hello,

My name is Lynn Gardener, what a stroke of luck becoming aware of this club.  You just might be able to help me.  Iam hoping that this will ring a bell with somebody out there. 

 Iam trying to trace some information on my Dad's Biological Father whom he has never met & now probably will not but Iam trying to grab hold of anything possible, pictures, written History, something to pass to future family to know where their roots come from.  My Dad was born on 14th February 1944.  His Mother's name at the time was Dorothy Rose Harper.  Her Husband at the time was called Roland Harper, he was named on the birth certificate of my Dad's as the Father but we know that he wasn't.  Subsequently Dorothy divorced & remarried a Gentleman called Harry Gardener & they had 2 more children boys named John & Stephen. 

Dorothies Parents lived at 109 Chesterton Street their names were Bert & Nellie Buckley, a very loving & well known couple at that time.  They spent a lot of time struggling to raise my Dad.  At this time my Dad was known as little Peter Buckley on the streets of Garston.  Bert was a well known regular in the Woodcutters & he played Bowls at the local bowling fields too.  Bert passed away in 1975 & Nellie joined him in 1991. 

 The information I have so far is that Dorothy had an affair while her Husband was in the war with an American Serviceman possibly stationed at Burtonwood Airbase but not 100% certain on that as I have nothing to back it up with.  Ironically his name was John/Jack Harper, I believe that he could have had quite a high ranking position, gold clusters on the shoulders of his uniform.  Is there anyone out there that can maybe trace what rank that is if it exists?  Dorothy lived with Harry at 22 Church Rd North Wavertree near the clock. 

My Dad constantly ran away back to 109 Chesterton Street accompanied by the local friendly Bobby, my Dad would be just sent upto bed with a Jam Butty & a glass of milk.  Dorothy had a best friend called Olga Kendal, she was nicknamed Nooney Ken they often went to Reece's T dance at Williamson Square. 

Dorothy was dark haired & very attractive & Olga was blond.  Olga had a young Daughter called Eunice.  In later life Dorothy & Harry moved to Chorlton Close in Childwall.  My Dad's Aunty Betty, Dorothy's Sister told my Dad about Dorothy having the affair with John/Jack Harper & that my Dad was the spitting image of him.  That's about all the information that I have at the moment so it's pretty thin on the ground.

  So far I have written to the American War records place to no avail as they had a fire there & it destroyed all the records from 1943-1944 & they had no back up copies to replace them so this is really my final attempt to find anything.  Dorothy & Harry are now both deceased.  I hope that there is someone out there that will surely remember these names.  Nellie Buckley came from a family of 18 children & a lot of them lived around the local Garston Chesterton Street area, it was a very close knit Street in the 1940's, everyone knew everyone & looked out for each other.  Does any of this jog anyone's memory?

If you can help Lynn then contact us here at expats@garston-woodcutters.co.uk and we will pass your details on