Two brothers separated as toddlers after their father snatched one from their mother's arms during a departing train have been reunited more than 50 years later on ITV's Long Lost Family. Peter Macdonald, 58, a painter and decorator from Accrington, Lancashire, met his older brother Trevor Schwartz, 61, for the first time in decades on the latest episode. The brothers were torn apart when Peter was about two-and-a-half months old and Trevor was two, after their father pulled Peter through the window as the train pulled away from Preston railway station. The Long Lost Family team located Trevor, who lived in Hackney, East London, and arranged the reunion.
Peter travelled from Lancashire to East London for the reunion, saying it had been a long wait to see his brother. The moment grew more emotional when Trevor revealed they were meeting on what would have been their late mother's birthday. The brothers shared a tight embrace as tears flowed, and Peter told Trevor that the moment felt like an automatic connection.
During the sit-down, Peter learned that their mother had never forgotten him. He had feared she had never wanted him, but Trevor set the record straight, saying: 'She never forgot you. Before she passed, she always said, find him. And you found me. You found me, lad.' Peter, who lost his mother in 2008, replied through tears that that truth had helped him cope. Trevor added that he had known about Peter since he was nine or ten but had not located him until now.
Trevor recalled what happened at Preston Railway Station: while their mother held Peter in her arms, their father appeared, and after a bit of an argument, he leaned in and pulled Peter through the train window as it began to pull away. 'She had no chance,' Trevor said, describing the moment and what his mother told him about it later.
After the reunion, the brothers spoke about family. Peter's daughter Chloe met Trevor, along with her own young daughter Lily, who hugged her granduncle. Trevor noted that Chloe bore a strong resemblance to their mother, saying you don’t half look like your nan. Peter asked whether to call Trevor Trev or Trevor, and Trevor replied, you can call me whatever you want, bruv. The pair said they planned regular phone calls and that Peter hoped to visit London again soon.
The episode kicked off the 15th series of ITV's tear-jerker Long Lost Family. Host Davina McCall guided Peter through the discovery, including background about how Peter's search began after social-services records named Trevor Stamp led him to a brother he didn't know he had. Peter later learned his birth father in 1995, though the two never built a relationship. The episode also underscored that Peter's mother, who was with Trevor at Preston on the day of the separation, died in 2008 after telling Trevor to find Peter.