This Is Your Life: Dot Palmer

Dot PALMER

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Dot Palmer, foster mother, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre, having been led to believe she was there to take part in a programme called Good Neighbours.

Dot, who was born the eldest of 10 in Plymouth, began her working life as a waitress in a café. She married Vic, who, having been invalided out of the Royal Navy in 1942, became an inspector for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Described as a 'mother and foster mother supreme,' Dot adopted three babies when her own three children had grown, and went on to foster hundreds more in addition to offering a home to international students.

programme details...

Edition No: 248
Subject No: 248
Broadcast date: Thu 5 Mar 1964
Broadcast time: 8.50-9.15pm
Recorded: Mon 2 Mar 1964 8.00pm
Venue: BBC Television Theatre
Series: 9
Edition: 22

on the guest list...

Jack Train
Jack Jewell - brother
Vic - husband
George - adopted son
Doris Jessep
Jean - daughter
Colin - son
Jenny - adopted daughter
Jacqueline - adopted daughter
Josie - adopted daughter
Mr Oluyombo Akoni
Mrs Akoni
Lanre Akoni
Bunmi Akoni
Busola Akoni
Garry - grandson
Michael Davis

production team...

Researcher: unknown
Writer: Joan Reeder
Directors: Michael Goodwin
Producer: Vere Lorrimer
Executive Producer: T Leslie Jackson

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

with thanks to Jacky Palmer and Joanne Santillo for their contribution to this page

related pages...

A Charitable Life

the unsung heroes

Jack Train

Photographs of Dot Palmer This Is Your Life

Unknown source and date

Famous foster mum Dot dies

A Plymouth housewife, whose love for children was so great that Eamonn Andrews made her nationally famous by inviting her to appear on This Is Your Life, has died.

Mrs Dot Palmer, who was 77 and lived at Cornwoody Close, Ham, sold her life story to a national magazine after appearing on the programme in 1964 – and then spent most of the £1000 she was paid on children.

Born in Cattedown, she was one of 10 children and became a waitress. She married a Navy man who became a Chief Petty Officer. When he was invalided out, he became an NSPCC inspector at £4 a week.

There was little money to spend at their modest home in Wordsworth Road, Camel's Head, where they brought up two sons and a daughter.

But in the words of Eamonn Andrews, Dot Palmer was "a lady who has lived her life in poverty and yet, in terms of human happiness, has given away and is still giving away a fortune."

When her own children were grown up, Dot adopted three unwanted babies and went on to foster hundreds and hundreds more. When she became too old to be a foster mother, she gave a home to foreign students and became their friend.

One of her adopted daughters, Miss Jacky Palmer, said: "Everybody who knew her loved her. She was the kindest, most generous and loving woman I have ever known."

Mrs Palmer's funeral will be at Weston Mill tomorrow morning. She is survived by her three children and three adopted daughters, and her second husband, George, who was a city council worker and, like her first husband, Vic, gave her unswerving support.

Series 9 subjects