A WOMAN who was forced to give up her baby when she was tragically widowed and struggling financially, has been reunited with her daughter 73 years on.

Hilda Randall, 90, was waiting in a rations queue in 1945 when another woman heard her plight and offered to take on her child.

It led to a formal adoption and, in those days, this meant the birth mother had to cut all ties after a handover period.

The baby, Patricia, was just a few weeks old, and the adoptive mother changed her name to Hilda, in honour of her real mum.

The two Hildas met this week, after a lifetime of separation.

Mrs Randall had re-married in 1946, to Ivor Randall, and had a further 15 children, so there is a big family to get to know.

The Randalls moved to the Island from London in 1970 and have been here since, barring a few years spent living in New Zealand.

With family now spread across the globe, including some still in New Zealand, it was difficult to track down the long-lost child, but with some perseverance and help from a search agency, they met with success.

Hilda was living in Malta and had three daughters.

One of Mrs Randall's other daughters, Simonne Chettleburgh, said: "Mum has got dementia but we kept reminding her that Hilda was coming. She looks so much like our side of the family, it was really quite emotional.

"She always knew she had been adopted but did not want to dishonour her parents by searching for her real mum. Now she has found this huge family and it is a new beginning for all of us."

The family re-union was celebrated with a party at Shanklin Conservative Club.