June and Jennifer Gibbons were known as the ‘Silent Twins’ as they only spoke to each other and their dolls – their lives spiralled into crime, detention and darkness
Twins often share a unique bond, and it’s not unusual for them to feel a special connection.
For years, the intriguing potential of twin telepathy has been observed, researched, and pondered over. In most cases, finishing each other’s sentences or dressing alike seems harmless.
However, for June and Jennifer Gibbons, these habits marked the beginning of a troubled life that tragically ended in disaster.
From an early age, the twins distanced themselves from the outside world, earning the nickname ‘Silent Twins’ due to their refusal to communicate with anyone but each other.
As their family members and psychologists struggled to understand their inner world, their lives descended into crime, incarceration, and darkness. Normality only returned when one of the twins met her premature, unexplained death.
Early Life
June and Jennifer were born in 1963 in a military hospital in Yemen to parents Aubrey and Gloria, who hailed from Barbados. Shortly after their birth, the family relocated to the RAF base in Linton, Yorkshire, where the girls grew up.
Their early months seemed happy enough, but their parents became worried when the girls didn’t reach the expected language milestones for their age.
As time passed, they freely communicated with each other and their dolls, but steadfastly refused to interact with others. This dynamic intensified as they developed a private language, further solidifying their inseparable bond.
Thought to be a faster version of Bajan Creole, even their immediate family and friends struggled to understand the incomprehensible dialect.
School times
School created additional challenges for the twins, who faced bullying due to their unusual behaviour. Yet it wasn’t just their speech problems that attracted unwanted attention – as the only Black pupils in their primary school, they endured constant harassment.
In 1974, when the twins turned 11, the family relocated once more to Pembrokeshire for Aubrey’s work. Unfortunately, this brought no relief and the bullying persisted.
These hardships only strengthened their reliance on one another and, in defiance, they refused to read or write. They also began copying each other’s actions.
Medical examination
It was only when a doctor named John Rees visited the school in 1974 that anyone appeared genuinely concerned about addressing the root causes of their behaviour.
While administering a TB vaccination, he noted the girls displayed an unusually muted response, even describing their demeanour as “doll-like”. The girls were sent to numerous child psychologists, yet none could penetrate their enigmatic silence.
Following appointments with the specialists, the girls were moved to the Eastgate Centre for Special Education – though the new school brought little improvement and they continued to remain silent throughout therapy sessions.
However, in February 1977, a speech therapist named Ann Treharne managed to gain a glimpse into their world for the first time. The girls agreed to let Treharne record their conversation when they were left alone together.
This revealed an unusual dynamic between the girls, where it seemed that June wanted to express herself freely but was held back by Jennifer. Ann noted that she had the impression that June was under her twin’s control.
Separation
Eventually, it was decided that the girls would benefit from being separated, with the hope that this would allow them to grow as individuals – a decision which only exacerbated the situation and highlighted their deep-seated dependency.
June reportedly became completely immobile, lying in bed unresponsive for weeks on end, unable to function without her twin by her side. When it became clear that they were worse off apart, they were finally reunited at Eastgate and moved between various institutions.
Their behaviour remained unchanged as they entered adolescence and, after being reunited, they withdrew even further into themselves. They stopped speaking to their parents and only occasionally wrote to their younger sister Rose.
Whilst staff noted the relationship appeared “controlling” or “possessive”, they frequently struggled to identify which twin wielded the power. Other workers observed the pair communicating through eye movements when others were around.
Journalist and mental health campaigner Marjorie Wallace developed a particular fascination with the twins and started building a rapport with them. She characterised their bond as “a sinister childhood game that got out of control.”
She revealed the twins had created “rituals” between themselves, determining which sister would breathe first – with the other forbidden from breathing until her sibling had taken a breath.
Diary entries
Despite their silence, the girls possessed a vivid imaginative world which they conveyed through creative writing. They would fill countless pages with their deepest thoughts. June even self-published a novel titled Pepsi Cola Addict, centred on a pupil seduced by a teacher.
The diary entries also revealed their feelings towards one another. In one disturbing entry, Jennifer wrote: “We have become fatal enemies in each other’s eyes”, describing her sister as “a face of misery, deception, murder.”
Meanwhile, June portrayed her sister as a “dark shadow” over her. Wallace started examining their old diaries, which showed a long-standing contempt for one another.
Despite appearing devoted to each other publicly, their relationship had privately deteriorated into mutual fear spanning more than ten years.
A life of crime
By 1981, the girls had discovered alcohol and drugs, causing their lives to spiral further out of control.
That October, they embarked on a five-week crime rampage involving vandalism, burglary and even arson – getting caught in the act attempting to set fire to Pembrokeshire Technical College.
The following year they admitted to 16 offences, but rather than receiving prison sentences, the twins were Sectioned under the Mental Health Act and sent to Broadmoor Hospital.
Throughout their 11 years being sectioned, the girls kept writing in their diaries, offering those around them insight into their world. The conditions at the facility were unlike anything the twins had encountered previously and they documented their desire to escape.
One diary entry from Jennifer revealed she yearned to be alone but wasn’t certain if she could exist without June, saying her heart “only beats when J is around.”
As the years wore on June and Jennifer attempted to obtain their release on several occasions – even reportedly writing to the Queen and Home Office once – but their requests were denied. Eventually, they started to open up slightly and began communicating with hospital staff, recognising this as their way out of the institution.
Wallace kept meeting with them and discovered her determination encouraged them to gradually share more. However, because of their heavy medication, they wrote less and less while at Broadmoor.
Tragic death
In 1993, following Wallace’s campaigning, the decision was taken to move the girls to a lower security facility nearer to their family. But on March 9, as they climbed into the van to go to their new “home,” staff noticed Jennifer appeared very weak and seemed unwell.
She was rushed by ambulance to the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, but tragically died at 6.30pm that same evening. She was just 29 years old. Jennifer’s post-mortem showed she had undiagnosed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart.
Following her tragic death, June stayed at the lower security facility for a year, before finally being released and permitted to rebuild her life.
After becoming relatively familiar with the women, Wallace claimed they had begun to believe one of them needed to die so the other could live. She wrote that during an interview, Jennifer said she had decided to die so that June could live a normal life.
Marjorie visited June days after Jennifer’s death and reported she was surprised by how composed June appeared. She revealed that June had confided in her about the unbearable grief she felt at losing her sister, while also feeling thankful for the “freedom” Jennifer’s death had granted her.
By 2008, it was reported that June had been leading a quiet life near her parents in west Wales, having reintegrated into society. She is said to be unrecognisable from the girl who spent the first three decades of her life speaking only to her twin.
In 2016, Greta, the twins’ sister, spoke about the impact of June and Jennifer’s detention on their family, describing it as devastating.
A poignant poem penned by June adorns Jennifer’s gravestone.
It reads: “We once were two.
“We two made one.
“We no more two.
“Through life be one.
“Rest in peace.”
The extraordinary lives of June and Jennifer Gibbons have inspired theatre productions, songs, films, and sparked crucial discussions about mental health services in the UK.
