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The Father of Janet O'Regan

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Janet o'regan

Janet O'Regan

Real Name: James White
Case: Lost Father
Location: Alconbury, England
Date: 1944

Jimmy white1

Photograph of "James White"

Case[]

Details: Forty-four-year-old Janet Parker O'Regan is the manager of a dress shop in Northampton, England. She is searching for her father, James "Jimmy" White, an American soldier stationed in England during World War II. He was one of the many soldiers sent by the United States in 1942 to aid in the Allies' cause. He was part of the Army Air Corps, which ran devastating bombing raids over Germany.
The story of American soldiers in England is one of great friendship between the two countries. It is also a story of intense fear and passion in the face of death. About 70,000 American soldiers married British women and brought their brides home with them. But another group of American soldiers did not marry their British sweethearts. Today, about 10,000 British citizens claim to be the children that American soldiers left behind. They are called "war babies."
When Janet was a child, her mother, Rosa Parker, told her that Jimmy had died in combat. Since most of her classmates had their fathers in their lives, she had to make up stories about Jimmy. She knew he was American and was in the Air Force. She told her classmates he flew planes and "just about won World War II single-handed."
During the war, Rosa worked for the Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) on military bases in Molesworth and Alconbury, England. Her job was to change dollar bills to pounds for the American soldiers. She was engaged to marry a British captain. Then, in 1942, she met Jimmy, a technical sergeant with the Army Air Corps. He asked her to help spend the money she had just changed for him. She found him a bit brash at first. But then, they started going out. They went for walks, picnics, and to Red Cross dances.
After a few weeks, Rosa broke off her engagement to the British captain. She was unaware that Jimmy was married. Janet's husband, Derek O'Regan, does not condemn a married man for falling in love under those circumstances. They came over when England was under siege. They were in a strange land with strange people. Derek believes they were trying to live a lifetime in a few short weeks. They did not know if they would see their families again, so they had to "live while they were alive."
About a year and a half after Rosa met Jimmy, she discovered she was pregnant with his child. Then, she learned from a friend that he had a wife and a baby daughter in the United States. She was devastated. She knew he would not stay in England forever, as he was an American and had a family back home. She ended their relationship. Because of the circumstances, she decided she would tell their child that he had been killed in the war. She never fell in love again. On June 17, 1944, Janet was born.
When Janet was thirteen, she asked Rosa why she had never married. Rosa replied, "I had loved the best and did not want second best." She did not say anything else about it. In 1984, at forty, Janet was diagnosed with cancer. Rosa then came forward with the truth: Jimmy had not died during the war but had returned to his wife and daughter in the United States. Janet is not sure why Rosa told her then. She does not know what was a bigger shock, the cancer or the truth about Jimmy.
After learning that Jimmy was alive, Janet wanted to find him. She had only a few facts to help in her search. She located her original birth certificate, which listed his full name. She pored over newspapers and documents of troop movements and transfers. She wrote to politicians and veterans groups in the United States. However, she could not access his military records due to the Privacy Act of 1974, which prevents veterans' military records from being released without their permission.
Janet joined the Transatlantic Children's Enterprise, a support group for British citizens who are children of American or Canadian soldiers from World War II. Many members are searching for their fathers. Janet later became the group's secretary. About a third of the group's members have found their fathers or other family members. Unfortunately, Janet is not one of them.
Finally, Janet was referred to Josh Butler, an American investigator who locates missing heirs. Butler tried to search for Jimmy using the few clues available. They knew his name was James White, and he was in the Army Air Corps in Alconbury, England. Rosa did not know what unit he was attached to. Butler also notes that "James" could have been his middle name and that his first name was something else.
Rosa remembered that Jimmy's father had been an Episcopal priest in the United States. Butler hoped this would lead to a resolution because the Episcopal Church keeps good records of its clergy and baptisms. He found several men with the last name "White." He also found some "James Whites." He and his team tracked them down. Unfortunately, none of them was Janet's father.
Just when Butler was about to give up hope, he discovered a 1943 "Life" magazine cover that featured soldiers from Alconbury, England. In the lower left-hand corner of the picture was a soldier named James White. Butler sent the magazine cover to England and asked Rosa if she recognized the man in the photo. However, she said he was not Jimmy. Janet asked if she was sure, and she was adamant, saying, "Yes, that's not Jimmy." Janet wonders if Rosa was lying. She wants to believe Rosa, but does not know if she can anymore.
Janet was angry when she learned she had cancer. But she knew she had to focus on fighting and beating it. She also knew she had to find Jimmy. Now, she has beaten the cancer, and she wants to locate him. She will not give up until she finds him.
The child in Janet still cries out for the father she never knew. His name is James White, and people call him Jimmy. He was born in 1917. He came from the northeastern section of the United States and served in the 92nd or 93rd battalion of the Army Air Corps as a technical sergeant. He has at least one daughter in the United States.
Janet gave Unsolved Mysteries a message to read to her American family: I don't want anything financial or material from you. If you have nothing, then you can come here, and I'll take care of you. I don't want to hurt you. If you don't want to have contact with me, just send a photograph, and I won't pester you again. It's not having anything at all that hurts.
Extra Notes:

  • This case was first aired on the November 9, 1988 episode.
  • Due to the controversy surrounding the case, it was never re-aired. It was also excluded from the FilmRise release of the series.
  • It is not to be confused with the case of fugitive James White.

Results: Solved. As a result of the broadcast, Jimmy and his American family were located, and a family member contacted Janet.
According to Josh Butler, Jimmy's American family threatened to sue NBC because his wartime affair had been shown on national television. Butler never heard from Janet after that. He does not know if she ever met Jimmy or his family.
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