Siblings, no matter how much they fight or argue, can never deny that they will always have each other’s backs. The Japanese attacked the SS Iron Crown with a torpedo about 100 kilometers off the south coast of Victoria, Australia, in 1942. Orphaned Siblings Reunited After 80 Years ApartBy Nicola M. His death left his two children, Bill and Beryl, orphans because his wife had died several years before he did.

Bill and Beryl were already living in an orphanage, and after his wife died, Frank joined the merchant navy. Bill was sent to the Boys’ Home in Adelaide after his death, while Beryl was adopted by a family. When children were adopted, it was believed that they needed a “clean break” from their biological families, so authorities prohibited siblings from contacting one another. “The two of us put our arms around each other and cried our eyes out,” Bill told ABD News Australia.

I was asked to leave, and I never saw Beryl again.” Beryl spent years looking for Bill, but she never found him. “I gave up and started thinking maybe he’s dead,” she explained, “but in my mind, I always thought one day we’d find each other.” When the sunken SS Iron Crown’s location was discovered after 80 years, a memorial was held. More than 50 relatives of those who died onboard attended the memorial, and Bill made contact with a distant relative named Kylie Watson who was also present.

Kylie immediately began looking for Beryl and placed an ad in The Advertiser’s Sunday Mail edition. Beryl saw the ad and contacted Kylie, who was relieved to learn that her brother was still alive. Bill and Beryl talked on the phone right away, and when the day came for them to meet in person, the two siblings couldn’t tear themselves away from a tight hug.