Email from Terry Emery ....

Firstly myself. During WW2 all pregnant women in London were sent to the provinces to give birth to their children. I was born in the Luton & Dunstable hospital in Bedfordshire to Mavis Courtney (ne’ Neech). A few weeks before I was born, my biological father, and husband to Mavis, Thomas Courtney, a fibrous plasterer from London, was killed in the blitz by German bombs being dropped on the city.

Just 2 beds down from Mavis a lady gave birth to a still born baby boy. Mavis, who knew the family, handed me to this lady, believing that I would have a better chance of a reasonable upbringing as Mavis would be unable to care for her 2 sons (John and I) The lady I was given to was Amy Lavinia Coppen, (ne’ Sharman) the wife of Samuel Coppen, fighting Rommel in North Africa at that time. It was decided by Mr & Mrs Coppen to formerly adopt me, which they did. John meanwhile, was fostered by the mother of Amy Lavinia whose family name was Sharman.

Shortly after the war, Mr & Mrs Coppen divorced and several years later Amy Lavinia married one Sidney James Emery. I had no wish to carry on the name Coppen, so Amy arranged for my name to be changed to Emery. Had I known at that time that my birth name was Courtney I would have become known by that name. However, I didn’t become aware of this fact until I had completed my school years and had become well known as Terence Walter Emery.

Somehow my birth certificate had become lost and a copy was finally located at Somerset House in London, bearing the name Terence Walter Coppen Courtney.


Source : Email from Terry Emery