My father, Tom Belisle who was born in Belize on 11 Oct.1923, sailed into the United Kingdom from Belize at the invitation of the British government. Together with other fellow Belizeans who had been selected for their knowledge of forestry and woodcutting he was sent to the northern most part of Scotland in order to help the UK in its war effort.There while billeted in the village of Golspie he met, courted and impregnated my mother but due to being required elsewhere he left the area before I was born.

After leaving the Highlands Tom had eventually settled down and for many years he worked on the railways in the north-east of England. He told me he had posed for this photograph when he was 37 years of age.

Dad married soon after he left the north of Scotland and settled with a number of other Belizean's in Newcastle. His first wife produced her first but his second child on 9 Feb. 1954. She died at this time and dad took on a baby-sitter to look after baby Tom. Taken near their home this is my brother Tom with his wife Marion and family Thomas, Claire and Lee..

Linda sitting here with me, was born 5 July 1960 was Dad's first child with Pauline the babysitter, though I believe she was his wife by the time of the birth and would have been 17 years old at this time, 20 years younger than her husband my father. I also discovered Linda is dad's favourite child. She's now married with a family of her own.

My stepmother became pregnant again almost immediately for on the 11 Mar. 1961, eight months later the next addition to the family was my sister Lorraine.

She, like myself is slightly darker skinned than my father's other children and up to this time she had no partner or children.

A year and a half passed and on 23 Aug 1963 Pauline gave birth again. This time she produced another girl who they decided to name Paula after her mother

Dad and Pauline had a child born on 8 Dec 1955, a girl called Jane whom I have never met.Dad later married the baby-sitter, it was probably cheaper than paying her.

I have another brother very handsome man, Mark who was born on 7 Mar. 1962 but I have never had an opportunity to meet him and have no photograph of him.