0:00:02 > 0:00:04This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06- PHONE RINGS - 'Thank you for calling
0:00:06 > 0:00:09'the London Fire And Emergency Planning Authority.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13'If your call is for an emergency please hang up and redial 999.'
0:00:13 > 0:00:17I was just wondering if you have any information
0:00:17 > 0:00:18from a fire in January 1986,
0:00:18 > 0:00:22I appreciate it's quite a long time ago.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24I was in a caravan fire.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26I was a baby, I was only a few weeks old.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I was born into a Gypsy family.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33My mum was white,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36so was her husband, and I came out black.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40The story I was told was that my mum put me in a caravan
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and set light to it.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45So I guess she didn't want me around.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52After the fire, Annie was taken into care, and later adopted by a white,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54non-Gypsy family.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59- That's exciting, isn't it, guys? - Yeah.- A little road trip!
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Fascinated by her story and extraordinary resilience,
0:01:02 > 0:01:07I'm going to spend the next four months helping Annie learn more about where she came from.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10I want to look into my past.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Will it impact my identity, my core values?
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I've had so many other things to take on board, adoption,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19being burnt, being mixed race.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I feel like a bit of a blur,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I don't feel like I'm part of any one group.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27'I'm very interested in any information you may have
0:01:27 > 0:01:29'about the original residents.'
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Someone rescued me, I don't know who.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34I've been led to believe that someone saw the fire,
0:01:34 > 0:01:38saw what happened, took me out of the caravan,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40and then put me in hospital.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44We want to see if it is possible to find out who rescued Annie.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49If I was to meet the person that saved me, I would be very overwhelmed.
0:01:49 > 0:01:50Because what do you say?
0:01:51 > 0:01:53You gave me life.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Keep going, keep going, keep going!
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Last little bit!
0:02:06 > 0:02:0930-year-old Annie is a personal trainer
0:02:09 > 0:02:11and runs a gym with her fiance, Sam.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Fitness, for me, has always been about adding value to my life.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Can I find out where my limit is?
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I like feeling strong.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28- I'm looking forward to having this as a nice fireplace. - Sounds good to me.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Annie and Sam are in the process of setting up home together
0:02:31 > 0:02:34and are planning to get married next year.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38I like the lounge, we just need to get a lamp head.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40This is definitely the start of a new chapter.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43I hope we can have a family in the near future.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47That's why I'm interested in finding out more about my own history.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51How are you feeling about the whole thing over the next few weeks?
0:02:51 > 0:02:54I don't know. I haven't really let myself think of it.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57It sounds ridiculous now, after what we're about to do.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01At the moment, I'm just hoping I don't upset anyone.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03I'm a bit nervous, but appropriately nervous, I think.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Because you don't know what to expect. I hope that it all...
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Yeah, I don't know, you almost don't want to let yourself hope for
0:03:10 > 0:03:14something really good, just in case it's, you know...
0:03:14 > 0:03:17You've probably never been in a better position, as well,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21in terms of the amount of people that actually care for you,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and that are around you to actually put yourself in a position where
0:03:24 > 0:03:27there's going to be a bit of uncertainty.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28- So...- I completely agree with that.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Either way,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33you can fall a million ways and know that you're going to be fine.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36It's true, isn't it?
0:03:37 > 0:03:39That's a lovely thing to say.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42I've been practising that for a week!
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Hey, we could have a glass of wine at some point.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49I suppose you can't, because you're driving, but we can in life. I have so many questions for you.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- Yes, we should actually. - I'd love that.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56OK. One question I do need to ask, which is a difficult one.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59How did it feel when you were growing up,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02to know that the woman who gave birth to you wanted to kill you?
0:04:04 > 0:04:09I don't think any person with a happy,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11normal childhood would think that's an option,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13to do that to their child.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14So I kind of just felt bad for her.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I don't know what kind of life she must have had.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I was a baby. She didn't know who I was.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24She wasn't trying to kill me as a human being as I am, as a person.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28She didn't want me, for whatever reason.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30But you can't condone those things.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Annie's made it clear to me that this isn't about finding long-lost family.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37It's about understanding the culture,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41characters and events that led to a fire which nearly killed her.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43And trying to find out who saved her.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45- You feeling all right?- Yeah.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52The one person who holds some clues about Annie's past is her adoptive mum.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55What I've brought with me are official documents.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59I've never found the right time to introduce them.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Annie might be quite cross with me,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03because I've kept them hidden for so many years.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I don't know how she's going to react.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11Maggie already had two children of her own before adopting Annie.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14This is going to sound really soppy, but
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I found with both of my other two,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20there was an actual, physical bonding process,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24as in, I felt this thing. I cannot describe it.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26But it was physical. This is my child.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30And I'll do everything I can to look after this child.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34And Annie was probably, I think she was about 18 months,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38I thought, "This child needs me with her when she wakes up in the night,
0:05:38 > 0:05:42"when she is waking up with all these bandages on her and everything."
0:05:42 > 0:05:45And that was... I just thought, "I want to keep her."
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- That's lovely.- So that's when we started the process.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52- Hiya.- Hello. How are you?
0:05:52 > 0:05:57- I'm fine, how are you, my dear? - I'm really good, thank you.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- Are you going to make me one of these nice coffees, then, Annie? - I will indeed.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04My relationship with my adoptive mum is very good, I would say.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09I'm very lucky to have a lady like her bring me up.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11So, you're going to have to show me the gym.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13- Did you bring your kit? - Don't be silly!
0:06:13 > 0:06:16When did I last have gym kit?
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Shall we go in the living room?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20I grew up in a very happy house, and a very strong house,
0:06:20 > 0:06:25in a way that you will always be proud of who you are and...
0:06:26 > 0:06:29I definitely owe that to her.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Keep your drink well away, please.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Because these are originals, before the days of computers and all the rest of it.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39We should have probably got these documents out years ago.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41We did, Mum. We did.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45I didn't want to see them. It's not your fault.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47"Biddy describes herself as an Irish Gypsy.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50"She is approximately five foot six tall,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52"is well built, has dark hair,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54"and striking blue eyes."
0:06:54 > 0:06:56She's taller than me, then.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59"Biddy has been described as seeming to be quite intelligent,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02"and articulate, although illiterate."
0:07:03 > 0:07:05These attributes make her more human.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11"Her behaviour prior to Annie's birth would indicate that she
0:07:11 > 0:07:14"finds it difficult to place the needs of her child before her own.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17"Although this may have been related to her mental instability."
0:07:17 > 0:07:19What the hell does that mean?
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Annie, I don't know. I always tried to give you the truth,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25but as much as I thought was appropriate.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31It was widely suspected by both the Gypsy community and the social worker
0:07:31 > 0:07:35that Annie's birth mum left her alone in a caravan
0:07:35 > 0:07:36and set fire to it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41Social services always said, "If we thought we could have grounds for
0:07:41 > 0:07:45"prosecution, we would be trying to prosecute, but we have no witnesses,
0:07:45 > 0:07:46"no proof of anything."
0:07:46 > 0:07:51- Yeah.- But they didn't ever really believe that it was a total accident.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- You feeling all right?- Yeah, I am, it's just a lot to take in.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57I haven't really got much to say.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Annie's birth mum kept the identity of the biological father
0:08:02 > 0:08:05a secret from everyone.
0:08:05 > 0:08:06Even before the fire,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09she'd already expressed her concerns about keeping Annie.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15"Biddy has on two occasions requested that Annie be placed for adoption
0:08:15 > 0:08:18"on the grounds that a mixed-race child, of uncertain parentage,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20"would not be accepted by the family
0:08:20 > 0:08:23"and that both mother and child would be ostracised.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28"She recognises that her infidelity is of a most serious nature."
0:08:32 > 0:08:36When Annie was 13 years old, she was shown a news report stating that her
0:08:36 > 0:08:39birth mother had died that year.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42"A 32-year-old caused a fire by dropping a cigarette
0:08:42 > 0:08:46"after falling asleep, managed to dial 999 for help."
0:08:46 > 0:08:50It's a very strange coincidence that she died through third-degree burns.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53The percentage that I've got myself.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56"After giving her address, she had said, 'I can't stop the fire.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59" 'My skin is burned. Save me, I can't stop.' "
0:09:01 > 0:09:06I didn't feel a huge loss in that way that I guess most people would.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09But I did feel like it was quite final
0:09:09 > 0:09:12in the way that if I ever want an answer, obviously,
0:09:12 > 0:09:13I'm never going to get it.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21I glued my hair today.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Now I've got glue all over the other hair.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27So if you see big clumps of glue in my hair,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29it won't be glue colour, it will be...
0:09:30 > 0:09:32..like, just stuck-together hair.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Just tell me, and I'll have to cut my fucking hair!
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Have you got your own hair?
0:09:38 > 0:09:41I've got a tiny bit, but I basically shaved it off,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43so it's pretty much...
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Annie's has a lifetime of surgery on her burns,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52and is currently considering another operation on her nose.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54How are you getting on?
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Yeah, really good. It feels tons better.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59That's gone pretty well, apart from the scarring.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01- Yeah.- It looks a bit lumpy.- Yeah.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Over the years, my burns haven't really affected me terribly,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07but I do think I've engineered that.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11I remember a couple of times,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14a couple of kids at school said something,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18but, at the time, it didn't really bother me that much.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20I was very lucky I had a lot of good friends around.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22I think I might have kicked a boy in the shin
0:10:22 > 0:10:24after he'd said something rude.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28The keloid, like, the lumps here, have you seen other people with it,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30- and does it go down? - It does tend to go down, yeah.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- Does it really?- Over time, yeah. - Does it?- Yeah, it does.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Social services were originally holding out for an Afro-Caribbean family for Annie.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Until they finally agreed to Maggie adopting her,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45she was still officially in care.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48There was a lot of time that the doctors wanted me to have lots
0:10:48 > 0:10:50of operations when I was younger.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Because I was a child of the state and not actually belonging to any one person,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56to sort of stick in my corner, they were kind of, like,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00score, because you don't often get someone that's that badly burnt
0:11:00 > 0:11:04and alive. So they got to try out lots of operations.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08They wanted me to have my hairline moved forward.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10I wasn't convinced.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13It would have taken me out of time to see my friends, being at school,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16training. I was trampolining at the time.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20So a lot of operations I could have had, I didn't.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25I think what we've discussed before is to try and lengthen the nose,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29and bring the tip of the nose down.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32My mum made the right decision, I think,
0:11:32 > 0:11:37to decide to get me to keep living with how I looked, going to school,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39making friends, you know.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40I had to, more importantly,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43deal with looking how I do than trying to spend my whole life,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46especially the early years, trying to make it better.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- See you soon, hopefully. - See you.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Getting on with things makes you just focus on,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55A, the things you want to do in life,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and how you can cope in situations if problems arise.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Could I have grown up with a lot more anger?
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Of course. That's the easy option, I think.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08To be quick to hate.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11But why waste your life? What a waste of a life!
0:12:11 > 0:12:14To be sad and angry, it would be ridiculous.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16There'd be no point in being saved at all.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21It's clear that the effort it's taken Annie to come this far in life
0:12:21 > 0:12:23has been huge.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I can see why it's only now she's ready to delve deeper into
0:12:26 > 0:12:28the story behind her scars
0:12:28 > 0:12:32and learn more about the culture she was born into.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Going back to your birth mum, and what you were told happened,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40what do you think would have been the thing that brought the most shame on the family?
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Was it your colour, do you think? Or the fact that she'd had an affair?
0:12:43 > 0:12:46My adoptive mum did mention that it would have been very difficult
0:12:46 > 0:12:49growing up being mixed-race...
0:12:50 > 0:12:53..in a Gypsy community.
0:12:53 > 0:12:54I know that that was part of it.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56But I don't know.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I don't know.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Annie has never mixed with Gypsies,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and hasn't been on a caravan site since she was a baby.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07My adoptive mum made a huge effort
0:13:07 > 0:13:11to make sure we spoke about Travellers, Gypsies a lot
0:13:11 > 0:13:13in a way that the books I read,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16it was included in my upbringing.
0:13:16 > 0:13:22I don't want to pretend that I know huge amounts about Gypsy culture.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Mainly because I haven't lived it.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26I'm meeting a guy called Joe Jones,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29who I was put in touch with through the Gypsy Council.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32So I'm looking forward to actually getting to chat to someone
0:13:32 > 0:13:35face-to-face, and ask all my questions.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- Hello. Joseph?- Yeah, I'm Joe.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- Lovely to meet you.- This is Josef. How are you?
0:13:43 > 0:13:45- Really good. How are you? - Fine, thank you.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48The Gypsy Council act as spokespeople for Romanies and
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Travellers across the UK.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54The portrayal of Gypsies in the media seems very one-sided,
0:13:54 > 0:13:55and very, very shocking.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59They definitely seem to have picked out all of the harsher,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02scarier stories of Travellers.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04Brilliant, this is great.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09I always like that they've got a very strong culture, and look after one another
0:14:09 > 0:14:11and are, like, a big group.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14You could say that we lived a sheltered life.
0:14:14 > 0:14:22But then, we lived a life, the media and politicians, councillors,
0:14:22 > 0:14:27they all still believe in a 500-year-old myth.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31They don't realise that we're human beings, like anyone else.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33The only difference between us is that we like living
0:14:33 > 0:14:38in close family units, and we like to live in caravans.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40I want to pay my council tax.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42I want to pay income tax.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44I want to be a part of the community.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46But I also want to be a Gypsy.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49That's the bit they can't get.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53So what made you want to embark on this now?
0:14:53 > 0:14:57I was burnt in a fire when I was a baby, in a caravan fire.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59I nearly lost two children in a caravan fire.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01- Really?- Yeah. My John boy and Kelly.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- Oh, my gosh.- It was quite common.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Caravan fires in them days were open fires.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08- Right, OK.- Yeah.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- Yeah.- You would have the doors open in your trailer.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14You only had one form of heating, and that was that.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Then they went over to paraffin, which was quite explosive.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22How often would you say a caravan is set alight on purpose?
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Or would you say that...?
0:15:24 > 0:15:29The only time that a caravan is deliberately set alight
0:15:29 > 0:15:32is after the funeral.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37The community itself, to burn a caravan deliberately, no.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41I can't see that that would be... There wouldn't be any reason for it.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44So my birth mother, I was told,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47put me in a caravan, and set light to it.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51No.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Why would she do that?
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Because her husband was also Gypsy and he was white
0:15:57 > 0:15:59and I came out black.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03There's no Gypsy mother, or Irish Traveller mother, I know...
0:16:03 > 0:16:08They would rather run off with that chappy than do such a thing.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Listen to me,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I know the travelling women,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16they'd have gone off with an Afro-Caribbean, yeah,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18and had children by them and stuck by them
0:16:18 > 0:16:21and been dogmatised and vilified by their own community.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23There's no way in the world.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24I wouldn't believe that.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Do you want to stop?
0:16:26 > 0:16:28- What?- Do you want to stop?
0:16:28 > 0:16:31No, it's fine. I'm not blaming anyone for it.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34No, I wouldn't believe that.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36That's something I wouldn't believe.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39I've known one thing for ages.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I now almost feel bad that I've...
0:16:41 > 0:16:44I've never blamed anyone, but imagine, like, you hear one thing, and then...
0:16:44 > 0:16:46I feel like an idiot.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50I feel, why would I not circle-dance around this story?
0:16:50 > 0:16:53I normally question everything. Why would I not question that?
0:16:53 > 0:16:55It's all hearsay.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56You don't know the facts.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00If there was any evidence whatsoever, right,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02she would have been prosecuted.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04She would be in Holloway.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06She would have done a long time.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23In the 1980s there were an average
0:17:23 > 0:17:27of 2,000 caravan fires every year across the UK,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29many of which were fatal.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Think of her now, think, poor thing, like, horrible.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Is that what's upsetting you, your mum?
0:17:42 > 0:17:45When I first realised that I thought it might not be deliberate, it
0:17:45 > 0:17:47sort of knocked me for six a little bit.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Made me feel very... I was very shocked.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51My first feeling was that I felt bad.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55I felt really guilty. So realising that, I just felt this overwhelming
0:17:55 > 0:17:57feeling of, "Oh, you know, like...
0:17:57 > 0:18:00"Why wouldn't you give her a chance?"
0:18:00 > 0:18:03I presumed everything I'd heard was gospel,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05and I kept it in a little box and thought that was it
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and just left it there, instead of logically thinking about it.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12You know, who would want to harm someone in that manner?
0:18:12 > 0:18:15It's unlikely. I felt like I should have made more of an effort and dug
0:18:15 > 0:18:17deeper into what happened.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Although Joe Jones believes it was an accident,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26he has seen mothers in similar situations being vilified
0:18:26 > 0:18:28by the Gypsy community.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32We want to know what kind of life Annie and her birth mum
0:18:32 > 0:18:35might have had if Annie hadn't been taken into care.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40So, I found out about this guy, Joe King, so he's part Romany Gypsy
0:18:40 > 0:18:42and part black.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45He grew up between two homes -
0:18:45 > 0:18:48a home in a house and a caravan site.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50So I'm really interested to meet him
0:18:50 > 0:18:53and see how his life has been different.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01- Hi, Joe.- Hey.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Hello. Lovely to meet you.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06You too. Have you ate a lot of Caribbean food?
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- Not a great deal.- This is going to be good for you, then.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14I don't actually identify with being mixed race,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16but not any more than I don't identify...
0:19:16 > 0:19:17It's the same as being a girl, or...
0:19:17 > 0:19:19It's just part of me, but I'm not going to be, like,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23"Oh, I'm mixed race. I'd better have more rice and peas."
0:19:23 > 0:19:27So you are also a Gypsy.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28From which side, is it your mum?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31My mum. My mum's full Romany.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34- Yeah.- My mum was one of 13.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38So she got pregnant, she didn't tell any of the Gypsy side
0:19:38 > 0:19:41of our families what colour the baby was going to be.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43They'd probably never even seen a black person.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45- Oh, really?- In 1968.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- There was none.- No.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51And when I popped out, the first thing my nan said was,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53"Don't bring that thing home."
0:19:53 > 0:19:57- Oh, no.- That was my introduction to Gypsy life.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Then racism, and everything else,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03kind of got hold of my mum.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05I was accepted by my side of the family
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and I was accepted after a period of time.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12But it was a constant struggle for my mum, and definitely for me,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14having to kind of fight everywhere I went
0:20:14 > 0:20:17and just being called names, like, we all know the names,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20the kind of names that you get called.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- So my mum was married to another Gypsy.- Right.- They were both white, I came out black.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- She had an affair.- Obviously, she had an affair, yeah.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30They deal with cheating different to how we would deal with things.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33We've moved on a bit, but we're talking 30-odd years ago.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35- How old are you? 30?- Mmm.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38It's a man's world. Back then it was even more of a man's world.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42It's OK for men to kind of do certain things, but not for women.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46So the fact that your mum's had an affair, bang, that's one.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48And the fact that it was an affair with a black person,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51bringing him a black baby, I can only imagine.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55- I can't even imagine... - Really?- No.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57How hard that must have been for her.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01She knows how tight-whipped and how tight-knit the Gypsy site is.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I think your mum would have probably been
0:21:04 > 0:21:07the worst person ever on that site.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11The fact that she has had an affair, and with a black person.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Joe's perspective has shown Annie the hostility her birth mother
0:21:22 > 0:21:24might have faced from the community.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Someone under that much pressure
0:21:26 > 0:21:29might well have resorted to extreme behaviour.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35Maybe it was her idea of getting out of a troubled situation that she
0:21:35 > 0:21:39thought she was in. And that was the option that she thought was the only
0:21:39 > 0:21:41one that she could take. Which is horrible.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43I feel terrible for her.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53'I'm just calling because I'm interested in getting hold of some files.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55'There was a caravan fire in January.'
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Opinions on what might have happened on that night 30 years ago
0:21:58 > 0:22:02have given Annie a greater understanding of the community.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07Now we want to see what facts might be out there about the fire itself.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I think this is as close to pure fact as I'm going to get.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16These archives hold historical records for the London Fire Brigade.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21- Hi, Annie.- Hi.- I'm David, nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24That covers every fire on the 4th of January.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- Brilliant.- Is it scary? - Definitely scary, yeah.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Hackney.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38There's loads of ones of cars. What if it wasn't a caravan?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Here we go. This looks like it. There we go.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46Sandy Lane, Mitcham, Surrey.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48B Smith.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Oh, fuck! I'm really hot.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54My name's on there.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57SHE CRIES
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Seeing all the names on there, it just makes it more, like,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09I don't know... I don't know, I can't figure it out.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11I want Sam here, though.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Just tell me what you want to do. Do you want to have a little...?
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Do you want to stop the camera for a bit?
0:23:18 > 0:23:21I don't really care, I just want to read it.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24But I keep looking at it, and I'm not taking anything in.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Records are... can be about revelation.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32You know. With stories becoming truth, or truth becoming stories.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Yeah. Approximate total number
0:23:34 > 0:23:37who left the affected property because of the fire - two.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Annie always believed she was in the fire alone,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43but this report clearly contradicts that.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Briddie and Biddy are both short for Bridget.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Was it her birth mum in there with her, or was it someone else?
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Her being 45 when I was a baby doesn't make sense.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57And in a newspaper report that explained her death,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00she would have come in at about 37, 38.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05That's a good ten, 12 years later than this.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Either that is wrong or this is wrong.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Now, look, I've got 100 questions.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12"Supposed cause of fire...
0:24:13 > 0:24:16"Unrecorded, pending recovery or otherwise."
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Like, they said they don't know who saved me and that?
0:24:20 > 0:24:22What does that mean?
0:24:22 > 0:24:24- Do we know?- I wish I knew.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- Do you want me to come over and have a look?- Yeah.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31The way these things work, as I understand them, is they would be...
0:24:31 > 0:24:33they're reports filled out by the Fire Brigade.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37The terms within them, I'm afraid, I genuinely don't know what they mean.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40You would probably have to ask the firefighters themselves.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44There is one name on the report that we hope will lead us to the truth,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48the station officer in charge of putting out the fire.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50It's good that I've got a name.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53'Please say the name of the person or department you wish to contact.'
0:24:53 > 0:24:55JK Backers.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58'Was that Craig Prescott?'
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- No.- 'Please say the name of another person or department.'
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- Merton Fire Department. - 'Was that Mark Jones?'
0:25:06 > 0:25:09No. It was Merton.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11'Please hold for the operator.'
0:25:11 > 0:25:12'Saffron, server support team.'
0:25:12 > 0:25:17Hi, I'm just calling because I've recently gone through some records
0:25:17 > 0:25:21and a gentleman's name, JK Backers, came up.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26I was wondering if he's still working for you, or you know of him.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29'No, he's not on the system.'
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Sorry for being a pain, it's just that it says that he did work for you,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34and he's on the records.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38'No, I can't see nothing on the system for him.'
0:25:38 > 0:25:39OK.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51I'm not sure how to get hold of him.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54There's got to be another way, but I can't quite think now.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57I don't think I'm thinking very clearly at the moment.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05The fire was on an unauthorised caravan site.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Sandy Lane? This has got to be it.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08I've been here before.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14It was a temporary stopping place that's now been built on,
0:26:14 > 0:26:18but we want to see if anyone in the area might remember it.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I haven't seen any now, in the years I've been here.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26I've never really heard anyone speaking about any either.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29But I know, you hear people speaking about the past,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31that there was a lot of Travellers around.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Hello. I've just got a very random question for you.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38How long have you been here? How long has this been here?
0:26:38 > 0:26:43- The garage has been here, oh, about 50 years.- 50 years?
0:26:43 > 0:26:48- Amazing.- I've actually been here... I'm 59, I've been here 45.
0:26:48 > 0:26:5045. Amazing.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Do you know if there was any ever sort of caravan, like,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Gypsy traveller sites on Sandy Lane or around this area?
0:26:57 > 0:26:58I've never known one in Sandy Lane.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00- Literally round the corner?- No.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05- Never?- Not that I'd... - You would know. It literally would have been around the corner.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07That's literally around the corner, yeah.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10It seems the site of the fire was so transitory,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14that it was barely even noticed or remembered by locals.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17What do you mean, I was burnt in a caravan, and there's no bloody caravan?
0:27:17 > 0:27:19What the fuck? Literally, what the flying fuck!
0:27:19 > 0:27:22I feel like I'm, like, Calamity Jane.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I feel like I'm being stupid.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- I don't think you are. We're confused as well.- I don't get it.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32I just need something to hold on to here. This is so fucking weird.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Frustrated by all the dead ends,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Annie wants to press on with
0:27:50 > 0:27:52learning more about the Gypsy community.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Hi. Hello.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56- Alvey, I'm Annie.- Alvey.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59- Lovely to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Thank you so much for having me here.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07Joe Jones has invited us to a caravan site in Kent where they teach people
0:28:07 > 0:28:09about Gypsy history.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Basically, what we're trying to do is change people's mind-set on Gypsies and Travellers.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15That's basically what we're all about.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16And also, keeping the old ways alive.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20- Yeah.- Because if you don't know where you've come from,
0:28:20 > 0:28:21how do you know where you're going?
0:28:22 > 0:28:26- Can I have a little poke around? - Yeah.- Look.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27They're so nice.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31Do you feel in any way like a Gypsy yourself?
0:28:32 > 0:28:35I can identify with being part Gypsy
0:28:35 > 0:28:39in the way that it's always been part of my story, if you like.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42The children would sleep underneath, in the old days.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46And there was a seat this side and a seat that side.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49And then you done all the cooking on the fire.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Everything was done on that fire in the winter.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56My mum's always made comments, growing up, about me being a Gypsy.
0:28:56 > 0:28:57Little things I used to do.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59But is this nature, is it nurture?
0:28:59 > 0:29:02I don't... I'm really interested in that, always have been.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Annie's birth mum was an Irish Traveller
0:29:05 > 0:29:09who had married into a Romany Gypsy family.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12I was led to believe that I would have been rejected by the community,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15the Gypsy community, because I was black.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Non-Gypsy people would actually believe that.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21But in ourselves, we know that's not true.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24We wouldn't reject any dark-skinned children, no.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26It's impossible.
0:29:26 > 0:29:27See this woman here.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- Yeah.- She's a very dark woman, coal black, she was.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Yeah, her hair looks kind of Afro.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Yeah. That's my granny.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36- Really?- That's my dad's mum.
0:29:36 > 0:29:37- No way.- Yeah.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40We originated from India.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44So it runs through our genetics.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46How do you class yourself, if you understand what I mean?
0:29:46 > 0:29:50If someone said, "Oh, where are you from?" it depends how sort of...
0:29:50 > 0:29:54how much I fancy telling a person on the day, if I'm honest.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57It's never something that I don't tell people because I'm embarrassed,
0:29:57 > 0:29:59it's just always something I would...
0:29:59 > 0:30:03People are always asking me questions. "What happened to your face? You look tanned.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07"Oh, you're black. Oh, you're Irish. Oh, you're Gypsy, but you live here.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09"Oh, but all your family are white. You're black." You know what I mean?
0:30:09 > 0:30:12So many little bits and bobs.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14If you're black, white, pink, purple, whatever colour you are,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17you should be proud of what you are.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20And them burns on your face is nothing.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22It's what's here that's the main thing.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25- Yeah.- We all carry scars one way or another.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27How do you see us?
0:30:27 > 0:30:29How do I see you?
0:30:29 > 0:30:32It just feels, honestly, it feels really normal.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35I feel like I've known you for ages. I feel really relaxed and...
0:30:35 > 0:30:36That's how you should be.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Of course, yeah, it should be like that.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Most Gypsy people, right,
0:30:40 > 0:30:45have always had prejudice against them, one way or another.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51So, as us being Gypsies, right,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53we couldn't be prejudiced against anyone.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Because we've had it so much against us.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04I found the whole community very family orientated.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Which was really nice.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08Very warm. Very inclusive.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13You know, why wouldn't you want to take those values with you?
0:31:16 > 0:31:20We're still unclear about the identity of the other person in the fire with Annie,
0:31:20 > 0:31:22the woman listed as being 45.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26So we want to see if it was reported in any local papers.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30- Which particular year? - '86.- OK.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33- Excellent, thank you. Thank you very much.- You're welcome.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Police crackdown, no...
0:31:40 > 0:31:41God, this is horrible.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46You want to find something, but then you don't want to find anything.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52"Baby saved from blaze.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56"A six-week-old baby and her grandmother were taken to
0:31:56 > 0:32:00"St George's Hospital, Tooting, after a fire destroyed their caravan
0:32:00 > 0:32:03"on a site in Sandy Lane, Mitcham, on Saturday evening.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08"It is believed the fire started when a gas heater set alight two cushions
0:32:08 > 0:32:12"while Annie and 45-year-old Briddie were asleep."
0:32:12 > 0:32:14It says grandma, so it is a grandma.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17So she was in the fire as well, so why do I think it's something else?
0:32:19 > 0:32:24Annie had always been told that her mother put her in a caravan alone
0:32:24 > 0:32:26and set light to it deliberately.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30Finding out her grandmother was in there with her changes everything.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Why would I be led to believe another way?
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Very strange. Unless that's what people thought.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44But why would they think that? Who would come to that conclusion?
0:32:45 > 0:32:49It's definitely made me think more about any story that I've been given.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51I have to take things into my own hands.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54I've always known there's three parts of a story, there's,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56you know, what he said, what she said,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59and the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
0:33:00 > 0:33:05We soon found out that Annie's grandmother died in 2005,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08taking her tale of the fire to the grave.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11I feel a bit sad, because I probably should have done it sooner.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14I'm a bit sad. I should have done it sooner.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16I should have done it.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Training has always been my time.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30It's just a little bit of time to be on your own, I think.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33A bit of thinking time, you know.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41It's been a bit of a rollercoaster. It's been very up and down.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44And my emotions have been a bit, like, pulled back.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48The facts is always what is needed to make yourself feel better.
0:33:48 > 0:33:55'JK Backers. I don't know, maybe try John or James.'
0:33:55 > 0:33:57With the caravan site long gone,
0:33:57 > 0:34:00her birth mother and grandmother both dead,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03tracking down the firefighter is our last hope
0:34:03 > 0:34:05of reaching anyone who was there at the time.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09Would you be able to find out if he did once work for you? It was in the '80s.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11'He's not still working for us.'
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Wanting to take a break from it all,
0:34:25 > 0:34:29Annie's visiting her adoptive sister in Swansea.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32My sister, Jo, is three years older than me.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36If I've got a problem or something's upset me, I can always...
0:34:36 > 0:34:39I know I can call her. And she always gives me great advice.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43- Get your feet wet.- Oh, yeah!
0:34:43 > 0:34:46I love wearing wellies. It sounds really stupid, but I feel more free.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50Yeah. You will sleep well tonight. Sea air, in the lungs.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54I've been a bit anxious, so this has made me feel really relaxed.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59This whole thing feels like I've been sticking my hand in,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02you know, like hot water...
0:35:02 > 0:35:04You know what I mean? You don't know what you're going to get back.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07You've never liked water, though, have you?
0:35:07 > 0:35:09I remember when you were really young
0:35:09 > 0:35:12and you had all those dressings, do you remember?
0:35:12 > 0:35:14- Yeah.- On your head and stuff.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18And they used to bathe them off you.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20So no wonder you didn't like water.
0:35:20 > 0:35:21Not me, I love it.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23- I'm like a fish.- I know you are.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28You've always kind of defied the odds, though.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31I mean, Mum's always said the nurses and doctors
0:35:31 > 0:35:33didn't expect you to even survive
0:35:33 > 0:35:36your first six months after the fire, did they?
0:35:36 > 0:35:39They said you wouldn't be able to write and hold a pencil,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41because your hands were so scarred and damaged.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44But you've done all of that.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47You know? You're stronger than you think.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49And it's good that you're doing this now,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52because you're always going to have a natural curiosity about your heritage.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Yeah, the more and more I do it, the more and more I know I'm doing the right thing.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57Like, just to understand a bit more.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01- It's actually given me a little bit more confidence, which is really strange.- It's a big deal.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03And I think you need to be in a certain stable...
0:36:03 > 0:36:08You and Sam are engaged, you've got your house,
0:36:08 > 0:36:09your life is secure,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12and I think you shouldn't regret doing it now
0:36:12 > 0:36:16and not doing it earlier. This is the right time, I think.
0:36:16 > 0:36:17Yeah.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Push. Good. And again.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31PHONE RINGS
0:36:31 > 0:36:36Hi there, I was wondering if a man called JK Backers works for you.
0:36:36 > 0:36:37'Why do you need to get hold of him?'
0:36:37 > 0:36:39It's regarding me and my family,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43I just wondered could he answer some questions that I'm not getting from the form.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Thank you very much.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48After weeks of searching for the elusive JK Backers,
0:36:48 > 0:36:50we've finally got a lead.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09"Hi, Annie. I was informed you are trying to get in touch with JK Backers.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13"As luck would have it, I live opposite the daughter of one of his old colleagues.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16"I have spoken with John today and he's happy for you to..."
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Oh, wow. "..for you to contact him."
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Amazing.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24I wasn't sure... I thought he would be dead.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27That's so rude.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29I think I've got used to being, like...
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Oh, that's really good.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33I'm happy with that.
0:37:35 > 0:37:36I needed some happiness.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45I've got this opportunity to actually go and speak to someone
0:37:45 > 0:37:46that was there, that knows about it,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48that's willing, as well.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50I'm hoping he'll remember a bit about the day.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Obviously, I'm not pinning my hopes on it.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Look at me, I'm lying, I am.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56I'm already like, "Please, remember!"
0:38:14 > 0:38:18We are hoping that the man in charge of putting out the fire that burnt Annie
0:38:18 > 0:38:22will finally give us a reliable first-hand account of what happened.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Ding-dong.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29Hello. Hello, John?
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Very nice to see you, come in.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33Thank you. Lovely to meet you.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35I brought you a few little bits.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37I know it's very silly, but I didn't want to come empty-handed.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41- That's very nice of you.- It's just biscuits and some pastries in there.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43I don't know if you eat that kind of thing.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47I treat myself most mornings.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50- Good. Thank you so much for having me.- Oh, lovely, you can...
0:38:50 > 0:38:53- Am I sitting here?- Yes, absolutely. - Brilliant, thank you.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58Right. Right, this is a Home Office form.
0:38:58 > 0:39:0230 years later, you've come up with this report.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04And sort of surprised me.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06Sorry. Sorry, I do really appreciate you talking.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09I don't want you to feel like I'm grilling.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11It's fine, it's a delight, to be quite honest with you.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15I'm just amazed that you actually survived,
0:39:15 > 0:39:17because in this section here -
0:39:17 > 0:39:20"Unrecorded, pending recovery or otherwise,"
0:39:20 > 0:39:23because it was expected, by all accounts,
0:39:23 > 0:39:27that you would not survive more than 24 hours, possibly two days.
0:39:27 > 0:39:28- Really?- Absolutely, yeah.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31So these...
0:39:31 > 0:39:32Did you write this?
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Yes, this is my report. All this is my report, yes.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Your grandmother was taken to hospital with burned hands,
0:39:38 > 0:39:39and you was taken elsewhere,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Roehampton burns unit, that's where you went.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Did you see the grandmother?
0:39:45 > 0:39:49No. I did not see yourself or your grandmother.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52So they weren't on the scene when you were there?
0:39:52 > 0:39:57As I arrived, the whole trailer van was alight,
0:39:57 > 0:40:01and you had already, with your grandmother, vacated the van
0:40:01 > 0:40:05and, obviously, been moved to hospital.
0:40:05 > 0:40:10Because the fire was so severe and we couldn't establish initial cause,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14what I did was I asked for the attendance
0:40:14 > 0:40:17of the fire investigation team.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20The results of the official investigation have been lost,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23but John Backers believes that the newspaper report
0:40:23 > 0:40:27about the cause of the fire is likely to be correct.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31A cutting from the local newspaper, at the time of the incident...
0:40:31 > 0:40:34"It is believed the fire started when a gas heater set light to cushions
0:40:34 > 0:40:38"while Annie and 45-year-old Briddie were asleep."
0:40:39 > 0:40:42That information is normally obtained from the local fire station.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46There's no way of knowing who took Annie to hospital,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49but John's got an idea about who saved her life.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54What I suspect happened, because your grandmother's hands were burnt,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58she obviously, in my view, obviously lifted you,
0:40:58 > 0:41:00and carried you out from the van.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07I always think the simplest answer is usually true,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10but sometimes, I guess, it's best to ask the questions.
0:41:10 > 0:41:11I just think there it makes sense.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14It's her hands, I think she got me out of there.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Unfortunately, it would appear that your grandmother is no longer alive.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21So, really, assuming she would tell you the truth,
0:41:21 > 0:41:26actually, we'd be able to give you that information you're desperately sort of looking for.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Which is a shame, from your perspective.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32I wish I could actually say more than that.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34No, I'm sitting here, that's more than enough.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37I'm so glad that I get to speak to you, as well.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39I keep crying, I'm so sorry.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40Oh...
0:41:42 > 0:41:44This is... This is...
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Brings back nasty memories.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54Even I get upset about certain issues and...
0:41:54 > 0:41:58- Thank you so much. - It's not an issue, you know,
0:41:58 > 0:42:00always willing to help if I possibly can.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03That's what we're here for, isn't it, really?
0:42:03 > 0:42:04A teapot.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07I'm going to get a teapot for the house.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11I've done a count one day, I think it's approximately 20 cups of tea
0:42:11 > 0:42:14- I drink a day.- Nice. I love a cup of tea.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16It was so good, Sam, he was so nice.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Like, he's a good guy, you know.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20A good guy.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29He's kind of inkled an invitation to the wedding.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33So, yeah. There we go, then. Him and his wife are coming.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38It's important for me to speak to John, knowing the man that wrote it,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41it makes me feel I can fully believe the report,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44and that can back up thinking it was more of an accident.
0:42:45 > 0:42:50It's completely changed everything I thought, growing up.
0:42:50 > 0:42:56You know, just a normal, sane person would do what was told, but then,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58the hard bit was more, why was that implied?
0:43:12 > 0:43:17Annie is still frustrated by how the story she grew up with came about.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21She wants to get Joe Jones's take on why such a damning accusation
0:43:21 > 0:43:22would have been spread.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26- Hello, Annie. How are you? - I'm good, how are you?
0:43:26 > 0:43:30People will exaggerate something if they don't know anything about it.
0:43:30 > 0:43:35And people hear half a story, then they pass half a story on,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37and then someone adds something else to that story.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40- Chinese whispers.- And it becomes very dramatic.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43You know, we were good storytellers.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Our parents, our grandparents were good storytellers.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48They used to keep us kids amused for hours on end.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50And as you get older,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53you realise that that wasn't quite what they said.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57There was a little bit of truth in there. It wasn't quite like that.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02We'll never know the absolute truth of what happened that night,
0:44:02 > 0:44:06but we finally unearthed enough for Annie to put the story to rest.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08See you soon.
0:44:08 > 0:44:09The incident in your life,
0:44:09 > 0:44:14either you let that destroy you, yeah?
0:44:14 > 0:44:19Or you use it, because you seem confident enough.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23- I want you to move on. - Yeah.
0:44:26 > 0:44:32I think the stories we grow up with shape who we are, our new beliefs,
0:44:32 > 0:44:34which we take on, and build our character,
0:44:34 > 0:44:36then it builds our own identity.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39Because I didn't have any background or people that were linked to me,
0:44:39 > 0:44:42I was able to build my own ideas of myself
0:44:42 > 0:44:44and build beliefs around myself.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46Now, after everything that's happened,
0:44:46 > 0:44:48I'm certain that that was the right way for me to go.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51I don't need, necessarily, to be part of any pack, this group,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53or that group, or this group.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55I am my character.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Annie now has a much deeper understanding
0:45:00 > 0:45:04of why her birth mum struggled to cope with her arrival.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10Despite the absence of hard facts about the cause of the fire,
0:45:10 > 0:45:13what we have found out has allowed Annie to make up her own mind.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18In light of everything that happened, the bet's in my birth mum's favour now.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21I'm really glad now that I've done this.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Never judge a book by its cover.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26Never just presume. Give everyone a chance.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Everyone.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32MUSIC: Grow by Frances
0:45:41 > 0:45:46# Oh, so you know it all
0:45:46 > 0:45:49# Then it's gone
0:45:49 > 0:45:52# Grow, grow
0:45:52 > 0:45:55# You know I'm here holding on
0:45:56 > 0:45:59# Tying up your loose ends
0:45:59 > 0:46:04# And your drifting esteem
0:46:04 > 0:46:07# Grow, grow
0:46:07 > 0:46:09# If you never try, you'll never know... #