My life as a child was I was sent to work as

care for her adequately. She was sent to live at a convent school in Chertsey, Surrey, run by Salesian nuns, an order founded in 1872.

The boarding school was attended by the wealthy daughters of middle and upper class families and Edward’s daughter lived a harsh existence, she says. Although she attended lessons alongside her wealthy classmates she was frequently told by the nuns that she was “not one of them”.

Instead of being allowed to play with her fellow boarders at break times or at the end of the school day she tells how she was made to do chores. This included working in the laundry washing the nun’s habits and underwear – a chilling echo of her own mother who was made to work in the laundry at the home where she abused Edward.

In an even more demeaning job she says she was forced to help wait on her fellow schoolgirls at mealtimes before being allowed her own food.

She said: “As for my life as a child, it was not easy. The adoption agency gave me to a woman who had chronic mental health problems.

“At the age of just four I was sent to a Salesian nuns’ boarding school to be trained as the convent skivvy, doing the nuns’ washing and ironing and cleaning.

“I was never allowed to play with the other girls, who all came from rich families.”

The admission from his daughter of her suffering at the hands of nuns brought fresh fury from Edward who admitted: “I was trying to control it but I was shaking with rage when she told me of her childhood.

“I have come to terms with the abuse I suffered as a boy but to find out that my own daughter also suffered too has brought me more heartache.

Failure

“Although I had some fears about what may have happened I always envisaged that the nun had gone back to Ireland and given birth to a child who was brought up well in a normal family existence.

“I thought of green fields and happy sunny days so to learn what she has gone through is extremely upsetting and difficult to take.”

Both Edward and his daughter are now desperate for more information about what happened to them as children and to their mother.

Edward added: “The failure of the Catholic Church just goes on and on. They have refused to help me all along and know more about my story that I would like to find out.

“I will continue to fight to fill in the gaps of my history and for them to truly acknowledge what they have put me through.”

The St John Bosco’s Convent Grammar School in Chertsey closed in 1971. The Salesian Sisters, who were not involved in any way in the sexual abuse of Edward Hayes, were not available for comment yesterday.