454:. By 2008, she was living quietly and independently, near her parents in West Wales. She is no longer monitored by psychiatric services, has been accepted by her community, and sought to put the past behind her. A 2016 interview with her sister Greta revealed that the family had been deeply troubled by the girls' incarceration. She blamed Broadmoor for ruining their lives and for neglecting Jennifer's health. She had wanted to file a lawsuit against Broadmoor, but Aubrey and Gloria refused, saying it would not bring Jennifer back.
321:. This is the only accessible work by either of the Gibbons sisters, which remained unavailable for purchase and held in only 89 libraries in the world until October 2022, when it was republished as a limited edition print by Cashen's Gap. It was also published as a paperback in May 2023 by Strange Attractor. Their other attempts to publish novels and stories were unsuccessful, although Cashen's Gap is planning future releases by June and Jennifer Gibbons. In Jennifer's
381:. They remained at Broadmoor for eleven years. June later blamed this lengthy sentence on their selective muteness: "Juvenile delinquents get 1 million years in prison... We got twelve years of hell because we didn't speak... We lost hope, really. I wrote a letter to the Queen, asking her to get us out. But we were trapped." Placed on high doses of
389:(a neurological disorder resulting in involuntary, repetitive movements). Their medications were apparently adjusted sufficiently to allow them to continue the copious diaries they had begun in 1980, and they were able to join the hospital choir, but they lost most of their interest in creative writing.
418:
According to
Wallace, the girls had a longstanding agreement that if one died, the other must begin to speak and live a normal life. During their stay in the hospital, they began to believe that it was necessary for one of them to die, and after much discussion, Jennifer agreed to make the sacrifice
293:
When they were reunited, the two spent several years isolating themselves in their bedroom, engaging in elaborate plays with dolls. They created many plays and stories in a sort of soap opera style, reading some of them aloud on tape as gifts for their sister Rose. Inspired by a pair of gift diaries
434:
At the inquest, June revealed that
Jennifer had been acting strangely for about a day before their release; her speech had been slurring, and she had said that she was dying. On the trip to Caswell, she had slept in June's lap with her eyes open. On a visit a few days later, Wallace recounted that
276:
The girls continued to attend school, although they refused to read or write. In 1974, a medic administering vaccinations at the school noted their impassive behaviour and notified a child psychologist. The twins began seeing a succession of therapists who tried unsuccessfully to get them to
124:
435:
June "was in a strange mood". She said, "I'm free at last, liberated, and at last
Jennifer has given up her life for me." She also described it as a tsunami, washing her of her sins and being free of her sister. Jennifer was interred in St Martin's Cemetery,
260:
children in the community, and were often ostracized at school. This proved to be traumatic for the twins, eventually causing their school administrators to dismiss them early each day so that they might avoid bullying. Their language became even more
325:, a physician is so eager to save his child's life that he kills the family dog to obtain its heart for a transplant. The dog's spirit lives on in the child and ultimately has its revenge against the father. Jennifer also wrote
236:
In 1960, Aubrey went to stay with a relative in
Coventry and soon qualified as a staff technician. Gloria followed, with Greta and David, several months later. The twins were born on 11 April 1963, at a military hospital in
253:, made it difficult for people to understand them. In 2023, June said, "We had a speech impediment. Our parents couldn't understand a word that we were saying, nobody understood - so we stopped talking."
273:, exemplified by the twins' simultaneous actions, which often mirrored each other. The twins became increasingly reserved, and eventually spoke to no one except each other and their younger sister Rose.
637:
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1006:
298:
course in creative writing, and each kept an extensive diary and wrote a number of stories, poems, and novels. Set primarily in the United States, and particularly in
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562:. It featured an extensive interview with June Gibbons, recounting their childhood, events leading to their trial and imprisonment and their eventual release.
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In their later teenage years, the twins began using drugs and alcohol. In 1981, the girls committed a number of crimes including
1286:
1441:
329:, the story of a young woman who discovers that the atmosphere of a local disco incites patrons to insane violence. Jennifer's
1319:
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507:
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436:
233:. The couple also had three other children: Greta was born in 1957, David was born in 1959, and Rosie was born in 1967.
38:
31:
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423:, Wales. On arrival, Jennifer could not be roused. She was taken to the hospital, where she died soon after of acute
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908:
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of her life. In March 1993, the twins were transferred from
Broadmoor to the more open Caswell Clinic in
201:, since they only communicated with each other. They wrote works of fiction. Both women were admitted to
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314:
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245:, where their father had been deployed. The family soon relocated, first to England, and, in 1974, to
1466:
1411:
1406:
1207:
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377:, a high-security mental health hospital. The twins were sentenced to indefinite detention under the
526:
between the United
Kingdom's 42 Management & Production and Poland's Mandats and backed by the
226:
137:
75:
1375:
748:
Als, Hilton (27 November 2000). "The
Identical Twin Sisters Who Retreated Into Their Own World".
386:
374:
299:
202:
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757:
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333:
is set to be published on 10 September 2024 through
Strange Attractor Press with a foreword by
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302:, the stories involve young men and women who exhibit strange and often criminal behaviour.
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medications, they found themselves unable to concentrate; Jennifer apparently developed
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482:, which aired on BBC1 in September 1994. A play based on Wallace's book, titled
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wrote a poem — entitled "Elective Mutes" — about the twins in her first book,
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309:, in which the high-school hero is seduced by a teacher, then sent away to a
1193:
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17:
313:
where a homosexual guard makes a play for him. The two girls pooled their
294:
on
Christmas 1979, they began their writing careers. They sent away for a
1130:
420:
249:, Wales. The twin sisters were inseparable and their language, a sped-up
218:
884:"A British Journalist Unravels the Tale of the Twins Who Wouldn't Talk"
265:
at this time. Soon it was unintelligible to others. Their language, or
431:
of the heart. There was no evidence of drugs or poison in her system.
30:"The Silent Twins" redirects here. For the 1986 television film, see
392:
The case achieved notoriety due to newspaper coverage by journalist
217:
immigrants Gloria and Aubrey
Gibbons. The Gibbons family moved from
1320:"Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance to Debut in 'The Silent Twins'"
229:. Gloria was a housewife and Aubrey worked as a technician for the
370:
366:
242:
194:
141:
79:
540:
features a song about the twins, "The Flames They Do Grow High".
522:
by Marjorie Wallace. Her English-language debut, the film was an
349:, and several short stories. June Gibbons is considered to be an
238:
193:(11 April 1963 – 9 March 1993) were twin sisters who grew up in
1342:"Sorrow Songs (Folk Songs of Black British Experience) Lyrics"
836:"April de Angelis on troubled twins Jennifer and June Gibbons"
555:
909:"I Found a Rare Copy of June Allison Gibbons' Outsider Novel"
702:
Performance and Participation: Practices, Audiences, Politics
776:"Broadmoor: Silent twin on being locked up with Ronnie Kray"
281:
in an attempt to break their isolation, but the pair became
978:"Discomania by Jennifer Gibbons; foreword by David Tibet"
538:
The Sorrow Songs (Folk Songs of Black British Experience)
1007:"Powerful Play about Silent Twins Will Get You Talking"
462:
The pair were the subject of the 1986 television drama
774:
Leach, Beccy; Gunasekara, Jessica (26 December 2023).
1077:"Marjorie Wallace: The tragedy of the Bijani sisters"
678:"Locked Up Mysterious Twins Wouldn't Speak to Anyone"
602:"The Twin Sisters Who Retreated Into Their Own World"
277:
communicate with others. They were sent to separate
176:
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114:
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94:
86:
58:
51:
442:After Jennifer's death, June gave interviews with
402:. Wallace later wrote a book about the two titled
920:
918:
699:Harpin, Anna; Nicholson, Helen (7 October 2016).
554:The story of the twins was the subject of a 2024
1387:"Jennifer Gibbons, 29, 'Silent Twin' of a Study"
1260:"Inside Story Silent Twin – Without My Shadow"
1169:
1167:
638:"Tragic tale of twins and their secret world"
27:Welsh identical twins and writers (born 1963)
8:
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756:Online as Als, Hilton (4 December 2000),
317:in order to get the novel published by a
1287:"Manic Street Preachers: 10 of the best"
631:
629:
627:
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623:
510:with the twins as the subject, starring
491:The twins' story also inspired the 1998
213:June and Jennifer were the daughters of
1109:Kellam, Alexander M.P. (October 1993).
671:
669:
667:
665:
663:
593:
1452:People acquitted by reason of insanity
1322:. blackgirlnerds.com. 26 February 2020
373:, which led to them being admitted to
1457:People detained at Broadmoor Hospital
1389:—Announcement of Jennifer's death in
1371:"Bound Together in Fantasy and Crime"
1147:"Inquiry into death of 'silent twin'"
1005:Misstear, Rachael (31 October 2011).
926:David Tibet: Sing Omega – DAVID TIBET
205:, where they were held for 11 years.
7:
882:Shapiro, Harriet (27 October 1986).
285:and entirely withdrawn when parted.
37:. For the 2022 theatrical film, see
468:, broadcast on BBC2 as part of its
256:The Gibbons children were the only
225:in the early 1960s, as part of the
1285:Mackay, Emily (10 December 2014).
1075:Wallace, Marjorie (13 July 2003).
1054:Wallace, Marjorie (13 July 2003).
636:Morgan, Kathleen (2 August 2010).
25:
1477:People from the Aden Protectorate
1472:Welsh people of Barbadian descent
1145:Bennetto, Jason (12 March 1993).
676:Evans, Jason (23 December 2018).
1178:. London: Vintage. p. 293.
1013:. Cardiff, Wales. Archived from
480:Silent Twin – Without My Shadow
1417:20th-century Barbadian writers
1234:"Screen Two: The Silent Twins"
1056:"The tragedy of a double life"
967:, accessdate: October 21, 2022
928:, accessdate: October 21, 2022
1:
488:, debuted in London in 2011.
269:, qualified as an example of
1422:20th-century Welsh novelists
1208:"Jennifer Lorraine Gibbons'"
560:June: Voice of a Silent Twin
437:Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire
1427:Black British women writers
982:Penguin Random House Canada
524:international co-production
1493:
1174:Wallace, Marjorie (2008).
806:Wallace, Marjorie (1986).
577:Ursula and Sabina Eriksson
530:and Moderator Inwestycje.
305:June wrote a novel titled
29:
1462:People from Haverfordwest
1361:General and cited sources
1344:. Angeline Morrison. 2022
764:. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
722:– via Google Books.
551:, Alfred A. Knopf, 1988.
518:, based on the 1986 book
189:(born 11 April 1963) and
180:Gloria and Aubrey Gibbons
121:
106:Gloria and Aubrey Gibbons
1266:. BBC. 22 September 1994
938:Mark (9 February 2023).
1437:British identical twins
963:The Pepsi Cola Addict:
940:"The Pepsi-Cola Addict"
406:, published in 1986 by
341:. She followed up with
197:. They became known as
1442:Identical twin females
1240:. BBC. 19 January 1986
705:. Palgrave Macmillan.
493:Manic Street Preachers
379:Mental Health Act 1983
345:, a radio play called
1432:Black British writers
965:The Pepsi Cola Addict
528:Polish Film Institute
413:
347:Postman and Postwoman
343:The Taxi-Driver's Son
315:unemployment benefits
307:The Pepsi-Cola Addict
1131:10.1192/pb.17.10.622
1118:Psychiatric Bulletin
504:Agnieszka Smoczyńska
289:Creative expression
227:Windrush generation
138:British Forces Aden
76:British Forces Aden
1391:The New York Times
1383:, 19 October 1986.
1376:The New York Times
1111:"The silent twins"
1029:"The Silent Twins"
608:. 27 November 2000
545:Lucie Brock-Broido
543:The American poet
387:tardive dyskinesia
375:Broadmoor Hospital
300:Malibu, California
203:Broadmoor Hospital
199:"The Silent Twins"
1212:BillionGraves.com
1185:978-0-09-958641-8
1017:on 24 April 2019.
944:Strange Attractor
832:de Angelis, April
810:. Prentice-Hall.
758:"We Two Made One"
688:on 24 April 2019.
534:Angeline Morrison
502:Polish filmmaker
184:
183:
110:
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16:(Redirected from
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1393:, 12 March 1993.
1381:The Silent Twins
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834:(28 June 2007).
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644:. Archived from
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572:Poto and Cabengo
520:The Silent Twins
465:The Silent Twins
414:Jennifer's death
404:The Silent Twins
399:The Sunday Times
394:Marjorie Wallace
279:boarding schools
191:Jennifer Gibbons
155:
126:
116:Jennifer Gibbons
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72:
68:
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40:The Silent Twins
33:The Silent Twins
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1214:. 12 March 1993
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1151:The Independent
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1124:(10): 622–623.
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911:. 13 July 2016.
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516:Tamara Lawrance
474:series, and an
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351:outsider writer
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817:978-5551732501
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762:The New Yorker
751:The New Yorker
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648:on 17 May 2015
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606:The New Yorker
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536:'s 2022 album
512:Letitia Wright
508:a feature film
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134:11 April 1963
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71:(age 61)
69:11 April 1963
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1367:Oliver Sacks
1346:. Retrieved
1336:
1324:. Retrieved
1314:
1302:. Retrieved
1291:The Guardian
1290:
1280:
1270:17 September
1268:. Retrieved
1263:
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1244:17 September
1242:. Retrieved
1237:
1228:
1216:. Retrieved
1211:
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1081:The Guardian
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1035:. 8 May 2015
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1015:the original
1011:Western Mail
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478:documentary
476:Inside Story
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429:inflammation
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251:Bajan Creole
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187:June Gibbons
186:
185:
154:(1993-03-09)
152:9 March 1993
53:June Gibbons
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18:June Gibbons
1467:Welsh twins
1412:1993 deaths
1407:1963 births
1326:26 February
782:26 December
427:, a sudden
425:myocarditis
335:David Tibet
311:reformatory
267:idioglossia
161:Nationality
87:Nationality
42:(2022 film)
35:(1986 film)
1401:Categories
1379:review of
1348:10 January
1304:3 February
1264:BBC Genome
1238:BBC Genome
1083:. London.
844:. London:
778:. BBC News
718:30 January
612:22 October
583:References
549:The Hunger
485:Speechless
471:Screen Two
339:Current 93
331:Discomania
327:Discomania
296:mail order
209:Early life
169:Occupation
95:Occupation
65:1963-04-11
1299:0261-3077
1089:0261-3077
854:0261-3077
588:Citations
558:Podcast.
506:directed
439:, Wales.
363:vandalism
283:catatonic
215:Caribbean
177:Parent(s)
103:Parent(s)
1218:13 March
1194:60262552
893:29 April
862:60623878
566:See also
421:Bridgend
365:, petty
219:Barbados
1156:9 April
1094:9 April
1039:9 April
867:19 July
652:19 July
497:Tsunami
221:to the
164:British
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987:6 June
949:21 May
888:People
860:
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495:song "
1114:(PDF)
371:arson
367:theft
258:black
243:Yemen
195:Wales
142:Yemen
80:Yemen
1350:2023
1328:2021
1306:2019
1295:ISSN
1272:2017
1246:2017
1220:2021
1190:OCLC
1180:ISBN
1158:2020
1096:2020
1085:ISSN
1041:2020
989:2024
951:2023
895:2019
869:2013
858:OCLC
850:ISSN
812:ISBN
784:2023
720:2018
707:ISBN
654:2013
614:2021
514:and
448:and
369:and
239:Aden
149:Died
131:Born
59:Born
1373:in
1126:doi
1033:NPR
846:GMG
556:BBC
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