A Finsbury husband and wife were looking for someone to take in their six children in order to save their marriage.

The couple, Alice and Ronald Conway, placed an advert in a confectioner’s shop in Goswell Road. It read: “WANTED: A good home for six children until we get better housing for them. Our marriage is coming apart for lack of space.”

Mr and Mrs Conway, who lived in a two-bed house in Lever Street, told the Gazette: “We don’t want to lose our chidren for good, but we can’t face another winter in these cramped conditions.

“We would like to have them cared for in good homes until we can find a place where they can live as children should. They ought to have beds of their own and the chance to lead a normal, healthy life.”

The couple, who had been married for seven years, had been inspired after watching the film The Day They Gave The Babies Away. Their attempts at finding bigger accommodation had been thwarted as Mr Conway did not earn enough.