Sonia Limm’s father David spent decades wondering who his father was, until modern technology gave him a breakthrough. They’ve discovered a wartime hero who had a promising career as a boxer, says Gail Dixon
The seismic shifts that resulted from the Second World War led to many family secrets. Large numbers of British children grew up not knowing the identity of one or both parents, and this created lifelong consequences.
DNA testing can be marvellous for breaking down genealogical brick walls, but for some people it goes much further and is genuinely life-changing. Sonia Limm shares her family’s emotive story, which dates back to a wartime romance.
MY BRICK WALL
My father David Brian Heath was born illegitimately on 20 September 1944, in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. His mother Doreen Heath was discharged from the Military Police for being pregnant, and what’s more was disowned by her family too.
Doreen provided well for Dad under the circumstances. She worked in a munitions factory to make ends meet, and continued to work hard all her life. She married Edward Limm in 1946, who Dad believed was his biological father. It was a challenging relationship.
Before Dad married Mum he needed his birth certificate, and it was then that he discovered that Edward wasn’t his birth father. The certificate simply stated “father unknown”.
Naturally Dad asked Doreen who his real father was, but it was a secret that she took to her grave. All she would say was that she met him while working in the Military Police, and that he was serving in the Army. Not knowing the truth was a heavy burden for Dad throughout his life.
MY EUREKA MOMENT
The Covid-19 years reignited our interest in family history, and I contemplated taking a DNA test with Ancestry (ancestry.co.uk/dna). Someone might hold the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle.
I discussed it with Dad, and we took our tests in 2021. Dad’s matched with three members of a family called Huddlestone, and these people turned out to be his first cousins. Finally this allowed us to find Dad’s natural father, who was called Douglas George Lilburn Huddlestone.
After 76 years of searching, this came as a shock for Dad, who never believed that he would discover the truth. Dad was excited to learn about his father, but also nervous that he might be r
