0:00:01 > 0:00:06Today the heir hunters are in the East End of London
0:00:06 > 0:00:10searching for beneficiaries to an estate that's lain unclaimed for almost a decade.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11RINGS DOORBELL
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Somewhere out there are some long lost relatives who have no idea
0:00:15 > 0:00:17they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Could the heir hunters be knocking at your door?
0:00:37 > 0:00:41- On today's programme... - Is anyone else not doing very much?
0:00:41 > 0:00:44..Neil feels the pressure as he goes out on a limb.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47It's a big gamble. If it pays off,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49we'll all be heroes. If it doesn't, then unfortunately,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52I have to pay for certificates which we may not need.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57And the death of a reclusive woman in Torquay uncovers an incredible story
0:00:57 > 0:01:02of courage in the struggle against the tyranny of Nazi Germany.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04They all were willing to take the risk.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09It was a very great risk because if they could be captured by the enemy,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11goodness knows what would happen.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15Plus, how you may be entitled to inherit an unclaimed estate
0:01:15 > 0:01:17held by the Treasury.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Could thousands of pounds be heading your way?
0:01:28 > 0:01:29Every year in the UK,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37If no relatives are found,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41then any money that's left behind will go to the Government.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Last year, they made £14 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49That's where the heir hunters come in.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52They make it their business to track down missing relatives
0:01:52 > 0:01:56and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58At the end of the day, the money does go to the rightful people
0:01:58 > 0:02:00and not to the Government.
0:02:09 > 0:02:15It's 7am at the offices of heir hunters, Fraser and Fraser,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18and the Treasury has just released its weekly list of unclaimed states.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25If someone dies without leaving a will with no known next of kin
0:02:25 > 0:02:27and their estate is worth £5,000 or more,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30then it will appear on this list.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Today, the team's first job
0:02:32 > 0:02:36is to see if they can identify the estates that are worth the most.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Out of several possibilities, one case in particular
0:02:41 > 0:02:45has caught boss Neil's eye, but it's a bit of a risky proposition.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51I think I'm going to take a very big gamble today.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56I'm going to work a case of Albert William Charles Cornish.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00The unusual thing about this case is that Albert died in 2004
0:03:00 > 0:03:04but his estate has only just appeared on the Treasury's list.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09This could mean that he had a small shareholding of around £5,000
0:03:09 > 0:03:11that has only just come to light.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15But Neil is banking on this case being worth a lot more.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17He has discovered that after his death,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Albert's house was sold for over £300,000.
0:03:22 > 0:03:28My gamble is either a £300,000 estate or maybe £5,000.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33I hope it's up near the 350 otherwise the gamble's really failed.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38The value of estates is really important to the heir hunters because they work on commission,
0:03:38 > 0:03:42earning a percentage of the amount that's claimed by each heir they sign.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46As the boss, it's Neil's job to identify the high-value cases
0:03:46 > 0:03:50so the whole team is relying on his judgement.
0:03:56 > 0:04:02Albert Cornish died aged 79 on 18th February, 2004,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04in Hackney, East London. He left no will
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and not even a photograph survives of him.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11But his neighbour Ted Sawyer remembers him vividly.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Albert had a face a little bit like an owl.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18He had a round face and a small nose and big round eyes.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Albert had lived in this house all his life.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28His parents had died there, as had his brother, Ronald.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33And in his later years, Albert lived there alone with his cat.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36He was well-known to everyone in the neighbourhood.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40He would be cutting the hedge, he would be tinkering with his car.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42He used to sit in the car and read the newspaper, actually.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44He was a little old man
0:04:44 > 0:04:47but he looked like he really owned his bit of the street.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Albert was very much a part of the local community,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57even towards the end when he became very deaf.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01If you had to go to the house and try and get him to the door,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04you virtually had to knock the house down.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It was a great big cast-iron Victorian knocker
0:05:07 > 0:05:09and you had to hammer and hammer.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Albert lived his whole life in this corner of East London
0:05:14 > 0:05:18and eventually passed away in the same house he'd been born in.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21There's this wonderful sense of satisfaction
0:05:21 > 0:05:25knowing that he did manage to live out his life here.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28He passed away peacefully at home.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Albert is a simple, straightforward human being
0:05:31 > 0:05:34that was very, very rooted in this place.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Albert was clearly a Londoner, born and bred.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49But the question Neil needs to answer is did he ever actually own
0:05:49 > 0:05:51the family home in Hackney?
0:05:51 > 0:05:55If he didn't, then his estate is probably only worth £5,000
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and Neil knows that they couldn't make enough profit from an estate
0:05:59 > 0:06:03that size to even cover the basic costs of an investigation.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Neil needs to find out as soon as possible if this case
0:06:07 > 0:06:09is going to be worth his while.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Do you want to go over to Hackney, mate? E5.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15So he sends someone over to the property
0:06:15 > 0:06:17to see what they can uncover.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21I'm not entirely sure about the address. Try doing an enquiry there.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Heir hunting relies heavily on research done in the office,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29but it's the senior researchers on the road like Ewart Lindsay
0:06:29 > 0:06:32who are the public face of the company. They're based
0:06:32 > 0:06:36all over the country and it's their job to follow up any lead...
0:06:36 > 0:06:38I think you're probably expecting me.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41..and make sure that they get to the heirs
0:06:41 > 0:06:43ahead of the competition.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48On cases like this,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51often the best place to start is with the neighbours.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54RINGS DOORBELL
0:06:54 > 0:06:58They can supply vital information about the deceased.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00The gentleman died back in 2004.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02I don't know if you were here at that time?
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- No, we've only been here five years. - Five, OK. All right, thank you. Cheers.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09But this morning, the only neighbour
0:07:09 > 0:07:12he gets to speak to is a relative newcomer to the street
0:07:12 > 0:07:13and never knew Albert.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17It was a long shot, anyway.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21We need someone who's been living there since 2004 and before.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23It's a frustrating start for Ewart.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27He hasn't managed to find out anything about Albert or his family,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30not to mention whether he owned his house or not.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Back in the office and it's a busy morning
0:07:35 > 0:07:38with everyone working hard on various different cases.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Tony!
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Neil's managed to recruit case manager Tony Pledger to help him
0:07:44 > 0:07:50but he can't afford to divert anyone else away from more obviously lucrative investigations.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53This marriage is right, I know that.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Straight away, it looks like they've stumbled across a real find.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00I've got Percy on here. I've got Rich, Ted and Ernest.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Someone has done some work on the Cornish family tree
0:08:03 > 0:08:06and posted it online. If it's correct,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10it identifies a living heir in Australia.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15But early enthusiasm soon turns to disappointment.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17So, this one here is...
0:08:17 > 0:08:20The family tree has identified that
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and it should be that as the real birth.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25That bit is wrong.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The online tree is riddled with mistakes.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31The amateur genealogist has made
0:08:31 > 0:08:33some basic errors in identifying
0:08:33 > 0:08:34some of the members of Albert's family.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39So that means they've got to throw it all out and start again.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Professional heir hunting is all about detail.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46The only way to be sure is to go methodically back
0:08:46 > 0:08:48through each generation,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51checking every birth, marriage and death certificate as you go.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Without buying the certificates, it's easy to make a mistake.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00In this situation, that's what they've done.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04It's back to the drawing board for the two-man band
0:09:04 > 0:09:08and Neil's beginning to feel the pressure.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10Is anyone else not doing very much?
0:09:11 > 0:09:13But no-one comes forward.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17So it's all down to Tony who with the aid of the 1911 census
0:09:17 > 0:09:21starts to rebuild Albert's family tree from the ground up.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Albert's parents were William Cornish and Rhoda Robinson.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33Albert also had a brother Ronald who died a bachelor in 1997.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Neil and Tony now know that there are no near kin on this case,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41meaning children or surviving siblings of the deceased.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45So the next step is to look for cousins.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46I've Amy Elisabeth Cornish.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49They start with the paternal side of Albert's family.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52By going back to an earlier census,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Tony has discovered that Albert's grandparents were
0:09:55 > 0:09:58William Cornish and Clara Beetchenow.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03Albert's father had three other siblings, Amy, Percy and Clara.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06The question is, did they have children?
0:10:08 > 0:10:11The first job is to look for marriage certificates,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13and for that, Tony needs Ewart's help.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18- What do you want now, Tony? - 'The marriage of Amy E Cornish,'
0:10:18 > 0:10:21March, 1919, Hackney, I think.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- Okey-dokey.- There's possibly three children off that.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25Cheers. Bye.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Ewart heads off to the register office to track down
0:10:28 > 0:10:30the all-important certificates
0:10:30 > 0:10:33that will prove they're on the right track.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36But at £30 a pop, they don't come cheap.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Meanwhile, Neil and Tony start searching for Albert's aunt
0:10:42 > 0:10:43Amy Cornish's children.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50It turns out she had a total of six from her marriage to John Tayler.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53In 1922, they had girl triplets.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57But sadly, like nearly all multiple births at that time,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00all three of the girls died in infancy.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04A decade went by and Amy went on to have three more children,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07all of whom survived to adulthood.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09If these Tayler children are still alive,
0:11:09 > 0:11:14they would be Albert's first cousins and heirs to his estate.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Neil hopes the unusual spelling of the girls' surname
0:11:17 > 0:11:19should count in his favour.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22It's Tayler but spelt slightly differently than normal.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Instead of "or" on the end, it's "er".
0:11:24 > 0:11:27So it's slightly easier to find. However...
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I'm pulling my hair out because I haven't been able to find them.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33I could do with a bit of assistance but it's not forthcoming.
0:11:33 > 0:11:39Everyone is far too busy working their own potentially high-earning investigations
0:11:39 > 0:11:43to stop and help Neil on a case that could turn out to be worthless.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46What I found was this...
0:11:46 > 0:11:49But senior researcher Alan takes pity on him
0:11:49 > 0:11:50and steps into the breach.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57I've got three possible matches for Dorothy I Tayler.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00I concentrated on Dorothy I because it was a better combination.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02That's what we thought as well.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07The extra help makes a difference and at last there's a breakthrough.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12Alan's discovered that at least one of Albert's first cousins, Dorothy, is still alive
0:12:12 > 0:12:16and what's more, he's found a current phone number for her.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19This is their first chance to contact a bona fide heir.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Tony goes to make the call.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26I was hoping I could speak with you with regards to your late mother,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28who I think was Amy Elizabeth formerly Cornish.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31But his high hopes are met with frustration.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35There's no-one in so all he can do is leave a message.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36Thanks very much. Bye.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Once again, this case seems to have stalled and Tony's feeling edgy.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45There are now three of them working this case in the office
0:12:45 > 0:12:48as well as one of them on the road.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50And with several certificates on order,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54that's a lot of money that could be heading down the drain.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56We've got no idea as to the value.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Because this house was sold,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01we think there must be some value there
0:13:01 > 0:13:04but it's complete wishful thinking on our part at the moment.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Coming up, suddenly it's all hands on deck
0:13:12 > 0:13:15as the case of Albert Cornish breaks wide open.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Check that address out for him. He could still be alive, couldn't he?
0:13:19 > 0:13:21But doubts over the value of the estate still
0:13:21 > 0:13:25hang over the office, especially with Tony.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29There is every possibility that he might have been a long-term tenant
0:13:29 > 0:13:32and not in fact even owned the property.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Tragically, some people's amazing achievements
0:13:43 > 0:13:47are never truly celebrated until after their death.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Some of the bravest and best
0:13:49 > 0:13:52prefer to take their stories with them to the grave.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55This was never more true than in the case of Eileen Neame.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Eileen died on 2nd September, 2010, in Torquay.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07She lived a solitary existence, not really mixing with anyone in the town.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10But she did regularly attend mass at her local Catholic Church.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Sister Damian remembers her as an enigmatic figure.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20Eileen always came about an hour before mass,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24read the paper, slipped up to the ladies' chapel.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28She was a shadowy little figure going around the church.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33My first encounter with Eileen was to ask her her name
0:14:33 > 0:14:37which she sort of fob me off and said something to the effect,
0:14:37 > 0:14:38that's not important.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42She didn't invite conversation.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44She was a mysterious figure
0:14:44 > 0:14:49because you realise you're wondering, who is she?
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Eileen passed away in her flat on Lisburne Crescent.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03At first, her death seemed like one of hundreds that
0:15:03 > 0:15:06local councils manage every year.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Torbay Council duly went to her home to look for any clues
0:15:09 > 0:15:14to family members, but what they found was much more intriguing.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20In amongst Eileen's things were old French currency,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23letters written in French and several medals,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25including an MBE.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Clearly, she had been someone very special,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31but hadn't wanted anyone to know about it.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39The press soon picked up on the story and reported that
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Eileen had died alone with no-one to pay for her funeral.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45To David Milchard of Fraser and Fraser,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48this was clearly a job for the heir hunters.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51It struck us as interesting.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54There didn't appear to be any relatives
0:15:54 > 0:15:57so I wanted somebody to have a look at it.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02The first thing David did was to set about identifying Eileen's basic family tree.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05We identified the birth of Eileen
0:16:05 > 0:16:08and it appeared her father was a John Neame
0:16:08 > 0:16:10and her mother was Spanish.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16David found a record for Eileen's parents showing that
0:16:16 > 0:16:20they were married in 1913 in Marylebone in London.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24He then went on to find birth records for three other children,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Francis, Jacqueline and Frederick.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Although all the children had been born in England,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33it turned out the whole family moved to France for a bit
0:16:33 > 0:16:36and lived there between the wars.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40In one fell swoop, David had found out more about Eileen
0:16:40 > 0:16:42than anyone in Torquay ever had.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46She'd always made sure to keep people at arms length,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48even Sister Damian.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51The first few times I took Eileen home,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55she wouldn't let me drop her outside her house.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Once I said to her, Eileen...
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Well, I didn't say Eileen cos I didn't know her name.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03I said, I'm not dropping you here,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07it's too late at night, it's too dark.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11She wouldn't even allow me to see where she actually lived.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16It seems that Eileen was so intent on secrecy
0:17:16 > 0:17:18she even concealed her true nationality.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23I assumed from her accent...
0:17:23 > 0:17:28something about her was very French but she led me to believe
0:17:28 > 0:17:30she was half French, half English.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34The fact that Eileen was able to pass herself off as French
0:17:34 > 0:17:38turned out to be the key to the mystery surrounding her life.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47This reserved woman who guarded her identity so fiercely
0:17:47 > 0:17:51and died surrounded by bravery medals was in fact a spy.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58She had been a member of Churchill's Special Operations Executive,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01the SOE, an elite group of men and women who had worked
0:18:01 > 0:18:04undercover in France during the Second World War.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Squadron leader Beryl Escott
0:18:06 > 0:18:09was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
0:18:09 > 0:18:12and has written a book, The Heroines Of The SOE,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16which features both Eileen and her sister, Jacqueline.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18The work of SOE was
0:18:18 > 0:18:24mainly to land agents to help...
0:18:24 > 0:18:31the French gather together those who were willing to oppose the Germans
0:18:31 > 0:18:33and become the Resistance.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38As fluent French speakers, Eileen and her elder sister, Jacqueline,
0:18:38 > 0:18:43were highly sought after for war work and they both signed up.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46They were very patriotic, both of them.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Patriotic in respect of England,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53patriotic in respect of France.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56They were very annoyed that France
0:18:56 > 0:18:59had made this peace treaty with the enemy.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02All new recruits to the SOE
0:19:02 > 0:19:05were sent on a rigorous training programme,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07designed to help them cope with the demands
0:19:07 > 0:19:10of the dangerous double life that they had volunteered for.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14They also learned how to operate the tools of their trade,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16the wireless transceivers that
0:19:16 > 0:19:19they would use to send and receive coded messages.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30On a moonlit night in March, 1944, just before her 23rd birthday,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Eileen was dropped into Occupied France.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35She made her way to Paris
0:19:35 > 0:19:38and found herself an apartment in Bourg-la-Reine.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42From here, she was able to carry out her vital work right under the noses
0:19:42 > 0:19:46of the German Army and Secret Police.
0:19:48 > 0:19:54In 1943, it was considered that a wireless operator would stay free
0:19:54 > 0:19:57for about six weeks
0:19:57 > 0:20:02but they all were willing to take the risk.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05It was a very great risk because if they could be captured
0:20:05 > 0:20:09by the enemy, goodness knows what would happen.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Eileen was willing to take the risk.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Eileen had been given an alias - Jacqueline du Tertre,
0:20:17 > 0:20:22and a codename - Rose, which she used in her transmissions.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25After the war, she appeared in a documentary about the SOE.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Speaking in French and identifying herself only as Rose,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34she recounts a terrifying story of an experience on a Paris train.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- TRANSLATION:- I had my portable transmitter with me.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43He asked me what I had in my suitcase.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48I replied, "What? In my case? It's a gramophone."
0:20:48 > 0:20:51"Oh, yes," he said, and I said to myself, "My God."
0:20:51 > 0:20:55I knew then that I had to get off straight away at the first opportunity.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58He wouldn't stop looking at me.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00I got up and pretended I had reached my stop
0:21:00 > 0:21:05and quickly stepped off the train with my case.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08As I went past on the platform,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12I could see him whispering to the other officers about me.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17I knew he was suspicious so I had been right to get off
0:21:17 > 0:21:20because they'd certainly have asked to see inside the case.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24It would have been dreadful because they would have seen the transmitter.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29As war raged in Europe, Eileen managed to evade capture
0:21:29 > 0:21:31for many months, but one day she returned
0:21:31 > 0:21:35to her original apartment to send an urgent message.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Just as she had finished, the Gestapo burst in
0:21:38 > 0:21:43and took her to their headquarters for interrogation.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- TRANSLATION:- They took me into a room where there was a bath
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and they held me under the water.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52You suffocate under the water but you must stick to your story.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56I remembered what we'd been taught.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Never to be afraid, never let them dominate you.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04Amazingly, Eileen managed to convince the Germans that she was
0:22:04 > 0:22:08a French girl sending messages for her wealthy industrialist boss.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09They didn't shoot her
0:22:09 > 0:22:14but she was sent to the notorious Ravensbruck concentration camp
0:22:14 > 0:22:17known simply as women's hell.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21It was a place where people were worked to death one way or another.
0:22:22 > 0:22:29Eileen was expected to sink or swim in this dreadful concentration camp.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35They were on such very, very low rations. They were starving.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37They were starving to death.
0:22:40 > 0:22:46Coming up - even in captivity, Eileen never gives up the fight.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49It was snowing and there was ice.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53The whole camp was suffering from typhoid
0:22:53 > 0:22:58but she was always looking for an opportunity to escape.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year and millions of pounds
0:23:09 > 0:23:12are paid out to rightful heirs, but not every case can be cracked.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18The Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates that have baffled
0:23:18 > 0:23:20heir hunters and remain unsolved.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Could you be the heir they've been searching for?
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Could you be in line for a windfall worth hundreds, thousands
0:23:27 > 0:23:29or even millions of pounds?
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Estates stay on the list for up to 30 years and today,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36we are focusing on three names.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Are they relatives of yours?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Eric Vincent Bedward died in Peckham, London in October 2000.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Bedward is originally a Welsh name but nowadays,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52the highest concentration of Bedwards live in Staffordshire.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58Ivor Herbert Saddington died in Kettering in September 2003.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02The name Saddington originates from a village in Leicestershire.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Do you remember him?
0:24:06 > 0:24:11Ivy Belinda Freeguard died in Oxford in December 2008.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Freeguard is a rare name in the UK and may indicate German ancestry.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Were you a friend or neighbour of Ivy's?
0:24:22 > 0:24:25If no heirs of hers are found, her money will go to the government.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28If the names Eric Bedward,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Ivor Saddington or Ivy Freeguard mean anything to you,
0:24:31 > 0:24:36or someone you know, you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51The heir hunters are investigating the case of Albert Cornish
0:24:51 > 0:24:54who died in 2004 aged 79.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Boss Neil picked up this case from the Treasury's list of unclaimed estates
0:24:58 > 0:25:02taking a chance on Albert having owned the house he lived in
0:25:02 > 0:25:08which would mean that his estate could be worth up to £350,000.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11I've got a gut feeling that he did at one time own the property
0:25:11 > 0:25:14because he's lived in it such a long time.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17His parents both passed away at the same address.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21But Neil knows that if he's got it wrong, he will be paying for it.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25It's a big gamble. If it pays off, we'll all be heroes.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28If it doesn't, then unfortunately I have to put my hand in my pocket
0:25:28 > 0:25:31and pay for certificates which we may not need.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Albert was one of the last of a dying breed of old East Enders.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47If I was to describe the way that Albert might be remembered,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50it would be as a representative of a particular sort of group
0:25:50 > 0:25:54of Londoners that lived in London throughout the war years
0:25:54 > 0:25:59and crossed the generations
0:25:59 > 0:26:04and made it through to our generation.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Albert was 14 when the Second World War broke out,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13too young to go and fight.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Instead, he went to work in a local factory in Homerton High Street.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19These days, it's a carpet warehouse.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Back then, it was the Oppenheimer tobacco pipe factory.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27It's thought that Albert was a bowl turner,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30one of 30 or so skilled workers who shaped the pipe bowls
0:26:30 > 0:26:33out of dense briar wood using a mechanical lathe.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38The machines are not like today. They were run from overhead shafting.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40That is noisy.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43His job definitely would have been a hands-on job
0:26:43 > 0:26:46because unlike today when things are fed in automatically,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48he actually had to by hand put it on
0:26:48 > 0:26:52and do it accurately to the right speed.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Albert worked at the factory at the end of his street
0:26:55 > 0:27:01for over 40 years until it closed down in 1981.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Times and fashions had changed
0:27:04 > 0:27:06and the demand for pipes had simply disappeared.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The golden era of pipes was before the last world war.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Everybody had a pipe and everybody smoked.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18If you look at old pictures of people crossing Westminster Bridge,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21you don't count the number of people smoking pipes,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24you count the number of men that aren't smoking.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27It's just completely different.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Back in the office, the priority for the heir hunters isn't Albert's job,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38it's finding out whether he owned his house.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45Case manager Tony Pledger isn't convinced.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46He died six years ago.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50He was probably a bachelor. He was born in the house that he died in.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53His parents lived in the house for even longer.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57There is every possibility that he might have been a long-term tenant
0:27:57 > 0:27:59and not in fact even owned the property.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03There may be uncertainty surrounding the value of the case
0:28:03 > 0:28:07but an experienced heir hunter like Tony doesn't let that get in the way
0:28:07 > 0:28:13of a thorough investigation and his persistence has just been rewarded.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16South Oggenden, OK, thanks for that.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Earlier, he left a message for Dorothy Tayler,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Albert's first cousin on his father's side.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25She's just called him back and has given him addresses for herself
0:28:25 > 0:28:28and her sister who both live in Essex.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Time now to call in Dave Hadley,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34another of the company's senior researchers on the road.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38We got two people, sisters, both living in south of London.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Left a message with one of them
0:28:41 > 0:28:44but if you could make your way over there then I'll give you a bell.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46All right, bye.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48This is good news.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51They could be on the way to signing their first heirs.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52Neil's optimistic.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Dave Hadley's now heading over there.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58He's half an hour, maybe an hour away,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01so in that sort of time we hopefully will get to speak to someone.
0:29:01 > 0:29:02Fingers crossed it's right.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10Despite all the uncertainty, Neil's determined to wrap up this case
0:29:10 > 0:29:15and for that, he needs to track down any heirs on Albert's mother's side of the family,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19so he calls on Allan and Debbie to scour the censuses
0:29:19 > 0:29:22and help him establish the maternal family tree.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27We've got to find that marriage, Edward William Robinson.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30We need to find that so we can do a search after 11.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36Albert's mother was Rhoda Robinson. Her parents were Edward and Rose.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40A little more research reveals that she had two brothers,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Edward and Albert.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48- Who's got Albert Edward Robinson's probate?- I've just run that through.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51It goes to a son, John Edwin Robinson.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53I'm just going to find his birth.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Neil has ordered a copy of Albert's uncle's will.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00Wills are a good source of information for the heir hunters
0:30:00 > 0:30:03especially when it comes to identifying children.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08This one has led them to another of Albert's first cousins.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11- Did you say you checked that address out for him?- Who, the son?
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Nobody else is mentioned but that's her name.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16Well, he could still be alive.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Yeah, I just got it. John E Robinson.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Finding an initial for a second name may not seem like much
0:30:26 > 0:30:30but for the heir hunters, it's huge.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34As names go, John Robinson is almost as common as John Smith
0:30:34 > 0:30:36but with the extra initial 'E,'
0:30:36 > 0:30:41Neil can significantly narrow the search.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Even so, he's still got a big job on his hands.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49I think there's about 900 of them to look at.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57Meanwhile, Dave Hadley has finally arrived in Essex,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00hoping to meet Albert's first cousins on his father's side.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04They are potential first heirs on this case.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08After a day that's been dogged with false starts and uncertainty,
0:31:08 > 0:31:10this would be an important boost for the whole team.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14Are you Mrs Dorothy Derby? My name's David Hadley.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18First up is elder sister Dorothy's house.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20- I've got my sister in here. - That's all right.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24If you don't mind her being there, I don't mind her being there.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26This is an unexpected bonus for Dave.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30He gets to talk to both sisters at the same time.
0:31:30 > 0:31:35Basically, what's happened is that a cousin of yours...
0:31:35 > 0:31:36I know who it is.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40- Who is it?- Ellen.- No.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44- Vera.- No.- Patsy?- No.
0:31:44 > 0:31:49The sisters seemed to be running through every family member they can think of.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56- Vera, Hilda?- No.- With no success. Dave gives them a clue.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58It's a he.
0:31:58 > 0:32:04- It's a he, it's a male.- It's a male. - Male?- Yeah, a male cousin.- Albert.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09- Is this cousin named Albert? - Yes, Albert.
0:32:09 > 0:32:14He's left a little bit of money and because he didn't make a will,
0:32:14 > 0:32:19whatever he's left has to get passed to his blood relatives.
0:32:19 > 0:32:20I see.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25And you're cousin so you'll be entitled to a share of the estate, as will you.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Having explained the full procedure to them,
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Dorothy and Margaret decide to sign up with the company
0:32:31 > 0:32:34who in return for a commission will help them make their claim to the Treasury.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Dave heads off leaving the sisters to contemplate
0:32:37 > 0:32:40what they might do with their unexpected windfall.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47If I won the money, I'd like to have my three-piece suite re-covered.
0:32:49 > 0:32:55I don't like the colour of it. It don't go with my carpet!
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Back at the office and the maternal side of this case
0:33:04 > 0:33:07has suddenly all fallen into place.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11- Got an address for her? - She's a spinster.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14They discovered that Albert's other uncle Edward
0:33:14 > 0:33:17was married in 1930 in Hackney to Ada Rich
0:33:17 > 0:33:22and they had one daughter, Jean, who would be Albert's first cousin.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Neil is delighted.
0:33:24 > 0:33:29The mother, Rhoda, born in 1897, we found her on the 1901 census
0:33:29 > 0:33:32and the 1911 census. That again has given us
0:33:32 > 0:33:35the full extent on the maternal side of the family.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Had to make sure there's no births after the census
0:33:37 > 0:33:39but everything else looks fine.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42All the time, we've been able to be fairly confident
0:33:42 > 0:33:47that we have the full extent of the family just because of the census.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51Tony calls Dave Hadley straight away with this new information.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54She's living in Bishop's Stortford.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58- Can you try that Bishop's Stortford one on your way out?- OK.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05And there's more good news.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10Yours is June Porter, yeah? 1974, is it?
0:34:10 > 0:34:15The team have finally sifted through the 900 or so John E Robinsons
0:34:15 > 0:34:17and they think they found the right one
0:34:17 > 0:34:20which means another call to Ewart.
0:34:20 > 0:34:25There is an up-to-date address for him in Dagenham. I'm off to see him.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Meanwhile, Dave has arrived at Bishop's Stortford
0:34:33 > 0:34:37and is chatting with Jean, who it turns out knew her cousin Albert well.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41The two of them kept in touch right up to the end of his life.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44The last time I saw him,
0:34:44 > 0:34:50I moved here in January 2001 and I saw him just before I moved here.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53He wrote a little letter to me once saying that
0:34:53 > 0:34:56I didn't really expect him to come down here because he was very frail.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59I haven't been able to come and see you then, you know.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03Jean is also a good source of information about the rest of the family
0:35:03 > 0:35:07and is able to confirm a lot of the company's research.
0:35:07 > 0:35:12- You say it was John was the son, John Robinson.- Yeah, yeah.
0:35:12 > 0:35:18I haven't seen him since about the '70s, about '72, something like that.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21He was working on the Redbridge Barrow.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25He left there and went somewhere else and we never heard of him any more.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28What's the postcode here?
0:35:28 > 0:35:31After listening to what Dave has to say,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35Jean agrees to the company's terms and signs up but that's not all.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39Dave still needs to ask the all-important question
0:35:39 > 0:35:43and he knows that an entire day's work for the company
0:35:43 > 0:35:45is resting on the answer.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48- Did he live in his own house, was it his own place?- No, it was rented.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53It's actually... His mother and father...
0:35:53 > 0:35:55my father used to live there years ago,
0:35:55 > 0:35:57so that shows you how long they lived there.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00The mystery is finally solved.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05The house that Albert's family lived in for almost a century,
0:36:05 > 0:36:10the only home they ever knew, never actually belonged to him.
0:36:10 > 0:36:11It's a crushing blow to Neil.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Throughout the investigation,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16he's clung to his belief that the estate would have benefited
0:36:16 > 0:36:20from the sale of the property but it turns out he was wrong.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23In the end, it's one of those gambles.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28The research on this has gone quite well but unfortunately,
0:36:28 > 0:36:32as the firm goes, we are not going to make any money.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37In total, they found six heirs to Albert Cornish's estate.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Most of them were first cousins including John E Robinson,
0:36:40 > 0:36:43who Ewart eventually tracked down in Dagenham.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47- Hello.- Hi, how are you? - Can I speak to Mr Robinson, please?
0:36:47 > 0:36:49- Yes, I'm Mr Robinson. - John Robinson?- Yes.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54After the Treasury had processed the claims made by Albert's heirs
0:36:54 > 0:36:57on his estate, they revealed that he had left a total of £6,700
0:36:57 > 0:37:00which was then shared amongst them.
0:37:00 > 0:37:05Not exactly a fortune but certainly something to remember him by.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Albert's passing marked the end of an era.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11The house in Hackney is still there
0:37:11 > 0:37:14but the street will never be the same again.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26Back on the case of World War Two spy Eileen Nearne.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30Thanks to press and media interest, the whole nation was gripped
0:37:30 > 0:37:33by the story of this brave woman who had faced incredible danger
0:37:33 > 0:37:38and hardship while working as an undercover agent in occupied France.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Eileen had been captured by the Germans
0:37:45 > 0:37:47and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp
0:37:47 > 0:37:51where by sheer force of will, she survived.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54It was snowing and it was ice.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58The whole camp was suffering from typhoid
0:37:58 > 0:38:02but she was always looking for an opportunity to escape.
0:38:04 > 0:38:11Finally, in 1945, after ten months of captivity, Eileen saw her chance.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14They were being marched through the night to another camp
0:38:14 > 0:38:16ahead of the advancing Allies.
0:38:16 > 0:38:21As they passed through a forest, Eileen broke rank and fled.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23It was an audacious move and she must have known
0:38:23 > 0:38:25she was risking her life.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29Eventually, she managed to make contact with the British Army
0:38:29 > 0:38:32who arranged for her to be brought back to England.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Her war was over but her contribution would never be forgotten.
0:38:36 > 0:38:43General Eisenhower was impressed by the support of the resistance in France.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47He considered that their efforts
0:38:47 > 0:38:53had shortened the war in Europe by nine months.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58That's a terrific claim to make. They had been very useful.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05For David Milchard, getting the opportunity to investigate
0:39:05 > 0:39:08such a fascinating and unique life story
0:39:08 > 0:39:09was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13It was quite amazing to think that she was captured, I think,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16at least three times and made some escapes.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19She must have been very clever and very resourceful,
0:39:19 > 0:39:21I would have thought.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24But David knew that a high profile case like this
0:39:24 > 0:39:27would have attracted many of the other heir-hunting companies
0:39:27 > 0:39:30and he was still no closer to finding a living heir to Eileen's estate.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36He did know that Eileen had two brothers and a sister
0:39:36 > 0:39:39but the question was, did they have any children?
0:39:39 > 0:39:42The first one he looked into was Jacqueline.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47She also joined the SOE and she too spent a lot of time in France.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52She never married and she died in the 1980s without any children.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57But it seems that the sisters were not the only heroes
0:39:57 > 0:39:59in this extraordinary family.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03Their older brother Francis had also worked for the intelligence services.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07He had a son, Eileen's nephew, but tragically
0:40:07 > 0:40:10he was killed at the beginning of the war fighting in France.
0:40:11 > 0:40:16That left only one brother - Frederick, David's last hope.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20Frederick had been in the Air Force during the war and survived.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24He then went on to marry and had a daughter, Eileen's niece,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28who was still alive and was traced to Tuscany.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33It appears that a niece, living in Italy, is the only claimant.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38In the end, the team made contact with the niece
0:40:38 > 0:40:42and they put her in touch with the council dealing with her aunt's estate.
0:40:42 > 0:40:47Unfortunately, Fraser's didn't make any money on this one.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49The niece decided to process it herself
0:40:49 > 0:40:54but from an interest point of view, it was very good.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Makes quite a change to our normal case
0:40:57 > 0:41:01so it was very enjoyable to do, really.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05It was later revealed that Eileen's estate had been worth £13,000.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Not a lot for a fully paid-up war hero.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12However, news of her great bravery and modesty
0:41:12 > 0:41:15prompted an outpouring of gratitude and emotion
0:41:15 > 0:41:17from her local community.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21A few months later, they got the chance to say thank you.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Torbay council erected a blue plaque in her honour
0:41:24 > 0:41:27and local people came together to celebrate the life
0:41:27 > 0:41:31and achievements of this extraordinary woman.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33This is a very special lady we're celebrating today.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37Believe me, it's some amazing story.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44For somebody my sort of age, 37,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47to actually only read about the war in the history books,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50it sort of brings it alive to know there was somebody
0:41:50 > 0:41:54of this outstanding bravery and humility in Torbay.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Absolutely wonderful.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00A very brave lady. She got the MBE.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05I hold the MBE but I'm sure what she did is far more
0:42:05 > 0:42:06than I ever would have ever did.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10It's a great honour to be here today.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13For Sister Damian, the mystery of the quiet woman
0:42:13 > 0:42:18who guarded her privacy so fiercely has finally been laid to rest.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Now that I know Eileen's name, now that I know about Eileen,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24she fooled all of us.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28Looking back, I can only explain it that she had never been
0:42:28 > 0:42:33properly debriefed and she thought of herself as a spy.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40A remarkable life and one that Eileen herself admitted was hard to let go.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44(TRANSLATION) When I returned after the war,
0:42:44 > 0:42:49I, along with lots of others, missed that kind of life.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Everything seemed so ordinary.
0:43:02 > 0:43:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd