0:00:03 > 0:00:06Today, the heir hunters get stuck at the first hurdle.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11We're struggling to find births for most of the aunts and uncles.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13And doors just keep closing.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Not having a lot of joy at the moment.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18The beneficiary isn't in and the near neighbours aren't in either.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22While, on another case, common names cause a major headache.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27I've gone from Scott to Smith and from bad to worse.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30And even basic information proves illusive.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33He didn't even know his exact date of birth.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37He simply stated his birth was circa 1903.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40It's all in a day's work for the heir hunters.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51In London, it's all go at heir hunting firm Finders International.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54It's going to be highly competitive.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56If I can get you on the road as soon as possible.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59The government's Bona Vacantia division has just released
0:00:59 > 0:01:01a new list of unclaimed estates.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06There's a relatively big list on the Bona Vacantia website today.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08The team have trawled through the list
0:01:08 > 0:01:11to try and establish which cases have value
0:01:11 > 0:01:14and the estate of a man called Kenneth Arthur Mead
0:01:14 > 0:01:16has immediately jumped out.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21This case that we've picked, we have roughly valued it at about £300,000.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24This is because we know that Kenneth Arthur Mead
0:01:24 > 0:01:26owned his property in Beckenham.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28On a high-value case like this,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32competition between heir hunting firms will be intense,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35so the team need to drop everything and work together
0:01:35 > 0:01:38to try and find heirs as fast as possible.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41It's important for us, when we're starting off, to reach the person
0:01:41 > 0:01:45before the competition, so it can be quite frantic.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57Kenneth Arthur Mead passed away on 11th August, 2016, aged 81,
0:01:57 > 0:02:02having spent much of his life living on this quiet residential street.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04He was a popular figure in the local community
0:02:04 > 0:02:08and neighbour Pauline remembers him as a proper gentleman.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12He introduced himself as I came through the door.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Very pleasant, very tidy-looking man, very dapper.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19But Kenneth wasn't always the quietest person
0:02:19 > 0:02:20to live next door to.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Indoors, he was a very noisy man.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26He liked his dance music.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29That was always going on. He always had the radio.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31He'd shout at the telly now and again.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Sadly, though, one day the music stopped.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39I'd been on holiday, I'd been away for a week.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43And I came home, and it was so quiet and Ken's car hadn't moved,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45and I just thought, "Oh, this is really funny."
0:02:45 > 0:02:48And the next morning, I said, "I'm going to ring up the police."
0:02:48 > 0:02:50And, yeah, they did find him.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53So, it was quite sad that he was up there on his own.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Kenneth hadn't left a will and with no known next of kin,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00his estate was passed to the government's legal department.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08And in London, the search for his heirs is on.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12So, it's back on that side of the family that we've been looking into.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Case manager Ryan only has very basic information to start with.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19We've got date of birth and date of death.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21And the first step is to try and establish
0:03:21 > 0:03:24if Kenneth had any immediate family.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27We've confirmed he was a bachelor. It's always best to double-check
0:03:27 > 0:03:30cos that's a key bit of information that we'll need,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32in terms of looking for entitled heirs.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Having ruled out a marriage or children for Kenneth,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39the next step is to try and identify who his parents were
0:03:39 > 0:03:40to see if he had any siblings.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46And Ryan has the information.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49His father was Arthur George Mead.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53His mother was Lily Mead, formerly Woolcott.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56His parents married in 1930 in Southwark.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00But when it comes to finding records for Kenneth's father, Arthur,
0:04:00 > 0:04:01Ryan hits a snag.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06For Kenneth's father, there's a couple of possible births
0:04:06 > 0:04:09that tie in with a death in Croydon in 1979.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12There's one in Southwark which would, obviously, tie in
0:04:12 > 0:04:14with the area where the parents married.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16There's also one in Bethnal Green,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19which is east London instead of south-east.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22So, we're going to go with Southwark for now.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25It's a bit of a guess, but it's an educated guess,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28based on the area where the parents married.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31But although Ryan's confident
0:04:31 > 0:04:34he's identified the correct Arthur George Mead,
0:04:34 > 0:04:35he can't be certain.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Without actual certificates in hand, we're never 100% sure
0:04:39 > 0:04:42whether a bit of research we're doing in 100% correct.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45It's a bit of a punt, but it's something we have to do
0:04:45 > 0:04:46when we're researching an urgent case.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48If Ryan's got it right,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51the team have a good chance of beating the competition,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54but if he's picked the wrong Arthur Mead,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56all their research will be for nothing.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Were you able to get certs from Southwark?
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Working from the marriage in Southwark,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03the team establish that Kenneth was an only child.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Can I leave these with you?
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- When Dee's off the phone, see if she can order them locally.- Yeah.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Next, they need to find out
0:05:10 > 0:05:13if Kenneth's parents had brothers and sisters.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Researcher Holly focuses on his father, Arthur,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and finds six siblings.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Three of the stems died as infants,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22so it looks like it's going to be quite small on this side,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26and it looks like two of the stems married and had no issue,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30so we're relying on one stem to get an heir on this side at the moment.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34While Holly cracks on with the paternal side,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Ryan is looking into the maternal side.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41First record we found, which is most useful for us, is the 1911 census.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45The records show that Kenneth's maternal grandfather,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Charles Woolcott, had a very unusual career.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52He worked as a gas lamplighter, patrolling the streets at dusk,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56ensuring roads and pavements were properly illuminated.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58The actual first gas lamps that we got,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02they were installed on 31st December, 1813.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05There was 25 lamps installed on Westminster Bridge.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07The main difference back from 1890,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09when Charles was looking after the lamps,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12was it was far more labour-intensive back then from what it is now.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15The lamp attendant would have had to go round,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17manually pulling them on and off all over London.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Now we've got clocks that do it for us on a pilot light,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22so it's all automated, so it's not anywhere near as labour-intensive
0:06:22 > 0:06:24as it would have been back in Charles's day.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27When gas lamps were introduced to the city streets
0:06:27 > 0:06:30in the 19th century, it was little short of a revolution.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Lighting before gas
0:06:32 > 0:06:36was oil and before oil was candles.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39The main benefits, really, were that you could have
0:06:39 > 0:06:43a continuous source of supply and a continuous light.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Obviously, both candles and oil run out.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Gas lighting suddenly gave an ability to cleanly light the streets
0:06:51 > 0:06:56to start with, and quite a lot later, for the interiors of houses.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Today, there are fewer than 2,000 gas street lamps in the country.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04But in Westminster, Iain and Gary are proud to keep up
0:07:04 > 0:07:07the daily tradition of lighting them up.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11So, what Gary's doing now is a bit of maintenance on it.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13The pilot light needs adjusted on this one.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22The mantles are very, very fine.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25When they heat up, they become very brittle, like silk,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29and that's what gives it that lovely soft, calming light
0:07:29 > 0:07:32that the gas lamps give and that's what the people of London love.
0:07:32 > 0:07:3425 years Gary's been doing this.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36He's become a bit of an expert,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40so the pressure's on for him not to damage any of the mantles,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44and certainly not to damage this globe, which is thousands of pounds.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Beautifully executed.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54He may have played a fascinating role in lighting up London,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57but in the office, Ryan has discovered Charles passed away
0:07:57 > 0:08:01aged just 48, leaving behind a large family.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Lily's parents had had ten children together,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07one of whom had passed away prior to 1911 so, therefore,
0:08:07 > 0:08:12we have nine top lines, including Arthur's mum, Lily.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15With so many Woolcott siblings to research,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Ryan has to think strategically
0:08:17 > 0:08:19if he wants to stay ahead of the competition.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23When were researching a big family tree, it's a mixed bag for us.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25There's going to be times
0:08:25 > 0:08:27when we're not going to be contacting everybody
0:08:27 > 0:08:28before the competition.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31They could be researching a different part of the family tree.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34But the flip side of that is there's an awful lot of research
0:08:34 > 0:08:37for us to do in the office. The bigger the family tree,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40the less likely it is that we'll be able to contact everybody first.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44And the team soon hit another problem
0:08:44 > 0:08:46with the Woolcott side of the family.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50He marries as Woollcott with a double L.
0:08:50 > 0:08:56His first two born are Wollcott with a double L, but without a double O.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Cool.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02We are very well aware that people do change their names.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05More unusual surnames, if you like,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08they have a tendency to deviate over time.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10This could be further back,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12if we're talking about the literacy of someone.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Maybe if they're filling in forms,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17there could be spelling discrepancies, variations.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Likewise, people may just choose to tweak the spelling of their names
0:09:20 > 0:09:23and, for us, it does mean that we have a bit more work to do.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Another search, using the alternative spelling of Woolcott
0:09:26 > 0:09:28has thrown up a curveball.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31So, we've got two more full-blood aunts.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Right, OK, so, yeah, we need to go back to those really.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39With even more research needed, now the team must divide and conquer.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44Senior researcher Camilla takes the line of Kenneth's aunt Florence.
0:09:44 > 0:09:50She was born in 1897 and I couldn't find anything for her past 1911,
0:09:50 > 0:09:52so I looked on immigration records
0:09:52 > 0:09:55and it looks like she potentially moved to Canada
0:09:55 > 0:09:57in, I believe, the '20s.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59She's single and she's a cook.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03So, after that, we can't find much about her.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06It's yet another setback for the team,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10as tracing relatives in Canada could be a slow process.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13I'm not too sure if she ever married or had any children in Canada.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Obviously, it's important that we look into it and see what happened.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20And worse still, the team have now identified
0:10:20 > 0:10:24that four of Lily's sisters died without having children.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28The worst-case scenario would be if we didn't find any heirs at all.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30We may spend a lot of time researching a case,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33possibly days or weeks, possibly research overseas,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37then if we find out, actually, the family has no living relatives,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39therefore the money is going to remain with the Crown.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44With options fast running out, Ryan focuses on Grace,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47who was the twin sister of Kenneth's mother, Lily.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50So, I know her date of birth because it will be the same as Lily's.
0:10:50 > 0:10:51We have that already.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56Grace married Albert W Sullivan in 1930 in Southwark. They had a son.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01It could be a major breakthrough as, if correct, Grace's son,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Roy Sullivan, would be the team's first heir.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07That son, I think, is living out in Essex.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09I'm just about to give him a call and, hopefully,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11he'll be able to confirm if he's correct.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Ryan has found a number for what he's hoping
0:11:14 > 0:11:16is the right Roy Sullivan.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19When you're really to a stage where you're starting to think
0:11:19 > 0:11:21you are going to contact a beneficiary,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24it's quite a tense time for you as a case manager.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27The ideal scenario is that you ring someone, they're in,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29you can speak to them, you can verify the family.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Ryan gets through to Roy's wife.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I wondered if you might be help me cos I'm calling from a firm
0:11:34 > 0:11:38of heir hunters and we're looking into the Woolcott family tree.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Was Roy's mother called Grace?
0:11:40 > 0:11:43No? It's a different family?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Maybe his parents are a different Woolcott and Sullivan.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51It was the wrong Roy Sullivan and Ryan's hopes are dashed.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53The lady I spoke to had the same surname
0:11:53 > 0:11:55as the chap we're looking for.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58It would have been good to talk to him because he's a cousin,
0:11:58 > 0:11:59was a cousin of the deceased,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02so he would have, presumably, known more about the family.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06But across the office, Camilla has also been looking into Roy
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and she's made an important discovery.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12He's died. He passed away in 2011.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Having thought they were tantalisingly close
0:12:17 > 0:12:21to their first heir, the team now have a whole new branch to research.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24We just need to find out whether or not he had any children now,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27to find out if there are any heirs.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30With the team facing setback after setback,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34will they be able to find any heirs before the competition?
0:12:34 > 0:12:39This one might potentially die out. I have no-one. Holly has no-one.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Um, well, you know...have faith.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Hi, this is Hector Birchwood. I'm returning your call.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Sometimes, cases take on a surprising twist
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and reveal communities steeped in history.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02When heir hunting company Celtic Research took on the case
0:13:02 > 0:13:05of Myra Kushia, they had no idea what they would unearth.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08The estate of Myra Kushia was advertised
0:13:08 > 0:13:10by the Treasury solicitor in 2016.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12We started to work on it straightaway,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15once we knew that she had a property worth £90,000.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Hector quickly came across an obituary for Myra
0:13:18 > 0:13:21and, crucially, it mentioned the name of a sister.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24So that, combined with the surname Kushia,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27made it an attractive case to work.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Initially, the case seemed rather easy.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33We had a potential sibling and a very unusual name.
0:13:34 > 0:13:40Myra Kushia passed away on 13th January, 2016, aged 83,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43in a hospice in Newcastle upon Tyne.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I met Myra
0:13:45 > 0:13:49when I took her sister's funeral, Margaret,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53in mid-August, 2015.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57I got to know her perhaps more deeply than one would otherwise.
0:13:57 > 0:14:03Myra was quite a short and forthright lady.
0:14:04 > 0:14:10Er, she was also good fun with a good sense of humour as well,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12quite a wicked sense of humour.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16My understanding is that Myra had been
0:14:16 > 0:14:20a delivery driver in her earlier years.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24She looked after the car, she was a practical woman.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26She could tinker with the car
0:14:26 > 0:14:29and the car was her pride and joy as well.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32But Margaret's death took its toll.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36I think, to be honest, she was...
0:14:37 > 0:14:40..preparing herself to be reunited,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44that life wasn't the same without her sister.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Myra had never married and didn't have children,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51but she was liked among the local community,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55and her neighbour Yasmin enjoyed living next door.
0:14:55 > 0:15:01Last year, we picked some apples and we took some apples for Myra
0:15:01 > 0:15:05and she was very happy and she said she will make apple pie.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09If the weather is nice, they used to stand next to their gate
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and always say hi, hello, with people
0:15:12 > 0:15:19and she was kind and, like, she had good heart.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23She is also fondly remembered by Yasmin's son, Ashat.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25What I miss mostly is her kindness,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28like when she used to throw the ball over.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30She used to give us sweets sometimes
0:15:30 > 0:15:33and she used to try to get it over the fence to give it to us.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Myra was also well-known for her green fingers.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Her garden is dry now.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47Whenever we look, I can from here, or from our back garden,
0:15:47 > 0:15:52it is so sad. It is always remind me Margaret and Myra.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Who will look after that garden? Like, it's not nice like before.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57It is sad.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06In London, the search for Myra's heirs was under way.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Do you know what family that was from?
0:16:08 > 0:16:12And Hector decided to pass the case on to colleague Robert Linford,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14who is based in Essex.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18I started looking in the births, marriages and deaths.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I was obviously looking for Myra's birth,
0:16:21 > 0:16:26which would have been 1932, and I couldn't find it.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28With nothing showing up for Myra,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Robert tried searching for a birth for her sister Margaret,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34but that drew a blank too.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38Fortunately, I managed to locate a family friend
0:16:38 > 0:16:41who explained to me what had happened.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46In actual fact, Margaret and Myra were not sisters,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48they were old friends.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52The team were right back to square one.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56But the family friend had revealed one more vital piece of information.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Myra actually did make a will,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04but she still appeared on the Bona Vacantia list
0:17:04 > 0:17:07of people who've died intestate.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10This is because the person she made the will to,
0:17:10 > 0:17:16her old friend Margaret, was someone who'd pre-deceased her.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19And no-one else was specified in the will,
0:17:19 > 0:17:21therefore she died technically intestate.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26Myra's £90,000 estate was likely to have caught the attention
0:17:26 > 0:17:29of rival heir hunting firms, so the pressure was on.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32But Robert was still faced with the major problem
0:17:32 > 0:17:35that he couldn't find any record of Myra's birth.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Without this, the research would stall before it had even begun.
0:17:39 > 0:17:45It didn't appear to have been in the birth registers at all, um,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49so I decided that it was time to look in the adoption registers
0:17:49 > 0:17:54to see if she'd been adopted and, in fact, she was.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58This was the vital breakthrough they needed.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Once somebody's adopted into a family, their birth family,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05their natural family no longer plays a role
0:18:05 > 0:18:09in determining whether somebody has a right to inherit an estate.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13So, really, at that point, we only look at the adoptive family.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17Robert now needed to determine who Myra's adopted parents were.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Here we see the adoption certificate of Myra Kushia
0:18:21 > 0:18:27and it confirms that Bag and Isabella are her adoptive parents.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32Bag and Isabella Kushia adopted Myra on 4th March, 1938,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34when she was six years old.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37I would imagine that she'd always been called Myra
0:18:37 > 0:18:39for as long as she could remember
0:18:39 > 0:18:44and probably just the surname was changed.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Myra's father, Bag, had been born in India,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49during the era of the British Empire.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51But, by the time of the adoption,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53he had settled in the north-east of England.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Bag is living in Maxwell Street, South Shields,
0:18:56 > 0:19:02and he is a marine donkeyman which, apparently,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05is a kind of foreman in the merchant marine.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Bag had first arrived in Britain whilst working in the merchant navy.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13With booming trade between Britain and the Empire,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17a major shipping route emerged between India, the Yemen
0:19:17 > 0:19:18and the north-east of England,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22with South Shields as a prime destination.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26This would have been one of the busiest ports in all of Britain
0:19:26 > 0:19:30at the time because, essentially, coal came from Newcastle,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32the ships would have come here to bring ballast
0:19:32 > 0:19:36and would have also taken away the coal to ship it all over the world.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38And South Shields was that port.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42They used to say that you could literally walk across this river
0:19:42 > 0:19:45from ship to ship to ship and reach the other side.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Bag would have been one of hundreds of foreign sailors
0:19:48 > 0:19:51to arrive in the UK during that time.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55And, crucially for the heir hunters,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58he had stayed in Britain and got married.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Bag is 24, Isabella was 25.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03It takes place in a register office,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07so there wasn't a religious aspect to it.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10And this marriage takes place in South Shields
0:20:10 > 0:20:14and Bag is living in East Holborn, which is right by the River Tyne.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Heir hunters often prioritise their research
0:20:18 > 0:20:21based on how easy or difficult a name is to investigate.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The more common the name, the harder it is.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28But when an uncommon name like Kushia is combined with a county
0:20:28 > 0:20:32the size of India, it brings with it a whole set of challenges.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34As soon as we realised that Bag was from India,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36we knew it was going to be a very difficult case.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Unfortunately, this difficulty was compounded
0:20:39 > 0:20:42because from the same source of information,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44we were told that he came from both Punjab and Kashmir.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47These are two totally different states in India.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48What makes this even worse
0:20:48 > 0:20:51is that he didn't even know his exact date of birth.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54He simply stated his birth was circa 1903.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59With the paternal line looking untraceable,
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Robert's only option was to examine the maternal tree
0:21:03 > 0:21:07of Myra's mum, Isabella Scott, who came from a mining family.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Her mother, Annie Reay, married William Scott, in Gateshead,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14in 1885, and had eight children.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Three were eliminated,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18as they didn't appear to have had any children.
0:21:18 > 0:21:23But the remaining stems were about to cause Robert a major headache.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Unfortunately, Scott is a fairly common surname.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30But I thought, at least there are four sisters
0:21:30 > 0:21:34and maybe their names changed to something a bit easier to handle
0:21:34 > 0:21:36once they're married.
0:21:36 > 0:21:42And lo and behold, Rose Scott, one of Isabella's sisters,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46goes and marries a man called John Smith.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52So, I've gone from Scott to Smith and from bad to worse.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Faced with two of the most common names in Britain,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59the seemingly simple case of Myra Kushia
0:21:59 > 0:22:01was now looking harder than ever.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Would the team be able to find any heirs?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Each year in Britain, thousands of people
0:22:10 > 0:22:14receive an unexpected knock on the door from the heir hunters.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19I found that amazing that I had that side of the family
0:22:19 > 0:22:21that I didn't know existed.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24As well as signing over large sums of money,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28the heir hunters can reunite family members who have lost touch.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33- I'm so lucky.- Yeah.- Because I've met up with all of you.- Ah.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Many cases have left the heir hunters scratching their heads
0:22:38 > 0:22:40and remain unsolved.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Today, we've got details of two that have yet to be collected.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Have the heir hunters been looking for you all this time?
0:22:47 > 0:22:49First is the case of Charles Monk,
0:22:49 > 0:22:54who died in Islington on 13th April, 1988.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55He was a bachelor,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59which is why it's proving tricky to find any living heirs.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Does this name ring any bells with you?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Do you know someone that could be related?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Next is the case of Annie Elizabeth Verrall,
0:23:07 > 0:23:13who passed away in Hailsham in East Sussex on 22nd January, 2005.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17She was born in Australia and her maiden name was Clarke with an E.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Both estates were advertised by the Treasury's Bona Vacantia list,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25but so far, no-one has been linked to either family.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Can you help track down any long-lost ancestors?
0:23:28 > 0:23:32If so, a surprise windfall could be coming your way.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Heir hunters Finders are racing against the clock
0:23:40 > 0:23:44to find heirs on the £300,000 estate of Kenneth Mead.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47I'm trying to find his cousin. He might still be with us.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50With one branch of the family having gone to Canada,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52the team is desperately hoping
0:23:52 > 0:23:55they'll find heirs in the UK before rival firms.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57She's born on the cusp of when they would have got married.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01But research into the brothers and sisters of Kenneth's parents
0:24:01 > 0:24:03is proving very tricky.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06We're struggling to find births for most of the aunts and uncles.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09A couple of them passed away quite young.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13A couple do marry but never have children, by the looks of things.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20Kenneth Mead passed away in 2016 at the age of 81.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Over the years, neighbour Pauline had got to know Kenneth well.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27But it wasn't until she organised his funeral that she realised
0:24:27 > 0:24:30just how active his social life had been.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35I tried to find out about people who might have known him.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37He played bowls,
0:24:37 > 0:24:41so he always would go out looking very smart in his bowls blazer.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43And, also, he did dancing.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Loads of people came to the funeral that we were really surprised about,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51so it was really nice. He had a nice send-off.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55One of Kenneth's biggest passions was ballroom dancing
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and Wendy and Kay got to know him at their local club.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00We sat down the other end of the hall
0:25:00 > 0:25:04because they already had their group of people at the top end.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09And Ken would come the whole length of the hall to dance with us.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11And it was a long hall!
0:25:11 > 0:25:13He just used to like the company,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17- to be out with everybody. - Always looking smart, wasn't he?
0:25:17 > 0:25:19- Always had his white shirt on.- Yeah.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21It was a bit of a shock, wasn't it?
0:25:23 > 0:25:28- Oh, dear.- He was always smiling, wasn't he?- He was, yeah.- Yeah.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35Did you find births for them
0:25:35 > 0:25:38to confirm they're definitely half-blood?
0:25:38 > 0:25:41In the office, case manager Ryan is still on the hunt
0:25:41 > 0:25:44for relatives of Kenneth's mother's twin, Grace,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and he thinks he may have another lead.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50We know she married Albert Sullivan and previously,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52we thought we'd found her son, Roy.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55The team had discovered Roy had also passed away,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58but now they believe he had children who may be alive.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02When we've gone to Roy's eldest daughter,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06she married a couple of times, so it's a bit fiddly to track her down.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09But I think we've got a phone number and address for her.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13So, fingers crossed, we're the first people to contact her.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18It's a crucial call, as she could be the team's first heir.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20But she's not answering.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23We have another surname on this line of the family of Sullivan
0:26:23 > 0:26:26and we're hoping this may have been your maiden name.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28If it is, or even if it isn't,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30if you could kindly give us a call back.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31Thank you very much. Bye-bye.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36With no-one answering the phone,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Ryan decides it's time to mobilise the troops.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Dee, could I have a visit for SE2?
0:26:42 > 0:26:44I'll do you copies of these so you can explain to the rep
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- how they're linked.- No worries.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50The company has an army of travelling reps
0:26:50 > 0:26:52based all over the UK
0:26:52 > 0:26:56and they're on standby to make visits to potential heirs,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58something Ryan believes can be crucial.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01We want to speak to people as early as possible
0:27:01 > 0:27:04to confirm their identity, to verify the family tree,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08to find any other family members we might have missed from the research
0:27:08 > 0:27:11so, for us, it's key, at least in the initial stages.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14But we're just trying to do everything we can
0:27:14 > 0:27:16to get the best results in the quickest time possible.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Today, Ryan has deployed his colleague, Peter George.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23I understand it is a competitive case
0:27:23 > 0:27:25and there are other companies working on it,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28so we want to try and be the first, if we can.
0:27:28 > 0:27:35The lady we're going to see is a maternal cousin once removed.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39This is a cold call, so she has no idea we're coming.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46Peter hopes the heir will be in and he can sign her up there and then.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48HE KNOCKS ON DOOR
0:27:52 > 0:27:55But no-one is home and it's not looking good.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Not having a lot of joy at the moment.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01The beneficiary isn't in and the near neighbours aren't in either,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04so I'm just going to go and try some other doors.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Local knowledge is an heir hunter's best tool
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and Peter eventually finds a neighbour to speak to.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Does she work locally, do you know?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14- Yeah.- Any idea what time she might be back?
0:28:14 > 0:28:17It looks like it's been a wasted visit.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20I've just left a pack through the beneficiary's door
0:28:20 > 0:28:22and now I'm off to Dartford
0:28:22 > 0:28:25to see another beneficiary in the same case.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29And as Peter arrives at the address of another heir...
0:28:29 > 0:28:31It's a block of flats, four flats.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33No answer from any of them, so I can't get access,
0:28:33 > 0:28:38so I'll have to put a pack through the main communal letterbox.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40It's a bit disheartening.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Hopefully, he'll contact the office when he gets the pack.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45It's another dead end.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51In the office, the team is starting to make headway
0:28:51 > 0:28:53on the maternal side.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56This is the stem of Jane Judith Woolcott.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00She passed away in 1939, but she managed to have three kids before -
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- four kids, sorry - before she passed away.- OK.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05- So far, these two are looking quite big.- OK.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09- So, I'm going to have a look at those two.- Have a look at these.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14It's not long before Peter is despatched once again.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16They've identified another beneficiary
0:29:16 > 0:29:19who lives, well, not that far away.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22But they've got two different addresses for him,
0:29:22 > 0:29:24so they're not sure which one he's at.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27So, I'm going to go to the one that's in Leigh.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Will it be third time lucky for Peter?
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Well, that a wrong address.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35He hasn't lived there at least since May, 2015.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39But she does get correspondence for him at that address,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42but he hasn't lived there for 18 months, 2 years nearly.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45So, not a good day, unfortunately.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54A few days later, and the search for Kenneth's heirs is still ongoing.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59But there have been some unwelcome developments.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03It appears a rival firm has beaten them to heirs
0:30:03 > 0:30:06on the paternal side of the family.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Whenever we make a call
0:30:08 > 0:30:12and we realise we're behind another company, it's never great.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14It's a bit demoralising.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16You have to pick yourself up and move on.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19But it's always nice for us if we can be that first call.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22On the maternal side of the tree, though,
0:30:22 > 0:30:24things are looking far more promising.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Ryan and the team have made good progress
0:30:26 > 0:30:29on the stem of Kenneth's aunt Jane.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31So, in fact, most of the beneficiaries
0:30:31 > 0:30:33on the maternal side of the family
0:30:33 > 0:30:36actually stem down from Jane Judith Reeves.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38She was obviously born a Woolcott.
0:30:38 > 0:30:45Jane had four children in total, all of whom have passed away.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49But out of those four cousins,
0:30:49 > 0:30:54we have two, four, six, seven... seven beneficiaries.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56We've had three signed agreements
0:30:56 > 0:30:58back from these beneficiaries so far.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02It's great news and means the team have their first heirs
0:31:02 > 0:31:04but today, they're hoping to add to their tally.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07I think we go right here.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Travelling rep Stuart has been sent to see two more possible heirs.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14They're ready and we'll just turn up at the door and give them a knock.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17But will Stuart's visit be a success?
0:31:17 > 0:31:20- Morning.- Good morning. - I'm Stuart from Finders.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24Ron and sister Jacqueline are Kenneth's first cousins once removed
0:31:24 > 0:31:26and have been expecting Stuart's visit.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28The office have been phoning you, I suppose,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31- and you know all about this, I would imagine.- I spoke to Ryan, yeah.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33You spoke to Ryan - great.
0:31:33 > 0:31:38And it's a tall order, but do you know the deceased person?
0:31:38 > 0:31:41- We did meet him, yeah.- Oh, good. - Yeah, when I was younger.
0:31:41 > 0:31:47What I did, is Ryan kindly sent me a family tree.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49You'll get a posh one in the end.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53This is one I've just stuck together for you to have a look at now.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57- I think it's this end that might be...- That's us, yeah.- Yeah.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01- The papers, I believe they've sent you, by the look of it?- Yeah.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04That's great. Oh, you've already signed. Brilliant.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Nothing for me to do, just have a cup of coffee.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13Yes, it's been a very successful trip.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Everything went very well
0:32:15 > 0:32:18and they've helped us no end with this case, which is good,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20so it was well worth the trip down here.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22For the heir hunters, it's been tough,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25but ultimately, a worthwhile case.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29And in total, they've managed to sign up four of Kenneth's heirs,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32each of whom will be due a share of Kenneth's sizeable estate.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34But for Ron and Jacqueline,
0:32:34 > 0:32:39the real value is being able to find out more about the family history.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Just mind-blowing, really, so I want to try and find out some more
0:32:43 > 0:32:50about...all these people that, really, I didn't have a clue.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52I didn't have a clue about them.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Heir hunting firm Celtic Research was on the hunt
0:32:59 > 0:33:02for an heir of Myra Kushia.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06So, that ties in, at least, with him, because he's a cousin of his.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10So far, the team had established that Myra was adopted in 1938
0:33:10 > 0:33:13by Bag Kushia and Isabella Scott.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17So, my task was to trace
0:33:17 > 0:33:23the brothers and sisters of Bag Kushia and Isabella Scott.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27Researching Bag's family tree was proving virtually impossible.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29We really didn't know where to go.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33We had to then focus on the maternal side because it was not possible
0:33:33 > 0:33:37for us to determine which part of India Bag actually came from.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Myra's mother, Isabella, was the daughter of William Scott
0:33:41 > 0:33:43and Annie Reay, who had eight children.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46With a £90,000 estate at stake,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50the team needed to work fast to trace maternal cousins,
0:33:50 > 0:33:51but were stopped in their tracks
0:33:51 > 0:33:54when they reached Myra's aunt, Rose Scott,
0:33:54 > 0:33:56who married a John Smith.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58We initially thought the case was going to be very simple,
0:33:58 > 0:34:01but when you're dealing with names like Scott or Smith,
0:34:01 > 0:34:04you're dealing with hundreds of possible permutations.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Each one has to be then followed diligently,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09methodically and with great determination,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12in order to be able to find the ones that are right.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16So, we had to just be patient and follow each line through
0:34:16 > 0:34:18until we got to the right families.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24But finally, they struck gold, when they spotted some unusual surnames.
0:34:24 > 0:34:30I found that Rose had two daughters who actually married Yemeni sailors.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32These daughters were Annie and Elizabeth
0:34:32 > 0:34:36and they married Yemeni sailors who were in the merchant navy,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38sailing all over the world.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Two of them put down roots here and married English wives.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49It's believed that between the late 1890s and 1930,
0:34:49 > 0:34:54up to 4,000 people from Yemen were living in South Shields.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58These people represented the first significant Muslim communities
0:34:58 > 0:35:00to settle in Britain.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Where we're standing right now is the Customs House
0:35:04 > 0:35:07and Mill Dam area of South Shields.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10This is where the Yemeni sailors would have most likely come
0:35:10 > 0:35:12on ships from Aden
0:35:12 > 0:35:15because, essentially, boats that were running on coal
0:35:15 > 0:35:21were not able to reach India without docking in Aden.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25The captains of these ships would essentially hire the Yemeni men
0:35:25 > 0:35:28because they were great workers.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32They would also be able to withstand intolerable heat,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35working in the coal furnaces of these ships
0:35:35 > 0:35:37and being stokers or firemen.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41Once the Yemeni sailors had finished on a ship,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43they would have stayed in the town's boarding houses,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46waiting to hear about their next assignment.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49The Yemeni men, when they came on shore,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52they were actually part of the community.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55And some of the men that had been on the ships settled
0:35:55 > 0:35:57and they could settle because, actually,
0:35:57 > 0:35:59they were British subjects.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01So, some of them set up boarding houses
0:36:01 > 0:36:04to cater for the other Yemeni sailors,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07some of them opened up cafes, restaurants,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10grocery stores, and the community flourished.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13The first known and recorded instance
0:36:13 > 0:36:16of a Yemeni person in South Shields
0:36:16 > 0:36:20is in the South Shields Gazette, and we find that in 1890.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25However, it's quite possible that they were here earlier.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29It's thought that many of the Yemeni sailors were bachelors
0:36:29 > 0:36:31or had to leave loved ones behind.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33In the first waves of migration,
0:36:33 > 0:36:39Yemeni men probably were single men at the beginning of their careers,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42coming onto the shops, or, indeed, if they did have families,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44they would have left them in Aden.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46Partially the reason for that
0:36:46 > 0:36:50was the Yemeni government didn't allow the wives to leave.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52The reason for that is they wanted to imagine
0:36:52 > 0:36:56that the sailors would bring that money back home to Yemen.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01So, the earlier waves of migration, from 1890 up until the 1950s,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04the men actually had a lot of intermarriage
0:37:04 > 0:37:08because, in one sense, it was so hard to travel.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11So, while they were in boarding houses in South Shields,
0:37:11 > 0:37:12the men really integrated.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15There's definitely a sense
0:37:15 > 0:37:19that these dashing, dark, Middle Eastern men
0:37:19 > 0:37:23would have been really, um, a catch.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26And there's some accounts written in the Gazette
0:37:26 > 0:37:30about how these women were defending their intermarriages,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33saying these men are good, they don't drink,
0:37:33 > 0:37:35they don't beat their wives,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37they come home and give them their salaries
0:37:37 > 0:37:40and that they were really honoured
0:37:40 > 0:37:42to have these kind of ideal husbands.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48But their integration into the local community wasn't always smooth.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50With jobs scarce after the First World War,
0:37:50 > 0:37:54the National Union of Seamen started to become hostile
0:37:54 > 0:37:56to the Yemeni sailors.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58It was a time of economic depression
0:37:58 > 0:38:01and the Yemeni had actually already been there since the 1890s.
0:38:01 > 0:38:06In 1919, an amended Aliens Restriction Act was introduced,
0:38:06 > 0:38:10which restricted the employment rights of foreign workers.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13It had an especially big impact on foreign sailors
0:38:13 > 0:38:16and in the Mill Dam area of South Shields,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20riots broke out between the Yemeni seamen and their white counterparts.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25Essentially, the riots was jostling, it was fights, it was bloody.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27There were police with truncheons.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33After the 1950s, the ships were no longer running on coal,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35so required less workforce.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39Leyla Al-Sayadi's great-grandfather was one of the men
0:38:39 > 0:38:41who migrated to South Shields
0:38:41 > 0:38:43and was the chairman of the local mosque.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46The Yemeni community have done a lot for South Shields.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50They've intermarried, they've given themselves,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53they've given their lives, they've given their children.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Some of them wanted to go back to Yemen but never did
0:38:55 > 0:38:57and I think that's to South Shields's gain.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59But, on the other hand,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03I think that South Shields gave a lot to the Yemenis as well.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06People received the Yemenis largely very well
0:39:06 > 0:39:08and the reason they were such a successful community
0:39:08 > 0:39:11is because of their ability to make friends,
0:39:11 > 0:39:14to integrate, to connect to other people.
0:39:14 > 0:39:19And Yemenis are the type of people who can just adapt to anything.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23Along with Leyla's grandfather,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26two other Yemenis made South Shields their home
0:39:26 > 0:39:29and married two sisters, who were Myra's cousins.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34Annie Scott-Smith married Mohamed Nasir in 1928
0:39:34 > 0:39:39and they had a daughter called Ruth, but she passed away in 1941.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42So, Robert was able to rule out any heirs there.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47Next, he moved his attention to Rose's other daughter, Elizabeth.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50And Elizabeth Smith married Moosa Amar,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53who was a merchant seaman from the Yemen.
0:39:53 > 0:40:00And they had, ultimately, a grandson, Joseph Amar,
0:40:00 > 0:40:02whom they adopted.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Joseph was born in 1953 in South Shields.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08I contacted Joseph and he told me
0:40:08 > 0:40:11the interesting story of his own personal history.
0:40:11 > 0:40:18He, like Myra, had been adopted by his own grandparents.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21This happened because the relationship
0:40:21 > 0:40:24between Joseph's parents had fallen apart
0:40:24 > 0:40:26and his grandparents stepped in.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29I seemed to be going round in circles.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32I started off with a deceased person who had been adopted
0:40:32 > 0:40:35and now I had an heir who had been adopted.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41When Joseph received the phone call, he was completely shocked.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43They mentioned Myra Kushia
0:40:43 > 0:40:47and I went, "Oh, my God, I forgot all about Myra."
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Because I used to visit her with my grandma when I was a child.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55She was the cousin of my grandmother.
0:40:55 > 0:40:56I knew her well.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00We used to go regular, at least once a month.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03I was surprised, really, to tell you the truth.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06She just went out my mind completely till I got the phone call.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09Joseph remembers Myra fondly.
0:41:09 > 0:41:14The images I have of Myra is quite a young, pretty girl,
0:41:14 > 0:41:16really beautiful, I would say.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20But she was very cheerful, very happy.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22I enjoyed going there.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24I looked forward to going. When my grandma used to say,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27"Do you want to come to Newcastle with us?"
0:41:27 > 0:41:28and I'd say, "Yes, great."
0:41:28 > 0:41:32It was as a young boy he found out he had more in common with Myra
0:41:32 > 0:41:34than he first thought.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Me grandmother told me one time on one of the visits,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40on the way back, on the journey back,
0:41:40 > 0:41:44she mentioned that Myra was adopted.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48I was very surprised because I thought they were her parents
0:41:48 > 0:41:54and I found it very similar to my situation because I was adopted
0:41:54 > 0:41:58and this gave me more connection to Myra,
0:41:58 > 0:42:03cos I would understand her feelings and what she was going through.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07It was really a surprise to me.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10I felt closer to her because of that.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17In the office, the team had finally found an heir
0:42:17 > 0:42:20and were able to locate over 30 more.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23All in all, this was a very complex case.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26You opened one door and another door was there
0:42:26 > 0:42:27and you had to open that
0:42:27 > 0:42:30and the names were fairly difficult to deal with
0:42:30 > 0:42:34and there were a lot of people on the tree.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Sometimes I felt like I was going round in circles
0:42:37 > 0:42:41but I'm glad I did it cos it's a very interesting case
0:42:41 > 0:42:43with lots of interesting aspects to it.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47And it's Myra's kindness that will always be remembered.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52I think Myra, if she knew about the people
0:42:52 > 0:42:56who are inheriting her estate,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00I think she would be pleased, I think she would be happy.
0:43:00 > 0:43:05Joseph last saw Myra in 1979 at a family funeral.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10And as the years gone by...I've never really give it a thought,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13but it's sad that I could have kept in touch with her.