A PENSIONER who has has never seen a picture of his birth mum has appealed to Evening Times readers to grant his Christmas wish to see her for the first time.

Davie Garrity, 69, was taken into care at 14 months in the Glasgow area and is desperate to know what his late mother, Elizabeth Garrity/Ramsey looked like.

Davie, who is from Fife, was told from a very early age that he was abandoned by his mum, who worked as a bus conductor in Glasgow in the 1930s and 40s.

But it was only after tracking down his care records a few years ago he discovered that his mum - who was known as 'Aunty Betty' by friends and family had looked after him until he was 14 months old.

It was only following a period of very ill health for Davie, that the single mum took the heart-breaking decision to put him into care.

In later life Davie applied for copies of his care records and was both delighted and devastated to find out his mum had also made several attempts to visit him in care and get access to him, but these had all been denied.

Davie said: “I couldn’t believe what I was reading – after thinking for all these years that my mum had abandoned me as a baby and didn’t want me, that wasn’t true at all – she did love me after all and really tried hard to see me.”

He started to look for his mum but received the sad news that she had passed away in 1978. 

Now, with help from Future Pathways, Scotland’s in-care survivor support fund, all he wants is to see what his mum looked like for the first time.

He sadi: “I’m just so desperate to see just a photo of my mum and it must be out there somewhere.

"Getting to see my mum’s face for the first time would really be the best Christmas present anyone could give.”

David has managed to find the following information about his mum Elizabeth:

She was born Elizabeth Turnbull on March 17 1909, and passed away in 1978 aged 69 years of ages at Dykebar Hospital in Paisley.

She lived with her parents William Turnbull, a butcher, and Isabella Turnbull in the Linwood area.

She married Thomas Garrity, a motor mechanic, at St Margaret’s Chapel, Stanley Street, Glasgow on 7 October 1939.

However, she later married James Ramsey a general labourer at Maxwell Church in Glasgow on December 30 1954 and the couple lived on Paisley Road West. 

She worked as a bus conductress for Glasgow Corporation buses in the 1930s and 1940s before going on to work in a bond warehouse store.

She spent the majority of her life living in the Linwood and Paisley areas, however also spent time staying with friends at various places with in the North and West of Glasgow during the 1950s, particularly the Scotstoun area. 

She was known affectionately as ‘Aunty Betty’ by friends and family.

If anyone has any information about or photographs of Elizabeth contact the Evening Times on 0141 302 6535 or email caroline.wilson@eveningtimes.co.uk