a british citizen. her mother, philomena, was irish and wasn t married. this was their destination an institution for unmarried women and girls in castlepollard in county westmeath. i should never have been in ireland that s my take on that because i was born in london. the mother and baby homes, as they were known, were seen as places of punishment. maria was eventually adopted. later, mother and daughter looked for each other. after philomena died, maria discovered they d both lived in edinburgh at the same time. repatriations were organised by british and irish state agencies and religious charities until the 19705. research, so far, has revealed around 3,000 cases, but campaigners believe the real figure is higher. archives indicate welfare officials in britain regarded unmarried irish
maria discovered they d both lived in edinburgh at the same time. repatriations were organised by british and irish state agencies and religious charities until the 19705. research, so far, has revealed around 3,000 cases, but campaigners believe the real figure is higher. archives indicate welfare officials in britain regarded unmarried irish mothers as a burden on resources. the cost was something that theyjust kept coming back to, and this was part of the reason for the repatriation scheme. it was supposed to be an optional scheme for the woman. all of the women that i spoke to, they all said they did not know that. they felt like it was completely forced, that they did not have a choice. maria s daughter says the state authorities, such as councils and church organisations, should apologise. an acknowledgement that
our findings show more than 400 chronically sick and mentally ill patients were sent back to the caribbean. and evidence suggests it wasn t always for their benefit. government documents from the i960s show that people likejune s dad should only have been repatriated if they wanted to return, if their doctor felt it would benefit their health, and if there were resources there to look after them. but this letterfrom the jamaican high commission says hospital authorities were trying to send patients back largely due to pressure on beds, giving the impression that this was being done regardless of whether adequate treatment was available. the windrush generation had the same legal status as someone born in the uk. lawyerjacqueline mckenzie has represented hundreds of victims of the windrush scandal. she and other experts we ve spoken to questioned the legality of the repatriations.
who were affected to provide them with answers and some sort of redress. she and june are now calling for an inquiry into these repatriations. in a statement, a government spokesperson said. but forjune, she s still left with the question of what happened to her father. they ve left us lost. i m a lost girl looking for answers. navteonhal, bbc news.
always for their benefit. government documents from the 19605 show that people likejune s dad should only have been repatriated if they wanted to return, if their doctor felt it would benefit their health, and if there were resources there to look after them. but this letterfrom the jamaican high commission says hospital authorities were trying to send patients back largely due to pressure on beds, giving the impression that this was being done regardless of whether adequate treatment was available. the windrush generation had the same legal status as someone born in the uk. lawyerjacqueline mckenzie has represented hundreds of victims of the windrush scandal. she and other experts we ve spoken to questioned the legality of the repatriations. we do not know the full extent of it and how many thousands of people may be affected, in terms of children and grandchildren of some of the people who went. the state now owes it to the descendants of people