Kilv’s story

‘My life since December 2017 has been one of huge change, excitement, emotional turmoil. I was born in Redruth, Cornwall, on 20 September 1945, and was adopted at a few days old by Mr and Mrs Kilvington, who lived in Wembley, Middlesex. Brought up as an only child, I was told of my adoption when I was about 10 but it had very little impact on my life. I became a dentist, married (twice) and have four children.

‘When I retired, I became interested in my family history. The information on my birth certificate, which I first saw in my 40s, was that my name had been Derek Anthony Jones, and my mother was Celia Jones, a student nurse from Wales, who later married a doctor in the Canadian Air Force, moved to Canada and had three more children, Elaine, Michael and John. I’m now getting to know them and their families.

‘My mother kept my birth a secret all her life, and my birth certificate has no mention of my father. Getting to know Carol and finding out what my father and his family were like has

been extraordinary.’