Mabel Cooper: An Autobiography
	My name is Mabel Cooper. I'm 56 years old, and I live in Shirley, Croydon. This is the full story of my life. It is my autobiography. I was born on the 10th August 1944, in Islington, London. Although I didn't know it at the time, my mother was homeless and begging on the streets of London. When I was just four weeks old I was taken into care. I never saw my mother again. I stayed in care for years and years, first in children's homes and then for over 20 years in St Lawrence's Hospital in Caterham, Surrey. I know this now. But I didn't know any of it (except for my birthday) when I first started trying to find out about the past, my past, and what happened to me. I'm finding out the schools I went to and why I was expelled. I keep finding out the names they called people in those days, and what they called me. I'm finding out about my mum because I've never known her. My life story is in two parts. The first part is called 'Mabel Cooper's Life Story'. I did this with Dorothy Atkinson from what I could remember about my life. Then I did a second part called 'Mabel Cooper: My Quest to Find Out'. This is where we looked at my records and found out some more about the past. Both parts are put here together for the first time.