Sons and Mothers

By David Tetlow

The year was 1939 and soldiers were about to go to war. Constance Cummings, a sixteen-year-old beautiful but naïve young girl, was taken in by a conniving and duplicitous junior army officer who was already married with a family using a false identity.

With the false promise of later marriage and following a wager with his colleagues he lured the girl into a seedy room where he raped her.

She found herself to be pregnant and in 1940 she had a baby with an unknown father. Even though she had been duped and raped this was considered to be a disgrace and the child, a boy, was taken from her without her even being aware of his sex.

Meanwhile, some miles away the offender’s real wife gave birth to a son.

This is a story of their lives from that point on. Will Constance ever meet up with her son? Will the offender’s real wife ever realise what a dreadful man she had married? Will the two half-brothers ever meet and become friends?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Sep 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781398409965

David Tetlow

David Tetlow was born in Rossendale, Lancashire during the Second World War. Following his school years, he worked as a mechanical engineer and later specialised in textile machinery research and development. He married Joyce in 1963 and has a son, daughter, four grandchildren and recently two great-grandchildren. He joined the Lancashire police in the late 1960s and completed most of his thirty years-service in the Greater Manchester police from which he retired as an investigating officer.

Book preview

About the Author

David Tetlow was born in 1941 in Rossendale, Lancashire. He attended St James the Less school in Rawtenstall, leaving to work as an apprentice mechanical engineer at the age of fifteen, he worked in that industry for eleven years. He married Joyce in 1963 and joined the Lancashire police in 1967. He retired from the Greater Manchester police in 1997 as a senior investigating officer.

David and Joyce have a son and daughter, four grandchildren and one great grandchild.

His first book, Beware My Shadow, was published in 2018 when David was 77 years of age.

Dedication

To Joyce, who has put up with me for 59 years.

Copyright Information ©

David Tetlow 2022

The right of David Tetlow to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398409958 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398409965 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2022

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

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E14 5AA

Prologue

The date was the 20th of May 1940, and 17-year-old Constance Cummings was in great pain as she lay on the bed in the upstairs second bedroom of her Aunt Betty’s terraced house in Bolton. Her aunt was the eldest sister of her mother. She had never married and was, as was commonly referred to in the 1940s, a spinster. Constance had been living with her aunt for the previous six months, sent there by her mother and father from Preston—a town some twenty miles west of Bolton—to disguise the fact that she was pregnant and unmarried. At the age of seventeen, this was seen to bring shame on the family, hence the ignominy of her present situation.

The pain she was feeling was both physical and mental. The first was the fact that the baby was on the way imminently, and the second was because she knew that she would never know the sex of her child, nor indeed ever see the child again from the very moment of birth.

Two very severe looking ladies entered the room, one was the midwife and the other a nurse from a local orphanage, and during the next hour or so no greetings or gentle words of encouragement were uttered. The baby finally arrived and was immediately removed. The two women left without any advice or farewells. Constance had been relieved of her physical pain, but the mental pain and the feeling of utter worthlessness persisted, and she felt that it would never go away.

A few days later, a similar event of childbirth took place in Sale, some twenty miles to the south of Bolton, where Jennifer Wright was also having a home birth. However, the circumstances could not have been more different. This was her second child, and Jennifer’s home was filled with family members and cheerful nursing staff. It was marred only by the fact that her husband, George Wright an army second lieutenant, was still in France with his regiment, and at that time, attempts were being made to evacuate them from Dunkirk. The birth went smoothly, and William Wright was brought safely into the world.

The Wright family were wealthy cotton mill owners. The father, Arnold Wright, was the owner of five textile mills around the Lancashire area, and his first son, Second Lieutenant George Wright, arrived home wounded from France before the child was a month old to a welcoming family get-together and a large double celebration.

Chapter One

Outside the house in Bolton, transport was waiting to take the nurse Emily Johnson and the newborn baby to the local orphanage on the north side of the town. On arrival, the child was examined by the Resident Doctor Samuel Phillips who declared him to be a perfectly healthy baby boy with no apparent problems and ready for immediate adoption.

Doctor Phillips and Nurse Johnson were very responsible people and were well aware that it was now in their power to make a childless family very happy. They went together very carefully through the register, then, after long deliberation decided upon Joseph and Margaret Atherton. Margaret had suffered three miscarriages and had been forced eventually to have a hysterectomy and was now incapable of childbirth. They had been on the register for two years and had asked for a child as young as possible to bring up and love.

Margaret was currently working as a dinner lady at a local school. She had stated that she was willing to give up that job if they were granted an adoption. Joseph was a mechanic working in a textile mill close to their home. They were both in their early forties and in another couple of years would be considered too old for adoption.

Doctor Phillips declared, ‘Well, it’s last chance saloon for this couple. We have to inspect the house, and if that’s okay, we will give them the go-ahead. Wow, this is the part of my job I really love.’

The pair arrived at the house in the Dean district by appointment the following day, a Saturday, to find Joseph and Margaret shaking with anticipation. They were politely invited in and offered refreshments by the nervous and excited couple.

The doctor said, ‘Before that, may we look around your house.’

‘Yes anything,’ replied the almost delirious Margaret.

The house was a two-up two-down middle-terraced property with a small garden front and rear and an outside toilet. Everything was immaculately clean and tidy. It was a cold day, and a coal fire was keeping the front living room warm and cosy. The doctor and nurse looked at each other, smiled and nodded agreement.

‘We have a baby boy we would like to offer you for adoption,’ they said almost in unison. Both Joseph and Margaret broke down with tears of joy. Even the slightly hardened doctor and nurse found themselves gulping.

‘Can we see him now? Can we bring him home?’

‘You can see him now, and you can bring him home when you have got things ready for his arrival. I would anticipate one week from now.’

Back at the orphanage, Joseph and Margaret could not believe what they were seeing when they stood over the cradle of this perfectly formed child.

‘Believe me, Doctor,’ said Joseph, ‘we will have everything ready in a lot less than a week, and you can inspect whenever you like.’

They both stood staring into the cot until they were politely asked to go home and prepare. They left the orphanage as probably the happiest couple in town.

Chapter Two

Some eleven months prior to these happenings on the 1st of July 1939, Britain was on the brink of entering World War II, and Constance Cummings celebrated her sixteenth birthday. She was allowed to go with friends to the local Astoria Ballroom on the following Saturday evening. The stipulation was that she should be home by no later than 10:30. Jimmy Sanderson and his orchestra were playing the popular music created by Glen Miller and his band, and the evening was going very well for this beautiful happy and slightly naïve young woman.

A large group of young soldiers entered the dance hall from the nearby Fulwood Barracks. Constance danced happily with several of them and found herself suddenly staring into the eyes of a tall, handsome and very well-spoken young man.

‘Can I have this dance, please?’ he very politely said.

She was delighted. As they danced, he bumped heavily into the shoulder of another soldier who looking annoyed, turned sharply and immediately said, ‘Oh sorry, Sir.’

‘He called you Sir,’ exclaimed Constance.

‘Yes. For my sins, I am in charge of this bunch of plebs. I have to make sure they get back to the barracks on time and without causing any trouble.’

After the dance, they sat together having coffee and chatting. Constance felt very attracted to this seemingly very personable young man who told her that his name was Adrian Crawley.

At 10:15 Constance felt like Cinderella having to flee the ball.

‘I must go or I will be in trouble with my parents.’

‘Can I see you again?’ said Crawley. ‘Will you be here next Saturday?’

‘Yes, see you then.’

Thus their friendship blossomed. They met again the following Saturday and began to meet for regular walks in the park and trips to the cinema. Constance found herself falling in love with this handsome soldier. Crawley attempted several times to turn their meetings and relationship into sexual encounters. He was rebuffed each time by Constance who declared that she was not ready yet.

In early September during an evening stroll in the park, Crawley told Constance how much he loved her and that he and his battalion were shipping out to France two days later as part of the British Expeditionary Force. He asked for her hand in marriage saying that he may not survive the war, and if he did, he would wish to marry her immediately on his return.

She gasped and with tears in her eyes she happily replied, ‘Yes, I will marry you.’

He produced a man’s gold signet ring which was far too big for her and asked her to wear it on a chain round her neck until he could buy her a proper engagement ring.

‘While I am away fighting for my country and facing a fierce enemy, I want to remember you as a man remembers his wife. I want to remember all of you. Even if I am dying, I want you to be my last thought. After today, I will not see you again until I return. I have booked a small room in town where we can be alone. Will you come with me there now?’

‘Yes, my love. Yes, I wish to remember you in that way too.’

He took her to a dinghy backstreet house on the outskirts of town. The house had only two rooms, a downstairs sitting room and combined kitchen and one upstairs bedroom where he took her. She began to have her doubts.

She softly said, ‘I don’t want to do this. This place is filthy. I would rather wait until we are married.’

His attitude changed suddenly and completely. ‘You promised,’ he yelled at her.

She shouted, ‘No. Please.’

He slapped her hard across the face. ‘I will one day be a very wealthy man. I will pick you up out of the gutter and change your life completely,’ he shouted, whilst overpowering her and tearing at her clothing.

She had never been subjected to such violence before, and becoming very frightened, she reluctantly submitted to his will, after which she was lying on the bed naked and sobbing when he announced, ‘I need to go now.’

He quickly dressed and left the room without another word. She stood and reached for the ring she had left on the bedside cabinet and was shocked to find that it was missing. Constance went to the bedroom window and saw Crawley walk through the front door of the boarding house together with four other soldiers who were laughing and shouting.

She heard the words, ‘You did it you horny bastard. You’ve won the bet.’

She saw money being placed into his hands by the other soldiers. The sudden realisation came upon her that she had been completely duped by a totally unscrupulous man, who had taken away her honour and her virginity and had made a complete fool of her. She sobbed on the bed for the next hour before pulling herself together and heading for home. On the way home, she entered a photo booth and took four pictures of her bruised face. When she arrived at home, she was too ashamed of what had happened to talk about it to anyone. She told her parents that her bruised face was the result of a fight with another girl.

It was one month later that Constance found, what she dreaded most, that she was pregnant. Her first action was to go to the barracks to ask how to get in touch with Adrian Crawley to be told that no person of that name had ever been there. No, they would not give the names of people who been sent to France, nor would they produce any photographs of soldiers or officers who had served there.

Chapter Three

The date was the 28th of May 1940 and Second Lieutenant George Wright and his platoon had been retreating from the German Panzer Division for several days. They were in the countryside just outside the town of Lille in northwest France. In their hasty retreat, they had become detached from their subunit and their decisive captain, Thomas Smithson. They were