0:00:02 > 0:00:03Welcome to Heir Hunters.
0:00:03 > 0:00:08We follow investigators searching for living family of people who've died without leaving a will.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Today, we search for heirs who could be in line for thousands of pounds.
0:00:12 > 0:00:18Heir Hunters earn their money tracing relatives of people who've died without leaving a will.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23They hand over thousands of pounds to family members who had no idea they would inherit.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Coming up on today's programme...
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Is this all of them, yeah?
0:00:46 > 0:00:51The heir hunters have a surprise in store for two long-lost nieces.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55I was very shocked to find out that I was going to be a heir,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57because things like that don't happen to people like us.
0:00:57 > 0:01:03The team have potentially struck gold in the case of a family of Russian aristocrats.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07We could be dealing with an estate worth tens of thousands of pounds,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10possibly even millions of pounds.
0:01:10 > 0:01:16And I'll be discovering more about Russia's turbulent past and about the family's rich history.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20We found out they have connections to the gold-mining industry
0:01:20 > 0:01:22in Eastern Siberia.
0:01:22 > 0:01:28Plus how you could be entitled to unclaimed estates where beneficiaries need to be found.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Could you be in line for an unexpected windfall?
0:01:39 > 0:01:44Every year in the UK, an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46If no relatives are found,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50then any money that's left behind will go to the Government.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55And last year they made over £14 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02But there are over 30 specialist firms competing to stop this happening.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05They're called heir hunters, and they make it their business
0:02:05 > 0:02:10to track down missing relatives and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12That's what I enjoy most about this -
0:02:12 > 0:02:16the personal satisfaction that I've cracked the case,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18that's maybe been unsolved for 15 or 20 years.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Our first case today is a real puzzle for the heir hunters.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Will the team's research prove correct
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and can they identify the right relatives?
0:02:40 > 0:02:42It's 7am on a Thursday.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48At midnight last night,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51the Treasury released their weekly list of unclaimed estates.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53And in central London,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55the list is being carefully scrutinised
0:02:55 > 0:03:00by staff at the country's largest heir hunting firm, Fraser & Fraser.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03All we know about him is that he's dead.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06I haven't been able to find his address.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11Partner Neil Fraser has already spotted a potential case.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15We're going to look at a case of Robert William Thomas.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18He's from Orpington in Kent.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Death is not too long ago, January of 2010.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25So fingers crossed, it's quite recent,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and there's a possibility there's going to be a property on that.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31At the moment, I haven't got any idea of the value.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36The Treasury's list is a major source of work for heir hunters.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40It shows the names of people who've died without leaving a will,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42and also lists their date and place of death.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45But it doesn't show how much money they've left behind,
0:03:45 > 0:03:50and amounts can range from £5,000 to many millions of pounds.
0:03:50 > 0:03:51Thanks, bye.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54When the values are unknown like this,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58the heir hunters usually work for a pre-agreed percentage of the estate.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And this makes their job a real gamble.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07For us to receive a workable budget, a workable amount of money,
0:04:07 > 0:04:11we have to have a reasonable-sized pot to start with.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14The first thing the heir hunters want to find out
0:04:14 > 0:04:17is whether Robert William Thomas owned his own home.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19But they've already hit a problem.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23Robert William Thomas is a popular name, and he could have been born anywhere.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28All we know is he dies in 2010 in Orpington, so got to start there.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31The team will have their work cut out.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Thomas is the ninth most common surname in Britain.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Robert Thomas grew up in the 1920s.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43After serving in the Second World War,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47he returned home to marry his sweetheart Winifred.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50The couple didn't have any children,
0:04:50 > 0:04:55and according to neighbour Lily Young, Robert was passionate about two things in life -
0:04:55 > 0:04:58his wife and his car.
0:04:58 > 0:05:04His car was always immaculate. He'd come down with his bowl and go out there with his chammy leather.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07If he was going to take Winnie out,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10he made sure it was all polished before he took her.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15I think that was all part of how he felt about Winnie,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17cos he always spoke about her.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Robert was a caring and dedicated husband,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and in later life, he also became a keen gardener.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28His garden was immaculate. He used to grow all his own vegetables.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30He used to love to be able to say to Winnie,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34"What do you want for vegetables today?" And run down and get them.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39You wouldn't find a weed down there. Now you can't find his shed in the corner.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45I think he was quite lost without her after she...
0:05:45 > 0:05:50I think this happens in lots of cases where people have to do a lot for a person.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53When that person dies, they are really lost.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56They don't know what to do with theirself.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Sadly, Winifred died in 1994, leaving Bob a widower
0:06:00 > 0:06:04until his own death, 16 years later, at the age of 88.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11In the office, the race is on to try and find beneficiaries to Robert Thomas's estate,
0:06:11 > 0:06:16and with rival firms competing to be the first to find and sign up heirs,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18the team must work fast.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20I'm hoping to find addresses,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23and from the addresses, trying to work out a value.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28The team is trying to find out if Robert owned his own home, and it's not looking good.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31His address belongs to a housing association,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35which suggests the estate may be low in value.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Normally a case like this would go on the back burner,
0:06:39 > 0:06:45but today is quiet, so manager David Pacifico decides to take it one step further.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47I've got Bob Smith doing an enquiry.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50I'm hoping that enquiry will come up with
0:06:50 > 0:06:53some more definite information to help us,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56because we're dealing with very common names here.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05The company employs a network of regional heir hunters
0:07:05 > 0:07:09who are on standby from 7am every morning.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Covering all corners of the country,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16they're ready to go wherever the search takes them.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Whether they're speaking to neighbours or picking up certificates from register offices,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25they leave no stone unturned in the race to find and sign up heirs.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Ex-Customs official Bob Smith enjoys life at the sharp end.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Phone calls may glean some information,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44but it's always better for someone to be on the doorstep.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46It's a bit like a detective,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49knocking on doors, asking questions about people
0:07:49 > 0:07:53and their lifestyle, their family, information, that sort of thing.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55You know, it's just something different.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59And Bob's experience has given him a hunch about the deceased.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03I wouldn't mind betting that he probably originally came from Wales.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Surname Thomas. Just a guess.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12If Robert is Welsh, the team will have a real headache.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18In Wales, nearly six per cent of the population has the surname Thomas.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21But Bob's first concern is to speak to Robert's neighbours.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Did you know him as Bob?
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- Oh, yeah, they used to just call him Old Bob.- Right.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28As Robert didn't own his own house,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Bob Smith is looking for any other signs of wealth,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and one of the neighbours is particularly helpful.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- Right. But he didn't own this property?- No, he rented it.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43- I know he had two, er, company pensions that he...- Right.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50He phones back to the office with this new information.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Well, they said he was quite old,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and obviously he's drawing a pension.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00Yeah. So basically, he could have been living a comfortable lifestyle.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Well, he's got two pensions and a state pension
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and he's just bought an £800 plasma TV.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Well, it's certainly worthwhile...
0:09:08 > 0:09:11I don't think it's going to be a big estate,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15but it might be one of those 20, 30, 40 grand, maybe you know.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Yeah. The question is, where was he from?
0:09:18 > 0:09:20We've got a potential birth in Shoreditch.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24We'll have to get the death day. That's the thing, isn't it?
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Bob's estimate of £20,000 to £40,000 is good news for the team.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It means this case is worth working.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35If the person lived in rented accommodation,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38it doesn't mean to say he had nothing in the bank.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Looks like he may have had a spare few bob or so there.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Now it's all systems go in the office,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47as the team begins the search for relatives.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Robert Thomas's neighbour told them he hadn't had any children,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53so the team must look to his wider family tree.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Although Thomas is a difficult name to research,
0:09:56 > 0:10:02David decides he's willing to take a chance on the possible birth he's found in Shoreditch in 1921.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06And if this is the correct Robert Thomas,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08they have already found a brother.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13- Henry Charles Thomas. - That's your brother, yeah? - Still alive in Gillingham.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18This would be a significant breakthrough. Have they found the first heir?
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Noel, in searching, identifying the deceased's birth,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24found what could be a brother,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27which has the same mother's maiden name
0:10:27 > 0:10:29and born in the same district.
0:10:29 > 0:10:35Born as Thomas, mother's maiden name Dyer, born Shoreditch.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37So it looked like two brothers.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40And if that is the case,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43we think that this brother may still be alive
0:10:43 > 0:10:49and he found a probable address for him by virtue of the electoral rolls
0:10:49 > 0:10:51in Gillingham in Kent.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54The heir hunters are working on the idea
0:10:54 > 0:10:56that Bob and Henry Thomas are brothers
0:10:56 > 0:10:59because they were both born in Shoreditch,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01and have a mother with the maiden name Dyer.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03It looks promising,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07but so far they have no proof that this is the right Robert Thomas,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09let alone that he had a brother Henry.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14To confirm their research, they need Robert's death certificate,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16which will show his date and place of birth.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19So Bob is sent to Bromley Register Office.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21If they've got it right,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24this case could be sewn up before midday.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27I'd like a copy of a death certificate if I may.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Straight away, Bob can see that one of his early fears was unfounded.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Robert Thomas wasn't Welsh after all.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35Oh, he was born in London.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37It doesn't say where.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41- Oh, well. Thank you very much. - OK, thank you. Bye-bye.- Take care.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Bob needs to pass the rest of the information on to the office.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Hello?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- David, hi, it's Bob.- Hello, Bob.- Hi.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51- I've got this death now.- Yeah?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- Died 16th January 2010.- Yeah?
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Born 4th March 1921.
0:11:57 > 0:11:58London.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00London, right.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Even though the death certificate doesn't specify where in London Robert was born,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06it's still great news for the office.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10It looks like the birth and the brother are right.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13The brother might be at this address in Gillingham.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16OK, all right, no, I'll go and do that now.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20If Henry Thomas is the brother of Robert Thomas,
0:12:20 > 0:12:25he could be the sole heir to an estate worth £20,000 to £40,000.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29It's likely that rival firms will also be looking at this case,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32so Bob must get to Gillingham as quickly as he can.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36It'll be interesting just to speak with him and, er...
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Cos he obviously is almost certainly unaware that his brother has died.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45And if the information from the neighbours is anything to go by,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48he never kept in contact with him either,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51so it'll be interesting to find out the circumstances
0:12:51 > 0:12:53as to why that is.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Back at the office, there's been another breakthrough.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02The team has found Robert Thomas's birth certificate,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06which confirms his parents are Robert William Thomas and Rose May Dyer.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10The possible brother we thought we may have an address for,
0:13:10 > 0:13:11we've now proved it correct.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14It was a Henry Charles Thomas,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17so it looks like he's still alive, living in Gillingham in Kent,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19where Bob Smith is on his way to see him.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23From this, they've established that as well as Henry,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Robert seems to have had a second brother.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30We'd identified one brother, Henry Charles Thomas born in 1930,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34but having gone back and checked on a different computer system,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36we found an extra brother, Albert G Thomas,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39who was born 1924 in Shoreditch.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42So very close in area and in age to the deceased,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45so the combination of names is right as well.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47On top of that,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51we've now discovered that he died in Lewisham in November 2005,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55which is the sort of area where his brother Henry Charles was too,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57so it's all looking quite good.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58But if it's been this easy
0:13:58 > 0:14:01for them to crack a potentially difficult Thomas case,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05it could have been easy for other heir hunting companies too.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08They need to stay ahead of the competition.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12So, before Bob Smith reaches the house of Robert's brother Henry,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14David gives him the latest information.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16PHONE RINGING
0:14:16 > 0:14:17Bob Smith?
0:14:17 > 0:14:21- Hi, Bob, just to let you know, it's going to be right.- OK.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22Um, the other thing is,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25there's another brother, looks like, who died.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30- And he may have children. Died in Lewisham, 2005. Albert George.- Yeah.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34- Might have at least four children. Maybe more, maybe less.- OK.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36All right, thanks, Dave.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39The team now knows that Bob Thomas,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42son of Robert Thomas and Rose May Dyer
0:14:42 > 0:14:43had two brothers,
0:14:43 > 0:14:48Henry Thomas, who's alive, and Albert, who's deceased.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Albert may have left four children,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52which would give them five possible heirs.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55But when Bob gets to Henry's house...
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Does Mr Thomas live here?
0:14:57 > 0:14:58..it's bad news.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- Henry went on holiday this morning. - Blimey.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Granddaughter Jenny is looking after the house.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Does she know about the other brother Albert and his children?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- They obviously didn't keep in contact.- No.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13- Were they were separated when they were younger?- Yeah.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15What was the situation with that, then?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Well, um, Granddad was taken to Somerset.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Right.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25And then, Albert and Bobby, as they know him,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27was taken... They was in the army.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- Right, OK. - But they didn't stay in contact.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- I don't think.- I know...
0:15:32 > 0:15:33PHONE RINGING
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Jenny helps Bob by getting her mum on the phone.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Do you know anything about Albert's children?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41- Lynda.- Yeah.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- Lynda's married.- Oh, she is? - To Martin.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47- To Martin. Do you know his surname? - Do we know his surname?
0:15:47 > 0:15:51- No, she doesn't know his surname. - OK, that's all right.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Any of the others?
0:15:52 > 0:15:56What about any of the others? What about Iris?
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- She's not married. - Thank you very much for that.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Really appreciate that. Sorry to call you out of the blue.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06That's very helpful. Obviously, I'm sorry to say that Bobby's died,
0:16:06 > 0:16:12um, but as a result, your granddad and Albert's kids will benefit now.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15I don't think it's going to be a great deal of money. All right?
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- I'll leave my card with you. - Right, thank you.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- Thanks very much, anyway. - Bye.- Cheers.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24It's a frustrating setback for the team,
0:16:24 > 0:16:28who are under pressure to sign up an heir before the competition.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31He flew out to Turkey today.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Hah!- He's got a home in Turkey.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37He was delayed because of the volcano.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Right, shame it wasn't tomorrow, isn't it?
0:16:40 > 0:16:45All they can do is courier a letter out to Henry in Turkey,
0:16:45 > 0:16:50and hope they can find other heirs to Robert's £20,000 to £40,000 estate.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53- You're the daughter of Albert, is that right?- Yeah.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year
0:17:04 > 0:17:09and millions of pounds are paid out to rightful heirs. But not every case can be cracked.
0:17:10 > 0:17:16The Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates that have baffled the heir hunters and remain unclaimed.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22This could be money with your name on it.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25The Bona Vacantia unclaimed list is a list of cases
0:17:25 > 0:17:26we haven't found kin for.
0:17:26 > 0:17:32The list goes back to 1997, because that's when our case management system came online.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35The idea is to produce a list of all those solvent cases,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39so there should be at least a few pounds in there, possibly many thousands.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Today, we're focusing on three names from the list.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Are they relatives of yours?
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Could you be in line for an unexpected windfall?
0:17:49 > 0:17:54Peter Paul McQualter died in Greenwich in 1997, aged 54
0:17:54 > 0:17:56and may have come from Ireland.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Are you a relative of Peter's?
0:17:59 > 0:18:02If heirs aren't found, his money will go to the Government.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09Did you know Gordon Lewis Monteith Keevil from Enfield in Middlesex?
0:18:09 > 0:18:14He died on 17th May, 2008, aged 85.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18So far, no-one's come forward to claim Gordon's estate.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Do you remember him?
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Also on our list is Michael David Geaves,
0:18:25 > 0:18:31who died on 25th February, 2011, in Ware, Hertfordshire.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35There are only around 100 people with the name Geaves in the country
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and they're most commonly in the Stevenage area.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Was Michael part of your family?
0:18:42 > 0:18:46So far, all efforts to trace his relatives have drawn a blank.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51Remember, this is money the Government want you to inherit, if you are an entitled heir.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56My division isn't allowed to make a profit. We don't make commission,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59we don't get bonuses for passing money to the Treasury.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04In fact, the Treasury's more interested in are we finding more kin, which we are,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and are we good value for taxpayers' money, which we are.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11If you think you may be related to the deceased on the list,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15the onus is on you to prove your family link.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16The people that are entitled
0:19:16 > 0:19:19are those that trace their relationship in a direct line
0:19:19 > 0:19:22from the deceased person's grandparents.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26So, a spouse would be entitled, children would be entitled,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, first cousins.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34A reminder of today's names again -
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Peter McQualter,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Gordon Keevil
0:19:38 > 0:19:40and Michael Geaves.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44So, if you're a relative of someone on today's list,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Next, an intriguing case for the heir hunters
0:19:54 > 0:19:58that sheds light on the turbulent times of the early 20th century.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Later, I'll be finding out more about the family involved,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05their adventures and connections to the Russian revolution.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08But, first, here's how the case unfolded.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15In 2009, the heir hunters looked into
0:20:15 > 0:20:18the estate of a quiet lady from Buckinghamshire,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21who seemed to have led a fairly unassuming life.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24But little did they know they were about to uncover
0:20:24 > 0:20:27a tale of incredible wealth, world travel,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and international espionage.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35Alexandra Koshevnikova died in June 2008 in Beaconsfield.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38She'd lived to an incredible 100 years old
0:20:38 > 0:20:42and was fondly remembered by friends like Hazel Francis.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Alex was kind, loving and very friendly,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48and everybody adored her.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53Sometimes she used to skip along the balcony, "Hello", waving,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55and that was it, you know.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57But she always said hello to you.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Alexandra was a keen poet
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and an accomplished pianist,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03but she was also a very modest lady,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05and for the most part,
0:21:05 > 0:21:06kept herself to herself.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11Janet Smith was Alexandra's neighbour for 44 years.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Alexandra lived immediately above us.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Um, it was just a three-bedroom maisonette.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21When Sandra was playing the grand piano,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24we would turn the television off, just to sit and listen,
0:21:24 > 0:21:28because it was so beautiful and it used to come down through the floor.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30And we did enjoy that.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Because Alexandra Koshevnikova died without leaving a will,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37her estate was advertised by the Treasury in 2008.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Her unusual surname caught the attention of Neil Fraser,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49partner at heir hunting firm, Fraser & Fraser.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54On this particular case, we started looking around the surname,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56trying to play with the surname
0:21:56 > 0:22:00to see if there were other people in the UK records, with the same surname.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02A rare name like Koshevnikova
0:22:02 > 0:22:05could make the search for relatives quite easy.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08And initially, they made quick progress.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13We were able to identify not only the mother, but also her brother.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Um, so that's two hits, really.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18It certainly helps form a family tree.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21It's two steps in the right direction, at least.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Alexandra's mother Susanna
0:22:23 > 0:22:24and her brother Vladimir
0:22:24 > 0:22:26had both died in the UK,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30but they were unable to find any other relatives in the country.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34The only other information they had was that the family came from Russia.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37One of the things which we have to do
0:22:37 > 0:22:40is try and locate a place of birth.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43The majority of the time, when we have someone who's born overseas,
0:22:43 > 0:22:48the death certificate just gives the country of birth, not the place.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Without knowing the exact place of birth in Russia,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54the teams had no real way of finding any family.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Neil had no choice but to call a halt to the research.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04But then, something remarkable happened.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Although we'd stopped research on this case,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10our feelers had already gone out to try and find a place of birth,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12and we've had letters back from America,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16which have indicated some more information about Alexandra.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Neil had ordered the family's naturalisation papers,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23which detailed their journey from Russia to the UK.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Unlike a usual naturalisation which we'd find,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31which may be two, three, four pages long,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36this one had 50 or 60 pages in, and a very, very detailed history
0:23:36 > 0:23:40about the life which the family had had in Russia,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44and their journey throughout the world before they came to the UK.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49But a significant piece of information in the records
0:23:49 > 0:23:53was that in 1921, Alexandra, Vladimir and their mother
0:23:53 > 0:23:55had spent several months
0:23:55 > 0:23:58living at one of the world's most expensive hotels,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00the Waldorf Astoria in New York.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04An immigrant family living in, not just a hotel,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06but the Waldorf Astoria,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10um, you suddenly think, they must be very, very rich indeed.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Now the case looked very exciting.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16It suddenly makes us see that
0:24:16 > 0:24:19maybe we're not dealing with a small estate,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23but we could be dealing with an estate worth tens of thousands of pounds,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25possibly even millions of pounds.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28And there was more good news.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31A university in America had sent Neil letters and poetry
0:24:31 > 0:24:34written by Alexandra.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37When we eventually got sight of her letters,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40they came back, and they were all in Russian,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42for a start, which is slightly problematic
0:24:42 > 0:24:44because I don't speak Russian.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Having had them translated,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50the team noticed that Alexandra sometimes used the alias Tulunova,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53meaning Lady from Tulun.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56This Tulun is the place where she's actually born originally.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00So having searched for quite a while,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02trying to find the place of birth,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06all the time it was staring me straight in the face, really.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Her alias gave me her place of birth.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Bit by bit,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12they were starting to build a picture
0:25:12 > 0:25:14of Alexandra's life in Russia.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18She had been born into a wealthy mining family
0:25:18 > 0:25:20in the Central Russian town of Tulun in 1907.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24At a time when most Russians were living in poverty,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29Alexandra and her brother Vladimir enjoyed a privileged upbringing.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34Both brothers and sisters would go to good schools.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37They would also have a very wide musical education,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39they would be taken to museums,
0:25:39 > 0:25:40they would travel.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45But all that changed in 1917,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48as Russia plunged into revolution and civil war.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51GUNFIRE
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown by the working class population
0:25:55 > 0:25:59who were starving to death under his oppressive regime.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03It was a violent seizure of power.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06There was a great deal of bloodshed,
0:26:06 > 0:26:12there was a great deal of elimination of groups.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Fighting broke out between the working class Bolsheviks
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and the aristocratic White Russians like Alexandra's family.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25And in 1921, disaster struck.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29Bolshevik soldiers murdered Alexandra's father,
0:26:29 > 0:26:30leaving her mother a widow
0:26:30 > 0:26:32in a desperate situation.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34She would have to try and escape,
0:26:34 > 0:26:39because otherwise, er, she could get killed,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41the children could get killed
0:26:41 > 0:26:45if they found themselves involved in the civil war.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49There was really no future for her.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Fearing for the lives of herself and her two children,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Susanna had little choice but to flee her homeland.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59It seems she grabbed all the money she could find,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01and escaped through Asia to America,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04finally checking in to the Waldorf Astoria.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Designed to be the most luxurious hotel in the world,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14the Waldorf Astoria oozed opulence from every corner.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18But luxury like this came at a price.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22A suite cost thousands of dollars a year in the 1920s.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25As Susanna's savings began to run dry,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28the family was forced to relocate.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31For an educated and cultured family like the Koshevnikovs,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34the obvious destination was Berlin.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Berlin was certainly an attractive goal.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42There were rather different, but still very strong cultural links.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Until the early '30s,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Russians, particularly in Berlin,
0:27:48 > 0:27:49were quite numerous,
0:27:49 > 0:27:55and were part of the post-war intellectual and cultural life
0:27:55 > 0:28:00of Germany in those years, in that decade.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Surrounded by like-minded people,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Susanna and her two children settled in Germany.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Vladimir went to university to study journalism,
0:28:08 > 0:28:13and Alexandra indulged in her passion for music and poetry.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17The Koshevnikovs seemed to have found their home from home.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Yet, in 1951, they showed up in England.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23The heir hunters were on the trail
0:28:23 > 0:28:25of uncovering what happened to their fortune.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30They were about to reveal the family's links to British espionage
0:28:30 > 0:28:32in the middle of the Cold War.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36They were part of a group of people
0:28:36 > 0:28:41um, to whom this country owes its freedom.
0:28:45 > 0:28:52It's a fascinating story and now even more information about the Koshevnikovs has come to light.
0:28:52 > 0:28:58In order to delve deeper into Alexandra's family's exotic past,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00'I'm meeting historian John Smeal.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04'He's unearthed even more intriguing facts about the family's origins
0:29:04 > 0:29:06'and their lives during the Revolution.'
0:29:06 > 0:29:10What have you managed to find out about the Koshevnikova family?
0:29:10 > 0:29:14We found out they have connections to the gold-mining industry
0:29:14 > 0:29:17in Eastern Siberia,
0:29:17 > 0:29:21in particular a large mine at the town of Bodaybo,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24north-eastern Siberia, north of Lake Baikal.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28And they were owners of a mine there.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32'No wonder the family could afford expensive hotels in New York.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34'John's research doesn't end there.
0:29:34 > 0:29:40'The Koshevnikov family's lives were upturned by a number of dramatic world events.'
0:29:40 > 0:29:44- So, what happened to the family after World War One broke out? - When the war broke out,
0:29:44 > 0:29:49apparently, the father volunteered for service with the Russian Army
0:29:49 > 0:29:54and became a sapper in an engineering corps.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59His wife and family then moved from Eastern Siberia back to European Russia,
0:29:59 > 0:30:01initially to Moscow,
0:30:01 > 0:30:06presumably to be closer to the father when he was in service.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10It's quite possible that they had their own property.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14In Moscow, they seem to have been a pretty wealthy family.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18A little later, they moved for a while to the city of Kharkov,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21which is in Eastern Ukraine,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25and would've been just that bit closer to the front and the fighting,
0:30:25 > 0:30:26whilst still safe.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30It would've given them a bit more opportunity to have
0:30:30 > 0:30:35a bit more contact with the father whilst he was in service.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39- And what would've happened then? - Well, Russia was relatively peaceful
0:30:39 > 0:30:43until the beginning of 1917, but then the whole place fell to pieces.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48This was the start of a social revolution that would change not just the family's fortunes,
0:30:48 > 0:30:51but the whole country's history as well.
0:30:51 > 0:30:57The Tsar abdicated, a new government was established in Petrograd, a provisional government.
0:30:57 > 0:31:03Soldiers began deserting from the trenches, workers going on strike and so forth.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05Over the course of 1917,
0:31:05 > 0:31:11it became a time of really great social disruption and upheaval.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16The family, like a lot of people of means in Russia at that time,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19tried to shelter themselves by moving to Crimea,
0:31:19 > 0:31:25which was where many families of means, noble families and, indeed, the Romanovs themselves,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28had summer villas,
0:31:28 > 0:31:33and the Crimea remained a relatively peaceful haven.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37'This relative peace didn't last long.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39'In the aftermath of the 1917 revolution,
0:31:39 > 0:31:42'even the Crimea was affected.'
0:31:42 > 0:31:47They seem to have left the Crimea and returned, initially, back to Moscow.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52Apparently, the father, at this point, opted to join the anti-Bolshevik movement,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55whilst his wife and children retreated into Siberia,
0:31:55 > 0:31:59presumably back to the family home in the east.
0:31:59 > 0:32:04'But they would've found nothing but disruption and devastation going home.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09'In 1918 and 1919, the mining industry collapsed
0:32:09 > 0:32:15'and John thinks it's around this time that Alexandra's father was killed by the Bolshevik rebels.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18'It's this period when the remaining family flee
0:32:18 > 0:32:20'to the east of the country.'
0:32:20 > 0:32:23And when did they leave?
0:32:23 > 0:32:27They left in 1920. They applied in the spring of 1920 for permission
0:32:27 > 0:32:30to pass through the port of Vladivostok
0:32:30 > 0:32:33and made their way out of the country in 1920,
0:32:33 > 0:32:37initially across the Pacific to California,
0:32:37 > 0:32:40along with a large number of emigrates
0:32:40 > 0:32:45to create what was a substantial emigre community in San Francisco.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49They stayed at one of the best hotels in San Francisco,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52so they must have had some money with them,
0:32:52 > 0:32:57or perhaps gold and jewels which they had converted their funds into, whilst in Russia.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01This enabled them to survive a very, very comfortable life
0:33:01 > 0:33:07before then moving on to New York, where they stayed at the Waldorf.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10'A fact heir hunter Neil had already discovered.
0:33:10 > 0:33:16'Interestingly, John speculates the reason why the family chose to stay at such an expensive hotel
0:33:16 > 0:33:20'was because, sadly, they believed they'd be going back home,
0:33:20 > 0:33:25'not realising they'd actually be exiles for the rest of their lives.'
0:33:33 > 0:33:37Here are some more unsolved cases where heirs still need to be found.
0:33:37 > 0:33:44The Government list of over 2,000 unclaimed estates is money that is owed to members of the public.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48But you must be related by blood ties to the deceased.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50People need to prove their entitlement
0:33:50 > 0:33:56by producing documentary evidence, various certificates of birth, death and marriage.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59We will tell them what's required.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02And then they will need documents of identity.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05If your claim looks like it has merit,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08then the Bona Vacantia division will take it further.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11You get two experienced people looking at each claim.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15Ultimately, if it's a big claim, or a bit complex, it could go higher.
0:34:15 > 0:34:20We generally find the right answer. If there isn't evidence, we can't give the money away.
0:34:20 > 0:34:21If there is, the case is made out.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25Let's look at some of the unclaimed estates from the list.
0:34:26 > 0:34:31Do these names mean anything to you? Are they relatives of yours?
0:34:31 > 0:34:35William Oates died in October 2009 in Cornwall.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40The surname Oates is common to Cornwall and also to Sheffield.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45Was William from a Cornish family? Could you be related to him
0:34:45 > 0:34:48and entitled to a share of his unclaimed estate?
0:34:50 > 0:34:55Martin Pitters died on 7th December, 2006 in Northampton.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Pitters is an extremely rare surname,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01shared by just a handful of people in the UK.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Do you share the surname Pitters?
0:35:04 > 0:35:06Could you be Martin's heir?
0:35:09 > 0:35:13William Gary Sargent died in Tipton in the West Midlands
0:35:13 > 0:35:15on Christmas Eve, 2008.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17I've got William's death certificate,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20which contains some more information about him.
0:35:20 > 0:35:25It shows he was born on 8th February, 1941, in Swansea.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29The death certificate also shows that William worked in a factory.
0:35:29 > 0:35:34Was he a friend or colleague of yours? Did he ever talk to you about his family?
0:35:34 > 0:35:36If you think you can prove definitively
0:35:36 > 0:35:42that you are related to any of the names today, then the Bona Vacantia division wants to hear from you.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47If people want further information about Bona Vacantia and what we do,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50the first port of call would be our website,
0:35:50 > 0:35:54which has information about who's an entitled relative,
0:35:54 > 0:35:59how to put in a claim, how we deal with estates, and things like that.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03A reminder of those names again...
0:36:03 > 0:36:04William Oates,
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Martin Pitters
0:36:06 > 0:36:08and William Sargent.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11If today's names are relatives of yours,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14you could be entitled to a forgotten fortune.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Now back to the search for heirs to the estate of Russian exile,
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Alexandra Koshevnikova, who died without leaving a will.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34The heir hunters were searching for a beneficiary to Alexandra's estate.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38She died in Buckinghamshire in 2008.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43They'd uncovered new evidence that might finally give them a lead.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Alexandra Koshevnikova was from a rich family
0:36:46 > 0:36:50who'd fled the Communist forces after the Revolution.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54After crossing three continents and staying in luxurious hotels,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57Alexandra and her family had settled in Germany.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01Now the heir hunters have been sent her naturalisation papers,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05and it seemed that Alexandra could have been very wealthy.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07An immigrant family living in,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10not just a hotel, but the Waldorf Astoria.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14Um, you suddenly think they must be very, very rich indeed.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17But did Alexandra die a wealthy woman?
0:37:17 > 0:37:20And were there heirs to her estate?
0:37:20 > 0:37:22To find out, the team needed to know
0:37:22 > 0:37:26why she, her mother and her brother all came to the UK.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28BOMBS EXPLODING
0:37:28 > 0:37:3160 years ago, the family was living in war-torn Berlin.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36But the money they'd brought from Russia was starting to run out.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38They probably thought,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42as many Russians did, that once things had settled down,
0:37:42 > 0:37:43they would be able to go back.
0:37:43 > 0:37:48That may be one explanation of why they spent so much money
0:37:48 > 0:37:50so quickly,
0:37:50 > 0:37:52and then,
0:37:52 > 0:37:57suddenly they realised that their Russia was no longer there.
0:37:57 > 0:37:58- They- couldn't- go back.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02With their mother Susanna now in her sixties,
0:38:02 > 0:38:06the responsibility of providing for the family fell to Vladimir.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10In the late 1940s, he moved to England in search of work,
0:38:10 > 0:38:12and landed a remarkable job.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16After the Second World War, the Government needed Russian speakers
0:38:16 > 0:38:18to train British spies.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22There were Soviet sympathisers,
0:38:22 > 0:38:24not just within the Civil Service,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27but actually within the British intelligence community,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30who were meant to protect us from the Soviets.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32When that became clear,
0:38:32 > 0:38:36it really did make British policy-makers understand
0:38:36 > 0:38:39that the Soviet threat was a real threat.
0:38:39 > 0:38:45In 1951, the Government set up the Joint Services School for Linguists,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48and employed native Russians as language teachers.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50They quickly recruited Vladimir,
0:38:50 > 0:38:54who was a Russian exile opposed to the Soviet regime.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57The purpose of the JSSL
0:38:57 > 0:39:02was to train British servicemen
0:39:02 > 0:39:08to speak and understand the sort of Russian
0:39:08 > 0:39:13that was being used by Soviet tank commanders, Soviet pilots,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16Soviet naval captains,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19Soviet submarine commanders.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23To listen to the wireless traffic that they generated,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26and that intelligence was vital,
0:39:26 > 0:39:28and it prevented the Cold War
0:39:28 > 0:39:32from ever turning into a hot one in Europe.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37This World War II airfield in Crail in Scotland
0:39:37 > 0:39:40was a base for the top-secret language school
0:39:40 > 0:39:42where Vladimir became a teacher.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48Dave Allen was taught by Vladimir in the 1950s.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52He's now making his first visit back in over 50 years.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56At the time, this was a very busy roadway,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58with soldiers, sailors and airmen
0:39:58 > 0:40:02all going about their Russian language courses,
0:40:02 > 0:40:06and I think there were also Polish and Czech courses
0:40:06 > 0:40:08going on here at the same time.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10But they were in the minority.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Most of the people here were learning Russian.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18This is a typical classroom
0:40:18 > 0:40:21that we'd have had one of the lessons with Mr Koshevnikov.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24We'd have had the tables here,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28and Vladimir Koshevnikov would have sat in the front,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32usually in a fairly relaxed position, sort of leaning back.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36He was quite a big guy and he had sort of brown, wavy hair.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Very good-looking man.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42And, er, it would be really quite pleasant.
0:40:42 > 0:40:48Dave's not the only former student with fond recollections of Vladimir.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50The first really mad Russian
0:40:50 > 0:40:51we'd ever met.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54It was a sort of, I don't know,
0:40:54 > 0:40:55a kind of concept
0:40:55 > 0:40:57that Russians were a bit wild.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59And that was Vladimir Koshevnikov.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Anyway, Vladimir Koshevnikov was thoroughly eccentric.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06We would flop down on the grass.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09He would put two bottles of white wine on the grass,
0:41:09 > 0:41:12and throw down some packets of cigarettes.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15And you had to have a glass of wine
0:41:15 > 0:41:19before you were allowed to read or recite a poem.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23Because he said the object of drinking wine is to liberate the soul.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27That's what the Russians believe. They still believe it, incidentally.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30That a bottle of vodka, you drink it to liberate the soul.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35Vladimir's informal teaching style appealed to the trainee spies.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Vladimir Koshevnikov was a unique teacher,
0:41:38 > 0:41:43and a very gifted man, very artistic.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45And he created a very good learning environment.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Because his knowledge of Russian was so good,
0:41:48 > 0:41:52we learned a lot about Russian in a kind of literary sense.
0:41:52 > 0:41:57The Koshevnikovs had the perfect credentials for the JSSL,
0:41:57 > 0:42:00so Vladimir's sister Alexandra was also recruited,
0:42:00 > 0:42:05and in 1951, the whole family moved from Berlin to the UK.
0:42:05 > 0:42:11There was a sister there, and she went on to teach in later courses.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15But the mother must have been a burden to some extent
0:42:15 > 0:42:16because she was an old lady
0:42:16 > 0:42:19who had to be looked after in a foreign country.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23This close-knit family who'd travelled across six countries
0:42:23 > 0:42:27finally settled in Beaconsfield in 1966.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30Immersed in their work at the JSSL,
0:42:30 > 0:42:35neither Alexandra or Vladimir ever married or had any children.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38Instead, they lived together with their mother Susanna
0:42:38 > 0:42:40for another 25 years,
0:42:40 > 0:42:42until she died in 1976.
0:42:42 > 0:42:47Sadly, Alexandra's beloved brother Vladimir died just two years later,
0:42:47 > 0:42:52and for the first time in her life, she was alone.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Sandra was on her own when her mother and brother had died,
0:42:55 > 0:42:59yes, I would say, she was a lonely person to a certain extent,
0:42:59 > 0:43:02although she seemed quite self-sufficient in many ways.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05But yes, I would have said she was a lonely person.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09Alexandra threw herself further into her work,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11and became increasingly reclusive.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16I gather she'd had a hard life before they came to this country,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20and although I know she'd always worked as a translator,
0:43:20 > 0:43:23I would have thought she'd have had some money,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26but she always appeared not to have a lot of money,
0:43:26 > 0:43:30and, you know, I just assumed she hadn't got a lot of money.
0:43:30 > 0:43:36Alexandra passed away in June 2008 at the age of 100.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39But one question remained.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Having been born wealthy and watched their mother's money run out,
0:43:43 > 0:43:45had Vladimir and Alexandra earned enough
0:43:45 > 0:43:50as spy school language teachers to leave a valuable estate?
0:43:50 > 0:43:52They've lived this very, very exciting life,
0:43:52 > 0:43:54and it looks as though it's a family
0:43:54 > 0:43:57which has ended up with virtually nothing.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59So from wealthy beginnings,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03it turned out the Koshevnikovs had died poor.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07And with no traces of any relatives in the UK,
0:44:07 > 0:44:09Neil had nowhere left to go.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13We have spent quite a lot of money.
0:44:13 > 0:44:17We spent quite a lot of money sending researchers out,
0:44:17 > 0:44:18sending letters to America,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20applying for naturalisations,
0:44:20 > 0:44:23having an awful amount of documents translated,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26and just the research in the first point -
0:44:26 > 0:44:29the number of staff we had on it.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31We're never going to make that money back.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35So this is a case which we unfortunately can't take any further.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37Unless we suddenly find out
0:44:37 > 0:44:40that the estate's worth a lot more than we thought.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42But I seriously doubt that.
0:44:42 > 0:44:47But for the heir hunters, the case of Alexandra Koshevnikova has been a memorable one.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50It's been quite a nice journey,
0:44:50 > 0:44:53even if we're not going to get any fees or anything out of it.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56It's taught us a bit more about research,
0:44:56 > 0:45:00which hopefully will come in useful next time we have to do a case.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04While the case isn't valuable enough for the heir hunters to continue,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07it's believed to be worth between £5,000 and £15,000,
0:45:07 > 0:45:09and it's still unclaimed.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Could you be a rightful heir?
0:45:19 > 0:45:25Finally, let's return to the story of Robert Thomas, who died without a will and with no known kin.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28The heir hunters have discovered he'd been in the army,
0:45:28 > 0:45:30but, sadly, not much else.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34In order to find out more about his experiences in the Second World War,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37I'm meeting military expert, Taff Gillingham,
0:45:37 > 0:45:41'who's going to help me interpret Robert's war records.'
0:45:41 > 0:45:44So, what have you found relating to Robert?
0:45:44 > 0:45:48OK, we've got his service record from the Ministry of Defence.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52This gives us a clear indication of what he's done and when he's done it.
0:45:52 > 0:45:57It shows that he joins in April 1941. By this time, he's 20 years old.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01Normally, you'd join at 18 - that's when you'd be called up.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04There can be a number of reasons for that.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06He was a labourer, a bricklayer by trade,
0:46:06 > 0:46:12and my guess is that in the early part of the war, there's an enormous need for new barracks, airfields,
0:46:12 > 0:46:17so he may well have been doing that kind of work, or, after the Blitz, it may well have been rebuilding
0:46:17 > 0:46:20important buildings in the centre of London.
0:46:20 > 0:46:21What regiment was he in?
0:46:21 > 0:46:24He joins the Royal Artillery and, specifically, he joins
0:46:24 > 0:46:26a light anti-aircraft battery
0:46:26 > 0:46:30and stays with different light anti-aircraft batteries pretty much throughout the war.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38The job of the light anti-aircraft,
0:46:38 > 0:46:44obviously their job is to keep German aircraft away from important positions, airfields, factories,
0:46:44 > 0:46:48and, being light anti-aircraft, that was all about the size of the guns.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50They had what were called Bofors guns,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53with a 40mm shell that they fired. They were very quick.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58So they could do a lot of damage very quickly
0:46:58 > 0:47:01and did a good job keeping German aircraft away from important places.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05- What would he have done in this unit?- What's interesting is
0:47:05 > 0:47:08he joins in 1941 and he's promoted very rapidly.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11Bearing in mind he's a bricklayer, not a trained soldier,
0:47:11 > 0:47:16and he's promoted very quickly to lance bombardier, then bombardier.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20Bombardier was the equivalent of corporal in the Army. Eventually,
0:47:20 > 0:47:22he reaches the rank of sergeant.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26So he must have had a way with men, been good at leadership.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30He obviously was well thought of
0:47:30 > 0:47:34and was an important guy in his particular battery.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36Did he see any action abroad?
0:47:36 > 0:47:39Yes, he does. He goes over two days after D-Day.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43Obviously on D-Day, there's an enormous crush on the beaches.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47You really need to get the infantry and anti-tank units ashore,
0:47:47 > 0:47:48and the tanks themselves.
0:47:48 > 0:47:52But a couple of days later, you then need to protect that beachhead,
0:47:52 > 0:47:57to try and keep the Germans away from it, so you can bring supplies and everything ashore.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Light anti-aircraft batteries are set up to keep the German aircraft away.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05So, obviously, this is a very dangerous part of the war.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Absolutely. This is the invasion of Normandy.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10It's what everybody's been waiting for since 1940,
0:48:10 > 0:48:14a massive, massive effort to take the whole British and American forces
0:48:14 > 0:48:19across the Channel, into Europe, to start pushing the Germans back.
0:48:19 > 0:48:25This is where they're trying to break in and the Germans are doing everything they can to keep them out.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29So, what happened after D-Day? What happened after this point?
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Eventually, they break out and start moving across Europe.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36By this time, the battery he's attached to spends some time around Dunkirk.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39In 1944, the Germans are very keen to hang onto it. It's a port,
0:48:39 > 0:48:45they know how important that is. They don't want us having it, because once we've captured another port,
0:48:45 > 0:48:47we have another place to bring supplies,
0:48:47 > 0:48:50so the Germans are besieged there for a while
0:48:50 > 0:48:53and his unit are part of that siege.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57Then they carry on moving across through Europe, till they finish the war in Germany.
0:48:59 > 0:49:03'But it was far from over for Robert and his fellow soldiers.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06'The Allies then had to defend Germany against the Russians,
0:49:06 > 0:49:09'who had taken control of half the country.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17'No-one really knew what was coming next,
0:49:17 > 0:49:21'but anti-aircraft batteries like Robert's were moved into Germany
0:49:21 > 0:49:25'to protect the troops from the threat of the Russians.'
0:49:25 > 0:49:28What also happens, it tells us in his records,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31that he gets attached to the 3rd Infantry Division.
0:49:31 > 0:49:36The 3rd Division, they've fought all across Europe, one of the elite assault divisions on D-Day,
0:49:36 > 0:49:38and the decision has been made
0:49:38 > 0:49:42that they'll be one of the units that go and invade mainland Japan.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46Then the atomic bomb arrives and that's the end of that.
0:49:46 > 0:49:52But because they've got this very highly-trained unit, they then send them to the next hot-spot.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54At that time, that's Palestine.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58So, when was the war over for Robert? When did he go home?
0:49:58 > 0:50:01Finally, he goes home in February 1946.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03He's actually been in the Army for a long time by then.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05He joined in 1941.
0:50:05 > 0:50:12Pretty much it was first in, first out, unless you'd got a special skill that you had,
0:50:12 > 0:50:15that was needed in the civilian world.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18Building labourer might not have put him too high up the list.
0:50:18 > 0:50:24- It takes him until February 1946 to get home.- Fascinating, thank you. - It's a pleasure.
0:50:26 > 0:50:31The revelation that Robert Thomas was an Army sergeant who inspired his men as they fought across Europe
0:50:31 > 0:50:36is slightly at odds with the quiet man remembered by his friends and neighbours.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38But, having heard his story,
0:50:38 > 0:50:40and now, having read his military record,
0:50:40 > 0:50:46it's clear Robert was easily capable of being both a courageous and caring man.
0:50:54 > 0:51:00Now, to deliver Robert's final legacy, the heir hunters are searching for his surviving family.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03The team are making gradual progress on his case,
0:51:03 > 0:51:08despite Thomas being one of the most common surnames in the UK.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10How many births have we got on that, Noel?
0:51:10 > 0:51:1488-year-old Robert Thomas was a widower
0:51:14 > 0:51:16who died without leaving a will.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20But in a frustrating setback, the team has missed one heir,
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Robert's brother, by just hours.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26He flew out to Turkey today.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29He's got a home in Turkey.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31Shame it wasn't tomorrow, isn't it?
0:51:31 > 0:51:35Now the team at Fraser & Fraser are racing to find other heirs.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37Is this all of them?
0:51:37 > 0:51:40- There might be more, but they're the ones in area.- OK.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44The search is focused on Robert's other brother Albert, who has died,
0:51:44 > 0:51:45but had four children.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48He'd married a lady, Iris D Warren,
0:51:48 > 0:51:51and they've had several children.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54We've identified at least four children so far.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56Luckily, one of them is called Iris D Thomas,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59which is the name of Albert's wife,
0:51:59 > 0:52:00so it's all tying in quite nicely.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03New details for the Thomas family tree
0:52:03 > 0:52:08show Bob's brother Albert Thomas married Iris Warren in 1953.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12The team's found they had five children,
0:52:12 > 0:52:17but one was adopted out of the family, so will not be an heir.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20Lynda was supposed to be married to Martin.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24We've got that address there.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28They quickly find an address for one of the sisters, Iris Thomas.
0:52:28 > 0:52:33And for the second time today, Bob's off to try and meet an heir.
0:52:33 > 0:52:38Hopefully, she will be in contact with all her brothers and sisters,
0:52:38 > 0:52:41or sisters, there are no brothers.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44And sign her up and get all their details.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Perfect day.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51Bob missed the last heir by a matter of minutes.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55He's hoping this time the house visit will produce results.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58- You're the daughter of Albert.- Yeah.
0:52:58 > 0:52:59- Is that right?- Albert, yeah.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03And he had brothers Robert and Henry? Is that right?
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Yeah, Uncle Henry, yeah.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07Right. I don't know if you're aware,
0:53:07 > 0:53:11but your uncle Robert, unfortunately died earlier this year.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13He never had children. He was married to Winnie.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17- That's right, yeah.- Do you want to come in?- Is that all right?
0:53:17 > 0:53:22The news of Robert's death has come as a surprise to his niece Iris.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24It's just a shock to me to know he'd passed away.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27I actually thought he'd passed away before my dad
0:53:27 > 0:53:30because we didn't see him for a long time
0:53:30 > 0:53:33and we was all saying, even my dad kept saying,
0:53:33 > 0:53:37"Bobby must have passed away because he hasn't been in touch."
0:53:37 > 0:53:40You know, you do get these things happen, don't you?
0:53:40 > 0:53:45Bob Smith fills out the paperwork, which Iris is happy to sign.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47I'll have the £90 and you can have the £10.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49It's a result.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Finally, Bob's found an heir to the Thomas estate.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57Obviously, she was happy to sign a contract with us
0:53:57 > 0:53:59and I've got all the details of her sisters,
0:53:59 > 0:54:01so good day all round.
0:54:01 > 0:54:06In the office, David Pacifico is able to contact Albert's other daughters.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Hello.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12My name is David Pacifico of a company called Fraser & Fraser.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15We've just been in contact with your sister Iris.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19Robert Thomas's nieces will receive half of his estate.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Right, well, as you know,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24we've been trying to track down the Thomas family
0:54:24 > 0:54:27regarding an estate of an uncle of yours who unfortunately passed away.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30While the other half of the estate,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33estimated between £20,000 to £40,000,
0:54:33 > 0:54:35will go to his brother Henry.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38The big rush is that because it's a new job,
0:54:38 > 0:54:41you know, potentially it could be competitive,
0:54:41 > 0:54:45and I want to make sure we get all our letters out today.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57Almost a month later, the heir hunters have learned their gamble was worth it.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Robert Thomas's estate is worth £20,000.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02His nieces Iris and Lynda
0:55:02 > 0:55:06have both had time to reflect on the unexpected windfall.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12I was very shocked to find out that I was going to be a heir, one of the heirs,
0:55:12 > 0:55:16because things like that don't happen to people like us.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20And we didn't honestly think that Bob had money, did we?
0:55:20 > 0:55:23No, as far as we know,
0:55:23 > 0:55:26he lived in a little council maisonette in Orpington,
0:55:26 > 0:55:31um, and, all right, he might have had a big win on the National,
0:55:31 > 0:55:33got the bingo up, or whatever.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Maybe that's what happened.
0:55:35 > 0:55:36Or the lottery.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39Yeah, obviously, as far as I know,
0:55:39 > 0:55:42I didn't even know he had money, to be honest.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46The experience has brought back fond memories of Uncle Bob.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50When the girls' parents split up and they moved in with their grandparents
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Bob would drive round to entertain them.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56He used to have three cars, a Morris Minor,
0:55:56 > 0:55:59a Volkswagen Beetle,
0:55:59 > 0:56:03and then, obviously, the Mini, and the Mini was our favourite of all.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05And he used to take us out for a little ride,
0:56:05 > 0:56:07every Sunday he'd come,
0:56:07 > 0:56:09to Blackwall Tunnel and back.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11And it was brilliant. We loved it.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15We used to say, "Take us for a ride, Uncle Bob, take us for a ride."
0:56:15 > 0:56:17He'd say, "All right, then."
0:56:17 > 0:56:18And we'd all pile in the back,
0:56:18 > 0:56:22and he'd take us all the way to the Blackwall Tunnel,
0:56:22 > 0:56:26which is no journey, really, but when you're a kid, it was a day out.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29We loved it, didn't we? Always through the Blackwall Tunnel.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31Always the same place.
0:56:31 > 0:56:32Always the same ride, yeah.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35The sisters have dug out a treasured photo
0:56:35 > 0:56:38of Uncle Bob and their dad Albert from the War,
0:56:38 > 0:56:40that their grandmother treasured.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43The story behind this was, um,
0:56:43 > 0:56:47Dad being in the Navy and Bob being in the Army,
0:56:47 > 0:56:49they was never home on leave at the same time.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53And this particular time, they were both home together,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56and Nan got a snapshot of her two lovely boys in uniform.
0:56:56 > 0:57:01And this always sat, pride of place, on Nan's mantelpiece, remember?
0:57:01 > 0:57:04- Always on her mantelpiece. - In that old-fashioned frame.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08- Yeah, it was lovely. - They look so young, don't they?
0:57:08 > 0:57:12Look at the lovely uniforms and that. Lovely.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14With no children himself,
0:57:14 > 0:57:20Bob was happy to spend some of his hard-earned cash on his nieces.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23Quite exciting when Bob used to come down, wasn't it?
0:57:23 > 0:57:26Yeah, always used to give us our pocket money.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29We always used to thought he was rich, didn't we?
0:57:29 > 0:57:32Well, we did, because he had no children, I suppose,
0:57:32 > 0:57:35whereas our dad had to watch every penny he had.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38And I suppose, Bob, not having children,
0:57:38 > 0:57:40would give us sixpence here and there,
0:57:40 > 0:57:42and we just took it for granted
0:57:42 > 0:57:45that he was a cash cow at that point in our lives.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48What was it? Ten shillings, wasn't it?
0:57:48 > 0:57:50Sometimes a ten-shilling note, yeah.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54Now almost 20 years have passed
0:57:54 > 0:57:56since Iris and Lynda have seen Bob,
0:57:56 > 0:58:01and they wish they'd been able to pay their respects to a much-loved uncle.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03I miss not being able to say goodbye
0:58:03 > 0:58:06and going to his funeral, that I do miss.
0:58:06 > 0:58:07Yeah, definitely.
0:58:07 > 0:58:12Because it's something you need to do to someone in the family.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16- Yeah, it's respect, isn't it? - But we've got good memories.- Yeah.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23I haven't got a tissue on me. Don't start blubbing. Come on.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25I'm all right, Iris.
0:58:29 > 0:58:33If you would like advice about building your family tree
0:58:33 > 0:58:37or making a will, go to:
0:58:56 > 0:59:00Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:59:00 > 0:59:04E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk