June Rider: the GI baby

The case of June Rider

During WW2 the young June Rider moved with her family to Evesham, Worcestershire. June’s mother worked at an American camp where she met a GI at a dance and became pregnant. He left shortly afterwards. All trace was lost and there was no information to identify the young American serviceman. More than 70 years later Julia discovered he was in fact a man named Ival Justice. Now both English and American families are connected across the Atlantic.

Dawn Rider (Ival’s granddaughter) said: “Thanks to Julia we have regular contact with our American family. It has made such a difference to our lives to finally know our family history. Julia’s compassionate nature and warmth shone through as did her DNA expertise. She really is a special person.”