0:00:02 > 0:00:06Heir hunters track down families of people who have died without leaving a will.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10They hand over thousands of pounds to the long-lost relatives,
0:00:10 > 0:00:14who had no idea they were in line for a windfall.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:32 > 0:00:36On today's programme,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39the heir hunters encounter an astounding tale of courage
0:00:39 > 0:00:44from a Jewish family who fought to survive the Nazi genocide.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48I've dealt with a lot of cases like this and yours is unique.
0:00:48 > 0:00:56And the hunt is on to find heirs for a reclusive man who left an estate of £30,000.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00From that incident, it's almost like he closed himself off to the world.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04And we'll have details of some of the hundreds of unclaimed estates.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08Could you be in line for a windfall?
0:01:08 > 0:01:11More than two thirds of people die without leaving a will.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15If they have no obvious relatives, their money goes to the Government,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19who last year made a staggering £18 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22That's where the heir hunters step in.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29Which is why the cousins, such as you, end up inheriting.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33There are more than 30 heir-hunting companies
0:01:33 > 0:01:35who, for a share of the estate,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38make it their business to track down the rightful kin.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Last year, they claimed back £6.5 million for unsuspecting heirs
0:01:42 > 0:01:45who would otherwise have gone empty-handed.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47You can see the smile on the beneficiary's face
0:01:47 > 0:01:52as they know they're going to receive sometimes tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56A real life-changing event when that cheque finally does drop on their doorstep.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04It's Friday morning at Fraser & Fraser,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07one of the oldest heir-hunting companies in the country.
0:02:07 > 0:02:13Case manager Bob Smith is working on tracing heirs for a man who died earlier this year.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18I have a case here which has been referred to us by a solicitor
0:02:18 > 0:02:21of a gentleman by the name of Ronald Millar.
0:02:21 > 0:02:27They only information they could glean from the papers and correspondence at Mr Millar's home
0:02:27 > 0:02:32was that he may have had a relation by the name of Povey or Govey,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36but we don't know quite how that family member ties in.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41Cases like Ronald Millar's, which come from solicitor referrals,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45account for more than half of the heir hunters' business.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48While there isn't the same worry about the competition
0:02:48 > 0:02:49as with the Treasury cases,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53the aim is still the same - finding entitled heirs.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02Ronald Millar died aged 80 in Edgware on the outskirts of London.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06He was a private man whose main contact with the outside world
0:03:06 > 0:03:10was from volunteers who helped with his shopping and banking.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14John Wilks is the director of the Friend In Need community centre
0:03:14 > 0:03:18who visit old and disabled people in the local area.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Ron was generous and warm-hearted from the point of view that
0:03:22 > 0:03:26he would support charities regularly during each month.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33The World Wildlife sticker on the door, so we can presume it was that one,
0:03:33 > 0:03:38and something like the Cats Protection League and one or two other animal charities.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40And he had these cats.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42When we got involved,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45there were just four and then the occasional strays.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47No stray was ever turned away.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It was always given a welcome.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Four years before Ronald died,
0:03:51 > 0:03:56a shocking event meant that he would never leave the house again.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00The big change that occurred in Ron's life
0:04:00 > 0:04:04was coming back from work... from getting his pension one day,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08he found his door kicked in and the burglar still inside.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10From that moment, he never left the house.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14His neighbour said he was always out and about prior to this incident with the burglars.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17You know, he was looking after himself.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22But from that incident, it's almost like he closed himself off to the world.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Shut inside his house, Ronald relied on volunteer help
0:04:26 > 0:04:30to run errands, but he remained financially independent.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34He wasn't short of money and was pretty comfortable.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40I'm told there's an estate of at least £30,000.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Ronald never wrote a will so his estimated £30,000
0:04:46 > 0:04:49will all go to the Government if no heirs can be traced.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Genealogists start their research by looking for birth,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00death and marriage records of the person who has died.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03They can use the dates and names on them to start building up
0:05:03 > 0:05:06layers of a family tree, which can lead to heirs.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14While the office can do a certain amount of research from their desks,
0:05:14 > 0:05:18they are also calling on the help of travelling researcher Ewart Lindsay.
0:05:18 > 0:05:24He's been sent to Edgware to see what he can find out from any of Ronald's friends or neighbours.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26I've just spoken to Bob in the office
0:05:26 > 0:05:30and he's now given me the name of the deceased.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33His name was Ronald Millar.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37He died on the 6th of February 2009.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43While Ewart is making his way to North London,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47in the office, Bob has received Ronald's birth certificate.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50It will allow them to cross-reference his place of birth
0:05:50 > 0:05:53and parents' names with records for other potential family members.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58Now that we've got the right birth certificate of our deceased,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03we've also been able to, um...
0:06:03 > 0:06:06establish that the deceased had a brother,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Frederick Ramsey Millar.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13Finding a brother is great news but there may be even closer family.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16They still don't know who the Govey relative is
0:06:16 > 0:06:17that they've been told about.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21If it was a child of Ronald's, they would inherit before his brother.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Back in Edgware, the neighbour enquiries have come to nothing,
0:06:25 > 0:06:30but Ewart's detective work has led him to the phone number of a carer who knew Ronald.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35We're trying to find out some information about the deceased.
0:06:35 > 0:06:42First of all, if he was married, did he have any children, you know, et cetera?
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Unmarried, lived on his own ever since his mother and father died.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48There's apparently mention of a David Govey.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53That's the name of David Govey, as a nephew.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58You would assume, if David Govey was a child of Ron Millar's brother,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01that the surname would be Millar, wouldn't you?
0:07:01 > 0:07:05And there was a vague possibility that there may have been a niece,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07so there could have been a daughter.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12It's been a useful call, and Ewart is quick to pass the news
0:07:12 > 0:07:16on to the office so they can search for Ronald's brother's children.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20There's still the mystery of why they might be called Govey
0:07:20 > 0:07:21rather than Millar,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24so Bob is enlisting some help to get to the bottom of it.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Who is doing the research on Millar?
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- Can I hand some information over to you? Is that all right?- Sure.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Ewart's done an enquiry.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42He did have a brother - yeah? - who died when he was very young
0:07:42 > 0:07:48but was married and had two kids, and that could be possibly that relation David Govey.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50So he dies young and then...
0:07:50 > 0:07:56Yeah, the two kids may be adopted or assumed maybe a second father's...
0:07:56 > 0:07:58you know, second marriage father's name.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- All right?- Yeah. - So I'll leave that with you.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- Cheers.- All right? Just let me know when you get something, yeah? Cheers.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12While Gareth tries to find a marriage and any family records for Ronald's brother and his children,
0:08:12 > 0:08:18Bob also needs to get some evidence to back up what he's been told.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20In our line of work, you have to deal with facts -
0:08:20 > 0:08:25certificates that prove relationships rather than hearsay from family members or friends, you know.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29The team knows that Ronald's brother's birth certificate
0:08:29 > 0:08:33is in Camden which is only a few miles away from where Ewart is.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36If he can get it, it will help them prove they're onto the right family.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40- PHONE RINGS - Hello.- 'Listen, mate,'
0:08:40 > 0:08:46- I know you're on your way to Enfield but could you re-route and go to Camden register office?- Right.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49What we want you to do is pick up a copy of
0:08:49 > 0:08:54a birth of a brother of the deceased, yeah? Our deceased. OK?
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Birth, death and marriage certificates are the tools of the heir hunters' trade.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03They contain a huge amount of information that can be used to build a case,
0:09:03 > 0:09:09including maiden names, parents' names, crucial dates, and even if someone was adopted.
0:09:09 > 0:09:16They are also needed as evidence to make a case to the Treasury solicitor on an heir's behalf.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21In the office, Gareth's research has had some mixed results.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26We found a very good marriage of Frederick Millar, two children,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29one's born in Salisbury and the other one is Islington.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31I like the Islington birth.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35The Salisbury one, however - well, it's not exactly our area
0:09:35 > 0:09:37so take that with a pinch of salt.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42It ties up with what we were told, but at the same time it's not quite right.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43But it might work out.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48If we get a phone call done, they'll be able to tell us if it's right or wrong.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Gareth's record search through names and birth dates
0:09:52 > 0:09:55has thrown up a potential niece and nephew to Ronald.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00The very different locations of their births suggests that they may not both be right.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03But more than that, the names Christopher and Christine
0:10:03 > 0:10:07don't connect with the David Govey who Ewart has been told about.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Before they call the potential nephew, Christopher,
0:10:14 > 0:10:20Ewart is on the way to the register office to get information to confirm they're onto the right family,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23and so the office is waiting with bated breath.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- Ah, great. That certificate's ready. - Yes, sir.- Ah, lovely.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Finding heirs to unclaimed estates can be a satisfying experience for heir hunters,
0:10:38 > 0:10:45even in the most ordinary cases, but at Heirtrace, a Suffolk-based company founded by Derek Rodbard,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48one of their specialist areas has a heightened importance -
0:10:48 > 0:10:53that of uniting dependents of Holocaust victims with long-lost family money.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58I've always been particularly interested in history of the 19th and 20th centuries,
0:10:58 > 0:11:03and that's tended to grow, and it tends to matter more and more to me.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07I'm careful not to be obsessive but it really does matter a lot
0:11:07 > 0:11:12that we go the extra mile to make sure that these people get what is due to them.
0:11:14 > 0:11:20The genocide of Jews in central and eastern Europe between 1939 and 1945
0:11:20 > 0:11:25was the culmination of a long campaign to systematically extinguish them from society,
0:11:25 > 0:11:30starting after Hitler came to power in 1933.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35The campaign began with Nazi laws to strip away Jewish rights, wealth
0:11:35 > 0:11:38and property, long before the first concentration camps were built.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Derek's work to restore these assets to their rightful families
0:11:44 > 0:11:48begins with information sent to him from lawyers in Israel.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51After the war, when the state of Israel was set up,
0:11:51 > 0:11:57people would say, "Six million Jews were killed during World War II," and it trips off the tongue too easily.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59It becomes an impersonal statistic.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Each one of these people was a person
0:12:02 > 0:12:07and so it was very strongly felt in Israel that, wherever possible,
0:12:07 > 0:12:13a record should be established of each individual person, so that they didn't just become sort of nothing.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18Each one of these people is represented on a sheet which is called the Yad Vashem sheet.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24As well as providing a tribute to each individual, the Yad Vashem sheets are like a death certificate.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28They are useful for the heir hunters because often a relative will be listed as the informant.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33In this particular case, the starting point was a Yad Vashem sheet
0:12:33 > 0:12:37sent to us by the lawyers in Tel Aviv,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and it related to a certain Ernst Hornung
0:12:40 > 0:12:44who had been a solicitor... in Czechoslovakia.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Ernst Hornung was a Jewish professional who had taken out
0:12:49 > 0:12:53a life insurance policy which had never been paid after his death,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55so there was lump sum outstanding
0:12:55 > 0:13:00which any surviving heirs would inherit if Derek could find them.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05These sheets, at the bottom, tend to have an informant who provided the information
0:13:05 > 0:13:08which then goes onto the sheet, and we work from the informants.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12In the case of the policy of Ernst Hornung,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15on the Yad Vashem sheet, there's a son detailed
0:13:15 > 0:13:20with an address in Wembley, and frankly we went straight to him.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22He's still living there.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Ernst Hornung's son Otto was in line to inherit the insurance pay-out,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30along with any other surviving siblings if there were any.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33The financial value of the policy was still unknown.
0:13:33 > 0:13:39Usually the final settlement figure comes out anything from £20,000 to £50,000.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43But the money was of secondary concern to Otto Hornung.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46It could not in any way
0:13:46 > 0:13:50bring back my family's existence.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55We had been destroyed completely.
0:13:55 > 0:14:01We had nothing to our name. But I was very impressed
0:14:01 > 0:14:06that somebody took on this job, what Derek is doing.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12Otto is 89 and now lives with his wife Chi-Chi
0:14:12 > 0:14:16in Wembley in North London, although he was originally from Czechoslovakia.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I've lived in Moravska Ostrava.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26It's the point where three countries meet
0:14:26 > 0:14:29and it was very big, very important
0:14:29 > 0:14:37because Ostrava sat on coal and there were mines everywhere.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42In 1939, Otto was 18 and still at school.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46All over Europe, storm clouds were brewing as world leaders
0:14:46 > 0:14:49tried to second guess Hitler's next move in the east.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54In Czechoslovakia, Otto's family's worst fears were confirmed
0:14:54 > 0:14:57when German tanks rolled into their home town
0:14:57 > 0:14:59of Moravska Ostrava in mid March.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06I was in a classroom and a boy came running up
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and shouted, "The Germans are here!"
0:15:09 > 0:15:11So everybody, all the kids,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15ran out to the square.
0:15:15 > 0:15:21When I saw the Germans soldiers sitting on the lorry in the back
0:15:21 > 0:15:25and holding a rifle between their hands,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27I wanted a rifle.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31I must get a rifle. How can I get it?
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Otto was a young man with fighting spirit
0:15:34 > 0:15:38and determined to join the fight against the Nazi invaders.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42With the help of his family, Otto escaped Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia
0:15:42 > 0:15:46to Poland, and joined an army of poorly equipped Czech soldiers
0:15:46 > 0:15:48who were gathering in the countryside.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54As Otto prepared to march against the Nazis,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56the situation in Czechoslovakia,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59where he had left his parents, was deteriorating.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02In 1939, Ernst Hornung's name
0:16:02 > 0:16:05was one amongst many prominent Czech Jews
0:16:05 > 0:16:08to appear on a deportation order to Poland
0:16:08 > 0:16:12while the extermination of the Eastern European Jews was still in its infancy.
0:16:16 > 0:16:23They must have made up a list of who will be deported,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27then they brought all those people together,
0:16:27 > 0:16:32put them at the railway station in cattle wagons,
0:16:32 > 0:16:37and, er...took them by train to Nisko.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42It was not a deportation of him personally.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46It was a deportation of a group
0:16:46 > 0:16:53of permanent Jewish people to occupied Poland.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Unaware of his father's deportation,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Otto was still with the Czech Legion
0:16:58 > 0:17:02who were moving away from Poland towards Romania
0:17:02 > 0:17:03to escape the Nazi army.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06They fell in with the Russian forces,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08who gave them valuable supplies.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12The reason why the Russians took care of us
0:17:12 > 0:17:17is because they expected an attack by Hitler
0:17:17 > 0:17:21and they needed every help,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25everyone who could fire a rifle,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27to help them.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31In 1941, Otto was given the thing he had dreamed about
0:17:31 > 0:17:34since the day Nazi tanks had rolled into his home town.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41It was a First World War issue rifle
0:17:41 > 0:17:47and it was kept for all those years
0:17:47 > 0:17:54and some unknown power had written my name on it!
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Each rifle was in a plastic packing.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Not a holder, it was packing.
0:18:00 > 0:18:06And the rifles were full of grease,
0:18:06 > 0:18:11so I pulled out my rifle - I think I gave it a kiss -
0:18:11 > 0:18:14and started cleaning it.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17I cleaned it for about two days!
0:18:17 > 0:18:19The rifle was soon put to use
0:18:19 > 0:18:23as Otto served with the British Army in North Africa.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28He played a role in the Battle of Tobruk,
0:18:28 > 0:18:29a fiercely fought struggle
0:18:29 > 0:18:33for the control of this strategically important harbour.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Towards the end of the war, he had also helped
0:18:36 > 0:18:39to push back the Nazi forces in France after the D-Day landings.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44It was a fantastic adventure.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47I loved every minute of it.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52Whilst Otto was fighting the Nazis, his father Ernst was fleeing them.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57After he had been deported to Nisko, he managed to escape German clutches
0:18:57 > 0:19:02and fled into the nearby city of Lvov in Russian-occupied Poland.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Whilst there, he tried to keep a low profile.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11He tried to disappear in the crowds.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16He kept to his work.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20In the factory, he was one of the blue boys there.
0:19:20 > 0:19:26He really turned from a solicitor,
0:19:26 > 0:19:31from a man who is working with his brains,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35to a workman.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40At this stage, the Hornungs were scattered over Eastern Europe.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Ernst was in Russian-occupied Poland,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44his wife and daughter were in Hungary,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and Otto's Czech army unit were in modern-day Ukraine
0:19:47 > 0:19:49being trained by the Russians.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54But Ernst had managed to trace them all and remain in touch.
0:19:55 > 0:20:02My father wrote the first letter
0:20:02 > 0:20:07when he got to Lvov to me.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09I was very happy about that.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14He actually acted as a central post office because,
0:20:14 > 0:20:19when I wrote to him, he then sent the postcard to Mother,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21and vice versa.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Even exiled and in hiding, through keeping them in touch,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Ernst maintained his role as head of the family.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34He was the boss all his life.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39But he ruled, not with a fist,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43but with charm and a smile and soul.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51But the stability and comfort of knowing the whereabouts of his entire family wouldn't last long.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54The Nazis were on the march again.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58In 1941, Hitler flaunted his agreement with Stalin
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and advanced into Russian-occupied Poland
0:21:01 > 0:21:04where Otto's father was living.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09Ernst, along with the rest of the Jewish population in Lvov, was now in terrible danger.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16Could Ernst survive, and would his family ever see each other again?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19The once-vibrant,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22large community of Lvov was decimated.
0:21:28 > 0:21:34For every case that is solved, there are still thousands that stubbornly remain a mystery.
0:21:34 > 0:21:41Currently, over 3,000 names drawn from across the country are on the Treasury's unsolved case list.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Their assets will be kept for up to 30 years
0:21:48 > 0:21:54in the hope that eventually someone will remember and come forward to claim their inheritance.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58With estates valued at anything from 5,000 to millions of pounds,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00the rightful heirs are out there somewhere.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Could you be the key?
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Mary D'Arcy-Cordigan of Cheshire died in 2006.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Does her unusual name ring a bell?
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Could you be the one person entitled to her estate?
0:22:19 > 0:22:24William Thomas Cozens died in Bedworth, Warwickshire, in 2006.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27The heir hunters have run out of leads.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28Do you know anything about him?
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Maybe he's your long-lost uncle or cousin.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Could your help get to the heirs of Mary D'Arcy-Cordigan and William Cozens,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40and thousands of others just like these?
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Is there a fortune out there waiting for you?
0:22:50 > 0:22:55Fraser & Fraser are working on an estate that never made it onto the Treasury's list.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00The case of Ronald Millar who died in Edgware in London came through a solicitor referral.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05Ronald left £30,000 but died intestate.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07He never left a will.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11There is a reluctance to leave a will.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15It's almost like you're probably signing your death warrant
0:23:15 > 0:23:17or acknowledging, yes, I am mortal.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Alan, my colleague, was actually talking to Ron
0:23:21 > 0:23:24about the necessity of having a will,
0:23:24 > 0:23:29and they got so far as actually getting some attorneys to actually go to Ron's house.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33They spent a few hours with Ron and eventually phoned Alan
0:23:33 > 0:23:37who told me that he'd decided against it completely,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39so a will was never set up.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44These solicitors contacted the heir hunters in the hope that they could find heirs for Ronald.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47So far, the team knows he had a brother, Frederick Millar,
0:23:47 > 0:23:52who they think had two children, Christopher and Christine.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56They've also been tipped-off that he was related to a David Govey
0:23:56 > 0:23:58but they can't work out where he fits in.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02To try and get to the bottom of the matter,
0:24:02 > 0:24:07Ewart is at Camden register office to pick up the birth certificate of Ronald's brother
0:24:07 > 0:24:09and make sure they're onto the right family.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Ah, great, that certificate's ready?
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- Yes, sir.- Ah, lovely.
0:24:13 > 0:24:19In the office, they've got a number for a Christopher Millar, potentially Ronald's nephew,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23but they've been holding off ringing until Ewart's call from the register office
0:24:23 > 0:24:27confirms that they were right about Ronald having a brother.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33- Bob Smith.- I've now got the birth of Frederick.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35- Yeah?- Frederick Ramsey Millar...
0:24:35 > 0:24:40- Yeah?- Born 5th of July 1925.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41Excellent.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44His father was Frederick Walter Millar,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47mother was Hilda Millar, formerly Sykes.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53Good news. Ewart has now picked up the birth of the brother of the deceased,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55which we were rather hoping was right.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57It is indeed right.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02The parents are the same, so now it looks a safe bet
0:25:02 > 0:25:07to contact the nephew of the deceased who is the son of the brother,
0:25:07 > 0:25:12and hopefully arrange an appointment for Ewart to go and see him today.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15This is where certificates are invaluable
0:25:15 > 0:25:18as the team now can prove that Ronald and Frederick were brothers.
0:25:18 > 0:25:24If they can also prove that the potential niece and nephew they've found are Frederick's children,
0:25:24 > 0:25:25they'll have found two heirs.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27It's time to make the call.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30Hello, is that Mr Millar?
0:25:30 > 0:25:37We're trying to track down children of a gentleman by the name of Frederick Ramsey Millar.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Now, would that be your father?
0:25:42 > 0:25:47Right. So your father's not Frederick Ramsey Millar born 1925?
0:25:47 > 0:25:50OK. All right. I'm sorry to have troubled you.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Thanks very much. Bye-bye.
0:25:54 > 0:26:00Well, it seems our diligent research has come up with the wrong family.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04The fact that this particular Christopher Millar,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08which seems to tie up with the birth that we'd identified, is wrong,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11doesn't actually mean that the other birth
0:26:11 > 0:26:15that we think goes with the marriage of our brother of the deceased is wrong also.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19The sister was born in a completely different area to this chap,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21so it may be that they're two different families.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26Um...obviously we had a current address and a phone number for him,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28so it was the obvious thing to give him a call,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30but obviously, with a female,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34there's a good chance that she'll have married and obviously have a different name.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39So we're going to have to go back to the drawing board
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and see if we can identify a marriage for her.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48It seems the Christopher Millar they tracked down isn't related to Ronald's brother Frederick.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53It may be that he didn't have two children, just one.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58All hopes are now pinned on Christine being Frederick's daughter and Ronald's niece.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00- 'Hello, Ewart.'- Hello, Bob.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05I've been sitting here waiting, Bob, to try and find out if you've rung this heir or not.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Well, I put the phone down to him about five minutes ago.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- Oh, right.- 'He's wrong.' - He's wrong?!
0:27:11 > 0:27:15'He's wrong, yeah. But that doesn't mean that the sister's not right.'
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Oh, right. Hold on a moment. I think we might have some news.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22I'm just being passed something.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Ah, right, we've got the death of the brother of the deceased now, right?
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Sorry, we've got the probate. OK?
0:27:28 > 0:27:32And it names Christine Rose Govey
0:27:32 > 0:27:39as...his daughter, so Christine...
0:27:39 > 0:27:41is married to David.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43All right? So this is a niece of the deceased, OK?
0:27:43 > 0:27:45David's the son-in-law. OK, got it.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51At last, the team have solved the Govey mystery.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56Unlike Ronald, his brother Frederick did leave a will
0:27:56 > 0:27:58and this has helped prove the case.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02The will mentions his daughter Christine by her married name, Govey.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06She is Frederick's only child and is Ronald's niece.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11The mysterious David Govey was not Ronald's nephew, but Christine's husband,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15and he is not entitled because he is not related to Ronald by blood.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21The office has made the breakthrough and confirmed that Christine is the sole heir.
0:28:21 > 0:28:28As they don't have a phone number for her, Ewart is heading off to call at her address.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Yeah, it's all come together very nicely.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Research has been good
0:28:33 > 0:28:40and it's just a question of now whether the heir themselves is going to be willing to see us,
0:28:40 > 0:28:44and then obviously enter into a contract with us,
0:28:44 > 0:28:51so all the work we've undertaken will be, you know, worthwhile for us.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58The trip is looking worthwhile so far, as Ewart has arrived
0:28:58 > 0:29:00at Christine Govey's house,
0:29:00 > 0:29:02and she and her husband are happy to meet him.
0:29:05 > 0:29:10Did your father have any brothers and sisters?
0:29:10 > 0:29:14Yes, he had one brother who was two years younger.
0:29:14 > 0:29:15And his name was?
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Ronald.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21When was the last time you had contact with him?
0:29:21 > 0:29:25Just after my father died, ten and a half years ago.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29- Right.- Strange man. And his cats.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Hundreds and hundreds of cats.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36Christine didn't see her uncle for several years before his death.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41However, she is keen to see the certificates Ewart has collected.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43This is the birth of...
0:29:43 > 0:29:45- Your father.- My father. Yes.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52You're saying 1925.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54I thought he was born in 1926.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56That's when he was born.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59'25.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02It's funny how things change slightly.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05So you always thought it was 1926?
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Yeah, always.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Christine is the sole heir to Ronald's £30000, something that
0:30:12 > 0:30:17came as a surprise to her since she hadn't seen him for so long.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21I didn't really know if I'd ever find out what happened to him,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24to be honest, because we don't go in that area at all,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27don't know of anybody down there.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29All his neighbours - he had outlived everybody.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34So there was no way we'd ever know what happened to him,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37except now we do know.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40And I just think it's very sad that there was nobody...
0:30:40 > 0:30:44for him, near to him, you know.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Derek Rodbard of Heirtrace
0:30:52 > 0:30:55works on uniting descendants of Holocaust victims
0:30:55 > 0:30:57with money that belongs to their family.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01One of his cases was that of Ernst Hornung, a Jewish solicitor
0:31:01 > 0:31:04who left an unclaimed life insurance policy
0:31:04 > 0:31:08which could be worth between £20,000 and £50,000.
0:31:09 > 0:31:15We know that Ernst Hornung had a policy with Assicurazioni Generali.
0:31:15 > 0:31:20It was appropriated, or I should say stolen, by Mussolini in 1938
0:31:20 > 0:31:24and he dispossessed all the Jewish policy holders
0:31:24 > 0:31:29and split the proceeds basically between himself and Hitler.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33Ernst's assets had been stolen but, at this point in time,
0:31:33 > 0:31:35this was the least of his worries.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38He was on the run from the Nazis and had fled to Lvov
0:31:38 > 0:31:40in Russian-occupied Poland.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44The city had a strong connection with the Jewish community,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47as Rabbi Marcus of the Central London Synagogue explains.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Lvov is known as a major Jewish centre.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56In pre-war Europe,
0:31:56 > 0:32:02it was known as a place of a very, very vibrant Jewish community,
0:32:02 > 0:32:06extremely vibrant, with some very well-known personalities
0:32:06 > 0:32:08who lived there, some very great scholars.
0:32:08 > 0:32:13It was a place of learning and where there were books printed,
0:32:13 > 0:32:19and certainly a very, very productive and positive place.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24But in 1941, the Nazi army crossed over into Russian-occupied Poland
0:32:24 > 0:32:28and into Lvov, which was known as Lemberg to the Germans.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30This was a disaster for the Jewish community.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34Massacres were carried out by both the departing Russians
0:32:34 > 0:32:37and the advancing Germans in the city and the surrounding area.
0:32:38 > 0:32:45The once-vibrant, large community of Lvov was decimated
0:32:45 > 0:32:50and all those who'd had to flock there to find some kind of refuge
0:32:50 > 0:32:56were wiped out when the ghetto was liquidated.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00Otto Hornung, Ernst's son, knew his father was in danger
0:33:00 > 0:33:02and found out what had happened to him
0:33:02 > 0:33:05while he was fighting for the Allies in the Middle East.
0:33:05 > 0:33:12My father had the faith of all the Jewish people
0:33:12 > 0:33:16the Germans could get hold of in Lvov.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Lemberg.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23And he was lined up with the others and was shot.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27The loss of his father devastated Otto.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30He was an inspiration in everything I did.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33When he was not there, really I missed him.
0:33:33 > 0:33:41That was one of the reasons why I wanted to fight the Germans -
0:33:41 > 0:33:43my father.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46Lvov had seemed a safe haven for Ernst,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48but in fact it became the opposite.
0:33:48 > 0:33:53By the end of the war, there were only an estimated 3,400 Jews
0:33:53 > 0:33:58left in a city that had once boasted over 100,000.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06When Derek realised that Ernst's assets could be restored
0:34:06 > 0:34:10to his family, he contacted Otto immediately to inform him.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13I wrote to Otto because we always write first so that people
0:34:13 > 0:34:18have time to consider things, and he phoned me the next day.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21We had a lengthy conversation and it rapidly became apparent
0:34:21 > 0:34:24that he had the most amazing story to tell,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26and not just from his point of view,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29because his father had been very enterprising.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32What's more, his mother was amazing, a most doughty fighter,
0:34:32 > 0:34:34an incredibly brave woman.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37She must have been the most amazing character.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45While her husband was in Poland and her son fighting all over Europe,
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Aranka Hornung, Otto's mother,
0:34:47 > 0:34:52was left to look after her daughter Kitty in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55It was becoming an increasingly dangerous place for a Jewish woman,
0:34:55 > 0:35:00and a letter from her sister in Hungary prompted her to drastic action.
0:35:01 > 0:35:07She had to have the permission of the Germans to go to Hungary
0:35:07 > 0:35:10and therefore she went to the Gestapo.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15She dressed up as if she was going to a ball
0:35:15 > 0:35:18and she used her best perfume.
0:35:18 > 0:35:23She looked like a film star.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27As a Jewish woman entering the Gestapo headquarters to ask to leave the country,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Aranka could not have been making herself more visible
0:35:30 > 0:35:35in a time when keeping a low profile could make the difference between life and death.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39And she said,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42"Major, please,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45"could I have a permit
0:35:45 > 0:35:51"to travel with my daughter to Hungary?"
0:35:51 > 0:35:54The colonel looked at her and said,
0:35:54 > 0:35:59"I am not an absolute idiot, but I'll tell you something.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04"I shall give you the permit for only one reason."
0:36:06 > 0:36:09"I admire your courage."
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Once in Hungary, Aranka knew that she and her daughter Kitty
0:36:13 > 0:36:16still weren't safe, but help was at hand
0:36:16 > 0:36:20in the form of a renegade Swedish diplomat called Raoul Wallenberg.
0:36:22 > 0:36:27Raoul Wallenberg, for us, is one of the great heroes,
0:36:27 > 0:36:29one of the great men of courage,
0:36:29 > 0:36:34the man who not only saved people but saved our faith in humanity.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Raoul Wallenberg's work to save thousands of Jews in Hungary
0:36:39 > 0:36:42was to have a direct impact on the Hornung family.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48He was driven by...
0:36:48 > 0:36:52the finest and most noble of all human drives,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55and that is the value of human life.
0:36:55 > 0:37:01They created all these safe homes where Jews were put with others,
0:37:01 > 0:37:07he gave out these special documents which allowed them free passage,
0:37:07 > 0:37:12because basically all these Hungarian Jews now became Swedish citizens.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16That was what he in fact did by handing out these documentations
0:37:16 > 0:37:19so that the Germans couldn't actually transport them.
0:37:19 > 0:37:25By 1944, over 400,000 Jews had been transported from Hungary
0:37:25 > 0:37:28to the death camps in Poland.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32The ship's passes that Wallenberg issued to thousands of Hungarian Jews
0:37:32 > 0:37:36identified the bearers as Swedish citizens awaiting repatriation,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39which prevented them from being deported,
0:37:39 > 0:37:42sometimes at the very final moment.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45He was also seen at the train station
0:37:45 > 0:37:50where people were already on transports
0:37:50 > 0:37:54and, despite obvious threat to his own life from German officers,
0:37:54 > 0:37:57was actually handing out these visas, these documents,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00to people on the trains and pulling them off the train.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03According to most historians and others,
0:38:03 > 0:38:07he probably managed to give out documents
0:38:07 > 0:38:12and save close to 100,000 human beings.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16Otto's mother Aranka obtained papers from Wallenberg
0:38:16 > 0:38:20which meant she could live in a Swedish-owned safe house.
0:38:20 > 0:38:26That is the so-called Swedish passport of Wallenberg.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31He has signed it and...
0:38:33 > 0:38:38It gives the name, the date of birth, and where she was born,
0:38:38 > 0:38:43and she signed it in the name of Doctor -
0:38:43 > 0:38:47as she was advised it would be more important -
0:38:47 > 0:38:51Doctor Aranka Hornung.
0:38:51 > 0:38:56Why he is a hero is because he didn't have to do what he did.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58He didn't have to be in Hungary in the first place.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02He could've easily sat out the war years in Sweden,
0:39:02 > 0:39:06but he chose to do what he did, to go to Budapest
0:39:06 > 0:39:10at a time when the situation was extremely critical,
0:39:10 > 0:39:14for Jewish people mainly, and he did what he did.
0:39:14 > 0:39:19So, if you want a real hero, look at Wallenberg.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22In Marylebone in London, a statue of Wallenberg
0:39:22 > 0:39:25pays tribute to his amazing achievement.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28He stands tall on 100,000 ship's passes,
0:39:28 > 0:39:30each representing a life saved.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34Amongst them, Aranka and Kitty Hornung.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41By the time the war had ended,
0:39:41 > 0:39:45Otto hadn't seen his sister or mother for six years.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50I did all I could to get the family together.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55I came to the house of my uncle where she was staying.
0:39:55 > 0:40:00She saw me but she didn't recognise me,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03so I said, "How are you, Mother?"
0:40:03 > 0:40:06and went over and gave her a kiss.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09That's how I found her.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14Having united his family, Otto went back to Czechoslovakia
0:40:14 > 0:40:19and worked as a journalist, but life was tough in his now-Communist homeland,
0:40:19 > 0:40:23and he moved to England in the 1960s, where he remained.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36Today, Derek is going to see Otto to finalise details
0:40:36 > 0:40:40so that he can act on his behalf to claim the money
0:40:40 > 0:40:43from his father, Ernst Hornung's insurance policy.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46It'll be the first time the two have met.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52I'm very excited that I'm actually going to meet Otto in person.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55The striking thing about the Hornung family
0:40:55 > 0:40:58is the strength of character of all of them.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02Sometimes we say a family was very strong and so on,
0:41:02 > 0:41:06but basically we may mean the mother or the father
0:41:06 > 0:41:10but, in this case, every single family member...
0:41:10 > 0:41:13fought, and showed huge strength of character.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26This is the thing, Otto, which I find so really inspiring.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28You went through all these things during the war,
0:41:28 > 0:41:30a huge lot of things during the war.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33You faced up to the most amazing situations.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37In other words, you survived, and we admire survivors, of course.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41And I've dealt with a lot of cases like this, and yours is unique
0:41:41 > 0:41:46in the sense that three members of your family have survived.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49I deal with lots of cases where only one has survived
0:41:49 > 0:41:53because they came on the Kindertransport or something like that,
0:41:53 > 0:41:59but for virtually all the family to survive except your father is truly remarkable.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03With Otto's mother and sister now deceased,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05he is the sole beneficiary.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09Until the claim comes back, he won't know how much it is worth,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14but Derek's work to unite Otto with his father's assets
0:42:14 > 0:42:17has a value far beyond the monetary gain.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21I was surprised that this exists
0:42:21 > 0:42:25and I was very happy, not because of the money,
0:42:25 > 0:42:29but because of the fact that I was given back
0:42:29 > 0:42:32a piece of my father's work,
0:42:32 > 0:42:37and that is why I appreciate Derek's work so much.
0:42:37 > 0:42:42Derek is looking after the little man.
0:42:42 > 0:42:47Honesty is returning to this world.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54If you would like advice about building a family tree
0:42:54 > 0:42:57or making a will, go to...
0:43:09 > 0:43:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:12 > 0:43:15E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk