0:00:02 > 0:00:05Welcome to Heir Hunters, where the search for relatives of people who've died
0:00:05 > 0:00:11without leaving a will can uncover family secrets and provide insights into our nation's history.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16'Today, the heir hunters are in the East End of London...
0:00:16 > 0:00:18'searching for beneficiaries
0:00:18 > 0:00:21'to an estate that's lain unclaimed for almost a decade.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25'Somewhere out there are some long-lost relatives
0:00:25 > 0:00:28'who have no idea they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32'Could the Heir Hunters be knocking at your door?'
0:00:48 > 0:00:51- Coming up on today's programme... - Is anyone else not doing very much?
0:00:51 > 0:00:55'Neil feels the pressure as he goes out on a limb.'
0:00:55 > 0:00:58It's a big gamble. If it pays off, we'll all be heroes.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02If it doesn't...then, unfortunately, I have to pay for certificates we may not need.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'And the death of a reclusive woman in Torquay
0:01:05 > 0:01:12'uncovers an incredible story of courage against the tyranny of Nazi Germany.'
0:01:12 > 0:01:15They all were willing to take the risk.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17It was a very great risk,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20cos if they could be captured by the enemy,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22goodness knows what would happen.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24'And I'll be immersing myself in the clandestine world
0:01:24 > 0:01:27'of British wartime espionage...
0:01:27 > 0:01:28'looking for the first time
0:01:28 > 0:01:32'at only recently released top-secret documents.'
0:01:32 > 0:01:35"They put me in a cold bath at Gestapo headquarters
0:01:35 > 0:01:38"and they tried to make me speak. But I stuck to my story."
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Plus, how YOU may be entitled
0:01:41 > 0:01:44to inherit an unclaimed estate held by the treasury.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Could thousands of pounds be heading your way?
0:01:55 > 0:01:56Every year in the UK,
0:01:56 > 0:02:02an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05If no relatives are found, then any money left behind
0:02:05 > 0:02:08will go to the Government.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13Last year, they made £14 million from unclaimed estates.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16That's where the heir hunters come in.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19They make it their business to track down missing relatives
0:02:19 > 0:02:23and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27At the end of the day, the money does go to the rightful people and not to the Government.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34In our first case today,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37the team are trying to find the relatives of a man who died
0:02:37 > 0:02:40in East London, back in 2004.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49'It's seven in the morning at the offices of heir hunters Fraser & Fraser...
0:02:49 > 0:02:54'and the Treasury has just released its weekly list of unclaimed estates.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57'If someone dies without leaving a will,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59'with no known next of kin,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01'and their estate is worth £5,000 or more,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'then it will appear on this list.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09'Today, the team's first job is to see if they can identify the estates
0:03:09 > 0:03:12'that are worth the most.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15'Out of several possibilities, one case in particular
0:03:15 > 0:03:17'has caught boss Neil's eye...
0:03:17 > 0:03:19'but it's a bit of a risky proposition.'
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I think I'm going to take a bit of a gamble today.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30I'm going to work a case with Albert William Charles Cornish.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35The unusual thing about this case is that Albert died in 2004...
0:03:35 > 0:03:38but his estate has only just appeared on the Treasury's list.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42This could mean that he had a small shareholding of around
0:03:42 > 0:03:45£5,000 that has only just come to light.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48But Neil is banking on this case being worth a lot more.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51He has discovered that, after his death,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Albert's house was sold for over £300,000.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01My gamble is either... £300,000 estate...
0:04:01 > 0:04:03or maybe £5,000.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I hope it's up near the 350, otherwise the gamble's really failed.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10The value of estates is really important
0:04:10 > 0:04:12to the heir hunters, because they work on commission,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16earning a percentage of the amount that's claimed by each heir they sign.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21As the boss, it's Neil's job to identify the high-value cases,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23so the whole team is relying on his judgement.
0:04:30 > 0:04:36Albert Cornish died, aged 79, on the 18th of February, 2004,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38in Hackney, East London.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41He left no will and not even a photograph survives of him.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45But his neighbour Ted Sawyer remembers him vividly.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Albert had a face a little bit like an owl.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50He had a round face,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and a small nose, and big, round eyes.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Albert had lived in this house all his life.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02His parents had died there, as had his brother, Ronald.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07And in his later years, Albert lived there alone with his cat.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09He was well known to everyone in the neighbourhood.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14He would be cutting the hedge, he'd be tinkering with his car.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17He used to sit in the car and read the newspaper, actually.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18He was a little old man
0:05:18 > 0:05:22but he looked like he really owned his bit of the street.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Albert was very much part of the local community...
0:05:27 > 0:05:31even towards the end, when he became very deaf.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35If you had to go to the house and try and get him to the door,
0:05:35 > 0:05:37you virtually had to knock the house down.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41It was a great, big cast-iron Victorian knocker...
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and you had to hammer and hammer.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Albert lived his whole life in this corner of East London...
0:05:48 > 0:05:52and eventually passed away in the same house he'd been born in.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55There's a wonderful sense of satisfaction,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59to know that he did manage to live out his life here.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02He passed away peacefully at home.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Albert was a straightforward, simple human being
0:06:06 > 0:06:08that was very, very rooted in this place.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Albert was clearly a Londoner, born and bred.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21But the question Neil needs to answer is,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24did he ever actually own the family home in Hackney?
0:06:24 > 0:06:26If he didn't...
0:06:26 > 0:06:29then his estate is probably only worth £5,000...
0:06:29 > 0:06:33and Neil knows they couldn't make enough profit from an estate that size
0:06:33 > 0:06:37to even cover the basic costs of an investigation.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Neil needs to find out as soon as possible
0:06:40 > 0:06:43if this case will be worth his while...
0:06:43 > 0:06:46D'you want to go over to Hackney, mate, E5?
0:06:46 > 0:06:49..So he sends someone over to the property
0:06:49 > 0:06:50to see what they can uncover.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55I'm not entirely sure about the address, so try doing an enquiry there.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Heir-hunting relies heavily on research done in the office...
0:06:59 > 0:07:03but it's the senior researchers on the road, like Ewart Lindsay,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05who are the public face of the company.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07They're based all over the country
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and it's their job to follow up any lead...
0:07:10 > 0:07:12I think you're probably expecting me.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16..and make sure they get to the heirs ahead of the competition.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24On cases like this, often the best place to start
0:07:24 > 0:07:25is with the neighbours.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32They can supply vital information about the deceased.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36The gentleman who died back in 2004. I don't know if you were here at that time?
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- No, I've only been here five years. - Five.. OK, thank you. Cheers.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44But this morning, the only neighbour he gets to speak to
0:07:44 > 0:07:49is a relative newcomer to the street and never knew Albert.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51It was a long shot anyway...
0:07:51 > 0:07:55really, somebody living there since 2004 and before, you know?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58It's a frustrating start for Ewart.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02He hasn't managed to find out anything about Albert and his family,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05not to mention whether he owned his house or not.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Back in the office, and it's a busy morning with everyone working hard
0:08:11 > 0:08:12on various cases.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Tony...?
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Neil's managed to recruit case manager Tony Pledger to help him,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22but he can't afford to divert anyone else away from
0:08:22 > 0:08:24more obviously lucrative investigations.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27This marriage is right, I know that.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Straightaway, it looks like they've stumbled across a real find.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34I've got Percy on here. I've got Rich, Ted and Ernest.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Someone has done some work on the Cornish family tree,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39and posted it online.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44If it's correct, it identifies a living heir in Australia.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49But early enthusiasm soon turns to disappointment.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52So this one here...
0:08:52 > 0:08:55He's identified that... and it should be that...
0:08:55 > 0:08:57as the real one.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59That bit is wrong.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03The online tree is riddled with mistakes.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06The amateur genealogist has made some basic errors
0:09:06 > 0:09:09in identifying some of the members of Albert's family.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14So that means they've got to throw it all out and start again.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Professional heir-hunting is all about detail.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22The only way to be sure is to go methodically back through each generation...
0:09:22 > 0:09:26checking every birth, marriage and death certificate as you go.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Without buying the certificates, it's easy to make a mistake.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34And in this situation, that's what they've done.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39It's back to the drawing board for the two-man band...
0:09:39 > 0:09:42and Neil's beginning to feel the pressure.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Is anyone else not doing very much?
0:09:45 > 0:09:47But no-one comes forward...
0:09:47 > 0:09:51so it's all down to Tony, who with the aid of the 1911 census,
0:09:51 > 0:09:56starts to rebuild Albert's family tree from the ground up.
0:09:56 > 0:10:02Albert's parents were William Cornish and Rhoda Robinson.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07Albert also had a brother, Ronald, who died a bachelor in 1997.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Neil and Tony now know that there are now near kin on this case,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16meaning children or surviving siblings of the deceased...
0:10:16 > 0:10:19so the next step is to look for cousins.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Amy and Elizabeth Cornish.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24They start with the paternal side of Albert's family.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27By going back to an earlier census,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Tony has discovered that Albert's grandparents
0:10:29 > 0:10:32were William Cornish and Clara Beetchenow.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Albert's father had three other siblings...
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Amy, Percy and Clara.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42The question is, did they have children?
0:10:42 > 0:10:45The first job is to look for marriage certificates,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49and for that, Tony needs Ewart's help.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51What d'you want now, Tone?
0:10:51 > 0:10:53The marriage of Amy E Cornish...
0:10:53 > 0:10:55March, 1919, Hackney, I think.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- Okey-dokey.- There's possibly three children off that...
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Cheers. Bye!
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Ewart heads of to the register office,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05to track down the all-important certificates
0:11:05 > 0:11:07that will prove they're on the right track...
0:11:07 > 0:11:10but at £30 a pop, they don't come cheap.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Meanwhile, Neil and Tony
0:11:15 > 0:11:20start searching for Albert's aunt, Army Cornish's children.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24It turns out she had a total of six from her marriage to John Tayler.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27In 1922 they had girl triplets...
0:11:27 > 0:11:31but sadly, like nearly all multiple births at that time,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34all three of the girls died in infancy.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38A decade went by, and Amy went on to have three more children...
0:11:38 > 0:11:41all of whom survived to adulthood.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43If these Tayler children are still alive,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45they would be Albert's first cousins,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and heirs to his estate.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Neil hopes the unusual spelling of the girls' surname
0:11:51 > 0:11:54should count in his favour.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58It's Tayler, but spelt slightly differently than normal. Instead of "-or" on the end, it's "-er".
0:11:58 > 0:12:00So it's slightly easier to find.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04However, I'm pulling my hair out, cos I haven't been able to find them.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06I could do with a bit of assistance,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08but it's not forthcoming.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Everyone is far too busy working
0:12:10 > 0:12:13their own potentially high-earning investigations
0:12:13 > 0:12:18to stop and help Neil on a case that could turn out to be worthless.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20What I found was this.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23But senior researcher Alan takes pity on him,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25and steps into the breach.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31I got three possible marriages for Dorothy I Tayler.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34I concentrated on "Dorothy I" cos I thought it was a better combination.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36That's what we thought as well.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39The extra help makes a difference and, at last,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41there's a breakthrough.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Alan's discovered that at least one of Albert's first cousins,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Dorothy, is still alive...
0:12:46 > 0:12:50and what's more, he's found a current phone number for her.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54This is their first chance to contact a bona-fide heir.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Tony goes to make the call.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I was hoping I could speak with you with regard to
0:12:59 > 0:13:02your late mother, who I think was Amy Elizabeth, formerly Cornish.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05But his high hopes are met with frustration.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09There's no-one in, so all he can do is leave a message.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Thanks very much, bye.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Once again, this case seems to have stalled,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17and Tony's feeling edgy.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20There are now three of them working this case in the office,
0:13:20 > 0:13:21as well as one of them on the road.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24And with several certificates on order,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27that's a lot of money that could be heading
0:13:27 > 0:13:29down the drain.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31We have no idea as to the value.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Because this house was sold,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35we think their must be some value there,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38but it's complete...wishful thinking on our part at the moment.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Coming up...
0:13:45 > 0:13:47suddenly, it's all hands on deck,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50as the case of Albert Cornish breaks wide open.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- Check that address out...- He could still be alive, couldn't he?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56But doubts over the value of the estate
0:13:56 > 0:13:59still hang over the office... especially with Tony.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01There's every possibility
0:14:01 > 0:14:04that he might have been a long-term tenant...
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and not in fact even owned the property
0:14:13 > 0:14:14Next, a case of a secretive woman
0:14:14 > 0:14:17who died alone without leaving a will.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Later, I'll be discovering her hidden life,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23but first, here's how the story began.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Tragically, some people's amazing achievements
0:14:29 > 0:14:33are never truly celebrated until after their death.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Some of the bravest and best
0:14:35 > 0:14:38prefer to take their stories with them to the grave.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42This was never more true than in the case of Eileen Nearne.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47Eileen died on the 2nd of September, 2010, in Torquay.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49She lived a solitary existence,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51not really mixing with anyone in the town.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55But she did regularly attend mass at her local Catholic church.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00Sister Damian remembers her as an enigmatic figure.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05Eileen always came about an hour before mass...
0:15:05 > 0:15:07read the paper...
0:15:07 > 0:15:09slipped up to the ladies' chapel.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11She was a shadowy little figure,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13going around the church.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18My first encounter with Eileen was to ask her her name...
0:15:18 > 0:15:24which she fobbed me off and said something to the effect of, "That's not important."
0:15:24 > 0:15:27She didn't invite conversation.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30She was a mysterious figure...
0:15:30 > 0:15:35because you realised you were wondering, "Who is she?"
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Eileen passed away in her flat on Lisburne Crescent.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48At first, her death seemed like
0:15:48 > 0:15:51one of hundreds that local councils manage every year.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56Torbay Council duly went to her home to look for any clues to family members,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00but what they found was much more intriguing.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04In amongst Eileen's things
0:16:04 > 0:16:07were old French currency, letters written in French,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11and several medals, including an MBE.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Clearly, she had been someone very special...
0:16:13 > 0:16:16but hadn't wanted anyone to know about it.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24The press soon picked up on the story,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26and reported that Eileen had died alone,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28with no-one to pay for her funeral.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31To David Milchard of Fraser & Fraser,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35this was clearly a job for the heir hunters.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37It just struck us as interesting.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40There didn't appear to be any relatives...
0:16:40 > 0:16:41and I decided to have a look at it.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45The first thing David did was to set about identifying
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Eileen's basic family tree.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51We identified the birth of Eileen,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54and it appeared her father was a John Nearne...
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and her mother was Spanish.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01David found a record for Eileen's parents...
0:17:01 > 0:17:04showing that they were married in 1913
0:17:04 > 0:17:06in Marylebone, in London.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10He then went on to find birth records for three other children...
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Francis, Jacqueline and Frederick.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Although all the children had been born in England,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19it turned out the whole family moved to France for a bit,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22and lived there between the wars.
0:17:22 > 0:17:23In one fell swoop,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25David had found out more about Eileen
0:17:25 > 0:17:28than anyone in Torquay ever had.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31She'd always made sure to keep people at arm's length...
0:17:31 > 0:17:33even Sister Damian.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37The first few times I took Eileen home...
0:17:37 > 0:17:39she wouldn't let me
0:17:39 > 0:17:41drop her outside her house.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Once, I said to her, "Eileen..."
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Well, I didn't say "Eileen", because I didn't know her name...
0:17:47 > 0:17:50I said, "I'm not dropping you here.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53"It's too late at night, it's too dark."
0:17:53 > 0:17:58She wouldn't even allow me to see where she actually lived.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01It seems that Eileen was so intent on secrecy,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04she even concealed her true nationality.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07I assumed...
0:18:07 > 0:18:10from her accent...
0:18:10 > 0:18:12something about her was very French,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16but she led me to believe she was half-French, half-English.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20The fact that Eileen was able to pass herself off as French
0:18:20 > 0:18:26turned out to be the key to the mystery surrounding her life.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33This reserved woman, who guarded her identity so fiercely
0:18:33 > 0:18:35and died surrounded by bravery medals,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37was in fact a spy.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43She had been a member of Churchill's Special Operations Executive,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46the SOE - an elite group of men and women
0:18:46 > 0:18:50who had worked undercover in France during the Second World War.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Squadron Leader Beryl Escott
0:18:52 > 0:18:55was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
0:18:55 > 0:18:56and has written a book,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58The Heroines Of The SOE,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01which features both Eileen and her sister Jacqueline.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04The work of SOE was mainly
0:19:04 > 0:19:07to...land agents...
0:19:07 > 0:19:09to help
0:19:09 > 0:19:12the French gather together
0:19:12 > 0:19:17those who were willing to oppose the Germans...
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and become the Resistance.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22As fluent French speakers,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Eileen and her elder sister, Jacqueline,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28were highly sought after for war work, and they both signed up.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32They were very... patriotic, both of them.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Patriotic in respect of England,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38patriotic in respect of France.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42They were very annoyed that France had made
0:19:42 > 0:19:46this peace treaty with the enemy.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49All new recruits to the SOE
0:19:49 > 0:19:51were sent on a rigorous training programme
0:19:51 > 0:19:55to help them cope with the demands of the dangerous double life
0:19:55 > 0:19:56they had volunteered for.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59They also learned how to operate the tools of their trade,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02the wireless transceivers
0:20:02 > 0:20:06they would use to send and receive coded messages.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13On a moonlit night in March, 1944,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16just before her 23rd birthday,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Eileen was dropped into occupied France.
0:20:19 > 0:20:24She made her way to Paris and found herself an apartment in Bourg-la-Reine.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27From here, she was able to carry out her vital work,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31right under the noses of the German army and secret police.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35In 1943, you know,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38it was considered that a wireless operator
0:20:38 > 0:20:41would stay free for about...
0:20:41 > 0:20:44six weeks.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47But they all were willing to take the risk.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52It was a very great risk, cos if they could be captured by the enemy,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54goodness knows what would happen.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58And Eileen was willing to take the risk.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Eileen had been given an alias, Jacqueline Duterte,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07and a codename, Rose, which she used in her transmissions.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11After the war, she appeared in a documentary about the SOE.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Speaking in French, and identifying herself only as "Rose",
0:21:15 > 0:21:20she recounts a terrifying story of an experience on a Paris train.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24TRANSLATOR: I had my portable transmitter with me,
0:21:24 > 0:21:28and he asked me what I had in my suitcase.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31I replied, "What? In my case?
0:21:31 > 0:21:33"Oh, it's a gramophone."
0:21:33 > 0:21:37"Oh, yes," he said, and I said to myself, "My God..."
0:21:37 > 0:21:39I knew then that I had to get off straightaway
0:21:39 > 0:21:41at the first opportunity,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43He wouldn't stop looking at me.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46So I got up and pretended I had reached my stop...
0:21:46 > 0:21:49and quickly stepped off the train with my case.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52And as I went past on the platform,
0:21:52 > 0:21:58I could see him whispering to the other officers about me.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01And I knew he was suspicious.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03So I'd been right to get off,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06as they'd have certainly asked to see inside the case...
0:22:06 > 0:22:10which would have been dreadful, as they'd have seen the transmitter.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13As war raged in Europe,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Eileen managed to evade capture for many months,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18but one day she returned to her original apartment
0:22:18 > 0:22:21to send an urgent message.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22But just as she had finished,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24the Gestapo burst in
0:22:24 > 0:22:28and took her to their headquarters for interrogation.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31TRANSLATOR: And they took me into a room where there was a bath,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and they held me under the water.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36You suffocate under the water,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38but you must stick to your story.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41I remembered what we'd been taught.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Never to be afraid, never let them dominate you.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49Amazingly, Eileen managed to convince the Germans
0:22:49 > 0:22:54that she was a French girl sending messages for her wealthy industrialist boss.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55They didn't shoot her,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59but she was sent to the notorious Ravensbruck concentration camp,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02known simply as "women's hell".
0:23:02 > 0:23:07It was a place where people were worked to death, one way or another.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Eileen was expected to sink or swim...
0:23:11 > 0:23:14in this dreadful concentration camp,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18and they were on such very, very low rations.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21They were starving.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22They were starving to death.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31But, despite everything, Eileen refused to be beaten.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37It's an amazing story of heroism in the face of the enemy.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39I'm off to find out how undercover agents like Eileen
0:23:39 > 0:23:42were chosen and trained.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44'I've come to meet John Smith,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47'an education officer from the Beaulieu SOE Museum.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50'But how much light will he be able to shed on this most secret
0:23:50 > 0:23:52'of British wartime organisations?'
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Eileen was a spy working for the Special Operations Executive.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01But who were the spymasters?
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I suppose the ultimate spymaster was Winston Churchill.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07It was his idea to form the Special Operations Executive.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12He felt that the trouble the country was in, in 1939,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15we couldn't rely on the Army, Navy and RAF alone...
0:24:15 > 0:24:19we needed a force that would carry out acts of sabotage
0:24:19 > 0:24:21and subversion behind enemy lines,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and so he came up with the idea of the SOE.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28'The Special Operations Executive was officially formed
0:24:28 > 0:24:31'on the 22nd of July, 1940,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34'and its sole purpose was to commit acts of guerrilla warfare
0:24:34 > 0:24:38'against Germany and its Second World War allies.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41'Churchill ordered his newly formed secret service
0:24:41 > 0:24:43'to "set Europe ablaze".
0:24:43 > 0:24:46'All they needed was the manpower.'
0:24:46 > 0:24:49So how were agents like Eileen recruited?
0:24:49 > 0:24:52In a whole range of ways.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Some were approached,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56and some actually approached, themselves.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Again, they came from the military, some of them...
0:25:00 > 0:25:03they brought skills in explosives
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and various other military activities.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09There were people that came from military intelligence.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Some came from civvy street...
0:25:11 > 0:25:14but the biggest problem SOE found
0:25:14 > 0:25:17was few of them were able, initially,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19to speak the local language of the country
0:25:19 > 0:25:21they were going to be dropped into.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23In occupied Europe,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Nazi forces were constantly on the lookout
0:25:25 > 0:25:27for people at places like roadblocks
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and road checks
0:25:29 > 0:25:32and railway stations and bus stations and so on.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35They would stop people, question them, ask for their papers...
0:25:35 > 0:25:38and if these people couldn't speak the local language
0:25:38 > 0:25:42and pass themselves off as a native, they would be extremely vulnerable and could be in great danger.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46This is where Eileen Nearne was absolutely a godsend to them...
0:25:46 > 0:25:48because she was fluent in French.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53'But it takes a lot more to be a spy than just being able to speak a second language...
0:25:53 > 0:25:58'and volunteers like Eileen had a long road ahead of them.'
0:25:58 > 0:26:02How did the SOE make sure that people were up to this kind of work?
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Well, they went through a number of psychological tests
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and security tests, and so on.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10The security tests they put them through
0:26:10 > 0:26:15were to find out whether there were any skeletons in their cupboard.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18If they had anything in their own working history
0:26:18 > 0:26:20or private history,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24anything in their family that would make them vulnerable as agents
0:26:24 > 0:26:26if they were caught by the Gestapo.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31The Gestapo were the highly feared secret police of Nazi Germany.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Their job was to investigate cases of treason and espionage
0:26:35 > 0:26:37against the Nazi Party.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40They were given carte blanche to do so by their government.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43With such a powerful enemy organisation
0:26:43 > 0:26:45operating across occupied Europe,
0:26:45 > 0:26:50the SOE had to be sure their agents were made of stern stuff.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55They also went through a certain amount of psychological training
0:26:55 > 0:26:59to see if they could cope with the stresses and strains
0:26:59 > 0:27:01of being a secret agent.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05It is a very lonely life, and they didn't know who they could trust.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13Obviously, they were going to face very dangerous situations?
0:27:13 > 0:27:15They were, and they were told about it.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17To the credit of SOE, the instructors would have told them
0:27:17 > 0:27:22at various stages throughout the whole training programme...
0:27:22 > 0:27:27what the likelihood of them actually coming back from a mission would be.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I've heard it said it was 50/50 whether they came back or not,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and they knew there was always a case they would fall into the hands of the Gestapo,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38and the Gestapo, particularly in Gestapo headquarters in Paris,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41had this regime of questioning and torture, questioning and torture,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43questioning and torture.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Some actually broke under that regime,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50and the ultimate get-out they had... every agent, before they left Britain
0:27:50 > 0:27:53was given a small tablet,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56called the L-pill for the "lethal tablet".
0:27:56 > 0:27:57It was a dose of cyanide that,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00if they felt they couldn't get through the questioning
0:28:00 > 0:28:02or were likely to give away their organisation,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06they could take this cyanide tablet and they would commit suicide.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10So they knew this, they were prepared for this, they were equipped for this.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11They knew it was dangerous.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15But none of this fazed Eileen,
0:28:15 > 0:28:17and she bravely became one of the thousands of women
0:28:17 > 0:28:23who served their country as secret agents in the Second World War.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Coming up...even in captivity,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Eileen never gives up the fight.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32It was snowing and it was ice.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36The whole camp was suffering from typhoid...
0:28:36 > 0:28:40but she was always looking for an opportunity to escape.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year
0:28:48 > 0:28:50and millions of pounds are paid out to rightful heirs,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53but not every case can be cracked.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58'The Treasury solicitor has a list of over 2,000
0:28:58 > 0:29:00'unclaimed estates online...
0:29:00 > 0:29:03'known as the Bona Vacantia.'
0:29:03 > 0:29:06Procedure is that, initially, the case will come in.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08We will make some enquiries ourselves
0:29:08 > 0:29:12to see if we can trace relatives or a will.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14If those initial enquiries
0:29:14 > 0:29:16don't bring forth anything,
0:29:16 > 0:29:18we will then advertise.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23These unsolved cases could be worth anything from a few hundred pounds to millions,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26and they're waiting to be claimed.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30If someone thinks they're entitled to an estate we're dealing with,
0:29:30 > 0:29:33they need to contact us.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36They can do that direct or via an agent, it's entirely up to them.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39we need to have a simple family tree
0:29:39 > 0:29:44showing how they think they're related to the deceased person.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Based on that initial evidence,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49the Bona Vacantia division will then make a decision
0:29:49 > 0:29:51about the validity of a claim.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53If they think it's strong,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56they will ask for further documentation
0:29:56 > 0:29:58proving your link to the deceased.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00So here's some names from the unsolved list.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Could YOU be eligible to inherit a fortune?
0:30:03 > 0:30:06Estates stay on the list for up to 30 years,
0:30:06 > 0:30:09and today we're focusing on three names.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Are they relatives of yours?
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Eric Vincent Bedward died in Peckham, London,
0:30:16 > 0:30:18in October, 2000.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21'Bedward is originally a Welsh name,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24'but nowadays the highest concentration of Bedwards
0:30:24 > 0:30:25'live in Staffordshire.'
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Do YOU remember Eric?
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Is there a Bedward in your family?
0:30:30 > 0:30:35'Ivor Herbert Saddington died in Kettering in September, 2003.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39'The name Saddington originates from a village in Leicestershire.'
0:30:39 > 0:30:40Did you know Ivor?
0:30:40 > 0:30:45Were you a friend or colleague of his, back in the day?
0:30:45 > 0:30:49'Carmen Dura died on the 23rd of January, 2011
0:30:49 > 0:30:51'in Acton, West London.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55'The name Dura is Polish and means "a hollow in the landscape".'
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Were YOU a neighbour of Carmen's?
0:30:59 > 0:31:03If no heirs are found, her money will go to the Government.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05'Here are those names one more time.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07'Eric Bedward,
0:31:07 > 0:31:08'Ivor Saddington
0:31:08 > 0:31:09'and Carmen Dura.'
0:31:11 > 0:31:14So if today's names are relatives of yours,
0:31:14 > 0:31:16you COULD have a fortune coming your way.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23'The heir hunters are investigating the case of Albert Cornish,
0:31:23 > 0:31:26from Hackney...
0:31:26 > 0:31:30and the team still need to confirm there is value in the estate.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32'The office are frantically trying to cross all the T's
0:31:32 > 0:31:35'and dot all the I's on Albert's case.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39'He died back in 2004, aged 79.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43'Partner Neil picked his name off the Treasury's list of unclaimed estates...
0:31:43 > 0:31:47'taking a chance on Albert actually owning the house he'd lived in.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50'This would mean his estate has the potential to be worth
0:31:50 > 0:31:53'up to £350,000.'
0:31:54 > 0:31:57I've got a gut feeling that he did,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01or at one time, owned the property, because he lived in it such a long time.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03His parents both passed away at the same address.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06But Neil knows that if he's got it wrong,
0:32:06 > 0:32:08he'll be paying for it.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12It's a big gamble. If it pays off, we'll all be heroes. If it doesn't,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15then unfortunately I have to put my hand in my pocket
0:32:15 > 0:32:18and pay for certificates we may not need.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24Albert was one of the last of a dying breed of old East Enders.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33If I was to describe the way that
0:32:33 > 0:32:34Albert might be remembered,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37it would be as a representative
0:32:37 > 0:32:39of a particular group of Londoners...
0:32:39 > 0:32:42that lived in London
0:32:42 > 0:32:46throughout the war years... and crossed the generations...
0:32:46 > 0:32:52and made it through to our generation.
0:32:52 > 0:32:57Albert was 14 when the Second World War broke out,
0:32:57 > 0:32:58too young to go and fight.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02So instead, he went to work in the local factory
0:33:02 > 0:33:03on Homerton High Street.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06These days, it's a carpet warehouse,
0:33:06 > 0:33:07but back then,
0:33:07 > 0:33:11it was the Oppenheimer Tobacco pipe factory.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13It's thought that Albert was a bowl turner,
0:33:13 > 0:33:16one of 30 or so skilled workers
0:33:16 > 0:33:18who shaped the pipe bowls out of dense briarwood,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21using a mechanical lathe.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23The machines were not like today.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25They were run from overhead shafting.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27That is noisy.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29His job would have been a hands-on job, because,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33not like today when things are fed in automatically,
0:33:33 > 0:33:35you had to, by hand, put it on...
0:33:35 > 0:33:39and do it accurately, to the right speed.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Albert worked at the factory at the end of his street
0:33:43 > 0:33:44for over 40 years,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47until it closed down in 1981.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Times and fashions had changed,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54and the demands for pipes had simply disappeared.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59The golden era of pipes was before the last world war.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Everybody had a pipe and everybody smoked.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05If you look at old pictures of people crossing Westminster Bridge...
0:34:05 > 0:34:08you don't count the number of people smoking a pipe,
0:34:08 > 0:34:12you count the number of men that AREN'T smoking.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14It's just completely different.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22But back in the office, the priority for the heir hunters
0:34:22 > 0:34:24isn't Albert's job,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27it's finding out whether he owned his house.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31Case manager Tony Pledger isn't convinced.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34The deceased died six years ago.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37He was probably a bachelor. He was born in the house that he died in.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40His parents lived in the house for even longer.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44There's every possibility he might have been a long-term tenant...
0:34:44 > 0:34:47and not in fact even owned the property.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51There may be uncertainty surrounding the value of the case,
0:34:51 > 0:34:55but an experienced heir hunter like Tony doesn't let that get in the way
0:34:55 > 0:35:00of a thorough investigation.... and his persistence has just been rewarded.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03South Ockendon, OK?
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Earlier, he left a message for Dorothy Tayler,
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Albert's first cousin on his father's side.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12She's just called him back, and has given him addresses
0:35:12 > 0:35:15for herself and her sister, who both live in Essex.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Time now to call in Dave Hadley,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22another of the company's senior researchers on the road.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25We've got two people, sisters, both living in South Ockendon.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27- Yep.- I left a message with one of them,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31- but if you make your way over there, I'll give you a bell. - All right, bye-bye.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34This is good news.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37They could be on their way to signing their first heirs.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Neil's optimistic.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Dave Hadley's now heading over there,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45so he's probably half an hour, maybe an hour away.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48In that sort of time, we'll hopefully get to speak to someone.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Fingers crossed, he's right.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56Despite all the uncertainty,
0:35:56 > 0:35:58Neil's determined to wrap up this case,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and for that, he needs to track down any heirs
0:36:01 > 0:36:03on Albert's mother's side of the family...
0:36:03 > 0:36:06so he calls on Alan and Debbie to scour the censuses
0:36:06 > 0:36:10and help him establish the maternal family tree.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12We've got to find that marriage,
0:36:12 > 0:36:14but Edward William Robinson...
0:36:14 > 0:36:17We need to find that so we can do a search after '11.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Albert's mother was Rhoda Robinson,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Her parents were Edward and Rose.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27A little more research reveals she had two brothers -
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Edward and Albert.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34Who's got Albert Edward Robinson's probate?
0:36:34 > 0:36:36I've just phoned that through.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38It goes to her son, John Edwin Robinson.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41I'll just find his birth.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Neil has ordered a copy of Albert's uncle's will.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Wills are a good source of information for the heir hunters,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50especially when it comes to identifying children.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55And this one has led them to another of Albert's first cousins.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Did you say you'd checked that address out for him?
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Nobody else is mentioned with that surname.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03He could still be alive, couldn't he?
0:37:05 > 0:37:09- I just got it that second. - John E Robinson.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13Finding an initial for a second name may not seem like much,
0:37:13 > 0:37:17but for the heir hunters, it's huge.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22As names go, John Robinson is almost as common as John Smith.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24But with the extra initial "E",
0:37:24 > 0:37:28Neil can significantly narrow the search.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Even so, he's still got a big job on his hands.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39I think there's about 900 of them to look at.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Meanwhile, Dave Hadley has finally arrived in Essex,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47hoping to meet Albert's first cousins on his father's side.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50They are potential first heirs on this case,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53After a day that's been dogged with false starts and uncertainty...
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Hello?
0:37:55 > 0:37:58..this would be an important boost for the whole team.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00- Are you Mrs Dorothy Darby?- Yes.
0:38:00 > 0:38:01My name's David Hadley.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05First stop is elder sister Dorothy's house.
0:38:05 > 0:38:06I've got me sister in here.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10That's all right. If you don't mind her being there, I don't mind
0:38:10 > 0:38:11her being there.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14This is an unexpected bonus for Dave.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17He gets to talk to both sisters at the same time.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20Basically, what's happened is that
0:38:20 > 0:38:23- a cousin of yours... - I know who he is.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25- Who is it?- Alan.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27No.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29- Vera?- No.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31- Patsy?- No.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34The sisters seem to be running through every family member
0:38:34 > 0:38:36they can think of...
0:38:37 > 0:38:40- Hilda?- No.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42..with no success.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43So Dave gives them a clue.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45It's a he.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48- It's a he, it's a male?- It's a male. BOTH: A male?
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Yeah, a male cousin.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Albert?
0:38:52 > 0:38:55- A dead cousin named Albert. - Yes, Albert.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58And he's left a little bit of money.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01And because he didn't make a will...
0:39:01 > 0:39:03Yeah?
0:39:03 > 0:39:07- ..whatever is left has to get passed to his blood relatives.- Oh, I see.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11And you're a cousin, so you'll be entitled to a share of the estate,
0:39:11 > 0:39:12as will you.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15Having explained the full procedure to them,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Dorothy and Margaret are happy to sign with the company...
0:39:18 > 0:39:20who in return for a commission,
0:39:20 > 0:39:22will help them make their claim to the Treasury.
0:39:22 > 0:39:29Dave heads off, leaving the sisters to contemplate what they might do with their unexpected windfall.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34If I won the money, I'd like to have me three-piece re-covered...
0:39:36 > 0:39:38..because I don't like the colour of it.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42It don't go with me carpet!
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Back at the office,
0:39:49 > 0:39:54and the maternal side of this case has suddenly all fallen into place.
0:39:54 > 0:39:55You got an address for...?
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Spinster.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01They've discovered that Albert's other Uncle Edward
0:40:01 > 0:40:05was married in 1930, in Hackney, to Ada Rich.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07They had one daughter, Jean,
0:40:07 > 0:40:09who would be Albert's first cousin.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Neil is delighted.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14The mother, Rhoda, born in 1897.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17We found her on the 1901 census and the 1911 census.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19That, again, has given us
0:40:19 > 0:40:22the full extent on the maternal side of the family.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Had to make sure there's no births AFTER the census,
0:40:24 > 0:40:26but everything else looks fine,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29so all the time, we've been able to be fairly confident
0:40:29 > 0:40:33we have the full extent of the family, just because of the census.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38Tony calls Dave Hadley straightaway with this new information.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41She's living in Bishop's Stortford.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43Will you try that one on your way home?
0:40:43 > 0:40:45OK.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50And there's more good news.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54- And yours is due in quarter, yeah? - It's live in '74 at that address.
0:40:54 > 0:40:571974, is it?
0:40:57 > 0:40:59The team have finally sifted through
0:40:59 > 0:41:02the 900 or so John E Robinsons
0:41:02 > 0:41:04and they think they've found the right one...
0:41:04 > 0:41:08which means another call to Ewart.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11There's an up-to-date address for him in Dagenham.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13So I'm off to see him.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Meanwhile, Dave has arrived in Bishop's Stortford
0:41:20 > 0:41:22and is chatting with Jean,
0:41:22 > 0:41:24who it turns out knew her cousin Albert well.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27The two of them kept in touch,
0:41:27 > 0:41:29right up to the end of his life.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31The last time I saw him,
0:41:31 > 0:41:34I moved here in January, 2001...
0:41:34 > 0:41:37- and I saw him just before I moved here.- Right.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40He wrote a little letter to me, saying that...
0:41:40 > 0:41:43I didn't really expect him to come down here,
0:41:43 > 0:41:44cos he was very frail then,
0:41:44 > 0:41:48- "I haven't been able to come and see you," you know?- Yeah.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Jean is also a good source of information about the rest of the family
0:41:51 > 0:41:54and is able to confirm a lot of the company's research.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56You say it was John was the son?
0:41:56 > 0:41:58- Yeah.- John Robinson.
0:41:58 > 0:42:03I haven't seen him since about...
0:42:03 > 0:42:06in the '70s, about '72, something like that.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08- He was working on the Redbridge Borough.- Right, OK.
0:42:08 > 0:42:13But he left there, went somewhere else, and we never heard of him.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15What's the postcode here?
0:42:15 > 0:42:17After listening to what Dave has to say,
0:42:17 > 0:42:21Jean agrees to the company's terms and signs up.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23But that's not all.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26Dave still needs to ask the all-important question.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29He knows that an entire day's work for the company
0:42:29 > 0:42:31is resting on the answer.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Did he live in his own house, was it his own place?
0:42:34 > 0:42:40No, it was rented. His mother and father - in fact, MY father
0:42:40 > 0:42:44used to live there years ago. That shows you how long they lived there.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47The mystery is finally solved.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51The house that Albert's family lived in for almost a century,
0:42:51 > 0:42:53the only home he ever knew,
0:42:53 > 0:42:56never actually belonged to him.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58It's a crushing blow to Neil.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Throughout the investigation, he's clung to his belief
0:43:01 > 0:43:05that the estate would have benefited from the sale of the property.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08But it turns out he was wrong.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10In the end, it's one of those gambles.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15The research on this has gone quite well...
0:43:15 > 0:43:17but unfortunately, as the firm goes,
0:43:17 > 0:43:19we're not going to make any money.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23In total, they found six heirs to Albert Cornish's estate.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Most of them were first cousins,
0:43:26 > 0:43:27including John E Robinson,
0:43:27 > 0:43:30who Ewart eventually tracked down in Dagenham.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32- Hello!- Hello, how are you?
0:43:32 > 0:43:35- Can I speak to Mr Robinson, please? - Yes, I'm Mr Robinson.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37- John Robinson?- Yes.- Ah, lovely.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39After the Treasury processed the claims
0:43:39 > 0:43:41made by Albert's heirs on his estate,
0:43:41 > 0:43:44they revealed he had left a total of £6,700,
0:43:44 > 0:43:47which was then shared amongst them.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Not exactly a fortune,
0:43:49 > 0:43:53but certainly something to remember him by.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56Albert's passing marked the end of an era.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58The house in Hackney is still there,
0:43:58 > 0:44:01but the street will never be the same again.
0:44:07 > 0:44:12Here's some more names of unclaimed estates from the Treasury Solicitor's list.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14Could YOU be entitled to a forgotten fortune?
0:44:14 > 0:44:18The Government list of over 2,000 unclaimed estates
0:44:18 > 0:44:22is money that is owed to members of the public.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24The list goes back to 1997,
0:44:24 > 0:44:27because that's when our case management system came online.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30The idea is to produce a list of all those solvent cases,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32so there should at least be a few pounds in there,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35possibly many thousands.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37And the Bona Vacantia team's mission is a simple one.
0:44:37 > 0:44:43Try your hardest to find the rightful heirs to an estate.
0:44:43 > 0:44:44My division isn't allowed to make a profit.
0:44:44 > 0:44:49We don't make commission, or get huge bonuses for passing lots of money to the Treasury.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52The Treasury's more interested in "are we finding more kin?",
0:44:52 > 0:44:56which we are. And "are we good value for taxpayers' money?", which we are.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00'Let's see if we can find someone's long-lost heirs.'
0:45:00 > 0:45:03Do these names mean anything to you?
0:45:03 > 0:45:05Are they relatives of yours?
0:45:05 > 0:45:09'Henry William Plummer Howe died in Boston, Lincolnshire,
0:45:09 > 0:45:11'way back in May, 1985.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14'The surname Howe has roots in both Norfolk
0:45:14 > 0:45:16'and West Yorkshire.'
0:45:16 > 0:45:19Perhaps Henry's second middle name, Plummer,
0:45:19 > 0:45:21was his mother's maiden name.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Can YOU help solve this case?
0:45:25 > 0:45:29'Richard Charles Olney died in Dartford, Kent,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31'on the 23rd of October, 2000.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36'The name Olney originates from areas of Northamptonshire
0:45:36 > 0:45:38'and Buckinghamshire.'
0:45:38 > 0:45:40Richard left no will, and so far,
0:45:40 > 0:45:43all efforts to trace entitled family members
0:45:43 > 0:45:45have failed.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46Are YOU Richard's heir?
0:45:50 > 0:45:52'Lydia Louise Fitzpatrick
0:45:52 > 0:45:54'died in Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
0:45:54 > 0:45:57'on the 29th of June, 2005.'
0:45:58 > 0:46:00I've got Lydia's death certificate here,
0:46:00 > 0:46:02which shows more information about her.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05It says she worked as a local government officer.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08Perhaps you were a colleague of hers back in the day?
0:46:11 > 0:46:14The death certificate also reveals
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Lydia's date and place of birth.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19It shows she was born on the 24th of December, 1934,
0:46:19 > 0:46:21in Guyana.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24At the time of Lydia's birth, Guyana was under British rule.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Was she from a colonial family?
0:46:28 > 0:46:30'Has any of this jogged YOUR memory?
0:46:30 > 0:46:32'Are YOU related to Lydia?
0:46:32 > 0:46:35'Remember, you're the person who has to prove the link.'
0:46:35 > 0:46:38If people put together their cases very well,
0:46:38 > 0:46:41they get their family tree and all the certificates to fill in,
0:46:41 > 0:46:45such as birth, death and marriage, and maybe anything to do with adoption...
0:46:45 > 0:46:47send that in, and it's dealt with by someone who
0:46:47 > 0:46:49is an expert in their field,
0:46:49 > 0:46:52and will be able to see whether the claim is made out or not.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57'A reminder of those names again.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59'Henry Howe,
0:46:59 > 0:47:00'Richard Olney
0:47:00 > 0:47:03'and Lydia Fitzpatrick.'
0:47:03 > 0:47:05If today's names are relatives of yours,
0:47:05 > 0:47:09you could have a windfall coming your way.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17'We now return to the incredible story of Eileen Nearne...
0:47:17 > 0:47:21'a wartime spy for the Special Operations Executive.'
0:47:21 > 0:47:28Their efforts had shortened the war in Europe by nine months.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31'Later, I'll be uncovering top-secret files
0:47:31 > 0:47:32'about her life.'
0:47:32 > 0:47:35"They put me in a cold bath at Gestapo headquarters
0:47:35 > 0:47:37"and they tried to make me speak.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39"but I stuck to my story."
0:47:39 > 0:47:41'Eileen may not have left a will,
0:47:41 > 0:47:45'but she did leave behind a treasure trove of wartime correspondence...
0:47:45 > 0:47:48'that showed she'd worked as a special agent.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50'Thanks to the press and media interest,
0:47:50 > 0:47:52'the whole nation was gripped by this brave woman,
0:47:52 > 0:47:54'who, as a World War II spy,
0:47:54 > 0:47:57'had faced incredible danger and hardship
0:47:57 > 0:48:01'while working undercover in occupied France.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05'Eileen had been captured by the Germans,
0:48:05 > 0:48:07'and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp,
0:48:07 > 0:48:09'where by sheer force of will,
0:48:09 > 0:48:12'she survived.'
0:48:12 > 0:48:15It was snowing and it was ice.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19The whole camp was suffering from typhoid...
0:48:19 > 0:48:25but she was always looking for an opportunity to escape.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28Finally, in 1945,
0:48:28 > 0:48:29after 10 months of captivity,
0:48:29 > 0:48:31Eileen saw her chance.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34They were being marched through the night to another camp,
0:48:34 > 0:48:37ahead of the advancing allies.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40As they passed through a forest, Eileen broke rank
0:48:40 > 0:48:41and fled.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43It was an audacious move
0:48:43 > 0:48:45and she must have known she was risking her life.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49Eventually, she managed to make contact with the British Army,
0:48:49 > 0:48:52who arranged for her to be brought back to England.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54Her war was over,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57but her contribution would never be forgotten.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59"General Eisenhower
0:48:59 > 0:49:03"was impressed by the support of the Resistance in France...
0:49:03 > 0:49:08"and he considered that their efforts
0:49:08 > 0:49:11"had shortened the war in Europe
0:49:11 > 0:49:13"by nine months"!
0:49:13 > 0:49:17That's a terrific claim to make.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19So they had been very useful.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24For David Milchard, getting the opportunity
0:49:24 > 0:49:27to investigate such a fascinating and unique life story
0:49:27 > 0:49:30was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34It was quite amazing to think that she was captured at least three times...
0:49:34 > 0:49:36and made some escapes.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38She must have been very clever
0:49:38 > 0:49:41and very resourceful, I would have thought.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44But David knew that a high-profile case like this
0:49:44 > 0:49:47would have attracted many of the other heir-hunting companies,
0:49:47 > 0:49:51and he was STILL no closer to finding a living heir to Eileen's estate.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56He did know that Eileen had two brothers and a sister,
0:49:56 > 0:49:59but the question was, did THEY have any children?
0:49:59 > 0:50:03The first one he looked into was Jacqueline.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05She also joined the SOE.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08She, too, spent a lot of time in France.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12She never married and she died in the 1980s,
0:50:12 > 0:50:14without any children.
0:50:14 > 0:50:19But it seems the sisters were not the only heroes in this extraordinary family.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23Their older brother, Francis, had also worked for the intelligence services.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26He had a son, Eileen's nephew,
0:50:26 > 0:50:29but tragically, he was killed at the beginning of the war,
0:50:29 > 0:50:32fighting in France.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37That left only one brother, Frederick, David's last hope.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41Frederick had been in the Air Force during the war and survived.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45He then went on to marry and had a daughter, Eileen's niece,
0:50:45 > 0:50:48who was still alive and was traced to Tuscany.
0:50:48 > 0:50:53So, it appears that the niece living in Italy is the only claimant.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58In the end, the company made contact with the niece
0:50:58 > 0:51:01and they put her in contact with the council
0:51:01 > 0:51:02dealing with her aunt's estate.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07Unfortunately, Frasers didn't make any money on this one.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11The niece decided to process it herself,
0:51:11 > 0:51:13but from an interest point of view,
0:51:13 > 0:51:16it was very good for... It makes quite a change
0:51:16 > 0:51:21to a normal case, so it was very enjoyable to do, really.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26It was later revealed that Eileen's estate had been worth £13,000.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Not a lot for a fully paid-up war hero.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33But money isn't everything,
0:51:33 > 0:51:36as Eileen's contribution to the war effort is priceless.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40And it's a contribution I'm about to discover even more about.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44It turns out there's yet another twist in the tail.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47A classified file on Eileen has just been released
0:51:47 > 0:51:50from the government's top secret archives,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52and I'm about to find out what's in it.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55I understand this record has only just been released.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Why has it been classified information for so long?
0:51:58 > 0:52:02Many of the military documents obviously come under
0:52:02 > 0:52:06the Official Secrets Act, or they protect people's identity
0:52:06 > 0:52:11who've been in military situations in wartime and during peacetime.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14And people's identity very often has to be protected.
0:52:14 > 0:52:19The documents about Eileen Nearne were kept as secret
0:52:19 > 0:52:21as long as she was alive,
0:52:21 > 0:52:24and once she died they were able to release them.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28Although, even now, some of the documents in her file
0:52:28 > 0:52:33will remain as secret documents until 2022,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36because, obviously, there are people named that are still alive
0:52:36 > 0:52:38or may be alive until that time.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41So what's in it, what does it tell us about Eileen?
0:52:41 > 0:52:44It's a fabulous collection of documents,
0:52:44 > 0:52:47and one that really amuses me
0:52:47 > 0:52:49is what is entitled The Finishing Report.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52This was the report that was written about her
0:52:52 > 0:52:54when she completed her months and months of training,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57and it was the assessment of the Commandant
0:52:57 > 0:52:59at Special Training School Number 34 -
0:52:59 > 0:53:02that was the finishing school at Beaulieu -
0:53:02 > 0:53:04one Major John Wedgwood.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08Now, Wedgwood was one of the three brothers who ran the world famous pottery company,
0:53:08 > 0:53:11but he wrote of Eileen Nearne,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14"She is not very intelligent or practical,
0:53:14 > 0:53:16"and is lacking in shrewdness and cunning.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20"She has a bad memory, is inaccurate and scatterbrained.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22"She seems keen,
0:53:22 > 0:53:26"but her work was handicapped by a lack of power to concentrate.
0:53:26 > 0:53:31"In character, she is very feminine and immature.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34"She seems to lack all experience of the world,
0:53:34 > 0:53:36"and would probably be easily influenced by others.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40"It is doubtful whether this student is suitable for employment
0:53:40 > 0:53:45"in any capacity on account of her lack of experience."
0:53:45 > 0:53:47Two months later,
0:53:47 > 0:53:50she was serving the SOE behind enemy lines in France.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52That's amazing.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Well, it just goes to show how wrong your superiors can get it.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Another document reveals in Eileen's own words
0:53:58 > 0:54:01her memories of capture by the Germans.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05It reveals a lot about her amazing strength of character.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08She explains how the Germans came to the house,
0:54:08 > 0:54:12how they virtually broke the door down, banged on the door,
0:54:12 > 0:54:17came in and caught her with the radio and the one-time pad,
0:54:17 > 0:54:19which she used to write the codes on.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24And then, she said, "They asked me what organisation I worked for.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26"I said I'd joined in France
0:54:26 > 0:54:30"and that I met my chief in a coffee shop, and he engaged me there.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33"They asked me if I had any other friends working with me.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36"I made up addresses of people.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39"And they put me in a cold bath at Gestapo headquarters
0:54:39 > 0:54:42"and they tried to make me speak, but I stuck to my story."
0:54:43 > 0:54:47As we know, Eileen went on to escape from a German concentration camp,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50and eventually made it home to England.
0:54:50 > 0:54:55But this secret document shows for the first time it wasn't that easy.
0:54:55 > 0:55:00It was Eileen and two French women, escaped under cover of darkness.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04They hid in a house that had been bombed for two nights,
0:55:04 > 0:55:08and eventually found themselves in a town where there was a Catholic church.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11And the priest hid them in the bell tower,
0:55:11 > 0:55:15and there they stayed for three days until,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18looking down from the bell tower, they noticed white flags flying,
0:55:18 > 0:55:20and they realised the town had surrendered.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23The reason that the town had surrendered was because
0:55:23 > 0:55:28the American troops were advancing and driving the Germans out of the town.
0:55:28 > 0:55:33And so Eileen Nearne went down and introduced herself to the Americans.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37But, unfortunately, Eileen's ordeal wasn't over.
0:55:37 > 0:55:42The Americans didn't believe her story of being an undercover British agent.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46They locked her up, they put her in prison, and she was in prison
0:55:46 > 0:55:50with a lot of women that were either Nazis or Nazi sympathisers.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52Eventually, the report was filed
0:55:52 > 0:55:54and it was passed on then to the British authorities,
0:55:54 > 0:55:56and the Army found out about her,
0:55:56 > 0:56:00and she was repatriated back to England in May, 1945.
0:56:00 > 0:56:06- And, in the end, Eileen got the recognition she deserved.- She did.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09She was awarded the MBE by this country,
0:56:09 > 0:56:13and the French awarded her a Croix de Guerre with a bronze palm,
0:56:13 > 0:56:18and that is a decoration that they give to foreign forces
0:56:18 > 0:56:22who actually help the French in times of war.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25So, two significant decorations for her efforts.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29Amazing, such a far cry from the original report that we read.
0:56:29 > 0:56:30It is indeed.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35The release of these secret archives has shed yet more light
0:56:35 > 0:56:39on Eileen's mysterious life as a spy.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41It shows that, despite her superior's
0:56:41 > 0:56:43initial misgivings about her abilities,
0:56:43 > 0:56:46when your back's against the wall, people are capable
0:56:46 > 0:56:50of the most amazing feats of intelligence and courage.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54The British and French governments were not the only ones
0:56:54 > 0:56:55to recognise this in Eileen.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59Following her death, there was an outpouring of gratitude and respect.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03Torbay Council erected a blue plaque in her honour,
0:57:03 > 0:57:06and local people came together to celebrate the life
0:57:06 > 0:57:10and achievements of this extraordinary woman.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13This is a very special lady we're celebrating today.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16And believe me, it's some amazing story.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19APPLAUSE
0:57:19 > 0:57:23For somebody of my sort of age, 37, to actually
0:57:23 > 0:57:25only read about the war in history books,
0:57:25 > 0:57:28it sort of brings it alive to know that
0:57:28 > 0:57:32there was somebody of this outstanding bravery and humility in Torbay.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34Absolutely wonderful.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40A very brave lady. She got the MBE.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44I hold the MBE, but I'm sure what she did is far more
0:57:44 > 0:57:47than I ever did, and yes, it's a great honour to be here today.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52For Sister Damian, the mystery of the quiet woman
0:57:52 > 0:57:57who guarded her privacy so fiercely has finally been laid to rest.
0:57:57 > 0:58:01Now that I know Eileen's name, now that I know about Eileen,
0:58:01 > 0:58:03she fooled all of us.
0:58:03 > 0:58:08Looking back, I can only explain it that she had never been
0:58:08 > 0:58:13properly debriefed, and she thought of herself as a spy.
0:58:14 > 0:58:16A remarkable life,
0:58:16 > 0:58:20and one that Eileen herself admitted was hard to let go.
0:58:20 > 0:58:24- TRANSLATION:- When I returned after the war,
0:58:24 > 0:58:28I, along with thoughts of others, missed that kind of life.
0:58:30 > 0:58:32Everything seemed so ordinary.
0:58:58 > 0:59:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd