0:00:02 > 0:00:06The heir hunters are working on a tricky case worth an estimated £80,000.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11'Change of plan, we need you to go towards the Northeast of England.'
0:00:12 > 0:00:18They're in a race against time to find relatives who have no idea they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39On today's show:
0:00:39 > 0:00:40This is all wrong.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45A surprisingly common surname in one postcode has the heir hunters baffled.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Also, there's 10 a penny,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51so we're struggling, basically.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Will they be able to find the rightful heirs to the estate?
0:00:54 > 0:01:00And the heir hunters help to unravel the secrets of a German PoW.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Anybody asked about the war, he wouldn't talk about it.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07He practically went through hell.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Plus, how you could be entitled to unclaimed estates
0:01:11 > 0:01:13where beneficiaries still need to be found.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Could you be in line for an unexpected windfall?
0:01:22 > 0:01:28Every year in the UK, an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32If no relatives are found, any money that's left behind will go to
0:01:32 > 0:01:38the Government. Last year, they made £12 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45But there are over 30 specialist firms competing to stop this happening.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49They're called heir hunters and they make it their business to track down
0:01:49 > 0:01:53missing relatives and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58I love the fact that I can put families back together, I can reunite people.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00I can tell them secret histories about
0:02:00 > 0:02:04their own family which they don't know about themselves.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16In London, it's action stations at Britain's largest heir-hunting firm.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Last night, the Treasury issued a new list of unclaimed estates,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23and the team at Fraser & Fraser are raring to go.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26Walton...
0:02:26 > 0:02:32One entry named Cecil Walton looks promising, but this morning there's a spanner in the works.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Hello, phone's not working...
0:02:35 > 0:02:37At the moment, our internet's gone down.
0:02:37 > 0:02:43With the phone lines down, other heir-hunting companies will have got a head start.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45This could cost them business.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Awful start to the morning.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Because we're now probably about...
0:02:49 > 0:02:5020 minutes...
0:02:50 > 0:02:53at least behind the competition.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58Phones should be up and running, and so should the internet.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03After a frustrating delay, the phone lines are finally up and running,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and now it's a race to find a case they can work.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Cecil James Walton.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13I found a marriage in June 1978 in Maidstone.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17The Treasury's list is a major source of work for heir hunters.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22It shows the names of people who have died without leaving a will and have no known relatives.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27But it doesn't show any other details, or how much money they've left.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Hello, good morning. I do apologise for troubling you.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35I'm making some inquiries about a gentleman who I believe was your neighbour, Mr Cecil Walton.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38But now the team's found a possible address for Cecil Walton.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Can a neighbour shed some light?
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Was that his own property? We think he owned...
0:03:43 > 0:03:45It was his own property, yeah.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51Did he ever mentioned to you about having brothers or sisters or any family members?
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Bye-bye, now. Bye-bye.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59OK, that's good news. It would appear the deceased
0:03:59 > 0:04:03had no children from his marriage to Violet,
0:04:03 > 0:04:04who passed away in 2000.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07It's the lead they need.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12They've confirmed Cecil's address is in a village called Waterhouses near Durham.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18They know he owned his own home and have estimated it's worth £80,000.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23The team now know they have an estate worth pursuing.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27We're working the case of Cecil James Walton...
0:04:27 > 0:04:30who died on 30th December 2009.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33We know that he owned the property,
0:04:33 > 0:04:39we know there's a mortgage on it, might be an equity release, not sure.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Anyway, it looks like there's some value there,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45so we're attempting to find the beneficiaries at the moment.
0:04:47 > 0:04:53Cecil James Walton died in Durham, where he'd lived for over 20 years.
0:04:53 > 0:04:59Cecil was a widower and was a popular local figure, as pub landlord Barry Sims remembers.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02He used to come in
0:05:02 > 0:05:08and was always very tidy, well shaven... never saw him without a shave.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Suit... a tie or a blazer.
0:05:12 > 0:05:17Even in his spare time,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19he always was immaculately dressed.
0:05:19 > 0:05:2381-year-old Cecil was an avid cricket fan.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28He'd often be found watching a match at his local ground, Chester-le-Street.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33He also spent his spare time at the village pub, and as a retired accountant,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37he was happy to share his financial know-how with friends and regulars.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39He was my mentor,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43always keeping me right on different issues.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47He was very good to listen to and talk to.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Back at the office, the team's trying to build a family tree
0:05:52 > 0:05:56through Cecil's parents, as he didn't have any children of his own.
0:05:56 > 0:06:03All efforts are now focused on this case, as partner Charles Fraser believes it's the only one of value.
0:06:03 > 0:06:09We're looking at cousins already, having established that there's no close family.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14We've a lot of people working on this case, so research is going quickly.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19They've found his birth details, which show the names of his parents
0:06:19 > 0:06:22are Mary Annie Robson and Edwin Walton.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24On the basis the deceased was an only child,
0:06:24 > 0:06:28you have two sides to the family, and both are pretty common names.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33An initial search is showing a surprisingly large number of Waltons married to Robsons.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Sedgefield...
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Teesside's ours, Durham...
0:06:38 > 0:06:40There's another one, Durham. It could be that one.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Um...
0:06:43 > 0:06:48And the team starts to realise they've hit a stumbling block.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Walton... I thought it was going to be a relatively straightforward name.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55But it turns out it's quite an area name...
0:06:57 > 0:07:00..Which is possibly going to cause some problems.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05There are literally dozens of Waltons on the database in Durham.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08All these are Waltons to Robsons?
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Yep, and they all go with it as well.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Walton, there's 10 a penny of them.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17So...
0:07:17 > 0:07:18We're struggling, basically.
0:07:19 > 0:07:27In fact, the name Walton is five times more common in County Durham than the rest of the country.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32To make progress, they're going to have to run with names that look likely,
0:07:32 > 0:07:37and researcher Gareth has found some possible options for Cecil's father, Edwin Walton.
0:07:37 > 0:07:43One born 1891, in Teasdale... which is the right area,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47but we don't, as yet, have a death for him. And the other one...
0:07:47 > 0:07:49is born in 1903...
0:07:51 > 0:07:54..Born Tynemouth, but we do have a death for him.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56So, which one's right, at this stage, is hard to know.
0:07:56 > 0:08:03The team explores the possibilities, will either give the team the breakthrough they need?
0:08:03 > 0:08:08I've detached this tree from the first page. This is all wrong.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13But it's soon looking like any line of research is a stab in the dark.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18We know the 1891 birth of Edwin, the deceased's father, is wrong.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21But then we've got the 1903 one,
0:08:21 > 0:08:26and I'm having doubts about that too, so we're back to the drawing board.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29With most of the office working this case,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33they're desperate to confirm the right details for Cecil's parents.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36It's time to ask for help.
0:08:41 > 0:08:47The company employs a team of regional heir hunters, who are on standby up and down the country.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54These researchers provide a vital role collecting birth,
0:08:54 > 0:09:01marriage and death certificates from local register offices, all in the race to find and sign up heirs.
0:09:04 > 0:09:10David Pacifico phones Colin, the company's Northeast researcher, with a crucial request.
0:09:11 > 0:09:17What we need to do is get the parents' marriage certificate from Bishop Auckland.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22We've spoken to the registry office and they will be happy to do it if somebody calls,
0:09:22 > 0:09:29because we really are struggling on this, we need to identify the births for the parents.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36But with so many threads for this difficult case, David's still concerned.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41Because this is of value and we now have two sides of the family, we need two people.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47He decides to take Ewart Lindsay off another case in Leicester
0:09:47 > 0:09:49to help inquiries on the ground.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52- 'Ewart?'- Dave!
0:09:52 > 0:09:59'Change of plan, we need you to go towards the Northeast of England, around Durham.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02- 'The one case which has value.'- OK.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04'You're just south of Leicester aren't you?
0:10:04 > 0:10:09- I am, yeah.- 'Thanks, Ewart. I'll catch up with you later.'- Bye.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10'Bye.'
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I love this job.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Don't you just love this job?
0:10:16 > 0:10:21Been diverted from Leicester to Durham.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24That's no mean feat, I tell you.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31Now it's all hands on deck trying to solve the case of Cecil Walton.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35I'm starting to doubt our own research now.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39But until they get a marriage certificate for Cecil's parents
0:10:39 > 0:10:45to confirm names of grandparents and hopefully lead to cousins, the office is in limbo.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Without that, we're really getting a bit stuck.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52It's too common a name to know which is the right births.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54It's not going very well, is it?
0:11:03 > 0:11:09Heir hunters never know where a case may lead, or the family secrets they'll uncover.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12And when they were called to trace the relatives of a former soldier,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16they revealed a story that had lain secret for 60 years.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21It would amaze his children, who knew nothing of their father's past.
0:11:24 > 0:11:31Heir-hunting firm Celtic Research is run by father-and-son team, Peter and Hector Birchwood.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Peter's based in Wales, and in 2008 he was approached by a German bank
0:11:35 > 0:11:39about an estate that ran into six figures.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41I got a letter from them
0:11:41 > 0:11:46some time ago now, saying that they had this particular case,
0:11:46 > 0:11:51it was a German case worth about 100,000 euros,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54give or take a bit...and the...
0:11:54 > 0:12:02..bit of the family they wanted information about was one of the members who'd come over to England
0:12:02 > 0:12:05just after the last war in the 1940s.
0:12:06 > 0:12:12Peter's task was to find the relatives of a Gustav Sturm, believed to be in the UK.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16His cousin Frida had died in Germany.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Frida was married, her husband had died before her,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24she had no children and she never left a will.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26So, when she died intestate,
0:12:26 > 0:12:32her estate should be divided amongst her living relatives -
0:12:32 > 0:12:34in this case, cousins.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Frida was the only child of Gustav and Anna Brant.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44Her father had 11 brothers and sisters, but few of them left descendants.
0:12:44 > 0:12:50However, Frida's Aunt Whilhelmine did have a child, also called Gustav.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56The bank had got an idea of when he came to England,
0:12:56 > 0:13:01and, from that, it was just a matter of trying to find out
0:13:01 > 0:13:03if he'd died here, which he had.
0:13:05 > 0:13:11Gustav Sturm passed away in January 1994, at the age of 78.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16Born to German farmers in East Prussia, Gustav had lived the last 46 years in Britain.
0:13:16 > 0:13:22He had spent much of his life farming in the village of East Garston, where he had four children.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26He was a widely-known and respected man.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32Gus was a very quiet, very hard-working man.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Not frightened of anything,
0:13:34 > 0:13:39would talk to anybody, but didn't need other people's company.
0:13:39 > 0:13:45For 20 years, Roger's father had employed Gustav to run his dairy farm.
0:13:45 > 0:13:52Gus never talked about his past at all. I never knew where he came from or what he did during the war.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Or about his...
0:13:54 > 0:13:58own family back home in Germany. We never knew.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05But it was clear to the heir hunters what had happened to Gustav after the war.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12The most likely explanation as to why Gustav came to Britain in 1944
0:14:12 > 0:14:15was that he'd been a German prisoner of war.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20One of a vast number who were captured and held in Britain.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23At peak time, there were over 400,000 prisoners of war
0:14:23 > 0:14:26in British camps, distributed all over the country.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31There, they were first of all politically screened, interrogated,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35to separate out the Nazis from the non-Nazis.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40They were actually categorized in three difference groups -
0:14:40 > 0:14:43the Blacks, the Greys, the Whites -
0:14:43 > 0:14:47with the Whites being those who had very little to do with the Nazis,
0:14:47 > 0:14:52the moderates. And the most ardent Nazis were put up in the North,
0:14:52 > 0:14:58often in rural areas to be isolated from local villages and the population.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03There were 600 camps holding German prisoners like Gustav, with the aim
0:15:03 > 0:15:08of steering them from Nazi ideology, and using their labour.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12There was a lot of war damage, which the prisoners helped to repair.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15Housing stock was damaged
0:15:15 > 0:15:18quite badly by the war.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Rubble needed to be cleared away.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26The general population felt that this was a fair contribution
0:15:26 > 0:15:30of the prisoners towards what was damaged by Germans during the war.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37But the policy of holding the men captive indefinitely was against the Geneva Convention.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41In 1948, the German prisoners were freed.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47Many were given the option to stay, and when Peter found Gustav's death certificate,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49it gave a clue to his reasons for remaining in Britain.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53..And it named a possible heir.
0:15:53 > 0:15:59I saw that on the death certificate it showed he had been married, he'd got at least one daughter
0:15:59 > 0:16:04and I noted that the informant was his daughter, Mary Selwood.
0:16:04 > 0:16:12A pictured was emerging that Gustav had married an English girl, Dorothy McLean, just after the war in 1948.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17And they'd had four children - Mary, Timothy, Nigel and Thomas.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Peter was able to find contact details for Gustav's children,
0:16:23 > 0:16:29and today he is making the 200-mile journey from Wales to Berkshire to meet them.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35We're on our way to see Mrs Selwood and her brother, Tim.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38They're two of the heirs in this case.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42We'll give them the family tree, take a look at it,
0:16:42 > 0:16:48and see where they fit in and where their cousins in Germany fit in.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56He has brought a family tree with names of the heirs' German relatives, to confirm their lineage.
0:16:58 > 0:17:05He also has the paperwork for a claim which may entitle them to a share of a 100,000-euro inheritance.
0:17:05 > 0:17:12This case is all about a lady who died in Germany a couple of years ago, called Frida.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Right...
0:17:14 > 0:17:16..And...
0:17:16 > 0:17:22she would have been a first cousin of your late father.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27This whole thing is that her estate has to go to her nearest living next of kin,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31who are going to be her cousins. This is where your father comes in.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35The estate is worth around about 100,000 euros.
0:17:35 > 0:17:42That will be divided amongst your father's family - that's you and your other brother.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47And amongst the family of...
0:17:47 > 0:17:50his Uncle Albert's children.
0:17:50 > 0:17:56Tim and Mary have signed an agreement that the company will act on their behalf.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58But for them, the most exciting thing is
0:17:58 > 0:18:02they have an opportunity to learn about their long-long relatives.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07What part of Germany do the cousins live?
0:18:08 > 0:18:13Your cousin Klaus lives in Seeberg...
0:18:13 > 0:18:17Dirk Hohmeister lives in Bonne.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- It would be nice to get their address, wouldn't it?- Yes.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26It's been a worthwhile visit for Peter, who has signed heirs on behalf of the German bank,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30but for the heirs, it's re-awoken a curiosity about
0:18:30 > 0:18:34their own German ancestry, about which their father never spoke.
0:18:34 > 0:18:41It was a surprise to hear that we were heirs to a lady in Germany that we hadn't...
0:18:41 > 0:18:44known about or heard anything from.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49We knew our dad was German, we didn't know how much family
0:18:49 > 0:18:52he had in Germany, or anything about his life there.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58As their father had passed away 16 years earlier, Tim and Mary believed
0:18:58 > 0:19:02all links to their German family had died with him.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06I personally didn't know anything about my grandparents in Germany.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09I've always wanted to know more about them.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Dad himself didn't like to talk much about it,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16so information was very...
0:19:16 > 0:19:18- Limited.- Very limited.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Trying to find things out is not easy.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27We always thought he just wanted to leave the past behind.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Still to come:
0:19:30 > 0:19:33The heirs embark on a journey of discovery.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38Trenches and barbed wire and pillar boxes, 250 kilometres deep.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44The revelations are going to be an eye-opener.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Dad was always our hero and he will always be our hero.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year,
0:19:57 > 0:20:03ensuring that millions of pounds are paid out to rightful heirs, but not every case can be cracked.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07The Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates that have baffled
0:20:07 > 0:20:10the heir hunters, and remain unclaimed.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14These estates stay on the list for up to 30 years,
0:20:14 > 0:20:19and each one could be worth anything from £5,000 to many millions.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Today, we're focusing on three names from the list.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Are they relatives of yours?
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Could you be in line for an unexpected windfall?
0:20:28 > 0:20:34James Judge died in Notting Hill, London in July 2001, aged 81.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39If heirs aren't found, his money will go to the Government.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Did you know George McGlade from Hoylake in the Wirral?
0:20:44 > 0:20:48He died in October 2003, and may have come from Scotland.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53So far, no-one's come forward to claim his estate.
0:20:53 > 0:20:59Also on our list is Brian Alexander Yanchuck, who was from Milton Keynes.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04He died in December 2004 and his surname is of Ukrainian origin.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09So far, all efforts to trace his relatives have drawn a blank.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14If the names James Judge, George McGlade or Brian Yanchuck
0:21:14 > 0:21:21mean anything to you, or someone you know, you could have an unexpected windfall coming your way.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31The heir hunters at Fraser & Fraser are pulling out
0:21:31 > 0:21:35all the stops to find heirs to the estate of Cecil Walton.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38The marriage is the clue... the key to this.
0:21:38 > 0:21:44He was a widower who died in Durham in December 2009, without any children.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48He was always very...tidy.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52..Well-shaven. Never saw him without a shave or nothing.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54A lovely old fella.
0:21:54 > 0:22:00They know the case has value, but it's proving more difficult than anyone imagined.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06One in 10 Waltons in the UK live in County Durham.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08We're struggling.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11But has the decision to send a traveller
0:22:11 > 0:22:15to pick up a marriage certificate in the Northeast paid off?
0:22:15 > 0:22:16Yes.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Brilliant.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24We have got the marriage in 1927. It shows that...
0:22:24 > 0:22:28the birth we were thinking could be correct...is right.
0:22:28 > 0:22:34He's the son of Thomas Walton, and that's what we've been working on. The mother
0:22:34 > 0:22:37is the daughter of William James Robson.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41They'll check if they can identify her birth from census records.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43It's a massive breakthrough.
0:22:43 > 0:22:49Without the right marriage detail for Cecil's parents, the research had ground to a halt.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54Now they've got two concrete stems to trace.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58They know Cecil's father, Edwin Walton, came from East Ward,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02and his mother, Mary Robson, came from Great Ouseborn.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05A lead soon materialises for the mother's side of the family.
0:23:05 > 0:23:12On the maternal side of the family, Mary Robson we think had a brother, Walter Robson.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13Um...
0:23:13 > 0:23:17So...they're working on that at the moment.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Researcher Jo is on the case trying
0:23:20 > 0:23:24to track down a birth certificate for Mary Robson's brother Walter.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Good morning, I was wondering if you could help.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29I'm trying to get hold of some birth certificates
0:23:29 > 0:23:35for people who were born in the early 1900s in Great Ouseborn.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42But it looks like it's going to take hours for the register office to fax through the document.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44OK, after 2. That will be brilliant.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Thanks. Cheers, bye.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55And when other companies could be looking at the same case, time is of the essence.
0:23:57 > 0:24:03One of the travelling researchers, Ewart, is almost in the Durham area.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05The office has an urgent task for him.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10Hi, Ewart, can you go over to York registry office -
0:24:10 > 0:24:12'not million miles away from you.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17- 'We've ordered a couple of certs, which have been paid for.'- Right.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19We were told to come back after 2, or phone them back,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23but if you go now, you might get it sooner. That's what I'm hoping for.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Okey-dokey, Dave, I will try and oblige.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28Thanks, Ewart.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30'Bye.'
0:24:31 > 0:24:3315 miles.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36That's not bad.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41For the moment, we don't know if we're going to find any heirs.
0:24:41 > 0:24:47If it's not easy for us, it's not easy, I hope, for other companies.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52While the team's doing everything they can to crack a case which could
0:24:52 > 0:24:56be worth up to £80,000, Ewart arrives at York register office
0:24:56 > 0:25:02to try to speed up the search for birth certificates for Cecil's mother and uncle.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Well done. Thank you very much.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08The two certificates that you asked for - 1901 and 1903.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Wonderful. Thank you very much.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11And your receipt.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- Thank you.- Thank you.- Bye-bye.
0:25:14 > 0:25:15You take care, thanks a lot.
0:25:17 > 0:25:23Once he's got them, he relays back the crucial information the office has been waiting for.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Walter... born 29th June 1901...
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Father is William James Robson.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Mother is Martha Robson, formerly Pearson.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Do you want to see if you can get that death?
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Of course.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43A death certificate for Walter should give them the name of his wife or close kin.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46This will help them find Cecil's cousins, if he has any.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51- I want to pick up a death if I can, in 1967.- In York?- Yes.
0:25:51 > 0:25:57The information on the document means the team can expand the Robson family tree.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Walter Robson, Elizabeth Elsie Robson, formerly Lee.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04So, mother is Elizabeth Elsie.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Well, basically Elsie...
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I don't have the details.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11..We think is going to be this birth, here.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16So, Walter marries a Lee.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22Cecil Walton's aunt and uncle were Walter Robson and Elizabeth Elsie Robson.
0:26:22 > 0:26:29Records soon produce the name of a daughter, another Elsie Robson, who the team learns lives in York.
0:26:29 > 0:26:36Elsie will be Cecil's cousin, which makes her an heir to his estimated £80,000 estate.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I'm going to head over to that address, yes.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40All right.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Cheers, bye.
0:26:46 > 0:26:52But for a traveller who's not on his own patch, Ewart is struggling to find the address.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53Have I passed Nottingham Avenue, mate?
0:26:55 > 0:26:58And when eventually he tracks down the location.
0:26:58 > 0:27:0010...8...
0:27:00 > 0:27:02..It's bad news. No-one's in...
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and Elsie's house is on the market.
0:27:05 > 0:27:12When heir hunters draw a blank, talking to neighbours can sometimes give them a new line of inquiry.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17Just found out that Elsie's passed away, about three months ago apparently.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- Elsie, yes in that detached bungalow.- Across the road, yes.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26Ewart's able to confirm that Elsie had sadly died, but there could be another heir.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29- She's got two sisters.- Anne.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33- She's actually got two sisters, Anne and Audrey.- Audrey's died now.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Audrey has died. OK, fine.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37- Not Anne.- Is Ann still alive?
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- Yes.- Anne Robson is another of Walter and Elsie's children.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45She'd be Cecil's cousin, and therefore an heir.
0:27:46 > 0:27:52Back at the office, the news about Anne backed up a lead that the team has been working on.
0:27:52 > 0:27:53That's right. It's right.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Yes. We're up to date.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59And now they urgently need to find Anne's address.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Right, David. We've got Anne's address.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10- You want a copy of this, don't you? - Is Ewart going to go there now?
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Once I have given it to him.
0:28:13 > 0:28:19If she's nearby, Ewart may be able to pay her a visit and sign up an heir ahead of the competition.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Ewart. Okey-dokey. I have got this address for you.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Yes.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27It shouldn't be too far away.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31'She is Anne, A-N-N-E, Robson. Now Page.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Good stuff.
0:28:33 > 0:28:34Cheers, mate.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Ewart's off to try and meet an heir for the second time today.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Elsie has two sisters, one also has died.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49There is one still alive.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54Um... Which I'm going around to see her now.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58He's hoping this time, the team's combined efforts
0:28:58 > 0:29:01that have taken him across the country will produce results.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05- Hello.- Hello. - May I speak to Anne Page, please?
0:29:08 > 0:29:12- What about?- Are you Anne Page? Ah.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15I'm from a company called Fraser & Fraser.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17We're probate researchers.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19It's good news.
0:29:19 > 0:29:24Ann Page is happy to meet Ewart and to sign the paperwork.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28The heir hunters now have their first heir to Cecil Walton's unclaimed estate.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33But for Anne, news that she's due to receive
0:29:33 > 0:29:38an inheritance from an unknown cousin is tinged with sadness.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41For somebody to leave something that doesn't know them.
0:29:41 > 0:29:46I mean, people leave something that you know and you're that pleased.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49I feel so sad that we didn't know him.
0:29:49 > 0:29:56In fact, Anne's aunt, pictured here with her father Walter, died before she was born.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00You can see by the look of their faces how much they thought about each other.
0:30:00 > 0:30:07All I know that my father had a sister called Mary and she had a son,
0:30:07 > 0:30:08and...
0:30:09 > 0:30:16and he thought an awful lot about her and unfortunately, we were all too young to remember.
0:30:16 > 0:30:22So, it's really sad to think there's people in the past that we'll never know.
0:30:24 > 0:30:30The following day, the heir hunters in London are wrapping up what's been a particularly tricky case.
0:30:30 > 0:30:35After working blind, they know they've cracked it by finding just one thing.
0:30:35 > 0:30:40Finally, we got the marriage of Walter and Elizabeth
0:30:40 > 0:30:43and that confirmed everything was right, so...
0:30:43 > 0:30:49what I originally thought was going to be wrong, and we were trying for trying's sake, turns out to right.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Quite a good result from our point of view.
0:30:53 > 0:30:59But Cecil Walton's estate turns out to be worth less than the £80,000 they'd hoped for.
0:30:59 > 0:31:05They found eight heirs in total, who will get a share of his £28,000 inheritance.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09We've now identified and have contacted a number of cousins,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13both on the paternal side as well as the maternal side.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18Bearing in mind the names we had, common Northeastern names,
0:31:18 > 0:31:20I think we did very well to get where we did.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28Heir Hunter Peter Birchwood is unravelling the case
0:31:28 > 0:31:34of a former German PoW, whose early life was a mystery to friends and family.
0:31:34 > 0:31:40Gus was a very quiet, very hard-working man.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Not frightened of anything.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47Would talk to anybody, but didn't need other people's company.
0:31:48 > 0:31:55Gustav Sturm) died in Berkshire back in 1994, but now a long-lost cousin has passed away
0:31:55 > 0:31:59and the heir hunters have found his English children, who will inherit his share of the estate.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03The sudden connection with the past has been a shock for Tim and Mary.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07I'd still like to know about his brothers and sisters, though.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12But the news brought with it fresh details about their father's early life.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16As soon as Peter from Celtic Research got involved,
0:32:16 > 0:32:20he's brought a lot of information to the table.
0:32:21 > 0:32:28Now the heirs have applied for Gustav's German military records through specialist historians.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32Today, they're about to open the document which reveals their
0:32:32 > 0:32:35father's wartime experience for the very first time.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41"Military service record, Gustav Sturm.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44"3rd September 1939."
0:32:47 > 0:32:53I didn't realise he'd been to Russia, fighting on the Russian front.
0:32:53 > 0:33:00Gustav joined the frontline Grenadier Regiment 348, five days into the Battle of Kursk.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09Tim and Mary are learning how, in 1943, Germany was amassing
0:33:09 > 0:33:13a huge offensive against Russia on the Eastern Front.
0:33:13 > 0:33:19Fresh troops were needed to replace casualties, and Gustav was called up from his farm
0:33:19 > 0:33:23to fight in one of the bloodiest battles of the Second World War.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26The Battle of Kursk was the last major German
0:33:26 > 0:33:31strategic offensive in the Second World War, against the Red Army.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35However, it certainly didn't go to plan.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39In fact, Soviets took the initiative during the course of the battle,
0:33:39 > 0:33:42which was the largest tank battle in history.
0:33:43 > 0:33:50Tanks are large and make a lot of noise and they have an effect on the enemy's morale,
0:33:50 > 0:33:55but it took soldiers such as Gustav to take the ground and to hold it,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58and that would decide whether a battle would be won or lost.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07Trenches and barbed wire and pillar boxes, 250 kilometres deep.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14The revelations of what their father endured are proving difficult to read.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24We know that Dad didn't like talking about anything to do with the war
0:34:24 > 0:34:27or even his life back in Germany...
0:34:27 > 0:34:31but to read that, you know it's just...
0:34:31 > 0:34:33You can understand it.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38He went through hell.
0:34:40 > 0:34:46The Germans were outnumbered two-to-one in the Battle of Kursk, and suffered massive losses.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Gustav was incredibly lucky to escape with his life.
0:34:49 > 0:34:55But in 1943, Gustav was severely injured by shrapnel in his leg,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57which left him hospitalised for months.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02Gustav would've had a journey of over 800 miles to reach the front line.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05You'd think there'd be worn out before they even started!
0:35:06 > 0:35:11The records reveal that Gustav was sent back to the front line in 1944
0:35:11 > 0:35:14to defend the northern coast of France.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18His was one of just 14 German divisions sent to try and take on
0:35:18 > 0:35:22326,000 Allied soldiers.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25Gustav's unit would've found itself
0:35:25 > 0:35:31rapidly outpaced by the Allied advance, particularly as his unit was an infantry division.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Hitler forbade the German forces to withdraw
0:35:37 > 0:35:43once the Normandy beachhead had been pierced and that caused a fatal delay in moving troops back
0:35:43 > 0:35:47to counter the Allied forces that were encircling them.
0:35:47 > 0:35:52"His unit was not a specialist or elite fighting corps,
0:35:52 > 0:35:56"but when he met the Allies, it was fought with distinction,
0:35:56 > 0:36:03"holding the Allies on the beaches and jeopardising the success of the entire Normandy landings.
0:36:03 > 0:36:08"However, the unit was eventually encircled by Polish and American forces."
0:36:10 > 0:36:12"While the German army was being shelled and bombed by Allied
0:36:12 > 0:36:20"artillery and planes, he must've escaped along one road which the Germans kept open.
0:36:20 > 0:36:27The result was the Falaise Pocket, which was a slaughterhouse for the German army in Normandy.
0:36:27 > 0:36:34It caused massive casualties, and Gustav again remarkably seems to have come through unscathed.
0:36:34 > 0:36:40It's been an emotional journey into Gustav's once-secret history.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42You wouldn't put a face like your dad's to this.
0:36:46 > 0:36:54You can relate to the way he felt when anybody asked him about the war
0:36:54 > 0:36:58or his family, and he just wouldn't talk about it.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00You can now see why.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Having filled in one gaping hole in their father's life,
0:37:07 > 0:37:11his children are now curious to know about the next stage.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Gustav's life as a prisoner of war.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Today, Tim and Mary are off to meet someone who can help them understand
0:37:20 > 0:37:26what it was like to be a German prisoner and their father's possible reasons for staying in the UK.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30We know nothing about his life
0:37:30 > 0:37:37as a prisoner of war, or how he got over here or how long he was a prisoner of war.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39He wouldn't speak about it.
0:37:45 > 0:37:50Former infantry soldier Gotthard Liebich was held in a prisoner of war camp for four years.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55It was similar to this one that's still standing in Hertfordshire.
0:37:55 > 0:38:00Mary and Tim are anxious to know how their father would have fared as a captive.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Was you treated OK
0:38:03 > 0:38:06by the commanders of the camps?
0:38:06 > 0:38:08- By the guards?- Yes.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13The commanders were very strict and if we did anything wrong, we'd get
0:38:13 > 0:38:19punished by having a week or two in the glasshouse, I think they call it.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24Otherwise, there was no cruelty or anything like this.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26That's good.
0:38:27 > 0:38:32Sleeping 40 to a hut, the prisoners were allowed out only to work
0:38:32 > 0:38:36and just like Gustav, Gotthard was made to do farm work.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40Potato picking was a long, dreary job. We didn't like it.
0:38:40 > 0:38:46Your back hurts like mad after the first day...
0:38:47 > 0:38:53Hoeing beetroot, not beetroot, sugar beet, whatever...
0:38:53 > 0:39:01from here to the end of the hedge there, rows and rows, and we were just hoeing away.
0:39:01 > 0:39:07You'd chat to your mates next to you, you know. That was very boring too.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11When the PoWs were given their freedom in 1948,
0:39:11 > 0:39:15the British government gave many the option to stay in the UK.
0:39:15 > 0:39:21Just like Tim and Mary's father, Gotthard had a new British girlfriend
0:39:21 > 0:39:24and now faced a difficult decision.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27You never went back home?
0:39:27 > 0:39:31I never went back home because I didn't have a home to go back to.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35My actual home, to tell you the truth,
0:39:35 > 0:39:40was burned down by the Russians when they came into Eastern Europe.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45When I got back, my girlfriend wanted me to stay in England.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49I said, "No, I must find my people first."
0:39:49 > 0:39:51I...
0:39:54 > 0:39:57I couldn't find a job, couldn't find anywhere to live
0:39:57 > 0:40:01and it was so difficult, so I tried to get back to England again,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04and that's what I did in 1948.
0:40:04 > 0:40:10In post-war Germany, life was all but unrecognisable, especially for
0:40:10 > 0:40:17those like Gustav, who originally came from the East and whose land had fallen under the Iron Curtain.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21Villages changed their names, streets changed their names
0:40:21 > 0:40:26and it would've been very difficult for Gustav to actually go back.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Gustav must have also been quite confused about
0:40:29 > 0:40:34the outcome of the war, with the collapse of the Nazi system
0:40:34 > 0:40:38and the revelations about war crimes committed by the Germans and he had
0:40:38 > 0:40:43to come to terms with this and also all the death around him.
0:40:44 > 0:40:50Around 10,000 former German soldiers relocated permanently to the UK.
0:40:50 > 0:40:55Just like Gustav, Gotthard married his British girlfriend and lived in England.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58I've never had any problems at all.
0:40:58 > 0:41:05I can't think of one single case where anybody was antagonistic in any way.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08We've had no bother from anybody
0:41:08 > 0:41:13except when we move to East Garston and we moved there with
0:41:13 > 0:41:17a big family, because we had an extended family,
0:41:17 > 0:41:21and somebody decided they'd paint some swastikas on the walls.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Really?
0:41:23 > 0:41:29It didn't faze Dad. He got them cleaned off and people in the village just...
0:41:29 > 0:41:30Ignored it.
0:41:30 > 0:41:36The parallels between Gotthard's life and their father's experience
0:41:36 > 0:41:39have given Tim and Mary a new understanding.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43To think all the times I spoke to him and he never mentioned it.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49I was very close to my dad, but no mention of the war.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52I knew he didn't like to speak about the war,
0:41:52 > 0:41:53didn't like to speak German.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57My dad loved this country, I must admit.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59He loved staying here, he wouldn't want to go back.
0:41:59 > 0:42:06For the heirs, it's been an emotional journey into the hardships their father endured.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Dad was always our hero and he'll always be our hero.
0:42:09 > 0:42:10It's changed nothing like that.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14It's just proved what a man he was.
0:42:14 > 0:42:19In Wales, with the paperwork for a 100,000 euro estate wrapped up,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23the case has been a satisfying one for Heir Hunter Peter Birchwood.
0:42:23 > 0:42:30He's connected heirs to their long-lost German cousins and to their father's hidden history.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34One of the good, fun bits about this business
0:42:34 > 0:42:39is putting them in touch with members of the family have no idea
0:42:39 > 0:42:44of their existence and, in this instance, it's reuniting
0:42:44 > 0:42:47people from thousands of miles away.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51If you would like advice
0:42:51 > 0:42:54about building your family tree or making your will, go to:
0:43:02 > 0:43:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:06 > 0:43:09E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk