JILL, Janet and Jean Ward are thought to be the first triplets to be born in Hereford's old County Hospital.

The year was 1944 and war-time and their parents Catherine and Reg had sought refuge in Herefordshire after being bombed out of their home in Birmingham three times.

The babies thrived and returned to their home in Colwall. But tragedy struck three months later when they all went down with pneumonia and were readmitted to hospital.

Sadly Jean failed to recover, and died, in the place where she was born at just 12 weeks of age.

The three Js became two, grew up and got on with their lives, occasionally thinking of the sister they never got to know.

But things changed when Jill, now Mrs Newton and living near Stafford returned to Herefordshire for a short Warner holidays break at Holme Lacy House.

Curiosity drew her into Hereford, to take a peek at her birthplace, only to find that it faced demolition.

"It was very sad. My mother often spoke of how wonderfully she was treated by the staff there when we were born, they thought she was something special,'' she said.

And with the end of the hospital in sight she felt she had to try and find the last resting place of her triplet sister. "It would be so nice to place some flowers on her grave,'' said Jill.

With little to go on she and surviving sister Janet Vale established that baby Jean was buried in Hereford cemetery, but where, no-one knew.

But when Jill spoke to The Hereford Times the answer was only a phone call away.

Within 10 minutes John Gibbon, superintendent at the cemetery had responded.

In the records he had found the name of Jean Ethel Laura Ward, aged three months who had died in the County Hospital and had been buried on February 1, 1945, the vicar being a Rev. Badham. Her burial plot was in plan A, and number 289.

Mr Gibbon said he would be pleased to help Jill and Janet to find the grave in the cemetery.

In this sad and happy story it is strange that at the time the hospital in which they were born was being demolished Jill and Janet were able to find their triplet sister again after 58 years and draw her back into the family fold.