As I mentioned in my earlier post, there are many Dorothy Hallases in the records, all marrying different people (obviously!). However, the 1939 register does state that her name became Richards somewhere along the line and the only marriage is the one I have described. Of the puzzle regarding all the closed records, I am still firmly of the opinion that it was a children's home; it could be because, as you say, of the death of a sibling earlier and they put Dorothy 'into care' for a short time. However, Dorothy did stay in the Wakefield area by the looks of things as that is where the marriage to John Richards took place. Either a birth certificate or a marriage certificate - or both - would probably solve a lot of the mystery. It might also be worth checking whether the address in question was a residential property or a children's home; I am sure some Chatters live within that area and could help?
