The Forgotten Child cover art

The Forgotten Child

The powerful true story of a boy abandoned as a baby and left to die

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

The Forgotten Child

By: Richard Gallear
Narrated by: Mark Elstob
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Based on a true story, The Forgotten Child is a heart-breaking memoir of an abandoned newborn baby left to die, his tempestuous upbringing, and how he came through the other side.

It’s a freezing winter’s night in 1954. A baby boy, a few hours old, is left by his mother, wrapped in nothing but two sheets of newspaper and hidden amongst the undergrowth by a canal bank. An hour later, a late-shift postman is walking wearily home when he hears a faint cry. He finds the newspaper parcel and discovers the newborn, white-cold and whimpering, inside.

After being rushed to hospital and against all odds, the baby survives. He’s baptised by the hospital chaplain as Richard.
Everything feels as though it’s looking up; Richard is put into local authority care and regains his health. However, after nearly five blissful years in a rural care home filled with loving friends, it soon unfolds that his turbulent start in life is only the beginning…

Based on a devastating true story, this inspirational memoir follows Richard’s traumatic birth, abusive childhood, and search for the truth.

©2019 Richard Gallear (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Abuse Child Abuse Dysfunctional Families Dysfunctional Relationships Parenting & Families Relationships Emotionally Gripping Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Vow of Silence cover art
Silent Sisters cover art
The Asylum cover art
Stella's Story cover art
Cupboard Boy: A Shockingly True Story of Horrific Child Abuse cover art
The Convent cover art
Secret Child cover art
Dirty Little Dog cover art
A Family Secret cover art
Broken cover art
Not a Proper Child cover art
Love and Other Secrets cover art
My So Called Mum cover art
Broken cover art
They Cage the Animals at Night cover art
Survivors Club cover art

Critic reviews

"An incredible story of survival." (The Sun)
All stars
Most relevant  
I would highly recommend this book worth a read, but sometimes upsetting at the things little Richard had to go through as a child

the details in which Richard remembers his childhood.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A harrowing account of an abandoned baby after leaving an orphanage until he became independent. The system at the time that let him down, then the painful knowledge of his mother’s rejection of him in later life.

The forgotten child

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really enjoyed this engaging audiobook.
What I would have liked to have done to Arnold ! How can people be so cruel .
Being adopted myself it was especially poignant.
At least it had a happy outcome.

Very engaging.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
all I can say is listen to this I love it very touching sad I have to move on to a new one

so touching

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Tears, laughter, sadness and enjoyment, as well as a great read and listen. seeing how Richard s life changed for the better. Great book.

Richards Life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved listening to this book it was very hard to stop listening to it my hart goes out to Richard

love this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Richard did amazingly well to turn out to be such a lovely, hard working and successful person despite the awful traumas in his life.

Loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Richard was so brave troughout his life.. I know what he must have felt in the abusive childhood but he can now know he is an amazing person

Brutal honesty and emotional

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
what a tearful story...very hard to put down ..I needed to hear more ...100%recommend this book .

very good book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved this book such an amazing life he had his he overcame all the abuse he suffered

Very emotional read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews