AN EXTRAORDINARY family of 17 from Greenock who were torn apart by the state have launched a campaign for a ‘fitting memorial’ to all those laid to rest in unmarked graves in the town.

The Clarks were born in to poverty and then dispersed all over the country in an appalling failure of the care system.

A BBC documentary earlier this year told how some of them languished in care suffering terrible abuse while others were adopted and had no idea about their siblings.

Six of the children died in infancy, forgotten and buried in unmarked graves.

Now reunited brothers Bernard Clark and Ian Savage, who only found out about each other three years ago, want to ensure that all the poor who were buried in Greenock Cemetery are no longer hidden from sight.

They hope the public will get behind their bid for a proper memorial.

Bernard, 63, said: “This is not just for our brothers and sisters buried in unmarked graves — it is for the hundreds who are left there in that section of the cemetery.

“It includes another six wee ones who died in the Blitz.

“People walk past there every day and even let their dogs on the grass.

“But they have no idea there are people buried there.

“In a wee corner there is a tiny memorial, but it doesn’t say that it is unmarked ‘paupers’ graves.

“I think people would want to know about this.”

The family believe the forgotten poor are just as important to Greenock’s history as other, much more decorated memorials in the cemetery.

Bernard added: “In Dundee they are building a memorial in the cemetery, and we would like something similar to that.”

Since the Clarks’ incredible story was aired on TV the family have been overwhelmed by the response from the public.

Ian, who was adopted at birth and had no idea about his family until his long-lost brothers turned up on his doorstep, said: “We have had messages from all over the world.

“It is very humbling.”

Bernard and his sister Joan were taken from their mum and put into foster care when they were toddlers.

Unknown to them they had a whole family of brothers and sisters spread out over Scotland.

Their older brother George later devoted his life to trying to reunite them all but time after time was thwarted by the authorities, who refused to release information. 

Bernard, who promised George before he died that he would carry on his work, said: “George came to Inverclyde Council to ask for information on us — I spent my childhood in care here and they wouldn’t even admit I existed.

“But George knew and he never gave up.

“It is strange now when you walk down the street in Greenock where I have always lived — people come up to me, grown men, to tell me they were in tears watching the TV programme.

“It has had a huge impact on people.”

The council says it has no current plans for a new memorial to be installed in the cemetery.

A spokesman said: “There are four fairly substantial memorials on each area of common ground and people are welcome to leave tributes and flowers at any one of them — or even just on the grass — where they will be respected.”