0:00:02 > 0:00:08'Today, the heir hunters are looking into an estate worth tens of thousands of pounds.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12'The hunt is on for relatives who could be in for a windfall.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16'Could someone be knocking at YOUR door?'
0:00:33 > 0:00:38'On today's show, the heir hunters race against the competition.'
0:00:38 > 0:00:43She's signed with a competitor. So that's it. We're too late.
0:00:43 > 0:00:49'The team uncover the heartbreaking story of a soldier scarred for life
0:00:49 > 0:00:51'by his wartime experiences.'
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Something dreadful happened to the man.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57May God forgive the people that did it to him.
0:00:57 > 0:01:04'Plus, how you could be entitled to an estate, where beneficiaries have not yet been found.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07'Could a windfall be coming your way?
0:01:12 > 0:01:18'Every year in the UK, 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:18 > 0:01:24'If no relatives are found, any money left will go to the government.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28'Last year, they made £12 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33'There are over 30 specialist firms competing to stop this happening.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36'Heir hunters make it their business
0:01:36 > 0:01:42'to track down missing relatives and help them claim their inheritance.'
0:01:42 > 0:01:47At least we've got signatures on paper, and nice people.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55'It's Thursday morning at Fraser & Fraser,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58'the UK's largest heir hunting firm.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03'The Treasury just published their list of people who died without a will,
0:02:03 > 0:02:08'and companies across the country are racing to find heirs.
0:02:08 > 0:02:14'The team must work quickly, and partner Charles Fraser has identified a case
0:02:14 > 0:02:18'that he thinks is worth working.'
0:02:18 > 0:02:24We've decided to look at the case of Audrey Violet Coleman this morning.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28We've established that she was living in a BUPA nursing home.
0:02:28 > 0:02:35So possibility that it's privately funded, which suggests that there's some value to the estate.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38'Prior to living in a nursing home,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40'Audrey may have owned her property,
0:02:40 > 0:02:45'so the team are even more hopeful the case has value.'
0:02:45 > 0:02:50Previous home went for 20,000. If it was hers, sold 2002...
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Got to be over 20K.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56'Heir hunters are paid a percentage of an estate's final value.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01'There must be enough money to cover costs and, hopefully, make a profit.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'This is why they look for cases with property.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09'If Audrey owned her own home and sold it for £20,000,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13'the case could be worth upwards of this amount.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17'The competition are already one step ahead.'
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Somebody's already phoned you? Sorry about that. Do apologise.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Thank you. Bye-bye. HANGS UP
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Competition.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31'There are over 30 heir hunting firms operating in the UK.
0:03:31 > 0:03:37'All have access to the Treasury's list and all will target the most valuable estates.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42'The team pull out all the stops to get to the heirs before their rivals.'
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Bob is on his way to the nursing home.
0:03:49 > 0:03:55'Audrey Violet Coleman died 26 September 2009 in Dartford, Kent.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59'She was happily married to her first husband, Roland,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02'until his untimely death in 1968.
0:04:02 > 0:04:08'She is fondly remembered by Roland's nephew, Tom Hutson.'
0:04:08 > 0:04:12She was a very quiet-spoken person, quite slim.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15She never wore an awful lot of make-up.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19She was just a down-to-earth, lovely person.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23She made you very welcome and always made a fuss of you.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Always.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28She liked to have a flutter on the horses.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30She'd never speak about it,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34but we knew that's what she used to do, virtually every day.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37I don't think she won a great deal.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40I don't think there's any hidden accounts.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45If there is, it'll be a shock to everybody and a bonus to somebody!
0:04:45 > 0:04:50'The team must establish whether Audrey has any close relatives
0:04:50 > 0:04:53'who could be heirs to her estate.
0:04:53 > 0:05:00'Senior researcher Alan Riches discovers that she was married twice.'
0:05:00 > 0:05:05I've identified her first marriage to Roland Hutson in 1944 Wandsworth.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07He dies in 1968 in Dartford,
0:05:07 > 0:05:12and she remarries a guy called Tildon Coleman
0:05:12 > 0:05:15in 1974, in Dartford.
0:05:15 > 0:05:21'Audrey outlived both her husbands and it seems she had no children.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25'There is a stepdaughter from her second marriage.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27'Although not an heir herself,
0:05:27 > 0:05:33'case manager Tony Pledger hopes she can provide information about Audrey.'
0:05:33 > 0:05:35She was an only child?
0:05:35 > 0:05:40Therefore, we have to start looking at uncles and aunts and cousins.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44That was me speaking to a stepdaughter of the deceased,
0:05:44 > 0:05:49who confirmed that the deceased had no children herself.
0:05:49 > 0:05:56There were... There is talk of relatives but they couldn't find any for the funeral.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59'Research is progressing very fast.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03'Despite rumoured competition, the team are forging ahead
0:06:03 > 0:06:07'and are determined to crack this case first.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11'In the absence of close family, it's time to cast the net wider,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15'starting by identifying Audrey's parents.'
0:06:15 > 0:06:19The deceased's father may have died in March 1958 in Wandsworth,
0:06:19 > 0:06:24which would have him born about 1896-ish.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29There are quite a few possibilities of the father's death.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33The deceased married in Wandsworth. I think that's her father.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37'If Alan has identified Audrey's father,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40'census records show that he had two siblings.'
0:06:40 > 0:06:42One of them died in 1968.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46The sister Edith may have died as a spinster.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50'Alan believes Audrey's father was a Henry Bardsley,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53'who married an Ethel Eaton in 1919.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57'His two siblings would be Audrey's uncle and aunt,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01'but the only birth record he can find for a Henry Bardsley
0:07:01 > 0:07:06'is a long way away from Wandsworth, where the family appear to settle.
0:07:06 > 0:07:12'Case manager Frances Brett is worried they may be on to the wrong family.'
0:07:12 > 0:07:17Until we can acquire a copy of his marriage certificate,
0:07:17 > 0:07:22in 1919, when he married Ethel Violet Eaton,
0:07:22 > 0:07:27we can't be 100% sure that we're working along the right lines.
0:07:27 > 0:07:34'Alan sends researcher Jo to Hammersmith Register Office to pick up the marriage certificate.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38'In the meantime, the team research the maternal side of the family.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41'They discover from census information
0:07:41 > 0:07:46'that Audrey's mother, Ethel Eaton, had one sister, Ellen.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50'Ellen had three daughters, Freda, Elsie and Jean,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53'all of whom had children.'
0:07:53 > 0:07:57One of her daughters, Freda Gale, has passed away in Hampshire.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00We're trying to find her three daughters.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04We've just managed to find one of them, her youngest daughter.
0:08:04 > 0:08:11We've got her phone, so we'll be calling her very shortly. Hopefully, the first people to call.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14'The team are making great progress.
0:08:14 > 0:08:21'It's only 11 o'clock and they've found who they think is a first heir, a cousin once removed.'
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Right, I've now jumped on your case of Coleman.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Isn't it nice to have somebody that's keen?
0:08:29 > 0:08:34- She's up-to-date on the phone. - Great. Whereabouts?- Basingstoke.
0:08:34 > 0:08:41'All they need to do now is give her a call and hope the competition haven't beaten them to it.'
0:08:41 > 0:08:46My name's Tony Pledger, from a company of probate researchers.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50What's happened is a relative of your mother-in-law has died
0:08:50 > 0:08:54and left several thousands pounds and no valid will...
0:08:56 > 0:08:59'Unfortunately, it's bad news.'
0:08:59 > 0:09:02OK. All right.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Not going anywhere.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08'It looks like a rival company may have got there first.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11'The team are now under real pressure.
0:09:11 > 0:09:17'If the competition sign up all the heirs, they won't get paid for any research they've done.
0:09:17 > 0:09:23'It's time to enlist the help of the travelling researchers.
0:09:26 > 0:09:34'The company employs a team of regional heir hunters, ready to hit the road at a moment's notice.'
0:09:34 > 0:09:36We're trying to find a closer kin.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38'From picking up certificates
0:09:38 > 0:09:42'to checking records and talking to neighbours,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45'their role is crucial in the race to sign up heirs.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50'Dave Hadley is in the southeast, within easy reach of another heir.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54'She is also a cousin once removed through Audrey's aunt,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58'and will be entitled to a share of Audrey's estate.'
0:09:58 > 0:10:03I'm half a mile from that postcode you gave me in Basingstoke.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07'OK. Well, the tree's downloadable, if you wanted it.'
0:10:07 > 0:10:09- Right.- 'See how you get on.'
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Bye.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18She is, in fact, a cousin once removed to the deceased,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21through the maternal side of the family.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23See if she's prepared to see me.
0:10:23 > 0:10:30'Armed with the family tree, and with the competition on his heels, Dave heads towards Basingstoke.'
0:10:30 > 0:10:32We've got competition,
0:10:32 > 0:10:37so it's important that we speak to these people as soon as we can.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Hello. I wanted to speak to Valerie Winkworth.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52I'm really sorry. You've had a wasted journey.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- Have you signed the agreement? - I have, dear. Sorry.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01I'll leave you that card anyway, in case there's any problems.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Right, I've just spoken to Mrs Winkworth
0:11:04 > 0:11:08and she's already signed with one of the competitors.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11So, that's it. We're too late.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17- They must be quick off the mark. - 'Extremely quick.'
0:11:17 > 0:11:20She's actually signed the agreement.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25You're getting adept at driving up and down the motorway pointlessly!
0:11:25 > 0:11:31'The team thought they'd done well to find these heirs in four hours.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35'They are baffled as to how another company got there first.'
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I'm surprised that they got there so quickly.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41It could be they started at midnight
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and have been beavering away for eight hours.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It's not looking terribly productive.
0:11:47 > 0:11:55'Coming up, the team finally track down an heir who hasn't already been snapped up.'
0:11:55 > 0:11:59He hasn't been contacted by anybody else so, fingers crossed,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02we might get one heir on this job.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06'Will they make it to the beneficiary before the competition?'
0:12:10 > 0:12:14'Sometimes, heir hunting cases can take years to solve,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18'and involve research in several different countries.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22'And sometimes, they reveal heartbreaking stories.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25'This happened on the case of Wiktor Dynak,
0:12:25 > 0:12:31'who crossed many borders in his dramatic life before settling in the UK.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36'Wiktor died in August 1997, in Richmond, Surrey. He was 88.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39'He spent the last six years of his life
0:12:39 > 0:12:42'in the Royal Star & Garter Home for ex-servicemen.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47'Avril Bearsden was a nurse there, and remembers Wiktor well.'
0:12:47 > 0:12:51All the people at the Royal Star & Garter Home
0:12:51 > 0:12:55all seemed to have families or friends from their war days.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Wiktor was the only person
0:12:57 > 0:13:02that I have no recollection of anybody ever coming to see him.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07When they don't have anybody in the whole world, you warm towards them.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11I certainly warmed towards Wiktor. I thought the world of him.
0:13:11 > 0:13:17'Wiktor left an estate of £20,000, but died without leaving a will.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22'His case was first taken up by a company abroad, who then passed it
0:13:22 > 0:13:25'to Hector Birchwood at Celtic Research.'
0:13:25 > 0:13:30This is a slightly unusual case, in that we didn't contact our agent
0:13:30 > 0:13:32in Poland or the Ukraine.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Our Ukranian partner contacted us.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41They thought that a competitor was working on the estate of Mr Dynak.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44They also wanted to work on this estate.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48'Hector works with his father, Peter Birchwood.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53'Together, they have over 40 years' experience of tracking down heirs.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58'Like a lot of heir hunting firms, they work with agents across Europe.
0:13:58 > 0:14:05'The only information Hector had to go on was a name and date of birth.'
0:14:05 > 0:14:08The first stage is, once we have a date of birth,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12to check whether we have a birth in the United Kingdom
0:14:12 > 0:14:15which, obviously, there wasn't in this case.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Then, given his age,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21he was born in 1909, he was ripe for being shot at
0:14:21 > 0:14:25and shooting at people during World War II.
0:14:25 > 0:14:31So my hunch was that there should be some military record somewhere.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33'Hector's hunch proved correct.'
0:14:33 > 0:14:38When I contacted the Ministry of Defence here, they confirmed that,
0:14:38 > 0:14:43indeed, Mr Dynak had fought for the Allies under British command,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46as I would have expected him to.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50So that led us down a new avenue of research.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54'At the Star & Garter, Wiktor was a reclusive character
0:14:54 > 0:14:58'who played his cards close to his chest.'
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Always had a look about him that was vague,
0:15:02 > 0:15:07scared of people, apprehensive about who he let into his life.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10He talked when he wanted to talk.
0:15:10 > 0:15:16He gave some memories of his childhood and what happened to him, but he knew when to stop.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20He didn't want to go further and we couldn't ask him to.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25'Wiktor gradually let his guard down and he and Avril became friends.'
0:15:25 > 0:15:30As ward manager, I used to do the medications round.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36I would knock on his door and he would put his hand out to take his medications.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38After a while, he would invite me in.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43Then, at Christmas, he always invited me in to have a sherry,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46so that was real progress.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51'Having established that Wiktor was in the army, Hector obtained a copy
0:15:51 > 0:15:53'of his military record,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56'and piece together the story of his life.'
0:15:56 > 0:15:59It provided a wealth of information.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02We found out that the deceased was born in Russia,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04close to the Black Sea,
0:16:04 > 0:16:10which was a surprise, given that we thought he was Polish or Ukranian.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13But according to his army record,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17he seems to have completed his high school in Warsaw.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22So, for whatever reason he was in Russia and was born there,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25he then seems to have gone back to Poland
0:16:25 > 0:16:29and then studied.
0:16:29 > 0:16:36Then the next bit of information that we got was, before the war, he ran a butcher's shop in Lublin.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46'When the Second World War started, Wiktor's life was to change forever.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49'In September 1939, the Germans invaded Poland.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54'Wiktor enlisted in the Polish army and was immediately caught up
0:16:54 > 0:16:59'in one of the most devastating attacks the country had ever faced.'
0:16:59 > 0:17:03The September campaign was very painful and very difficult
0:17:03 > 0:17:08for the Polish army because, first of all,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12the Germans used new tactics, namely Blitzkrieg.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17Secondly, Germans attacked on 1st September
0:17:17 > 0:17:21and the Soviet Union attacked on 17th September.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26When all the Polish forces were directed against the Germans,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30they were shot in the back by the Russian army.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33'When the Polish were defeated,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37'Wiktor appears to have escaped to Romania.'
0:17:37 > 0:17:42The Polish command issued orders to retreat, as far as possible,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45to Romania and Hungary.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48And it seems that Wiktor has done it.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53'And from Romania, he made his way towards France.'
0:17:53 > 0:17:59A number of Polish soldiers who managed to escape to Romania
0:17:59 > 0:18:03wanted to continue fighting.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06There were all sorts of illegal ways
0:18:06 > 0:18:11of crossing over a number of countries in order to reach France,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15who was still fighting the Germans.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16'Wiktor's record
0:18:16 > 0:18:21'confirms he enlisted in the Polish forces under French command.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23'But, in June 1940,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27'the French suffered a shock defeat at the hands of the Germans.'
0:18:27 > 0:18:32In 1940, the collapse of France was a great shock for everybody.
0:18:32 > 0:18:38It was considered that the French army was the most powerful army
0:18:38 > 0:18:40on the European continent.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45And that powerful army was defeated within a few weeks
0:18:45 > 0:18:47by the Germans.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53'At this point, Polish soldiers had two options -
0:18:53 > 0:18:57'hand themselves over to the Germans, or escape to Britain.'
0:18:57 > 0:19:04All those Polish soldiers who were...or could escape,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08on the radio, they were given instruction or message
0:19:08 > 0:19:13that they should go to whichever French port they could reach.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17An agreement was reached with the British government
0:19:17 > 0:19:21that all Polish soldiers who got to one of the ports would be picked up
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and brought to United Kingdom.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27'It appears that Wiktor made it to a French port
0:19:27 > 0:19:33'because, on 27 June 1940, he arrived on British shores.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37'He was likely to have been sent to Scotland
0:19:37 > 0:19:42'to defend the Scottish coast against a German attack from Norway.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46'In 1943, Wiktor's fighting days were brought to an end
0:19:46 > 0:19:52'when the medical board declared him health category D - unfit for military service.'
0:19:52 > 0:19:57There must have been something very wrong with Wiktor's health,
0:19:57 > 0:20:04because category D almost meant demobilisation or an office job.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08'In later life, Wiktor suffered from very poor eyesight.'
0:20:08 > 0:20:14His eyes were light-sensitive, so he would have the curtains drawn, maybe open a chink.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17It remained very dim in his room.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22'It's likely that Wiktor's eyesight kept him away from the front line,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26'and he remained in an office job until the end of the war.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31'Wiktor stayed in Britain and joined the Polish Resettlement Corps,
0:20:31 > 0:20:35'set up to prepare Polish soldiers for life in the UK.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39'Something had happened to Wiktor during those years of conflict
0:20:39 > 0:20:43'which appears to have haunted him for the rest of his days.'
0:20:43 > 0:20:48I don't know what it was. I would guess at torture that was mental.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53I think something absolutely dreadful happened to the man.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56May God forgive the people that did it to him.
0:20:56 > 0:21:02'Coming up, would heir hunter Hector and his colleagues in eastern Europe
0:21:02 > 0:21:07'be able to find beneficiaries to his £20,000 estate?'
0:21:07 > 0:21:10We have somebody who's born in Russia,
0:21:10 > 0:21:15whose family name is Polish, who moves great distances within Poland.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19The records are not easy to come by.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27'Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30'Millions of pounds are paid out to heirs,
0:21:30 > 0:21:35'but there is always a handful of cases that remain unsolved.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39'Could you be the heirs they've been searching for?
0:21:39 > 0:21:44'Could you be in line to inherit a lump sum worth hundreds, thousands
0:21:44 > 0:21:46'or even millions of pounds?
0:21:46 > 0:21:50'Estates stay on the list for 30 years.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54'Today, we're focusing on three names. Are they relatives of yours?
0:21:54 > 0:22:00'Evelyn Bamberger died in Paddington, London in July 2000.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02'She was 85 years old.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06'If no heirs are found, her money will go to the government.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12'Did you know Edmund Kurant, from Birmingham?
0:22:12 > 0:22:14'He died in March 2002.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17'He is likely to have been of Polish descent,
0:22:17 > 0:22:22'but no relatives have been traced in the UK or abroad.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'Also on our list is Phyllis Ellen McCue
0:22:27 > 0:22:29'from Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34'She died just four days before Christmas in December 1999.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38'So far, no-one has come forward to claim her estate.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42'If the names Evelyn Bamberger, Edmund Kurant
0:22:42 > 0:22:46'or Phyllis Ellen McCue mean anything to you or someone you know,
0:22:46 > 0:22:51'an unexpected windfall could be coming your way.'
0:22:57 > 0:23:02'Heir hunters at Celtic Research have been looking into the case
0:23:02 > 0:23:04'of Wiktor Dynak.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06'He died in Richmond in Surrey,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09'leaving an estate worth £20,000.
0:23:09 > 0:23:15'Hector Birchwood obtained his military record which stated that he was born in Russia,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17'grew up in Poland
0:23:17 > 0:23:21'and enlisted with the army at the start of the Second World War.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25'Wiktor had crossed many borders during his lifetime.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29'It was clear that Hector was going to have his work cut out.'
0:23:29 > 0:23:32We have somebody who's born in Russia,
0:23:32 > 0:23:37whose family name is Polish, who moves great distances within Poland.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41The records are not easy to come by.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44'Luckily, Wiktor's military record
0:23:44 > 0:23:48'also provided crucial personal information
0:23:48 > 0:23:51'which would help Hector make progress on the case.'
0:23:51 > 0:23:55One thing we discovered from his military record
0:23:55 > 0:23:57was that he was a Roman Catholic.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01This is really important in our research,
0:24:01 > 0:24:06because at the time of his birth, until the 1950s in Ukraine or Russia
0:24:06 > 0:24:11you didn't have civil registration, everything is on parish records.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16The other vital clue that we've got were the names of his parents.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20We've also got his mother's maiden name.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24'Hector was able to pass this information to his agents
0:24:24 > 0:24:30'in Poland and the Ukraine, so they could search for baptism records.'
0:24:30 > 0:24:33We really had to have a two-pronged approach.
0:24:33 > 0:24:40My Ukranian agents would be working on the Russian...archives.
0:24:40 > 0:24:47And my Polish agents would then be in charge of finding out about the family in Lublin.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53Perhaps at the time we weren't sure the family would still be in Lublin.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56We weren't sure the records would be there.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01But we knew the family had been, for many decades, in that town.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03'Like many Poles,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07'when the war ended, Wiktor did not return to Poland.'
0:25:07 > 0:25:09In 1945,
0:25:09 > 0:25:14Poland lost its independence, due to the political situation.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17The Soviet Union took over Poland.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Many Polish soldiers were born in the eastern part of Poland,
0:25:21 > 0:25:27in territories taken over by the Soviet Union, so there was no way of going back home.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31'The British government solution to this problem
0:25:31 > 0:25:33'was the Polish Resettlement Corps.'
0:25:33 > 0:25:39The Polish Resettlement Corps was set up in September 1946
0:25:39 > 0:25:42by the British government.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45The main purpose was to prepare Polish soldiers
0:25:45 > 0:25:49for a new life in Great Britain or abroad.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52It was simply to help them
0:25:52 > 0:25:56to transit from military life
0:25:56 > 0:25:59into a civilian life.
0:25:59 > 0:26:05'Wiktor joined the Polish Resettlement Corps in October 1946,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08'stationed in one of many camps around Britain.'
0:26:08 > 0:26:13There were about 265 camps around Great Britain.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17The living conditions were very basic.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Inside one Nissen hut there were usually two families accommodated.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24In most cases, no electricity.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29Hot water once a week. One basic stove.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32No toilets. Toilets were organised outside.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38'Zpigniew Siemaszko was himself stationed at one of the camps,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41'and remembers these basic conditions.'
0:26:41 > 0:26:45In winter, when you woke up in the morning,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47there was snow outside your bed
0:26:47 > 0:26:52and you had to put a balaclava hat on your head,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54otherwise it was too cold.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58'The Corps offered people like Wiktor the possibility of studying
0:26:58 > 0:27:00'or training for a job.'
0:27:00 > 0:27:06One of the main purpose was to prepare Poles for British life.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10English language was a very important part of this process.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14They could also apply for all sorts of studies
0:27:14 > 0:27:17and then vocational training.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22'Many Poles went on to get jobs in Britain and marry English girls.'
0:27:22 > 0:27:26As far as girls are concerned, there were no Polish girls.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Hardly any.
0:27:28 > 0:27:35For example, I, myself, for about two years, I can't remember hearing,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39or perhaps very seldom, a female talking in Polish.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44The best way of learning English was to have a girlfriend.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49Quite a number of ex Polish soldiers married Scottish and English girls.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53'There are no traces of Wiktor ever having married in Britain.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55'The reasons remain unknown,
0:27:55 > 0:28:00'but it could be that his heart was broken by something terrible
0:28:00 > 0:28:04'that happened to him in Poland in 1939.'
0:28:04 > 0:28:09Wiktor got engaged to a girl. I do believe he said it was in Poland.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14'Wiktor's family were cruelly taken from him when the Nazis invaded.'
0:28:14 > 0:28:19Somebody took them away - his mother, his father
0:28:19 > 0:28:21and his fiancee.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24His last view was them being taken away.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29Why it wasn't him, I don't know, but he always will say,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31"I saw them taking them away."
0:28:31 > 0:28:36Later on in his life, he talked briefly about a concentration camp.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39'When the Germans invaded Poland,
0:28:39 > 0:28:43'hundreds of thousands of ordinary people were either murdered
0:28:43 > 0:28:48'or rounded up and sent to prisons or concentration camps.'
0:28:48 > 0:28:52It is considered that only Jews were taken to concentration camps
0:28:52 > 0:28:56but the numbers were, more or less, even -
0:28:56 > 0:29:01Christian people and Jewish people in the worst known camp, Auschwitz.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05The only difference was that Jews had to wear a David star
0:29:05 > 0:29:11and Poles had to have a large capital P on their armbands.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16'Hitler's plan was to turn eastern Europe into part of greater Germany.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21'He gave his commanders permission to kill, without pity or mercy,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24'men, women and children of Polish descent.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28'It is likely that Wiktor's family were victims of the genocide
0:29:28 > 0:29:32'and the experience scarred Wiktor for life.'
0:29:32 > 0:29:34His memories were just too bad.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37He would get emotional. He would cry.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41Then we knew that we would stop talking.
0:29:41 > 0:29:47Nobody could go through the experiences he went through without being damaged.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49He lost everybody.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54'One member of Wiktor's family does seem to have survived the camps,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57'as Hector was about to discover.'
0:29:57 > 0:30:01At the end of the war, many families had been torn apart.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05People in different parts of eastern Europe wanted to know
0:30:05 > 0:30:11whether their son or daughter was in a labour camp or migrated to the UK,
0:30:11 > 0:30:13or gone to the United States.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17So many would write to organisations like the Red Cross,
0:30:17 > 0:30:22which would find some information and either forward on a letter
0:30:22 > 0:30:25or give them a new address to write to.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29'This is exactly what Wiktor's mother did.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34'She had somehow survived, and was desperately trying to find her son.'
0:30:34 > 0:30:38She wrote to the Ministry of Defence, through the Red Cross,
0:30:38 > 0:30:43to find out where her son was, and she gave an address in Lublin.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48'This address provided the heir hunters with the final clue.'
0:30:48 > 0:30:54We knew that the family was centred around Lublin, or at least had been.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58We could then focus our research in that small city in Poland,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01and we were able to crack the case.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04'Concentrating their research in Lublin,
0:31:04 > 0:31:08'the agents in Poland were able to track down surviving members
0:31:08 > 0:31:11'of Wiktor's family, who would be heirs to his estate.'
0:31:11 > 0:31:15My Polish agents were able to find
0:31:15 > 0:31:17three first cousins once removed,
0:31:17 > 0:31:21who, I believe, knew of the deceased,
0:31:21 > 0:31:23but were not in direct contact.
0:31:23 > 0:31:29It's always satisfying to know that you found the right family
0:31:29 > 0:31:33and they'll be getting the money instead of the government.
0:31:33 > 0:31:38After three years of work, it's important to be able to look back,
0:31:38 > 0:31:42and, actually, we learned a great deal from it.
0:31:42 > 0:31:49In that we now have a method by which we can research, economically,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52cases that are not very high value
0:31:52 > 0:31:57but, nevertheless, we can find families in eastern Europe.
0:31:57 > 0:32:03'Wiktor had no communication with the cousins whom Hector found.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08'It's unclear whether Wiktor's mother managed to track him down.
0:32:08 > 0:32:14'Nothing is known about Wiktor's life from when he left the Corps in 1948,
0:32:14 > 0:32:18'to the day he arrived at the Royal Star & Garter Home in 1990.'
0:32:18 > 0:32:23I heard varying stories about where Wiktor had come from.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Somebody recollects that he lived in a flat
0:32:26 > 0:32:28in the Richmond area.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32Other people think he didn't have a home at all.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36I really don't know where he came from.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41Wherever it was, he wasn't looking after himself or being looked after.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43'Wiktor had a difficult life
0:32:43 > 0:32:46'and was obviously tortured by his memories.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48'But he spent his last years
0:32:48 > 0:32:51'surrounded by people who cared for him.'
0:32:51 > 0:32:55Wiktor had no-one in the world and I felt honoured
0:32:55 > 0:32:59that he would allow me into his room and we became friends.
0:32:59 > 0:33:04'It's a fitting tribute that the money he saved
0:33:04 > 0:33:06'will go back to his family
0:33:06 > 0:33:10'in the homeland he left so many years before.'
0:33:16 > 0:33:22'The heir hunters in London are working on the case of Audrey Violet Coleman.
0:33:22 > 0:33:28'She passed away in 2009 in Dartford, without leaving a will.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31'Her estate is worth a possible £20,000,
0:33:31 > 0:33:37'but rival companies have already signed up several heirs.'
0:33:37 > 0:33:40We get it at 9.30, send somebody round there,
0:33:40 > 0:33:46and according to Dave who's been to see her, she's already signed up with them.
0:33:46 > 0:33:51'So the team at Fraser & Fraser must pull out all the stops
0:33:51 > 0:33:53'to get to the remaining heirs.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57'They've made good progress on the paternal side,
0:33:57 > 0:34:02'but have been waiting for Audrey's parents' marriage certificate.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05'This certificate has finally arrived.'
0:34:05 > 0:34:12I have the details of the deceased's parents' marriage on 2 August 1919 in Hammersmith.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16It does confirm all the information as being correct.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20The deceased's father, Henry, was the son of a Henry, a hat maker,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23which ties up with the census.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25'Audrey's father, Henry,
0:34:25 > 0:34:29'was the son of Henry Bardsley and Clara Greenfield.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33'He had five siblings, three of whom died in infancy.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37'The remaining two - Robert and Edith - had no children.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42'There will be no heirs on the paternal side of the family.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45'The team concentrates on the maternal side.'
0:34:45 > 0:34:50We've got three cousins once removed on the mother's side.
0:34:50 > 0:34:56We're keeping our fingers crossed that the case is worthwhile doing.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01'Although Audrey had no children,
0:35:01 > 0:35:06'she was close to the family of her first husband, Roland.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10'They married in June 1944 in Wandsworth, south London.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14'Theirs was a happy marriage, which lasted more than 20 years.'
0:35:14 > 0:35:18Aunt Audrey married Uncle Roland.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21We knew him as Uncle Roly,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24because he was quite short and quite stout.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27The times we had in their company,
0:35:27 > 0:35:32they were always having a good laugh and a banter between themselves.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36'Sadly, Audrey's happiness was not to last.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41'In 1968, Roland died suddenly of a heart attack while at work.'
0:35:41 > 0:35:45He worked for Blue Circle cement company, on long conveyor belts
0:35:45 > 0:35:52from the pits up to the machinery, which crushed the chalk et cetera
0:35:52 > 0:35:55to go into the cement kilns.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Unfortunately, he went off to work one day, as usual.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02He was going up one of the conveyor belts
0:36:02 > 0:36:05and had a massive heart attack and dropped dead.
0:36:05 > 0:36:12'Roland was only 55, and Audrey's life was torn apart.'
0:36:12 > 0:36:17Aunt Audrey was very, very upset and it took her a long time to get over
0:36:17 > 0:36:19that part of her life.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23Because they had no children, she was on her own
0:36:23 > 0:36:27from that day onwards.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30'Happily, Audrey did get married again,
0:36:30 > 0:36:35'to a man called Tildon Coleman in 1974.'
0:36:35 > 0:36:37Aunt Audrey and Mr Coleman
0:36:37 > 0:36:41were good friends for a long time before they got married.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45It made Aunt Audrey very happy to think she found a friend
0:36:45 > 0:36:49she could spend the rest of her life with.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51'Back in the office,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55'the team's under pressure to sign up heirs.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59'So far, they've been beaten by the competition at every turn.
0:36:59 > 0:37:06'If they sign up one heir, they'll earn a commission and may still cover their costs.'
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Perhaps we could find this James Nicholson fellow.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13'Audrey's maternal aunt, Ellen, had three children -
0:37:13 > 0:37:17'Freda, Elsie and Jean. Elsie married Arthur Nicholson.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22'They had a son, James, who's living in Twickenham.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26'Unfortunately, they're having trouble contacting him.'
0:37:26 > 0:37:30It's the last house in the street. He's ex-directory.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35None of his neighbours on one side are on the phone, either.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39'It looks like a job for Dave Hadley.'
0:37:39 > 0:37:43That address in Twickenham, it is on your way home.
0:37:43 > 0:37:48I'm on me way to Twickenham, Tone. I'm allowed to have lunch, am I?
0:37:48 > 0:37:50DIAL TONE
0:37:50 > 0:37:51Right.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55'Everything is now riding on Dave's meeting in Twickenham,
0:37:55 > 0:37:59'as this could be the last hope of signing up an heir.'
0:37:59 > 0:38:01I'm making my way there now,
0:38:01 > 0:38:07in the hope that the competition haven't been there first.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09I suspect they probably have.
0:38:09 > 0:38:14'Dave finds the house, but it appears there's no-one at home.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18'However, a car outside attracts his attention.'
0:38:18 > 0:38:22- Does Mr Nicholson live there? - He does. He's at work.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27Right, well, that was a bit of luck.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30I just caught Mr Nicholson's daughter leaving.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35There's nobody at home but she was able to give me his mobile number.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37I'm going to give that a ring.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42'Dave gets straight on the phone and finally gets the breakthrough
0:38:42 > 0:38:45'he's been waiting for.'
0:38:45 > 0:38:50I've spoken to Mr Nicholson and he works at Heathrow Airport.
0:38:50 > 0:38:55He's in a meeting at the moment, but he's happy to see me after.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59So I've made a tentative appointment for 3 o'clock.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03At Heathrow Airport.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07It would seem that he hasn't been contacted by anybody else.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12So, fingers crossed, we might get at least one heir on this job.
0:39:12 > 0:39:17'Dave has also discovered that Mr Nicholson's mother is alive.
0:39:17 > 0:39:22'She will be the heir instead of her son, but she's very elderly.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27'James handles all her affairs so he's the person they need to see.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31'Dave puts in a call to the office to update them.'
0:39:31 > 0:39:38He confirmed that his mother is still alive and nobody else has been in contact, to date.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41I thought that I'd go and see him at three,
0:39:41 > 0:39:45and then make some arrangements to get to see his mum.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50His mother, who's elderly, alive and well and living in a care home,
0:39:50 > 0:39:57is a full-blood cousin of the deceased on the mother's side, and is obviously entitled.
0:39:57 > 0:40:02Could be entitled to half the case, cos we've got nobody on the father's side.
0:40:02 > 0:40:08'The team have invested a great deal of time and manpower in this case
0:40:08 > 0:40:12'and, finally, it looks like they've got their first heir.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14'The pressure is on Dave to get a signature.
0:40:14 > 0:40:22'First, he needs to make sure that James and his mother are actually related to Audrey Coleman.'
0:40:22 > 0:40:25- Your mother's maiden name?- Gale.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27- She had two sisters.- Right.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Aunt Freda and Jean.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34So we've got Freda... Did you know her middle name was Ivy?
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Er, yes, I do, actually.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40'James's mother Elsie is the heir in this case.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45'As she's elderly, Dave needs to determine what her mental state is.'
0:40:45 > 0:40:48- I can see that your mother was born in 1925.- Yeah.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52You mentioned that she's in an old people's home.
0:40:52 > 0:40:57- Is she capable of making decisions? - No. I act on her behalf.
0:40:57 > 0:41:04- Have you got any legal...? - I've got a third party mandate. She's got Alzheimer's, so...
0:41:04 > 0:41:10- Um...- You could actually make decisions on her behalf?- Yes. - Quite legally.- Yeah.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12'In return for an agreed percentage,
0:41:12 > 0:41:17'the company will help James claim Elsie's share of Audrey's estate.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21'But the decision to sign now lies with James.'
0:41:21 > 0:41:24PHONE RINGING
0:41:24 > 0:41:26'Tony waits nervously
0:41:26 > 0:41:29'to hear whether all their hard work has paid off.'
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- 'Hello.'- Hello, Dave.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35How you doing? Everything all right?
0:41:35 > 0:41:38'They still don't know how much the estate is worth.'
0:41:38 > 0:41:42We've got no idea how much it might be. Neither has anyone else.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46'But the team's hopeful they'll get a signature.'
0:41:46 > 0:41:49The chap wants to talk it through with his wife.
0:41:49 > 0:41:55Hopefully, that person might be entitled to half the estate.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58'Tony has got the news he was waiting for.
0:41:58 > 0:42:05'Although James hasn't signed an agreement, he seems happy with everything that's been said.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09'Several weeks later, he signs with the company
0:42:09 > 0:42:13'and they learn that the estate is worth £15,000.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16'Half will go to James's mother, Elsie.'
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Tough competition on this case.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23I'm pleased to say that the heir that we are representing
0:42:23 > 0:42:27is a closer degree of relationship to the deceased
0:42:27 > 0:42:31than the heirs represented by our opposition.
0:42:31 > 0:42:37It would seem, therefore, that she is going to be entitled to half the estate.
0:42:37 > 0:42:42So, clearly, it means that the sum we will receive for our work in this
0:42:42 > 0:42:47will, I think, be a reasonable amount and cover our costs.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52If you would like advice about building your family tree
0:42:52 > 0:42:55or making a will, go to:
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd