0:00:01 > 0:00:05Every year in the UK, 12,000 people die with no will
0:00:05 > 0:00:07and no obvious relatives.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Tracking down their long-lost families is a job for the Heir Hunters.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:30 > 0:00:32On today's programme:
0:00:32 > 0:00:35with the competition hot on their heels,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38the heir hunters are involved in a nail-biting chase.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42I don't know. I don't know who that is.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47And the search for beneficiaries of a £250,000 estate
0:00:47 > 0:00:50reveals a dark family history.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54It didn't actually say that she was a prostitute,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58but from what they said and what was subsequently found out,
0:00:58 > 0:00:59that's what she was.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03And we'll have details of some of the hundreds of estates
0:01:03 > 0:01:05still waiting to be claimed.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Could you be in line for a windfall?
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Approximately two-thirds of people in the UK
0:01:14 > 0:01:16don't have a current will.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17If they die without making one,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21their money could end up going to the government.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Last year alone, the Treasury made a staggering £18 million
0:01:26 > 0:01:31from unclaimed estates. That's where the heir hunters step in.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35More than 30 companies make it their job to trace the long-lost relatives.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39As they charge a commission, it's a rewarding business.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Last year between them they returned £6 million to the rightful heirs.
0:01:47 > 0:01:53It's 7.00am Thursday and this week's Treasury list of unclaimed estates has just been released.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57It's a frantic time in the office of Fraser and Fraser.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02With over 30 rival firms also poring over the same list at the same time,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04they need to work quickly.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09Despite their efforts, Charles Fraser and his team aren't progressing very fast.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11None of you have got anything here.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14It's a bit of a dog's dinner.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17We've got a lot of cases this morning
0:02:17 > 0:02:21where a lot of the deceased appear to be living in nursing homes
0:02:21 > 0:02:26so we've got to wait until the nursing home opens, really.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Then we can call them and ask for information about the person who's died.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33The Treasury's list doesn't give the value of an estate.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36So when there's only a nursing home as an address,
0:02:36 > 0:02:41it's difficult to decide which are going to be the most lucrative cases to follow.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45But what they do know is that every case on the list
0:02:45 > 0:02:47has to be worth at least £5,000.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52And that money will end up in the government coffers if heirs aren't found.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Let's try and allocate some of these to you all.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03One of Fraser and Fraser's longest-serving case managers, David Pacifico,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05is assigned the estate of George Thomas Cashmore.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Like many of the cases advertised today, George died in a nursing home.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17He was 81 years old, had no known family,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and a history of mental illness.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25When George first came to the home, we didn't know much about him.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28We were aware from his doctor
0:03:28 > 0:03:31that he had a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Then he went on to be diagnosed with dementia.
0:03:34 > 0:03:40But George had obviously got a lifetime of experience
0:03:40 > 0:03:43that he'd got locked within him.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47George fought in Germany during the Second World War.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Although no longer able to talk about his past,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Jean noticed how he would react to certain songs.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59When they were singing the Vera Lynn songs and things like that,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01they'd got their flags and they were all...
0:04:01 > 0:04:04George actually took part in that.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08So although he couldn't tell us what the feelings were,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13we could see that he was having such a memorable time.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16George suffered from psychological problems,
0:04:16 > 0:04:21but no-one knew what caused them or how long he'd suffered.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24As he died without leaving a will,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27the team start investigating his case.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31They uncover an address he lived at before the nursing home.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36If he owned the property, the value of the estate could be higher than they first thought.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Needing to check this out straight away, company partner Charles
0:04:40 > 0:04:44calls up one of his team who's based in Birmingham.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47So, Waverley Road. It's Cashmore, yeah.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Probate research doesn't just happen in the office.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Up and down the country, there are a number of travelling heir hunters
0:04:58 > 0:05:00employed by the company.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03They pick up records, talk to neighbours about the deceased
0:05:03 > 0:05:05and make door-to-door enquiries.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09But their key role is signing up heirs before the competition.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14Ex-police officer Paul Matthews has been handling cases around his home in Birmingham
0:05:14 > 0:05:19for the past eight years. Eager to establish if the estate is worth anything,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Paul wants to find out if George Cashmore owned a property.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The office have come up with an address in Small Heath.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32We're not sure whether he owned the property or rented it.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35The first thing to do is put a value on the estate
0:05:35 > 0:05:38to see if it's viable and worth doing.
0:05:38 > 0:05:44Just because somebody dies in squalid conditions or a care home
0:05:44 > 0:05:46or with no outward signs of wealth
0:05:46 > 0:05:49it doesn't mean they haven't been a hard saver all their life
0:05:49 > 0:05:51or haven't inherited off somebody.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54With Paul heading off in search of clues,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56the office are starting to draw up a family tree
0:05:56 > 0:06:00and already they've found some vital information.
0:06:00 > 0:06:06By cross-referencing George's birth certificate with the census and electoral rolls,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09they have their first breakthrough in this case.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Could they have already uncovered some of George's heirs?
0:06:14 > 0:06:18George was the son of Thomas Cashmore and Clara Hawkins,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20who had an older sister, Rose.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Rose died in 2008
0:06:23 > 0:06:25but had five children.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27They would be George's nieces and nephews
0:06:27 > 0:06:30and could all be entitled to a share of the estate.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Using the electoral roll,
0:06:32 > 0:06:37case manager David Pacifico has already found a phone number for one of the potential heirs.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41So I'm just gonna phone up what I hope might be a nephew
0:06:41 > 0:06:46and if it's correct, try and get an appointment for Paul Matthews to go and see him.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49With David following up leads in the office,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53out on the road, Paul's arrived at George's old street.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56KNOCKS DOOR
0:06:58 > 0:07:01..George Cashmore, an old bloke.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02No?
0:07:02 > 0:07:05OK. Cheers. Thank you.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Back in the office, things are moving fast.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13It's only 9.00am, but David has already managed to speak to an heir,
0:07:13 > 0:07:14George's nephew, Brian.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18It's come to our attention your uncle's passed away,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20it would seem without leaving a valid will
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and, it was thought, without any known next-of-kin.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31He discovers that George's mental illness only occurred after the Second World War.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36So could it have been caused by his experiences on the front line?
0:07:36 > 0:07:39One person who has a wealth of knowledge on this subject
0:07:39 > 0:07:44is Terry Charman, senior historian at the Imperial War Museum.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48It wasn't just the scenes of combat, of losing your comrades,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51seeing civilians massacred
0:07:51 > 0:07:55and the results of artillery fire, that type of thing,
0:07:55 > 0:08:00but also the deliberate atrocities committed by the Nazis in the concentration camps.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05I think that many of the troops that eye-witnessed, for example, the liberation of Belsen
0:08:05 > 0:08:07and the horrific scenes there
0:08:07 > 0:08:12suffered terribly from this in post-war years.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Over 5.5 million troops fought in the Second World War.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Nearly 300,000 lost their lives
0:08:20 > 0:08:25and those servicemen returning home had to deal with what they had witnessed.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30You'd have to have been a very hard and tough personality
0:08:30 > 0:08:35not to have been affected by the sight of your comrades being killed, wounded in action,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40or to view the other sights like the atrocities of the concentration camps.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43I think a lot of people, perhaps even now,
0:08:43 > 0:08:47are suffering from the emotional problems of things that they experienced
0:08:47 > 0:08:49during the Second World War.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52It's come back to haunt them, perhaps, in old age.
0:08:52 > 0:08:58So could this be the answer behind George Cashmore's late onset of schizophrenia?
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Were his experiences enough to trigger his mental illness?
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Having already traced one of George's heirs,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09it seems like it's going to be a straightforward case.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12But nothing is ever that easy.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Another heir-hunting company is hot on their heels.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18I've just spoken to the nephew.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23I want to get Paul Matthews to contact him direct straightaway.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28But Paul is still busy trying to discover if anyone remembers the deceased.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32- Was that George? - I never knew George.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36- DIALLING TONE - All David can do is keep calling.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Not doing too well at the moment, I'm afraid.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Other companies are on to this
0:09:43 > 0:09:49and I need him urgently to go round and see somebody who I think is at home now.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Worried that the competition will beat them to it,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55David goes to see Charles.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57INAUDIBLE
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Paul Matthews, is he doing anything else?
0:10:00 > 0:10:04He's not answering his phone. There's other companies on to it.
0:10:04 > 0:10:05The wife gave me his mobile
0:10:05 > 0:10:09and I'm wanting Paul to see him literally as soon as possible.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12I can't do any more until he phones in.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- We've put an All Persons Bulletin out.- I know.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19At last, Paul is back in the car.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23His enquiries have discovered that George only rented at the property.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25He calls into the office to update them.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30You must have dozens of messages there, or missed calls.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33It might not seem like much time has passed,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36but when they are racing to sign up heirs ahead of the competition,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38every second counts.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43'A few minutes ago I spoke to the nephew and I said you'd phone him direct on his mobile.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45'I'm hoping you can see him at work.'
0:10:45 > 0:10:47With competition hotting up,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49will they reach the heirs in time?
0:10:49 > 0:10:54And will Paul be able to unlock the mystery of George's mental health?
0:10:55 > 0:10:59'He used to come and visit when I was a teenager, to the house.'
0:10:59 > 0:11:04But she dreaded him coming because of his mental disability.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Piecing together separated families is the daily work of the heir hunters.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20But few cases involve nobility.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24So when the name of a lord appeared on the Treasury's list of unclaimed estates,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28there was excitement in the office.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32But it's not just the thrill of working on a case involving blue blood.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37It was a lord leaving a fortune of a quarter of a million pounds.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40This really was a rare treasure for Fraser and Fraser.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44When we first saw this case advertised as Lord Ravencastle,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47my first thought was, "Brilliant. We're gonna work a lord."
0:11:47 > 0:11:49That would be fabulous. Great fun.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54Lord Ravenscastle wasn't the only noble name the deceased went by.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00At some stage in the past he'd adopted Raymond Ravenscastle, or Count Ravenscastle,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02as he liked to call himself.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05He said he had all the paperwork
0:12:05 > 0:12:08to support that, but I never questioned it, you know.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11I thought I'd let him have his fantasy!
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Half the office were arguing it'd be a titled individual,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17and half were saying, "No chance, it's all made up."
0:12:17 > 0:12:21I didn't really go with him being titled.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I went for it being an ordinary folk.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29I never like it when Grimble's right, but I was a bit disappointed.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33It would have been so nice to say, "We've done the family of Lord Ravencastle",
0:12:33 > 0:12:36but it's not the way it goes sometimes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40It turned out that he had just appointed himself the title of lord
0:12:40 > 0:12:44and his name was merely Raymond Ravenscastle.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Either way, the fact still remained that he'd died without leaving a will
0:12:49 > 0:12:52and the lordly sum of a quarter of a million pounds
0:12:52 > 0:12:55would go to the Treasury unless his rightful heirs were found.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02Raymond Ravenscastle died alone aged 70 at his home in Oxford.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07A colourful character, he was well known in the local community.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Anybody who lived in Boars Hill
0:13:09 > 0:13:13eventually got to see and hear about and to know Ray.
0:13:13 > 0:13:19The pedestrians would be open-jawed in amazement when he went by.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23He looked like Yul Brynner in a black tracksuit.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I think he used to play up to it.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29But there was more to Raymond than his unconventional appearance.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36An event was organised at a house on Boars Hill where there is a superb grand piano.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39It was all organised, then a few days beforehand, Ray said,
0:13:39 > 0:13:44"I'm going to play a tribute. I've composed a tribute."
0:13:44 > 0:13:49So, with heart in mouth, we let him play after the interval.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54And I'm not a musical person so I can't criticise or comment, really,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56but I thought it was brilliant.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01PLAYS FLAMBOYANTLY AND WITH SKILL
0:14:05 > 0:14:10It was just like you'd hear a grand pianist in a concert playing.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Fantastic, yeah. Self-taught, too.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Despite being well known in the neighbourhood,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32Raymond died alone and his body was left undiscovered for weeks.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33We all feel guilty
0:14:33 > 0:14:36that we didn't know he'd died until a long time afterwards
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and he may well have been dead for weeks before he was discovered.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Nobody knew because he didn't mix with anybody by then
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and so nobody had any particular reason to go and check up on him.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51So why did this charismatic and flamboyant character
0:14:51 > 0:14:54die without any family around him?
0:14:54 > 0:14:59And who was entitled to the £250,000 fortune he left behind?
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Was someone who didn't even know about Raymond Ravenscastle's existence
0:15:03 > 0:15:06in line for a life-changing windfall?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09His friends knew nothing about his family.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15He always created the impression that there was nobody at all.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18He had no mother and father that he could recall,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21he had no brothers and sisters, had never been married,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24didn't have a relationship with anybody.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26So who was this elusive character?
0:15:32 > 0:15:36One of the company's longest-serving case managers, David Milchard,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40known in the office as Grimble, takes up the challenge to find out.
0:15:40 > 0:15:46For heir hunters, the death certificate is their first tool in tracking down heirs.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50As well as the date of death, it normally gives a date of birth.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55Using this information, probate researchers can trawl the archives
0:15:55 > 0:15:57and find corresponding records.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02The birth certificate gives them a place of birth and the names of parents.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04So a family tree can begin to take shape.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Grimble's research discovers that our "lord", far from being an aristocrat,
0:16:10 > 0:16:16was born simply Raymond Torrence, and was the son of Robina Torrence.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Once we knew of the birth in the name of Torrence,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22when we got the certificate,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26it showed that there was no father.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29There was the mother's name,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33so we thought immediately that this is an illegitimate birth.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35With no father to investigate,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Grimble turns his attention to the maternal side of the tree.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Raymond's mother was Robina Torrence,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46the daughter of James Torrence and Agnes Dickson.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49She was born in Ayr, Scotland, in 1913
0:16:49 > 0:16:52and was the second youngest of their eight children.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Grimble discovers that all of Robina's siblings have died
0:16:57 > 0:16:59so it was their children, Raymond's cousins,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03who were the potential heirs to his £250,000 estate.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08One heir was Elsie Powers.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Her grandmother, Isabella, was Raymond's aunt.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Elsie had never even heard of Raymond.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18So when an heir hunter knocked on her door,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and told her that she could be entitled to a share of his fortune,
0:17:21 > 0:17:26neither her nor her husband, Fred, could quite believe it.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30I thought it was a joke. I told her it was a joke. I said, "There's somebody at it!"
0:17:30 > 0:17:35When I heard the name Raymond Maynard, I thought they'd got the wrong person.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Would nae be looking for me because I'd never heard that name before.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42I think she was only 18 there.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46I knew it must be something to do with my mother
0:17:46 > 0:17:50because I never knew that side of the family.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56And the mystery surrounding that side of the family was getting more interesting.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00With no father on the birth certificate,
0:18:00 > 0:18:05the team have no choice but to look for heirs on the maternal side of the family only.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11Until they uncover a very unusual twist in the tale.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Raymond had a second birth certificate,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17registered 15 years after his first.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21This time, the father's name is entered. Raymond Maynard.
0:18:23 > 0:18:29Now, this certificate is signed by both the mother and the father.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35Which indicates that the couple were not married at the time.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39So who was the man now claiming to be Raymond's father?
0:18:39 > 0:18:42In an attempt to find out more,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Grimble calls Robina's family.
0:18:44 > 0:18:51Robina, the mother, according to the family, she basically left Scotland.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56Robina had fallen out with her family and moved to the bright lights of London,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00perhaps in search of a more fruitful or glamorous life.
0:19:01 > 0:19:08There is a popular historical image of Britain and Londoners in particular
0:19:08 > 0:19:10loosening moral restraint
0:19:10 > 0:19:14and having a good time and a good sexual time
0:19:14 > 0:19:17as a result of the war.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22And Grimble finds out more intriguing information about Robina.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27They intimated, according to the life she was involved in,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30although they didn't actually say she was a prostitute,
0:19:30 > 0:19:35certainly from what they said and what was subsequently found out, that's what she was.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39The sex trade in London and in areas like this,
0:19:39 > 0:19:44in Soho, was complexly organised,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46nasty, brutish,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51particularly for women, and it was a thriving big business.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55But the story was about to get even more mysterious.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00The heir hunters had already found some potential heirs to Raymond's £250,000 estate.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05But family-held secrets would take them deep into the criminal underworld.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10We've dealt with families that have been on the edge of crime and things,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14but to be heavily involved in the Mafia,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16a Sicilian family,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19if there had been a lot of family still around,
0:20:19 > 0:20:24I think I would have volunteered one of the others to go and sign him!
0:20:32 > 0:20:33For every case that is solved,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37there are still thousands that remain a mystery.
0:20:37 > 0:20:44Currently, over 3,000 names drawn from across the country are on the Treasury's unsolved case list.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Their assets will be kept for up to 30 years
0:20:48 > 0:20:51in the hope that eventually, someone will remember
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and come forward to claim their inheritance.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00With estates valued at anything from 5,000 to millions of pounds,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02the rightful heirs are out there somewhere.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Today, we've got two cases heir hunters have so far failed to solve.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Could you be the key?
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Could you be in line for a pay-out?
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Joyce Mary Kilner died in Urmston in Manchester
0:21:19 > 0:21:21on 30 December 2004.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Was Joyce a friend or neighbour of yours?
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Could you even be related to her
0:21:27 > 0:21:29and entitled to her legacy?
0:21:29 > 0:21:34Hetty Florence May Liebek passed away on 25 September 2006
0:21:34 > 0:21:36in Worthing.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40So far, every attempt to find her rightful heir has failed.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44If no relatives can be found, her money will go to the government.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46But could it be meant for you?
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Fraser and Fraser are investigating the case of George Cashmore.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Why did he die alone in a nursing home with no family around him?
0:22:00 > 0:22:03And what caused his mental health problems?
0:22:03 > 0:22:08Hoping to unlock the mystery, senior case manager David Pacifico
0:22:08 > 0:22:11has begun tracing his heirs and finds a nephew.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14One of the children is called Brian Gillen.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19But with other probate research companies also working on the case,
0:22:19 > 0:22:24it's vital for travelling heir hunter Paul Matthews to make contact with him first.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26DIALLING TONE
0:22:26 > 0:22:28- 'Hello?'- Hello. Mr Gillen?
0:22:28 > 0:22:32- 'Yes.'- Paul Matthews from Fraser and Fraser.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Paul Matthews wastes no time heading over to see him.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Worried other heir hunters may be trying to contact him at work,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Paul arranges to meet Brian outside.
0:22:49 > 0:22:55And it's here he starts to piece together the details of George's troubled past.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58- Your Uncle George, you don't know when he was born.- No.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Do you know anything about him? He was a bachelor. Where did he live?
0:23:02 > 0:23:05He lived in Windmill Lane, Smethwick, in a flat.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08What was your memories of George?
0:23:08 > 0:23:11He suffered with schizophrenic.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Something happened while he was in the army, with a girl.
0:23:16 > 0:23:22- He never forgot it.- Oh, right. - I think it sent his mind funny ways.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- Was he all right before that? - Perfect, yeah.- Was he?- Perfect, yes.
0:23:25 > 0:23:31Has George's nephew unlocked the mystery of his mental health?
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Could a war-time relationship really be responsible?
0:23:34 > 0:23:37'In some cases,'
0:23:37 > 0:23:40fraternisation with German girls was frowned upon
0:23:40 > 0:23:44and looked down upon by some of the British troops
0:23:44 > 0:23:48who thought, having seen all the horrors of the camps and this type of thing
0:23:48 > 0:23:54and having endured a lot of hard fighting against the Germans in north-west Europe,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57nearly a year between D-Day and VE Day.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59And in some cases there was the feeling
0:23:59 > 0:24:05that German women and girls, by getting a British or an American boyfriend,
0:24:05 > 0:24:12was somehow cosseting them from the rest of the population.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16And indeed, perhaps providing them with protection as well.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Armed with his new information, Paul calls David.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27But he has news of his own.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30He spoke about his Uncle Norman, did he, to you?
0:24:30 > 0:24:33He said he died during the war. Didn't know much about him.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37For your information, he was born as Norman Harold Hawkins,
0:24:37 > 0:24:42which was before the parents' marriage.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46David Pacifico discovered that George's mother, Clara,
0:24:46 > 0:24:48gave birth to a son, Norman Hawkins,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51before she married George's father.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56The team need to discover if he was adopted by George's father.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59If he was, his descendants would be heirs.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04They learn that Norman was a member of the British Royal Artillery
0:25:04 > 0:25:06and had served in the Second World War.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10In 1943, his family were sent a letter by the Red Cross
0:25:10 > 0:25:13informing them that he was missing, presumed dead.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Further digging reveals that Norman's name
0:25:16 > 0:25:21is on a list of those killed in the Ballale Massacre in March 1943.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Mary Baker's late husband, Alf,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29was also part of the regiment and documented the history of the tragedy
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and named those who lost their lives.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35And in the list is Hawkins N H,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Gunner, ninth coast, aged 23,
0:25:38 > 0:25:43as one of the 517 that were lost at Ballale.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47George's brother, Norman Hawkins,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50was one of 600 members of the British Royal Artillery
0:25:50 > 0:25:53who were captured by the Japanese in 1942.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Originally held in the Changi prisoner-of-war camp,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01they were then transported to Rabaul on the island of New Britain
0:26:01 > 0:26:02in Papua New Guinea.
0:26:02 > 0:26:08From there, 517 of the men were taken to Ballale in the Solomon Islands
0:26:08 > 0:26:11where they were forced by the Japanese to build an airstrip.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Mary's husband, Alf, was left behind in Rabaul
0:26:14 > 0:26:18so lived to tell the heart-breaking story of what happened next.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25Once the job was done, we believe that, if they hadn't been killed by bombing,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28they were executed.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33The office's research confirmed that George's older brother, Norman,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35was killed by the Japanese on the island.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37As he died without having any children,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40whether he was adopted by George's father or not,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42the only heirs to George's estate
0:26:42 > 0:26:45are now his half-sister Rose's five children.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53The search for them is coming together well.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58It's only 11.30 in the morning and Paul has managed to sign up one of them, nephew Brian.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02So we're doing very well today.
0:27:02 > 0:27:08Let's hope we get lucky and it's an estate that's worthwhile researching.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11So, yeah, the day's good so far.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15But Brian is only entitled to one-fifth of the estate.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18For the case to be worthwhile for the team,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22they need to try to sign up all five of the heirs.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26With the race still on for him to reach the others ahead of the competition,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30he dashes over to the house of Patricia, one of George's nieces.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Fraser and Fraser. Pleased to meet you.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38And he is only just in time as there is a rival heir hunter at the door.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I don't know who that is.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44With his competitor outside on the doorstep,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Patricia decides to sign up with Paul.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48If you sign there...
0:27:48 > 0:27:52When you're working these estates, time is very, very important.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57If you end up ten minutes further behind than where you should be,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01then he'd have been sitting in there seeing the heir while I'm at the door.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05It may be lunchtime, but there's no time for Paul to stop.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08He heads over to the office of Michael,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10another one of George's nephews.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15Like his brother, Brian, Michael remembers his troubled uncle.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18He used to come and visit when I was a teenager, to the house.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22He had this obsession for washing.
0:28:22 > 0:28:28He was always washing. He'd leave the taps running and I'd see the water coming out the bathroom.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33Psychological problems manifested themselves in George's day-to-day life.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36This odd and unpredictable behaviour
0:28:36 > 0:28:40may help to explain why his family had lost touch with him.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44It's over 40 years since the last time I saw him.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47So it is rather weird to get that phone call this morning,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49to find out he passed away.
0:28:49 > 0:28:55It was also weird cos my mother passed away last year as well.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58So it's uncanny that they both passed away the same year.
0:28:58 > 0:29:03George's nephew, Michael, agrees to sign with Fraser and Fraser.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07It's not even three o'clock and Paul has already achieved a hat trick.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11A good interview with the gentleman.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13He's happy for us to put forward his claim.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17So we've seen three people, we've signed all three.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20So it's Frasers three, the competition nil, which is good.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Back in the office, David checks in with Paul.
0:29:26 > 0:29:27Hello, Paul.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- I've seen Mr Gillen at work, Michael.- 'Yeah.'
0:29:30 > 0:29:34No problem. He's quite happy for us to put forward his claim.
0:29:34 > 0:29:39I've got a sporting chance. I'll try Janice later.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42- Catch up with you later or tomorrow. - Okey-cokey, Dave.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49Paul has just two more heirs to the Cashmore estate to sign up.
0:29:49 > 0:29:55As George's niece, Janice, works as a schoolteacher, Paul has to hang around until she gets home.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58And his wait is worth it.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00Not only does he get Janice's signature,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03he finds out more about George's troubled past.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06Paul Matthews, Fraser and Fraser. Pleased to meet you.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12He went into the army during the war.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14He was sent to Germany.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17He, um...
0:30:17 > 0:30:21fell in love with a German woman.
0:30:21 > 0:30:26And, um, on the boat back...
0:30:26 > 0:30:30because he'd fallen in love, he had such a severe beating
0:30:30 > 0:30:32that it caused his mental illness.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40He was severely beaten and he was tortured
0:30:40 > 0:30:42by his comrades.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45It caused him to be schizophrenic.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48George's colleagues viewed him as a traitor
0:30:48 > 0:30:52and couldn't forgive him for his relationship with a German girl.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56There was a feeling that these people had been responsible
0:30:56 > 0:30:59for bringing to the world so much death and destruction and misery.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03"How can we ever actually forgive them?"
0:31:03 > 0:31:05So Janice's final piece in the jigsaw
0:31:05 > 0:31:09helps the office unlock the mystery of George's mental health.
0:31:09 > 0:31:14The team's had a successful day - they've already signed four out of the five heirs.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16We're pleased at the outcome of this case,
0:31:16 > 0:31:21that we've been able to identify the next-of-kin and tell them
0:31:21 > 0:31:23the uncle had passed away
0:31:23 > 0:31:29and put a closure to that because maybe they were wondering what happened to him, things like that.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34'The good that's come out of the news today'
0:31:34 > 0:31:37is the knowledge for us that now they're all reconciled.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39They're all together again.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Nobody is suffering any more
0:31:42 > 0:31:48and they'll all know the answers to these questions they've pondered on for so many years.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Fraser and Fraser have already invested a good deal of time and resources
0:32:01 > 0:32:06on the case of Raymond Maynard, the self-appointed lord and local eccentric
0:32:06 > 0:32:10who died in Oxford in February 2009 without leaving a will.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14His estate is worth a massive quarter of a million pounds,
0:32:14 > 0:32:16a life-changing sum
0:32:16 > 0:32:21which would end up in the Treasury coffers if the rightful heirs aren't found.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25As heir hunters work on commission, they have a huge incentive to track them down.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28They found heirs on Raymond's mother's side
0:32:28 > 0:32:35but who was his father? And why did he wait 15 years before he put his name on Raymond's birth certificate?
0:32:35 > 0:32:40Grimble had discovered that Raymond's mother, Robina, was involved in the sex industry.
0:32:40 > 0:32:47Nobody actually came out with "She was a prostitute", but from what we found out,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49it's obvious she was heavily involved.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52Police documents held at the National Archive
0:32:52 > 0:32:56show Robina had 32 convictions for working the streets.
0:32:57 > 0:33:03The documents also revealed that she was involved with one of the most notorious crime dynasties
0:33:03 > 0:33:05ever to plague London's streets,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07the Messinas.
0:33:07 > 0:33:13Five Mediterranean brothers who'd built up a multi-million-pound empire of vice in London.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21The Messinas come to London in the late 1930s
0:33:21 > 0:33:24and they intervene in the trade in a number of ways
0:33:24 > 0:33:31by increasing the amount of strong-arm tactics, violence,
0:33:31 > 0:33:36bullying and gang-style control of street women.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40So how was Robina involved with the Messinas?
0:33:40 > 0:33:44Records show one of the brothers, Attilio Messina,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47had been convicted of living off her immoral earnings.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50But her family suggested there was more to her relationship.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56It must have been more than just pimp/prostitute.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00Cos after all, members of her mother's family had met him.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03There's a bigger story there somewhere.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10Police intelligence records reveal that the couple lived together as man and wife
0:34:10 > 0:34:14and that Attilio paid for Raymond's private education at a top boarding school.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16With Attilio playing happy families,
0:34:16 > 0:34:18where was Raymond's father?
0:34:18 > 0:34:21And why did he wait until Raymond was 15
0:34:21 > 0:34:24before putting his name on the birth certificate?
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Grimble had a name. Raymond Maynard.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30But his research keeps leading to dead ends.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34So knowing about Raymond's mother's criminal connections,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Grimble decides to look up the name Raymond Maynard in the police records
0:34:38 > 0:34:41and makes a surprising discovery.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43I went through the police records
0:34:43 > 0:34:47and we identified a Raymond Maynard.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50At that stage, you wouldn't know whether he was our guy or not.
0:34:50 > 0:34:55But it turns out this particular one we followed through
0:34:55 > 0:34:58was also known as Attilio Messina.
0:35:01 > 0:35:06Grimble discovers that Attilio Messina also went by the name of Raymond Maynard.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10In fact, all the Messina brothers adopted English sounding names
0:35:10 > 0:35:12in an attempt to blend in.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18So why would Attilio now be claiming to be Raymond Jnr's father?
0:35:18 > 0:35:22Grimble has his own theory as to why he wanted to register the birth.
0:35:23 > 0:35:28The Messina family were having a running conflict with the Home Office.
0:35:28 > 0:35:33I think they were being deported for their criminal life.
0:35:33 > 0:35:39The fact that he got this declaration I think was probably an attempt
0:35:39 > 0:35:44to show to the authorities that he's got a child
0:35:44 > 0:35:48and that's one reason why he shouldn't be deported.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54The Messinas were facing deportation after an expose in the press.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59A front-page exclusive detailed their vice trade activities
0:35:59 > 0:36:02and forced the police to take action against them.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08The brothers ended up in court and the authorities started moves to deport them.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12It is around this time that Raymond's birth is re-registered.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16Could it have been a further attempt of the Messinas to flout the law?
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Whatever the truth, the birth certificate is a legal document
0:36:21 > 0:36:26so in the eyes of the law, Attilio Messina, who also went by the name of Raymond Maynard,
0:36:26 > 0:36:28was Raymond's father.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31And this meant that any of his living relatives
0:36:31 > 0:36:34would be entitled to a share of Raymond's estate.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41Grimble now has the task of finding out if there are any heirs descended from these gangsters.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46Luckily for him, the police records already have most of the information he needs.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51It was good to see all those records from so many years ago
0:36:51 > 0:36:57compiled by the Foreign Office or whoever was trying to deport them.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02They've obviously had to go in depth into the family background.
0:37:02 > 0:37:08So you get a lot of information there, which for genealogies would be marvellous!
0:37:08 > 0:37:13If every time you had something like that, half your work would be done.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18But once you get to the stage where they must have been deported,
0:37:18 > 0:37:19zilch, nothing.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24After they were deported, most of the brothers moved to San Remo in Italy.
0:37:24 > 0:37:30Further investigations by Grimble showed that all five of the Messina brothers
0:37:30 > 0:37:33and their sister, Emma, had died without having any children.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37So the Messina stem of the family tree had died out.
0:37:37 > 0:37:43None of Raymond's £250,000 estate would be going to the descendants of these gangsters.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47We've dealt with families that have been on the edge of crime and things like that,
0:37:47 > 0:37:52but to be heavily involved in the Mafia, a Sicilian family,
0:37:52 > 0:37:56if there had been a lot of family still around,
0:37:56 > 0:38:01I think I would have volunteered one of the others to go and sign them!
0:38:02 > 0:38:07In the end, all of Raymond's heirs are on the maternal side of the family.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10Raymond's mother, Robina, was one of eight children.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15It is her nephews and nieces and their children, all 23 of them,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17who are entitled to a share of the estate.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Elsie Powers, the granddaughter of Robina's sister, Isabella,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25is one such heir.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29She knows very little about her mother's side of the family.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31I was really glad when they contacted me.
0:38:31 > 0:38:38Really glad, because it let me know a side of the family that I never knew existed.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Because I always knew just the one side of the family.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47Keen to know more about her mysterious cousin and benefactor,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Elsie travelled to Oxford with her husband.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54I'd like to find out what he done for a living
0:38:54 > 0:38:57and who all his friends were.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Um, how long he's been here
0:38:59 > 0:39:01in this area.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Elsie and Fred met up with Raymond's neighbours.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11This is the photo album, as it says, which we found in the house
0:39:11 > 0:39:16in a locked cupboard on the side of the stairs, going upstairs.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20- Wow! Look at him. - These are photographs of Ray.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24- Right.- His eyebrows were remarkable because they were painted on.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26- Tattooed on.- Tattooed. - His head was tattooed.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29- His head was tattooed. - Who's he like?- Like Roy.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Does he remind you of people?
0:39:31 > 0:39:34- He looks like my brother.- Really?
0:39:34 > 0:39:37It puts a face to the name
0:39:37 > 0:39:39that I never knew.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45He does look awful like my young brother.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50There's a canny resemblance to him.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52It's a good picture, if you take away the hair.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57If you took away the hair and made him a bit fatter, that's what he looked like.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00To me, he's part of the family now.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04He's a family member. It's just a shame we never knew that.
0:40:04 > 0:40:10How did he start out? Did he go to college or go to university?
0:40:10 > 0:40:15He gradually worked his way through three separate psychiatric nursing levels.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23And then he applied to go to what is now called Harris Manchester College.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27It was then called just Manchester College in Oxford.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29He went there as a mature student
0:40:29 > 0:40:33and then he transferred from there to Oriel College
0:40:33 > 0:40:36and eventually took his degree.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41The Messinas' money paid for Raymond's school education.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43Despite his unconventional upbringing,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46he ended up studying at Oxford University.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50It is believed that he taught Sociology after he graduated.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53In 1982,
0:40:53 > 0:40:55he bought a three-bedroomed house,
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Wuthering Heights in Oxford.
0:40:57 > 0:41:03It was as eccentric as the man himself, and Ray's friend Kate O'Kane showed Elsie around.
0:41:03 > 0:41:09- Have you not seen the house before? - No. I didn't even know that he existed.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14- So this is the house.- Oh, yes.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18It's always been blue and yellow, ever since I've known it.
0:41:18 > 0:41:19Right.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24It is colourful!
0:41:27 > 0:41:29He was a colourful character.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35Despite the house having three bedrooms, Raymond chose to live in the garage,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38renting rooms in the house to people in dire straits,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40mainly ex-psychiatric patients.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43He saw it as his public duty.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45He moved into here.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48- Did he?- Yes. Now, this was the garage.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52- His heater's up on the wall. - My, it's so...
0:41:53 > 0:41:55This is where he lived.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Goodness.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Got a little stove or something.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06Raymond lived in the garage to help other people.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10Now his quarter-of-a-million-pound estate will go on to benefit others.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14I think it's sad he lived here on his own.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18Just a pity we didnae get to know him, really.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21And be able to talk.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25But no-one really got to know Raymond that well.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30He was a complex man, haunted by dark family secrets
0:42:30 > 0:42:32which he kept locked within himself.
0:42:32 > 0:42:37He was a great eccentric who died as he lived, in a way.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41And who I don't think would have wanted it any other way.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44That's what he chose and that's what happened.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56If you'd like to find out more about how to build a family tree
0:42:56 > 0:43:00or write a will, go to:
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd