IN the 1920s, my wife's twin uncles were sent to St Joseph's Home in Sambourne, near Alcester.

This followed the remarriage of her grandmother to a man much younger than herself who seems to have done all he could to rid himself of the children from the time of her first marriage.

May we use your columns to ask any readers for information about the home or if records of, for example, admissions, performance and discharges survive for this home for the period of the 1920s and 1930s and if so, where they might be lodged?

We have contacted the Catholic Church of Our Lady and St Joseph in Priory Road, Alcester, but they say there is no connection with the home.

The proximity of the church and the home, both sharing a name, seems likely to be more than a coincidence.

Does anyone know if there is a connection that the present church priest would not know about?

One of the twins was admitted to Smallwood Hospital, Redditch, and died there in January 1929.

The other twin left the home at an unknown date (possibly 1930 when he would have been 14, or shortly after), earned his living as a chef, survived into old age and was well-known to my wife and his half-brothers, her father and uncle.

During his lifetime, we were distracted by the demands of a growing family and never took the opportunity to learn about his early life.

His past would come alive if we could have sight of records that illuminated this period before either of us was born.

We have been in touch with Richard Churchley, of Alcester History Society, who has told us the physical building survives in a housing development near Astwood Bank Cricket Club.

He believes the home became a private Catholic school, which stayed open into the 1960s.

He has put us in touch with another member, John Yates, who has investigated the history of Sambourne. We hope to gain some guidance from him.

Meanwhile, we send this query to you and hope to share what we learn with your readers at a later date.

ANNE and MAURICE BLACKMAN

Linslade

Leighton Buzzard