and living in Newton Stewart and was just eight months old when she was adopted.

She knew nothing about her other siblings until she received Tommy’s letter.

Frances Garforth is now 58 and lives in Newmilns and also knew nothing of her family.

But Tommy, who has made his home in Yeovil , Somerset, with his wife Lynne, is keen to track down his other sisters as well.

He said: “Alexander sadly died of leukaemia when he was only 32 years old.

“And I have tried to trace my other three sisters without much success.

“Their married names are Grace Lawson, Mary Shipton and Margaret Imisson and the latter two are half sisters.

“It would be fantastic to locate and contact them as it was 55 years ago when we were separated.

“I believe they all still live in Ayrshire , maybe Margaret living in Largs, Grace in the Saltcoats /Newmilns area.

“If anyone knows of them or their current locations it would be great to receive that information.”

Tommy can be contacted on 07801701733, 01935 420635 or on tom.i.johnstone@gmail.com.