Brothers meet for the first time in 80 years

Tony Burrows (left) and Keith Sanders - brothers reunited after 80 years.

Here’s a picture of Margaret’s two half-brothers – Tony Burrows and Keith Sanders – who met for the first time this month.

The brothers were from Margaret’s dad’s first marriage. He married Amy Sanders in 1934 and they had two children – Tony in 1935 and Keith in 1937. Keith was born in July and Amy died in August.

Tony stayed with his father, although Norman joined the Army at the outbreak of the Second World War, and he was brought up by Edith Burrows (nee Mason), his grandmother.

John Joseph Keith Burrows went to live with his mother’s family and his name was changed to Keith Sanders.

It’s not unusual for children to be divided between the family in the event of such tragedy. What is unusual was that there was no contact between the two brothers or, to the best of our knowledge, between father and Keith.

Tony knew he had a brother and Keith knew he had a brother, but that was it. None of the children of Norman’s second marriage knew anything about Keith (their half-brother). Tony, brought up by his grandmother, was a visitor two or three times a year.

The first Margaret knew of another half-brother was when it was uncovered during research on our family tree and her cousin Gillian was able to fill in a few gaps and provide a picture of Amy and now this picture of Tony and Keith.

The 1939 Census shows the Burrows family living at 15 Morris Drive in Weaverham. There was William Burrows, wife Edith, sons Norman and Walter and grandson William Thomas Anthony Burrows (aged three-and-a-half). William and Norman are working as Roadmen and Walter is a Labourer.

John Joseph Keith Burrows, by now called Keith Sanders and two years old, is living in Chapel Lane, Action Bridge (maybe two miles away) with Gladys Esther Sanders (aged 25). We don’t know if she’s his mother’s sister or wife of his mother’s brother. We assume she was a relative of some kind.

Norman Burrows - aged about 60

It seems extraordinary to me that I might live a couple of miles away from one of my sons and never see him. Of course, I don’t know any circumstances or background. One assumes there was some bad blood, but it might simply be they thought it best to bring the child up as a Sanders and sever all connections. We’ll never know. There was also the small matter of the Second World War ...

Anyway, the story has had a happy, if poignant, ending. Aged 82 and 81, the brothers are reunited for a photograph and may get chance to catch up some more in the future.

There’s an amazing similarity between the two of them and also with their father Norman.