‘Sometimes I feel life is not worth living for’
IN 1926 Catherine, a trainee nurse in London, fell pregnant.
Desperate, she sought help from the National Vigilance Association (NVA), established in 1885 “for the enforcement and improvement of public morality”.
Fearful that her hospital’s matron would learn of her pregnancy, Catherine returned to Ireland and gave birth to a son in St Patrick’s Home, Dublin. She returned to London a few weeks later to continue her training.
In a series of heartbreaking letters, Catherine and her baby’s sad story plays out.
A Miss Cruice, of St Patrick’s Guild, wrote to the NVA demanding money to cover the costs of the adoption.
“My society could not adopt the child under a fee of £40 to £50, but this amount could be paid in instalments. I would only be too glad to help this girl in any way possible, but the strain on my resources has been very great during the last year, and I am reluctantly compelled to refuse cases for some time past.”
Ms Baker of the NVA then wrote to the Archbishop of Westminster in London, “do you think it will be possible to have the child adopted so as to give the poor girl a chance in life?”
Monsignor de WiartCarton, of the Archbishop’s house, agreed to pay £40 to St Patrick’s Guild so long as the child was placed within a Catholic institution.
Catherine repaid the NVA every month. However, in January 1928 she ran into difficulty and wrote to a Mr Simpkins of the NVA.
“Unforeseen financial disappointments have been the sole cause of my want of punctuality.
“I really must beg of you to defer the settlement of my instalments till Saturday,” she said.
Mr Simpkins expressed his frustration.
“Dear Miss R., I do not like to have to write these letters to you about a faithful undertaking.”
Catherine replied: “Dear Sir, I am really grieved to think I have caused you such annoyance. Enclosed you shall find £1 10s being amount due. I promise faithfully you shall not have to write once again.”
In June 1929, a letter to Catherine read: “I have not heard from you for some considerable time.
“If I do not hear from you within a week, I shall send a lady round to call on you at the hospital.”
Catherine replied: “I really do try to be punctual, but it is really difficult sometimes. Sometimes I feel as though life is not worth living for.
“But I thank God I have a faithful friend in you. I never forget to pray for you when I go to Church.”
In a letter to the Archbishop’s House explaining Catherine’s difficulties, Mr Simpkins disclosed “there is in this case, no hope of obtaining any assistance from the father.”
The Monsignor responded: “If she were quite unable to pay I would not, of course, insist for a moment on repayment, but if she is, it is well to teach her a lesson.”
However, in January 1931 the Archbishop’s House released Catherine from her monthly repayments.
A letter to Mr Simpkins said “our name was never mentioned, and we do not wish it to be mentioned at present”.
The money sent by Catherine each month for four years to the NVA was redirected to the Archbishop’s House in Westminster.
Catherine was never aware of this.
Inhumane treatment of unmarried Irish mothers forced many to flee to Britain for most of the 20th century.
Exhaustive research by NUI Galway academic Dr Lorraine Grimes has unearthed sad accounts of Irish women spanning the years from 1927 to 1973, including that of Catherine.