Heather Bellamy spoke with Arthur Wakelin about his search to find his birth father and his surprise discovery of a brother and sister.

I did two things. I arranged to go and meet my brother; it turned out to be my brother on the Wirral and I decided to print the photographs off and show them to my mum. My Mum looked at them and she said, 'Yes, that's your birth father there'. So we found him.

Heather: How did she feel when it was confirmed?

Arthur: I felt great. I don't know how she felt. She'd been ok up to a point about it. I didn't push any more. I got the confirmation and that was it.

Later on that week, we went across to the Wirral to meet my brother, who I didn't know was my brother then. We sat in a street just round the corner from where they lived thinking this is either going to work or it isn't, do I go, or do I go back home. We went and we stayed the day. We met my birth fathers sister and she greeted me, 'Oh, Stanley'.

Heather: What was that like for you, discovering a whole new family and part of your identity in terms of your dad?

Arthur: It's been wonderful. In a short space of time I had met my sister, because she came over last year and we speak often via Skype, so we're getting to know each other quite well. It feels like we've always known each other.

Heather: And what about your dad? Was he alive? Did you get to meet him?

Arthur: No, unfortunately I didn't. He died in 2006. Last year I went back to a previous church I had ministered at in Barnsley to take a service. I said to Muriel, 'On the way back we'll go to his grave; the cemetery where he is buried, where his ashes are buried.' We went and it was a horrible day, throwing it down with rain. I eventually found it and we stood there. This, the first time I had visited my birth fathers final resting place was exactly five years to the day since his death. That was weirder than anything else. I'm just sorry I missed him.

Heather: Do you know at all whether he thought about you? Had he wanted to get in touch with you in his life?

Arthur: His sister says very often he tried and got nowhere and of course I tried and got nowhere. My sister Catherine, when she came over, I took her right down to Alsager where I had lived in my childhood and where I believe my birth father had lived too, on Excalibur Industrial Estate in Alsager, which used to be HMS Excalibur, a training ship for the royal Navy. Catherine said that she had been down to Alsager a couple of times with my dad in the van. I said, 'What on earth for? There's nothing here.'

Heather: Was it looking around for you?

Arthur: I would assume so. The other thing is my granddad used to take me out for days to New Brighton and we used to go under the Mersey tunnel; as a child going under a tunnel is exciting and we went their often. My birth father eventually had a little chain of Barbers shops on the Wirral and of course, New Brighton is the tip of the Wirral. Did my granddad take me to see my birth father and I didn't twig it? I don't know.

Heather: How did your other siblings handle all this change?

Arthur: They thought it was great that I'd found out. My youngest sister who is 14 years younger than me was thrilled to bits. My other sister who is six years younger than me was very matter-of-fact about it, but certainly they're quite happy. I told my dad what I was doing and I didn't know how he'd take it, but he was fine about it. I didn't want him to be in the dark.