The Cruelty – A Child Unclaimed

Davie returns to the Unknown Bairn’s grave to address unfinished business with the family who found the boy’s body. And does a leaked report commissioned by the Scottish Government, offer hope of some form of restitution for the failures of church and state?Presenter: Davie Donaldson Producer: Kate Bissell Research: Kate Bissell and Emily Essen Story Consultants: Jack Kibble White and Kirsty Williams Music, Mix and Sound Design: Julian Corrie Executive Editor: Susie Crumless Commissioning Editor: Heather Kane Darling

Davie receives a text message that changes so much of what he thought he knew about the Unknown Bairn and the boy he believed him to be. As a new investigation gets underway, a different story emerges.

Rosanne McPhee’s dad joked about volunteering to be measured by a Nazi racial scientist because he knew each time his head was measured he would receive a shilling. Davie discovers this was just a part of a wider Nazi Eugenic Policy, which lead to the murder of millions of Roma in the Nazi death and concentration camps.

Suspicion falls on William Webb, a Chaplain from The Church of Scotland. His “Cruelty Van” would arrive at Scottish Traveller camps and take children from their families. Then, Davie’s trip to Leeds turns up clear evidence of the actors involved in the forced removal of Scottish Travellers.

In 2021, Davie Donaldson sought to solve the long-standing mystery of the Unknown Bairn, a young boy whose body washed up on a Scottish beach and was never claimed. Since that time, a number of Scottish Travellers have contacted him with stories of children being forcibly removed from their families. This becomes the catalyst for Davie’s investigation into why this happened and whether it was sanctioned by the church and state. Along the way, the mystery that began it all re-enters Davies’ life, taking him to a truth that’s been hidden in the shadows for too long.Presenter: Davie Donaldson Producer: Kate Bissell Research: Kate Bissell and Emily Essen Story Consultants: Jack Kibble White and Kirsty Williams Music, Mix and Sound Design: Julian Corrie Executive Editor: Susie Crumless Commissioning Editor: Heather Kane Darling

After receiving a flurry of messages, Davie arrive at the doorstep of someone who might just hold the key to the whole investigation.Presenter: Davie Donaldson Producer: Kate Bissell, BBC Scotland Productions. Researchers: Rachael Fulton and Catrina RoseAdditional reporting: Cameron Mackay Story consultants: Jack Kibble White and Kirsty Williams Sound Designer: Julian Corrie Music : Julian Corrie with additional tracks by Barry Jackson Editor: Heather Kane Darling With thanks to Martin Conaghan for developing the initial podcast idea with BBC Scotland Productions.

The case suddenly starts to speed up, as new information is forthcoming. However, these breakthroughs lead Davie to look again at information already received.Presenter: Davie Donaldson Producer: Kate Bissell, BBC Scotland Productions. Researchers: Rachael Fulton and Catrina RoseAdditional reporting: Cameron Mackay Story consultants: Jack Kibble White and Kirsty Williams Sound Designer: Julian Corrie Music : Julian Corrie with additional tracks by Barry Jackson Executive Editor: Heather Kane Darling With thanks to Martin Conaghan for developing the initial podcast idea with BBC Scotland Productions.

In trying to work out how a child could remain unclaimed, Davie is forced to consider his father’s childhood and how it could be connected to the case.Presenter: Davie Donaldson Producer: Kate Bissell, BBC Scotland Productions. Researchers: Rachael Fulton and Catrina RoseAdditional reporting: Cameron Mackay Story consultants: Jack Kibble White and Kirsty Williams Sound Designer: Julian Corrie Music : Julian Corrie with additional tracks by Barry Jackson Executive Editor: Heather Kane Darling With thanks to Martin Conaghan for developing the initial podcast idea with BBC Scotland Productions.

Davie meets a former detective who worked on the case, but has since made claims in the press about the identity of the Unknown Bairn.Presenter: Davie Donaldson Producer: Kate Bissell, BBC Scotland Productions. Researchers: Rachael Fulton and Catrina RoseAdditional reporting: Cameron Mackay Story consultants: Jack Kibble White and Kirsty Williams Sound Designer: Julian Corrie Music : Julian Corrie with additional tracks by Barry Jackson Executive Editor: Heather Kane Darling With thanks to Martin Conaghan for developing the initial podcast idea with BBC Scotland Productions.

There’ve been many theories, but the case remains unsolved. Davie explores a controversial 20th-century social experiment and confronts a shocking reality that hits close to home.