An ITV News investigation has discovered dozens of babies are buried in mass unmarked graves after dying in an institution for unmarried mothers, Social Affairs Correspondent Sarah Corker reports.
Nearly 70 babies are buried in mass unmarked graves after dying in a Salvation Army-run institution for unmarried mothers in Newcastle, an ITV News investigation has discovered.
Hopedene Maternity Home operated between 1950 and 1973 in the Elswick area of the city and has been described by families affected as a "place of cruelty" and "like a prison".
And former prime minister Gordon Brown has called on the government to issue a formal apology for the state’s role in the "terrible tragedy" of historic forced adoptions, in an exclusive interview with ITV News.
In a significant intervention, the former Labour PM said he has personally been in touch with the Department for Education (DfE) and is calling for an official apology in the House of Commons when MP’s return from their Summer break, to acknowledge "the damage that was done".
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