TWO sisters separated for nearly 50 years and who each thought the other was dead have been reunited.

Janet Walsh (78), of Coltsfoot Close, Amesbury, and Sophia Cloete (75), of Cape Town, had not seen each other since 1955, when Janet left South Africa to marry an Englishman and escape the horrors of apartheid.

They remained in contact for several years, especially as Janet's daughter, Joyce, had stayed behind with her grandmother.

But in 1958 Joyce moved to Southampton to live with her mother and stepfather, and although the two sisters were still in touch, Janet was moving home a lot with her former husband, and staying in contact was becoming increasingly difficult.

A couple of years later and they had completely lost touch. One of Sophia's daughters did send a letter to her aunt, but it was delivered to an old address.

With neither sister hearing anything, they both assumed the other was dead - that is until a letter arrived in Sophia's home town of Calvinia, South Africa, last December.

"I asked the Salvation Army to trace them for me first of all," said Janet.

"But they had no success - that was about six months before Christmas.

"Then I was very, very ill, so I thought I would have one last attempt and try writing under my maiden name.

"The South African post office nearly sent it back, but my niece's friend who works there recognised the name and said 'don't send it back, I know the family'.

"So then my niece wrote back to me and said my sister was still alive.

"It was just amazing - I thought she was dead."

But before the two sisters could be reunited, both sides had to wait patiently while they each saved enough money to allow Sophia to fly over.

After several months of constant telephone calls and e-mails, Sophia arrived in Amesbury last Friday for a month-long stay, escorted by her son-in-law, Joseph Papier.

"I just couldn't sleep last night, I was so excited," said Janet.

"For days I was just staring at the fence.

"But then she arrived this morning and it was like the dead coming alive because they thought I was dead and I thought she was dead.

"It was really very emotional."

She added: "I asked God to help me and he did - Sophia had been praying as well."

Sophia, who speaks little English, said she was "very, very happy" to be reunited with her sister.

Speaking on behalf of his mother-in-law, Joseph said: "The first time that she heard of her sister was such an emotional time."

They had to calm her down, he said, because she thought her sister was dead until, against the odds, Janet's letter found them.

"The moment she heard about her sister she went berserk - the phone calls started straight away and they couldn't get enough of each other," Joseph added. "Now they are together again."

Janet and Sophia's reunion was marked with a large family gathering on Saturday, giving Sophia the chance to meet the rest of her long-lost sister's family.