Siblings united for first time after 70 years

Woman finds brother and sister on website

- Chris Riches

THREE siblings in their 70s on different sides of the Atlantic met for the first time after discovering each other on a family history website.

Lorraine Williams, 74, from British Columbia, Canada, found that James McLoughlin, 77, of Liverpool, and Josephine Morey, 75, from the Isle of Wight, were her brother and sister thanks to genealogy site MyHeritage.

Discovering each other seven decades later, the half-siblings have become close through online calls and messages, with Josephine admitting her life now feels "complete".

Dad Sydney, who died aged 80 in 2000, fathered James and Josephine with two women before meeting Lorraine's mum and emigrating with his new family to Canada in 1951.

The trio met face-to-face for the first time at a Best Western Hotel in Southampton last Friday, and were so thrilled they shared a "group hug".

James and Josephine never knew who their father was but thanks to Lorraine they have learned he was from Saint Kitts in the Caribbean allowing them to teach their own families about their black heritage.

Abandoned