Grandma's 50-year search for her children's graves

Joanne Norton, Betty’s seventh and final child was born in 1969

A great-grandmother who has spent over half a century not knowing where three of her children are buried has finally discovered where they were laid to rest.

Betty Rawsthorne, 90, had seven children between 1955 and 1969, but three were stillborn.

Like many other babies stillborn during that time, they were taken away by hospital staff or doctors.

Campaigners helped Betty, from Wirral, to find two of the graves.

'Still my children'

Betty, who lived in north Liverpool for many years, said one of her stillborn babies was put in a chest of drawers in her home before his body was taken away by a doctor.

She said she "couldn't open the drawer for about a year" afterwards.

"I used to sit and cry," she said.

"At the time, I was only young. I was really upset. I never looked forward to the birth because I felt by the time it was seven months, the baby would be born dead."

After contacting Gina Jacobs, a campaigner who has helped locate dozens of babies, the family have been able to find two of Betty’s children buried at West Derby and Everton cemeteries in Liverpool.

They are still looking for the third.

Betty said: "They were still my children. It will just make me feel better."

Joanne Norton, Betty’s seventh child, said: "My mum found it hard to say she’s got seven children and people would say no you haven’t.

“I know that nothing will make her feel happier than putting a bunch of flowers on the grave.

"It would be acknowledging it’s real."

A spokesperson for Liverpool City Council said: "Parents who are trying to locate the resting place of a stillborn child are very welcome to contact our Bereavement Services Team and we will do everything we can to support them."