0:00:02 > 0:00:07Today, a highly competitive case is overrun with obstacles...
0:00:07 > 0:00:10It is a nightmare when you do a case and then you find out there is an
0:00:10 > 0:00:12illegitimate birth.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15..whilst research into a quiet lady from Winchester...
0:00:15 > 0:00:18It is strange for half the siblings to be born up north,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21and then half to be born down south.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24..reveals the shocking story of a fugitive on the run.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30He's a wanted man. If he's caught, he will be imprisoned.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33It is all in a day's work for the heir hunters.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42They have got the mortgage.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44It's Wednesday morning.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46It is not always going to, obviously, be bank accounts,
0:00:46 > 0:00:47could be a mortgage company.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51At the offices of Finders International in central London,
0:00:51 > 0:00:56the Government's Bona Vacantia list of unclaimed estates has just been released.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59And it looks like case manager, Ryan Gregory, and the team,
0:00:59 > 0:01:00are in for a busy day.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05It has been a huge list...
0:01:07 > 0:01:11..released by the Bona Vacantia departments today, so there has been 41 adds.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16It just adds a bit of an extra element of pressure and stress.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Competition to find heirs to unclaimed estates is fierce.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Across the UK, rival firms will also be poring over the list,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27trying to decide which cases to work.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34We don't know how big their teams are and how many people are put on any one case,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36so we have to work as quick as possible.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39When we are trying to go through the Bona Vacantia lists to figure out which cases
0:01:39 > 0:01:41are worth prioritising over the others,
0:01:41 > 0:01:46a key bit of information for us is the records held by the Land Registry.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49If we can find out someone who is on the list owned their property,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51this for us means that this is a case that
0:01:51 > 0:01:53we would put above the others.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57For Ryan, one case stands out,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00the estate of Joyce Marian Cole.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02She owned a flat in South London,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and it is a key indication that the case may be valuable.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08I think, if it was a whole house,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10it could be worth in the region of about half a million,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13but I can't get too bogged down with figuring out how much a flat
0:02:13 > 0:02:15is worth, but presumably, 250, 300.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20It is a healthy estate.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But having lost precious time sifting through the long list
0:02:24 > 0:02:28of unclaimed estates, Ryan is keen to crack on with the research.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33So I am slightly panicking just in case I'm behind.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37- Yeah, it's all go.- You are always wondering what the competitors that
0:02:37 > 0:02:39you facing against are doing.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Are they going to have a representative nearer on the day?
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Are they going to get to the beneficiary first?
0:02:44 > 0:02:45We really don't know at that stage,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49so we have got to do everything with a high level of urgency.
0:02:58 > 0:03:04Joyce Marian Cole passed away on the 19th of June 2015, aged 89.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09She died in South London, where she had lived her whole life.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Very little is known about Joyce, but at St George's Church, close to where she lived,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20she was known by members of the congregation.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Joyce, I understand, from what I've been told, was a very private lady,
0:03:25 > 0:03:26she kept herself to herself.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29She was a nice person.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33She was part of that local road,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35and a lot of people would have known her just by saying good morning,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38how are you, etc.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41The community has changed dramatically over the years,
0:03:41 > 0:03:46but Reverend Wells remembers how it would have been when Joyce first moved in.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Years ago there was a great community.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52People would know each other, people would knock on each other's doors,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54say "Hi, how are you?"
0:03:54 > 0:03:56You know, when children was growing up,
0:03:56 > 0:04:01people would know who Mrs Brown next door is, and if you were locked out
0:04:01 > 0:04:02you could go and see Mrs Brown.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05It was like the old scenarios that you hear many times,
0:04:05 > 0:04:12but that is what Joyce would have most probably experienced while she was living around this area.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22As Joyce's estate has been advertised as unclaimed,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24the search for heirs is on.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27OK, so, I'm listening, but I'm just trying to do this at the same time,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29so just keep talking.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33In the office, the team are hard at work.
0:04:34 > 0:04:40So, so far, I have found that Joyce Marian Cole, she married in 1964.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42I can't find any children.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Having ruled out next of kin,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Ryan needs to find out if Joyce had any brothers or sisters.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50If they or their children are still alive,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54they would be in line to inherit Joyce's sizeable estate,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58and early signs suggest it could be a straightforward search.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Her dad's surname was Dawber, which is an unusual surname.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06Likewise, her mum's maiden name was Munt, which is a good surname, too.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08The catch with unusual surnames is that...
0:05:10 > 0:05:12..someone else, somewhere, could be...
0:05:12 > 0:05:16is likely finding the research quite quick as well, so...
0:05:18 > 0:05:23Ryan has established that Joyce's parents, Edwin Dawber and Emily Munt,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27married in 1921, and as well as Joyce, they had one other daughter,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29called Doris.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33The key thing actually I need to do first is find out what happened
0:05:33 > 0:05:35to Joyce's sister.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36If Doris is alive,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39she'd be the sole heir to Joyce's estate.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41And breathe!
0:05:42 > 0:05:47But they quickly learned she died in 1998, and didn't have any children.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50The team must now turn their attention to Joyce's wider family.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Suzanne, Dawber or Munt?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Unusual names.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58- Quite unusual, yeah.- Munt.
0:05:58 > 0:05:59Munt? OK.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Whilst Ryan focuses on Joyce's father's family, the Dawbers...
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Initially, then, we can start drafting in other people.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- OK.- Shall I pass that...- Do you want to pass that on to Ellie?- Yeah.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14..case manager, Suzanne, starts looking into the maternal Munt side.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18But she soon hits a problem with Joyce's mother, Emily.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I'm finding it quite difficult to pinpoint
0:06:21 > 0:06:24which Emily Munt that she is.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25There is one in north London, Edmonton.
0:06:25 > 0:06:31There is one in St Albans, which is just north of there,
0:06:31 > 0:06:36so I'm just trying to work out which one that she is.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38We need to get cracking on this side, then.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41After a tricky search, Suzanne has found records
0:06:41 > 0:06:43for Joyce's mother, Emily.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45From there, she is able to establish
0:06:45 > 0:06:48that Joyce's maternal grandparents were Charles Munt
0:06:48 > 0:06:52and Annie Salter, and they had eight children, including Emily.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55The year 1911 is really useful,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57because it says exactly how many years they were married,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01how many children they've had, six who were still living in 1911,
0:07:01 > 0:07:02so it is quite a large family.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06The team are under pressure to stay ahead of the competition,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10and with six stems to research, they are going to need to work fast.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12So, Suzanne, do you reckon we should
0:07:12 > 0:07:14just get all hands on deck on this one?
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Yeah.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Ryan must also carry on researching the paternal side of the family.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Schofield Dawber, so he is the paternal grandfather.
0:07:24 > 0:07:30But Ryan's search for paternal heirs is about to be dealt a major blow.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34I am going back through the Census records, which were every ten years.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37I am picking up the paternal grandparents, and
0:07:37 > 0:07:40the only child that ever pops up with them is Edwin.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42So, yeah, I mean it is looking more and more likely that the paternal
0:07:42 > 0:07:44side dies out.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46If one of the sides of the family dies out,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49ie there are no surviving descendants,
0:07:49 > 0:07:50the thoughts for us go to,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54are there actually going to be any survivors that would be entitled to
0:07:54 > 0:07:55inherit from this estate?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58So, if ever that happens, we really hope that,
0:07:58 > 0:07:59if there is no heirs on one side,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03we are going to find beneficiaries on the other side of the family.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08With the pressure now on to trace Joyce's maternal aunts and uncles as
0:08:08 > 0:08:12quickly as possible, the team learns something about Joyce's mum, Emily,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14that could throw a spanner in the works.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Just given that you said that Emily was a...
0:08:18 > 0:08:20She worked in domestic service, didn't she?
0:08:20 > 0:08:24She was a servant. I just want to check illegitimate births as well.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The discovery that Emily worked as a servant
0:08:28 > 0:08:30is ringing alarm bells for Ryan.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35From experience, and our knowledge of social history, we know that,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37if there is going to be illegitimate children born,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39one of the areas where they would stem from is,
0:08:39 > 0:08:44if a female was working in the domestic service industries.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47If Emily had any illegitimate children before she married Joyce's father,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Edwin, it could have a dramatic impact on the case.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54It is a nightmare when you do the case to find out there is an
0:08:54 > 0:08:57illegitimate birth.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00They'd be half blood siblings of the deceased,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04and any descendants would have a prior claim,
0:09:04 > 0:09:05so it could be quite important.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11Worryingly, Ryan soon finds a birth for a Grace Emily Munt,
0:09:11 > 0:09:16and is wondering if she could be Joyce's half blood sibling.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18I'm going to look into the...
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Whoever this Grace Emily Munt is,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22just given that the E stands for Emily,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24and that is the deceased mum's name.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27It could be that Emily has gone back home to have a child illegitimately.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32If alive, Grace would be sole heir.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Although he feels sure he has uncovered an illegitimate daughter of Emily,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Ryan needs to confirm that Grace is in fact Joyce's half-sister.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44If it turns out there is no half blood siblings,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46we will obviously need to do both sides.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Until Ryan can prove whether or not Grace is a half blood sibling,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54the team must continue the search for cousins.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Taking a bit of a risk, or just using a different route to something,
0:10:02 > 0:10:07is the thing that helps us kind of get ahead of the competition.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11But all their hard work tracking down potential heirs...
0:10:11 > 0:10:15You are connected via Joyce's mum, Emily Munt.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20..will go to waste if it turns out that Joyce did indeed have a half-sister.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23The half blood siblings of the deceased would be entitled to inherit from
0:10:23 > 0:10:28the estate in priority to the maternal or paternal beneficiaries.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42The heir hunters' work can uncover hidden family histories with the power to surprise.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44We have got all the details ready,
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I have just got to put it on an actual...
0:10:46 > 0:10:50And the team often get caught up in the twists and turns of a family mystery.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54One of the fascinating bits about the whole job is when you start
0:10:54 > 0:10:58discovering about who they're going to be, where they've come from,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00what their past is, what they did.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03And every now and then, you come across an absolute gem.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06One of those situations where you go, "That is incredible."
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Case manager at Fraser and Fraser Ben Cornish,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15has been working one such case.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17So, the case we are looking at is Joyce De La Salle.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21It was a case that was advertised by the Government legal department.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25With any case that is advertised by the Government legal department,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27you're going to have competition on it.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29But, as De La Salle is a rare surname,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Ben thought he could beat his competitors.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34It is one of those names which is easy,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36so we decided to have a look into it.
0:11:38 > 0:11:44Ben quickly found that, although Joyce was born in south London in 1931,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47she had ended up living in Winchester.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Neighbour Jennifer Parker, socialised with Joyce,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and they had a shared love of their adopted city.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56It is a beautiful city to live in.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00Residents of the flats often saw Joyce going out on shopping trips.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03She was little and grey and always had a great big...
0:12:03 > 0:12:08One of those trolleys, with bright colours all over it, you know,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11but she tended mostly to dress in grey.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12She was just a little old lady.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Joyce was known for being private.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20She just seemed to live in her own little world,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24and sometimes when we have had coffee, she has been fine,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27but she never spoke about anything that was personal to her.
0:12:28 > 0:12:35Joyce passed away in 2014, aged 83, with no known next of kin.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41With neighbours unable to help en, he had to rely on records,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44as he started his search for heirs.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47When we initially looked into the case of Joyce De La Salle,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50it was released that she was a widow.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54So the first thing we did was look for her marriage to Mr De La Salle.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58And Joyce Fulbrook married a Peter James De La Salle in 1968 in Croydon.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00No children were born to the marriage,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03and Mr De La Salle died in 1978 in Witney.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09With no children, attention turned to Joyce's parents,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12and whether she had siblings.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16And Joyce's marriage record gave Ben some crucial information about her family.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20From that, we were able to get that the deceased's maiden name was Fulbrook,
0:13:20 > 0:13:25so the next thing that we would do, is look for a birth of
0:13:25 > 0:13:26a Joyce Fulbrook.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30And there was a Joyce Fulbrook born
0:13:30 > 0:13:33on the second of October 1931 in Lewisham.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37The team ordered her birth certificate,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42and discovered that her parents were Albert Fulbrook and Ethel Chilton.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45The next step was to find a record of their marriage to see if Joyce
0:13:45 > 0:13:50had siblings, and Ben drafted in researcher Katie Peacock.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53But she soon hit a stumbling block.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54So, originally,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57when I was looking for the deceased's parents marriage,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59I was looking in the Lewisham area,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02purely because that is where the deceased was born.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05We were struggling to find a marriage between a Fulbrook
0:14:05 > 0:14:07and the mother's maiden name.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08Hang on, let me get this stuff up.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Finding this marriage certificate was vital.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15The marriage record is crucial for any estate that we look into.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18The reason being is it has so much information about the family on.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22But after looking high and low for a marriage between Albert Fulbrook and
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Ethel Chilton, the team couldn't find anything.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28It definitely did make it a bit more tricky.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32Instead, they searched for records of children born to a Fulbrook and a Chilton.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34When we look into these cases,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37we like the unusual combination of surname and mother's maiden name.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40It can really help you if the family moves out of the area.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43To their surprise, there are only ten which matched,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46but were they all Albert and Ethel's children?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The first five were born up north,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51and then the second five came down south,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54to the Lewisham and Bromley area.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55That is where Joyce was born.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Katie was not convinced that the children born in the North were related
0:14:59 > 0:15:00to Joyce.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03So, it is strange for half the siblings to be born up north
0:15:03 > 0:15:06and then half to be born down south.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08It was possible they were all Joyce's siblings.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17The team scoured records for information on Joyce's father, Albert,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21hoping it might explain why the family had moved to the other end of the country.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27And Albert's military record started to offer some possible clues.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31It gives us his occupation, which was a stoker in the Royal Navy.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Albert joined the Navy in 1904,
0:15:36 > 0:15:41at a time when Britain ruled the seas with its coal-fired battleships.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45His job as a stoker meant shovelling coal into the ship's boilers,
0:15:45 > 0:15:46all day, every day.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51The stoker is the backbone of the Royal Navy.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Without him, it goes nowhere.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58It is quite a skilled job, and senior stokers are paid quite well.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01It is a dirty, physical process of lifting and moving
0:16:01 > 0:16:06large amounts of coal, so you are working in a super tropical heat,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08wet, damp, hot, sticky conditions.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09Very energy sapping.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16While stoking was hard but well-paid work, it wasn't without its risks.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17If the ship sinks,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20it is highly likely all the stokers will be lost with it,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23because they are right at the bottom of the ship in a very difficult place
0:16:23 > 0:16:28to get out of, so they are the most at risk if the ship sinks.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32When Albert joined in 1904,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35the Navy had over 40 battleships spread across the world,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38from Scotland to South America.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42This meant it was perfectly likely that he may have had to move to a
0:16:42 > 0:16:44different part of the UK.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47We never know where extended family are going to end up.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48They could go very far afield,
0:16:48 > 0:16:53they could go abroad simply to give the family more opportunities.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59But to be sure all ten children were Albert's and Ethel's,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01they ordered the birth certificates for each one.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07If Albert and Ethel's names appeared on all ten certificates,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09it would prove that Joyce had nine siblings.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Just wanted to check with you a few
0:17:15 > 0:17:17- things that...- As the certificates came in,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21the youngest seven were all confirmed as Joyce's brothers and sisters.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26But the certificate for the two eldest children revealed a shocking twist.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30It turns out the two first children born are Ethel and Elizabeth,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32and once getting their certificates back,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36we managed to find that the father of the deceased was James Saunders.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37It was a bombshell.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42With the father's name on the certificate shown as James Saunders,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45the search had been thrown completely off course.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Did this mean the eldest two children were from a different family?
0:17:50 > 0:17:53When originally looking at the certificate and seeing that the father had
0:17:53 > 0:17:59a different name, it made me think, is this father the original father?
0:17:59 > 0:18:01But the plot was about to thicken further.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05A closer inspection of the birth certificates revealed a surprise
0:18:05 > 0:18:08connection between James and Albert.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Actually, on the certificates themselves,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12they have a little note at the side, saying,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16father's also known as Albert Bartholomew Fulbrook.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19This was edited in 1915,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22so that would've been four years after Ethel was born.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26It was an extraordinary revelation.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Albert Fulbrook and James Saunders were the same man.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33The certificate showed Albert had changed his name to James Saunders
0:18:33 > 0:18:36before having children with Ethel in 1911.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41He had then changed his name back to Albert Fulbrook by 1915.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44We don't really often see that, so, yeah,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46it was very different on this case.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50It was a mystery for the team as to why Albert had changed his name,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54but now they had exposed his secret life under the name of Saunders,
0:18:54 > 0:18:58they were finally able to find his marriage to Joyce's mother.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01We came up with the marriage, which was actually in 1910,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04they married as James Saunders and Ethel Chilton.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10The fact Albert had married and had his first two children whilst
0:19:10 > 0:19:14apparently leading a double life had turned this into a highly intriguing
0:19:14 > 0:19:16case for the team.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17So, what have we got?
0:19:18 > 0:19:22But the reason why Albert changed his name to James Saunders would be yet
0:19:22 > 0:19:25another surprise.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26OK, thank you.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Researching families, we never know what we are going to get.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31I think he has just assumed someone's identity,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and obviously that would've been a lot easier than it would be today,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36to obtain someone's identity.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Would Ben and Katie be able to get to the bottom of this mystery?
0:19:40 > 0:19:44And, crucially, would they be able to find any heirs?
0:19:47 > 0:19:48Every year in Britain,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52thousands of people get a surprise knock on the door from heir hunters.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57As well as handing over life-changing sums of money,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00the heir hunters can bring long lost relatives back together.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04That's how they are connected,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08so Charles was first cousin of your late mum.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11That's a shock.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15But thousands of estates have eluded the heir hunters,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and remain unsolved.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Today, we have got details of two estates yet to be claimed.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Could you be the person the heir hunters are looking for,
0:20:25 > 0:20:26or know someone that is?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31The first case is Catherine Mary Toye,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34who was born on the second of February 1910...
0:20:35 > 0:20:39..and died on the 24th of December 1989 in Leicester.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Catherine's maiden name was Cox,
0:20:42 > 0:20:48and she married George Frederick Toye in Islington in London in 1937.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50She is believed to have had a son.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Is there a chance you are related, or know someone that could be?
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The second case is Kenneth Hepple,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02who was born on the tenth of June 1936.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07He died on the 19th of January 1987, in Newcastle.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Kenneth's parents were Robert Hepple, who died in 1966,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18and Bridget Hepple, who died in 1964.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Do you know a Toye or a Hepple?
0:21:23 > 0:21:26If so, you could be in line for a surprise windfall.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Perfect, thank you very much for your help.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41Bye.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45At Finders International in Central London...
0:21:45 > 0:21:49- Are you writing that? - These three are alive.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51..Ryan and the team have spent the morning
0:21:51 > 0:21:52frantically trying to find heirs
0:21:52 > 0:21:54to the estate of Joyce Cole...
0:21:55 > 0:21:59..who passed away in June 2015.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Suzanne, if you want to
0:22:01 > 0:22:03start divvying those up, I will make
0:22:03 > 0:22:04sure everyone's got a copy of these.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Joyce's estate is estimated to be worth
0:22:06 > 0:22:08in excess of a quarter of a million pounds,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11but having thought they were looking for cousins,
0:22:11 > 0:22:16the team now think Joyce may have had a half blood sister called Grace.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20If she or her descendants were still alive,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23they would be heirs to Joyce's estate.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29Did you look at Harriet?
0:22:29 > 0:22:31- Yeah.- How did it go?
0:22:31 > 0:22:33She died as a spinster.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36However, Ryan has a new theory about Grace.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39He now thinks she could be the daughter of Joyce's aunt Harriet,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42which would make her a cousin, rather than a half sibling.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44This Grace that I was looking into,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I'm pretty sure I saw something online which said her mum was Harriet,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49so this illegit could actually be hers.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- That's what I thought. - So she married, she died in Southampton.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55I think she perhaps passes away,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58so I need to find out if she has any children that we could speak to,
0:22:58 > 0:23:03to confirm that her mum was Harriet, and the Harriet we are looking into.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06As the team research further into Joyce's aunt Harriet,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09they discover that in the early 20th century,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12she was at the centre of an exciting and lucrative industry.
0:23:14 > 0:23:20In about 1905, 1907, across the south-east,
0:23:20 > 0:23:26there is going to be about 100,000 people working in the straw hat industry.
0:23:27 > 0:23:34And the number of hats they are producing is 30 million hats a year.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36Huge quantities.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42With straw hats at the height of fashion, the industry was booming,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46and the highly skilled women who made them were well placed to capitalise
0:23:46 > 0:23:48on this new demand.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Harriet working for a hat manufacturer in about 1911,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55around that sort of period,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58she is going to be quite well rewarded for her work.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02She is going to be earning possibly about 12 shillings,
0:24:02 > 0:24:0416 shillings a week.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09But unfortunately for Harriet and her hat making colleagues,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12their new-found wealth came at a cost.
0:24:14 > 0:24:21Women working in the hat industry tended quite unjustly to get rather
0:24:21 > 0:24:22a bad reputation.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27The problem was that they didn't meet social convention.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30They earned a lot of money,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33so they were independent women at a time when
0:24:33 > 0:24:36women weren't supposed to be independent.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Men from the upper parts of society took a particular dislike to this
0:24:41 > 0:24:43change in gender roles,
0:24:43 > 0:24:49and a backlash of slanderous propaganda was directed at women like Harriet.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51They were accused of being slovenly,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53they didn't keep their homes nice.
0:24:53 > 0:24:59They were accused of being sort of harlots or tarty, loose women,
0:24:59 > 0:25:04and none of that, probably in the majority of cases, was true.
0:25:04 > 0:25:10Oaths put out warning mothers not to let their daughters go in to the
0:25:10 > 0:25:13hat trade, because beware the plait man!
0:25:13 > 0:25:17He would come and get her, and it wouldn't be good if he did.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20But despite this,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24it seems Joyce's aunt Harriet managed to make a success of her time in
0:25:24 > 0:25:27hat making, and crucially for the team,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30they have confirmed that she also went on to have a daughter
0:25:30 > 0:25:31called Grace.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35People will be all over this, basically, so let's get cracking.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38They are now full steam ahead in their search
0:25:38 > 0:25:40for Grace or her descendants,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43but Harriet wasn't Joyce's only aunt.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- Ellie, how's your bit going?- The team still have five more of Joyce's
0:25:46 > 0:25:48aunts and uncles to research,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and they need to find them before their competitors.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57We want to use as many people as quickly as possible, really.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59The only problem being today was that there was
0:25:59 > 0:26:03a few other cases to look at. Me, I think I'm quite competitive,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05so there was a nagging feeling that we are behind.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Suzanne has worked the line of Joyce's maternal uncle, Frederick Munt.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12She thinks she may have found that he had children who are still alive,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16and it could be a major breakthrough.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19About to call a cousin of the deceased.
0:26:19 > 0:26:20He is the first person I've found,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and he has potentially got a lot of brothers and sisters, so...
0:26:24 > 0:26:26I thought, it is easier if I just give him a call.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30But Suzanne is not in luck.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32The line is engaged.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33He's on the phone.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37She's worried who the potential heir might be speaking to.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42I think he possibly might be on the phone to, potentially,
0:26:42 > 0:26:43another company.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47So, you know, I will give him a call back in a bit.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52When we are trying to get through to potential beneficiaries,
0:26:52 > 0:26:53if the phone is engaged,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55the first thought always goes through our mind is,
0:26:55 > 0:27:00is the person speaking to one of our competitors, a rival firm?
0:27:00 > 0:27:03It's always something that we worry about.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07But, as the team keep finding more beneficiaries,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09they keep hitting the same problem.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14A couple of the beneficiaries we spoke to had either been contacted by another firm,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and were reluctant to give us any information,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19or just didn't really want to confirm any details.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20Sometimes, we need,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24as a team, the odd kind of bit of
0:27:24 > 0:27:27good luck, really. I mean, that someone we speak to hasn't talked to anybody else,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29someone we can get a bit of information from.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Not only for information from the tree, but also as a bit of a lift,
0:27:32 > 0:27:33as a bit of a boost.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Just when the team think they have hit a brick wall,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Ryan discovers something of interest.
0:27:39 > 0:27:40Basically, I was looking into a
0:27:40 > 0:27:42maternal cousin, Ernest Munt,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44he was one of the children of Amos Munt.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I think I have found two daughters to that marriage,
0:27:47 > 0:27:49and they would be first cousins once removed.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51But I'm hoping...
0:27:52 > 0:27:53..that if I ring one of them now,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56then one of them will be able to do some info on this section of the
0:27:56 > 0:27:58family tree.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03It is a long shot, but with pressure from the competition,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Ryan's hoping this time he will get there first.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09I mean, the luck we are having speaking to beneficiaries today,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13I'm not going to hold my breath, but fingers crossed.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20But early signs are not looking good.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21No, OK, thank you.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22Bye-bye.
0:28:27 > 0:28:28There we go.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31One wrong number, one no answer.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34It's kind of the theme of the day so far.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38All is not lost.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Ryan has another lead on the stem of Joyce's uncle Amos,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45and he thinks he's found a number for one of his great granddaughters.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Hello, it's Ryan Gregory.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51I'm with Heir Hunters, and we're looking into the Munt family tree.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Will it be second time lucky?
0:28:57 > 0:29:00I'm really pleased to have got you, actually, because I've been trying...
0:29:00 > 0:29:04We, as a team, have been trying to get hold of people all morning.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10After a tough start, Ryan has finally spoken to a potential heir.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Thank you so much for your time.
0:29:12 > 0:29:13Speak soon. Bye-bye.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18It, kind of, couldn't have gone any better, which is nice.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21So a bit more research to do, erm, but,
0:29:21 > 0:29:25kind of, quite satisfying to have finally got to that stage.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28And there's more good news on the horizon.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Hello.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Hi. Yeah, I'm good. How are you?
0:29:34 > 0:29:38Ryan's just had a call from one of the team's travelling researchers
0:29:38 > 0:29:41who's just been to visit another potential heir.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45Cole. Joyce Cole.
0:29:45 > 0:29:46Yeah.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49They're what, sorry?
0:29:49 > 0:29:53But is it the good news Ryan's been hoping for?
0:29:54 > 0:29:56I'm going to let the team know. Bye-bye.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Good news - signature.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05It's a triumph for all involved.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08Boosts morale within the team.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11It's obviously great news to know that we've had a signature from one
0:30:11 > 0:30:14of the beneficiaries that we've been out to see that day.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18As the day draws to an end,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Ryan and the team have contacted several potential heirs.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25When we started the day with quite high pressure,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29with the number of cases that have been released by the Bona Vacantia department,
0:30:29 > 0:30:34if we can carry on the success from the initial stages of the case through
0:30:34 > 0:30:36to having signatures from beneficiaries,
0:30:36 > 0:30:39it means that the team can leave the office
0:30:39 > 0:30:41at the end of the day on a high.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44And over the next few weeks, things get even better,
0:30:44 > 0:30:46as the team manage to sign up
0:30:46 > 0:30:49the majority of beneficiaries to the estate.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55One of them is Diane, who is Joyce's cousin twice removed.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58It was exciting when I got the call,
0:30:58 > 0:31:02because then I can now find out that I have got relatives out there that
0:31:02 > 0:31:04I didn't know anything about, and I can, sort of,
0:31:04 > 0:31:06fill in that side of the family history.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Last year, Diane spent some time looking into her family tree,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15but she had no idea just how large her extended family was.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21I had no inkling at all about being part of a bigger family,
0:31:21 > 0:31:26as I didn't even know that my nan had any relatives whatsoever.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28I didn't know she had brothers or sisters,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31so it's going to be interesting to find out
0:31:31 > 0:31:33and hopefully meet some of them.
0:31:36 > 0:31:41But just as things are looking good, there's a sudden last-minute twist.
0:31:41 > 0:31:47We heard a rumour from a friend of Joyce that she may have left a will.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51Now this has just been confirmed by the solicitors that were appointed
0:31:51 > 0:31:52to deal with her estate.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54We haven't seen a copy of the will yet,
0:31:54 > 0:31:58so there could still be some money in for the family, but, unfortunately,
0:31:58 > 0:32:03it looks like a lot of work would have gone to waste on this occasion.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Whilst it is disappointing news for the team,
0:32:06 > 0:32:10they are pleased that Joyce's estate will be going where she intended,
0:32:10 > 0:32:12and for cousin twice removed Diane,
0:32:12 > 0:32:17being contacted by the Heir Hunters means she has the chance to reconnect with relatives.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21It's definitely a big family and I believe it could be
0:32:21 > 0:32:23getting bigger,
0:32:23 > 0:32:27so it'd be nice if we can meet up with some of the relatives.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29I'd be really interested and pleased to meet them.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38In London, Heir Hunters Fraser and Fraser were researching the case of
0:32:38 > 0:32:39Joyce De La Salle.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42I just want to clarify with you if we're on the right track or not.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Manager Ben and researcher Katie were working as fast as they could to
0:32:47 > 0:32:48find living relatives.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55It's a case, when we first looked into it, we couldn't establish what the value was.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Ben and the team were hoping to find heirs,
0:32:57 > 0:33:01but still had no idea whether Joyce had any surviving family.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05All right. Thank you very much for your time.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Take care. Bye-bye.
0:33:07 > 0:33:08From her marriage certificate,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11they'd learnt that her father was Albert Fulbrook,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14and he had served in the Royal Navy from 1904.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20We managed to find a birth in the Kent area for an
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Albert Bartholomew Fulbrook, which matched on age with the Naval records
0:33:23 > 0:33:25we actually had for him.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29They believed that between 1911 and 1931,
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Albert and his wife Ethel had ten children, including Joyce.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37But they'd also uncovered an astonishing secret.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Just before 1910,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43Albert was actually going under the name of James Saunders.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46We know this because when in 1910 he married the deceased's mother,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50he was registered as James Saunders on their marriage,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52and again for the births of his first two children.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57It was a complete mystery why he'd changed his name.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00When we're researching families, we never know what we're going to get.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04So it's pretty puzzling, and we were trying to figure out why he would have changed his name.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08The team were keen to get to the bottom of why Albert had changed his name,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11and his naval records started to offer some clues.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16They showed that in 1906 Albert had gone absent without leave whilst
0:34:16 > 0:34:19working on a ship that was docked in Sheerness in Kent.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23The ship he was on wasn't sailing anywhere.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25It was a training ship with some engines in it,
0:34:25 > 0:34:27and they were just practising stoking the boilers.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30He may well have taken quite a rational decision that he didn't want to do
0:34:30 > 0:34:32this any more, and left.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35But Albert was taking a huge risk.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39If he's caught, he will be imprisoned,
0:34:39 > 0:34:41so the Navy will now lock you up for being a deserter,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44put you in a prison and make you do hard labour.
0:34:45 > 0:34:50So Albert changed his name to James Saunders and fled 300 miles north to
0:34:50 > 0:34:51Newcastle upon Tyne.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56It's less likely that he's going to run into the Navy in the north of
0:34:56 > 0:34:59England, so a change of name, a change of address,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02and a move as far away from the Navy as possible.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Yeah, he's thought about this.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09It seems that Albert met his wife, Ethel, in the north-east and the couple
0:35:09 > 0:35:11married under the name Saunders.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16But Albert's life as a naval fugitive was far from glamorous,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18as he ended up working in a coal mine.
0:35:21 > 0:35:22He is hiding in a coal mine.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23He's not moved up socially.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25He's actually a step backwards.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29He's a wanted man. The state would like to lock him up, to punish him,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33and he's working in a far more unpleasant environment than he would be.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36He may have come to regret his decision.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39But fate would step in for Albert.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47In 1914, Britain went to war against the German Empire.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49Determined to boost numbers,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52the Navy offered an amnesty to all deserters.
0:35:52 > 0:35:57They could come back and re-enrol and would avoid any punishment.
0:35:57 > 0:35:58Albert was one of them.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04By going back to the Navy, he...
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Albert redeems himself in his own eyes, I'm sure.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Not only did Albert go on to serve in the Navy for another four years,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17he was involved in one of the biggest naval battles of the 20th century,
0:36:17 > 0:36:18the Battle of Jutland.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23As long as the British don't lose this battle,
0:36:23 > 0:36:25they're going to win the war.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27Deep below the water line,
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Albert would have been in the most vulnerable part of the ship,
0:36:29 > 0:36:33as he kept the fires burning in the engine room
0:36:33 > 0:36:35whilst the guns raged overhead.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39After six hours, the British fleet had the upper hand.
0:36:39 > 0:36:40They don't lose the battle.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43They drive the Germans back and the Germans never come out again,
0:36:43 > 0:36:45so it is the decisive battle of the First World War.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51Albert retired in 1919 with an honourable discharge,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55and would have been welcomed as a hero back on dry land.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59By serving through the war, he's expunged that mark from his record.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01He's... He can hold his head up high now.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04He's a First World War veteran and he's part of
0:37:04 > 0:37:07the Navy that wins the war.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11He even made sure that records, including his marriage certificate,
0:37:11 > 0:37:15were changed from James Saunders back to Albert Fulbrook.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19So that's not just a case of, well, I can, sort of, hold my head up again.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23I'm now really proud of being who I am rather than this assumed identity
0:37:23 > 0:37:27that I lived under for this four-year period between leaving the Navy and
0:37:27 > 0:37:28rejoining it. So he's...
0:37:28 > 0:37:30He's recovered his sense of self.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32All right, then. Cheers.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36The mystery of the name change may have been resolved,
0:37:36 > 0:37:40but it was still making life hard for Ben and the team.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42So, when individuals have changed their name,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45it really impacts our search for their children.
0:37:45 > 0:37:50The team had initially found ten possible children for Albert and Ethel,
0:37:50 > 0:37:54but now they had to cross-reference these births against the name Saunders.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58So the issue with this was that I had to do a lot more searches.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02So it was, kind of, double the work, you could say.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07After hours of cross-checking records,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10they confirmed Joyce was one of the youngest of ten siblings.
0:38:12 > 0:38:13- Thank you.- Bye.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17And there was a further surprise.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22What was also unusual on this case was that there was two sets of twins.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26It's very unusual for there to be two sets of twins within one family.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31- I've personally never seen that before on a job.- Gordon.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34The team now focused on tracing descendants of Joyce's siblings.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Her eldest brother was also called Albert Bartholomew Fulbrook.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44As Britain went to war again in 1939,
0:38:44 > 0:38:48it seemed Albert Junior was ready to serve his country,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51just as his naval father had done over 20 years earlier.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55He became a pilot in the Royal Air Force.
0:38:58 > 0:39:04And he would have flown over Germany on night bombing raids of ports and cities.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Aged only 27, his role would have been a tough one.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09He captained the aircraft.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11He was responsible for the other crews,
0:39:11 > 0:39:14and that will have arguably weighed on his shoulders.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16And, of course, at the other end of the spectrum,
0:39:16 > 0:39:20there would have been fear. It would have been scary to fly over Germany.
0:39:20 > 0:39:21Germany was a well-defended country.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28He was fortunate enough to survive 32 bombing raids and was awarded the
0:39:28 > 0:39:31distinguished Flying Cross in 1944.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35But clearly, by the fact that Albert reaches 32 missions,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38there's probably more skill than luck involved.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44Joyce's pilot brother and naval stoker father had both risked their lives
0:39:44 > 0:39:46to protect Britain.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48It was an incredible family legacy.
0:39:57 > 0:39:58Hello?
0:39:58 > 0:40:01And as the team research Joyce's siblings,
0:40:01 > 0:40:06they continue to find more surprising twists in her family history.
0:40:06 > 0:40:11It's very unusual for a family of ten to all have survived the early part
0:40:11 > 0:40:14of the 20th century, all to have gone on to marry.
0:40:16 > 0:40:21The next task was to see if any of the siblings' descendants were alive
0:40:21 > 0:40:23and therefore heirs to Joyce's estate.
0:40:25 > 0:40:26And especially for this family we...
0:40:26 > 0:40:29We had them having their first children in the north-east,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32and then they moved down south, so we had to be extra careful in this case.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36Initial searches revealed that eight of Joyce's siblings had passed
0:40:36 > 0:40:39away, and the team were now busy searching for their descendants.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Could you print a clean scatter tree for me, please?
0:40:42 > 0:40:45But there were still one sibling, Mary Fulbrook, to trace,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49and when they conducted their searches, they made a major breakthrough.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54What is quite unique about Mary Stern is she's the only sibling of the
0:40:54 > 0:40:56deceased that still alive.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59And her daughter, Alison, is acting as power of attorney for her,
0:40:59 > 0:41:00as she is very elderly.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04It was great news in the office.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06They'd found one of Joyce's heirs.
0:41:09 > 0:41:14For Alison, it was a shock to hear from the Heir Hunters.
0:41:14 > 0:41:19Well, we received a phone call saying that a relative of ours had died
0:41:19 > 0:41:22and there was no will, and her name was Joyce De La Salle,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26so we realised that that was our aunt, Auntie Joyce.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33Joyce was Alison's aunt, but she hadn't seen her for many years.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38It's a big family, lots of cousins and second cousins,
0:41:38 > 0:41:43but we had a meeting a few years ago of some of us, us cousins,
0:41:43 > 0:41:47and we were chatting about the family, and when it came to Joyce,
0:41:47 > 0:41:51nobody knew at all where she was or what had happened to her.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55It's quite sad. In a family I know it happens sometimes that...
0:41:55 > 0:41:59especially a large family, that not everyone can keep in touch.
0:42:04 > 0:42:09Back in the office, Ben and the team were rounding off the heir hunt.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12They had discovered that all of Joyce's siblings had children,
0:42:12 > 0:42:17which meant there were many heirs to her £18,000 estate.
0:42:17 > 0:42:22- That would mean that...- There would be 21 beneficiaries to be entitled in this matter,
0:42:22 > 0:42:27ranging from sibling of the deceased to nieces and nephews and
0:42:27 > 0:42:31great-nieces and nephews, so for a near-kin case,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33quite a number of individuals to trace.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36And for Joyce's niece, Allison,
0:42:36 > 0:42:38it's an opportunity to reflect on her family.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42There is quite a sadness that that person is no longer there.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44There is a part of you that you lose, in a sense,
0:42:44 > 0:42:47when one of your close relatives dies.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51Hearing about Joyce again has made her cherish what family she has.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55There is that family wisdom that I think is quite important.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00You learn a lot from your parents and your grandparents as well.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03I think we all like to know where we've come from,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07and we have a sense of identity when we look at our families.