Care leavers gather to commemorate children from the Smyllum orphanage

On Saturday 21st November, a group of Scottish care leavers, survivors and Zachari Duncalf (CLA Treasurer) gathered at the St Mark’s cemetery in Lanarkshire to commemorate the lives of over 100 children that had died and were buried in unmarked graves from the Smyllum orphanage. These children’s deaths took place from 1864 until the orphanage closed in the 1980s.

There was a moving service where we remembered not only these children at Smyllum but also those who are still battling with the experiences they endured whist they were in care as children. A photograph from the memorial is below:

There is more information in the link below from when the memorial stone was erected in 2003.

http://news.scotsman.com/topstories/Forgotten-orphans-of-Smyllum-laid.2461432.jp

You can also contact Frank Docherty who was not only in the Smyllum orphanage as a child but who has been an active campaigner for abuse survivors from the care system for many years. He led the campaign to get this memorial stone erected and would welcome comments or suggestions for a bigger turn out at the memorial next year – frankdocherty1@blueyonder.co.uk