0:00:03 > 0:00:06Today, the Heir Hunters are searching for the beneficiaries
0:00:06 > 0:00:08to an estate worth £200,000.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Why would he be in there and nobody else?
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Somewhere out there are some long-lost relatives who have no idea
0:00:14 > 0:00:16they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21Could the Heir Hunters be knocking at your door?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39On today's programme...
0:00:39 > 0:00:40Back to square one again.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43..everything that can go wrong does go wrong...
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Common mistake, unfortunately, which we've fallen into headfirst.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50..as the Heir Hunters battle to uncover the true heirs
0:00:50 > 0:00:51to a small fortune.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53It looks as if Mum was an only surviving child,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56so there will not be any beneficiaries
0:00:56 > 0:00:58on the mother's side of the family.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02And an heir's quest to discover the truth about her parents...
0:01:02 > 0:01:04I was three when my mum died.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08And three and a half when my dad died.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12..reveals the moving story of a soldier's walk towards salvation
0:01:12 > 0:01:14on the beaches of Dunkirk.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17They must hold onto the shoulder of the man in front
0:01:17 > 0:01:19as they travelled across the beach in the dark,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22just to make sure that they didn't lose anyone.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Plus how you may be entitled to inherit an unclaimed estate
0:01:26 > 0:01:27held by the Treasury.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Could thousands of pounds be heading your way?
0:01:40 > 0:01:41Every year in the UK,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49If no relatives are found,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53then any money that's left behind will go to the government.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58Last year, they made £14 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01That's where the Heir Hunters come in.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04There are over 30 specialist firms who make it their business
0:02:04 > 0:02:07to track down missing relatives and help them
0:02:07 > 0:02:09claim their rightful inheritance.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14People are entitled to this money. We make sure they get it.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25It's early on Thursday morning,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28at the offices of Heir Hunters Fraser & Fraser.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31This is the day that the Treasury releases its weekly list
0:02:31 > 0:02:33of unclaimed estates.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Clayburgh and Cunningham. Joe's got Hepworth.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39But today, boss Neil Fraser has had a tip-off from another source
0:02:39 > 0:02:41that he wants to pursue.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46We've been a little lucky, we've got a case which we think
0:02:46 > 0:02:50is possibly going to appear on the Treasury list sometime soon.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53It hasn't at the moment, so from that point of view,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56we've got a head start on everyone. It's William Edward Lane.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Dies in January of this year, so it's fairly recent.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02But, fingers crossed, it'll be a good value estate.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05And the signs are that it will be.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10Neil's been told that William owned his own property in South London,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14so they're hoping that the estate will be worth around £200,000.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18The value of estates is really important to the Heir Hunters,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21because they work on commission, earning a percentage
0:03:21 > 0:03:25of the amount that's claimed by each heir they sign.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34William Lane died aged 84 on the 25th of January 2011.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36At the time of his death,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40he lived alone in this house in Norbury in South London.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Frank Tidy was an old friend of his younger brother, Tom,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and so remembers William when he was a young man.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50He was always a very smart man. We used to go up round the West End,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and he always got immaculately suited and booted,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55like, dressed suit, tie.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58But although he took great care of his appearance,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02William was always a shy and serious person, and as he got older,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05he became increasingly reclusive.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Just a loner, he didn't like being in crowds.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13You could understand why he never met a woman
0:04:13 > 0:04:15because he never went out to meet, you know,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18if you don't go out, you're not going to meet anyone, are you?
0:04:18 > 0:04:22For about a year, we invited him up for dinner, etc, once a week.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25After he'd eaten, he'd spend a couple of hours with us
0:04:25 > 0:04:26and then just walk home.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29As William retreated further and further from the world,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32he spent more and more time in his house,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34which was becoming increasingly decrepit.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36I mean, he had brambles sort of eight foot high.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39You couldn't see his front door.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41You had to take a pair of secateurs
0:04:41 > 0:04:44before you could get to his front door. It was that bad.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47He wouldn't have a mobile phone, he wouldn't have a phone full stop.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49He wouldn't have a television.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54His only...with the outside world was a radio
0:04:54 > 0:04:55which he'd plug in his ears
0:04:55 > 0:04:57cos he didn't want to disturb the neighbours.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01By the end of his life, William's isolation was almost complete.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05But he did have one comfort - he was an avid reader.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10He was a very intelligent man. He got a lot of his knowledge from reading books.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I think what he used to do was have his headphones on,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17listen to his music and read a book, and that was his entertainment.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Back in the office, and case manager Tony Pledger has taken charge.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32The first thing he does is send senior researcher on the road, Dave Hadley...
0:05:32 > 0:05:33Hello, Tony.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38..round to the deceased's house to see what he can find out from the neighbours.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42I'll leave that with you, then, all right? Know what you're doing? OK, ta. Thanks. Bye.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Heir hunting relies heavily on research done in the office.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55But most investigations require some face to face enquiries.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Senior researchers on the road are based all over the country,
0:05:58 > 0:06:05and it's their job to follow up any lead and make sure they get to the heirs ahead of the competition.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Dave arrives in Norbury and gets his first glimpse of William's house.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Looking at it, it is pretty run-down. Doesn't look like there's anybody living in it,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26so I'll knock on the doors of the neighbours and see what I can find out about it.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Dave's in luck. One of the neighbours is in.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32- Did you know him at all?- No.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Do you know anybody that's sort of maybe been here a few years that may have known him?
0:06:36 > 0:06:40- No idea, mate. - No? OK, thanks very much.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Sadly, it doesn't look like he's going to get any information to help the search.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50But at least he can take a photo of the house to show the team in the office.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54They're hoping it's going to be worth around £200,000,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and although it's been a bit neglected over the years,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01the house is in a nice area, so Dave is happy to go with that figure.
0:07:03 > 0:07:10Back at HQ, the team have managed to do a lot of research in a short space of time.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Senior researcher Noel has done the bulk of it,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17and he's already ordered the necessary certificates to prove that his theories are correct.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22William's parents were Albert Lane and Ida Froud.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23He had one brother, Albert.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Neither of the boys married or had children,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30which means there are no close kin to inherit.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33So the heir hunters will have to look for William's aunts and uncles
0:07:33 > 0:07:36and their children if they're going to find heirs to his estate.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43According to Noel, it's not looking good on the maternal side.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47It looks as if Mum was an only surviving child,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51so there will not be any beneficiaries on the mother's side of the family.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55The 1911 census shows that William's mother Ida
0:07:55 > 0:07:58did have an elder sister and brother -
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Annie and Edward.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04But, by the time of the census, they'd already passed away.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07As they never married or had children,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11that rules out any chance of heirs on that side of the family.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Luckily, it looks like the father's side is going to be a lot more fruitful.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25Under the laws of England and Wales, only those directly descended from the deceased's grandparents
0:08:25 > 0:08:31are eligible to inherit. Noel thinks he's traced William's paternal grandparents.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36According to his research, they are William and Emily Lane.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38The good news is they had five children,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41including William's father Albert,
0:08:41 > 0:08:42and the signs are
0:08:42 > 0:08:45that at least two of these children lived to adulthood.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50First step is to send off for some more certificates,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53so researcher Dominic gets on the phone to Dave Hadley.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Neil's wondering if you'll go over to the registry office in Lambeth
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- and then give Noel a call, see what he needs.- All right, mate.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06In the meantime, researcher Michael has been scouring the internet
0:09:06 > 0:09:10for any trace of these Lane siblings, and he's made an interesting discovery.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15I found this shipping record for Frank and Joseph Lane,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18both going to Canada on the same ship at the same time.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22It says that their voyage was paid for by Dr Barnardo's Homes
0:09:22 > 0:09:24and that they were sent there to do farming.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30It appears that two of William's paternal uncles were taken in by children's home Barnardo's,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34perhaps because their parents couldn't afford to keep them
0:09:34 > 0:09:39and they were then part of a wave of child migrants sent to Canada to work on farms.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45As the search for William Lane's heirs extends across the Atlantic to Canada,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48the heir hunters begin to step up the pace.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50They know that these Lane children
0:09:50 > 0:09:53represent their only hope of finding heirs on this case,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57so they're desperate to make a breakthrough.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02With one senior researcher on the road and at least three of them working it in the office,
0:10:02 > 0:10:03they're throwing everything at it.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- But just then there's some game-changing news.- Right.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17Some of the certificates that Noel ordered earlier have arrived back in the office.
0:10:17 > 0:10:23They were meant to corroborate his initial research, but it seems that they do anything but.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Earlier, Noel had dismissed the maternal side of this case
0:10:26 > 0:10:28because the census showed
0:10:28 > 0:10:32both William's maternal aunt and uncle dying in childhood.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36However, the death certificate the team have just received
0:10:36 > 0:10:37for the maternal uncle,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Edward Froud, tells a different story.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45It seems he died in Lambeth in 1970, at the age of 72.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51The information on the census, where it said that they had three children,
0:10:51 > 0:10:56two had died and one living, was a fabrication.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01For some reason, William's maternal grandparents decided to state on the census
0:11:01 > 0:11:04that their two eldest children were dead.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09It just goes to prove that the census isn't 100% reliable.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13But at least Noel had ordered the certificates as backup,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16so he realised his mistake before too long.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21We thought it was three kids but on the census it said two were dead.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27But ultimately, this mistake is good news for the team.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Bringing William's aunt and uncle back from the dead
0:11:30 > 0:11:32means that they've got two more chances
0:11:32 > 0:11:37of finding descendants who would be eligible to inherit his estate.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Noel is anxious to make up for lost time.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45It's not long before he finds a marriage record for William's aunt Annie,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48who married a Thomas in Hackney in 1920.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Now that he has this information, Noel can search for her children,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56who would be William's first cousins.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01From that marriage, there are six children,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05and, so far, we've managed to locate four of them alive and well.
0:12:07 > 0:12:13Out of these four cousins, Noel has managed to locate two current addresses and phone numbers...
0:12:14 > 0:12:17..one for Annie's daughter Hilda,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and another for Hilda's brother Thomas.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Either of them could turn out to be a very welcome first heir
0:12:23 > 0:12:24on this case.
0:12:27 > 0:12:33Noel heads upstairs to give case manager Tony the good news and the all-important phone numbers.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Right, OK, let's just throw it together.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38Tony gets straight on the phone.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41It's nothing untoward, but as private researchers,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43we specialise in tracing missing housing beneficiaries...
0:12:43 > 0:12:49But, unfortunately, it's one step forward, two steps back on this case.
0:12:49 > 0:12:55Neither of the potential heirs that Noel has found are in, so the best Tony can do is leave a message.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58But it turns out that's the least of Noel's troubles.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Pick that up, give it to him.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Another certificate has just arrived in the office.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08This time it's the birth record for William's father Albert,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11and the information it contains is not what Noel expected.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16It turns out that the father of the deceased's family
0:13:16 > 0:13:19that we worked initially is the wrong family.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Up till now, they thought that Albert's parents, the deceased's grandparents,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26were a William and Emily Lane.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30But this certificate says that they were actually William and Martha Lane.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34That means that the whole paternal family tree
0:13:34 > 0:13:37and all of the work that has gone into investigating it,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40from Lambeth to Canada, is completely and utterly wrong.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48It's not the grandparents that we thought it was. So we're back to square one here.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Coming up, the census strikes again
0:13:51 > 0:13:56as the hunt for William Lane's heirs draws to an agonising conclusion.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01We can't find the father of the deceased on the census with the rest of his family.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05So until we find that, we're not 100% sure that there's nobody else.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Heir hunting is about putting people back in touch
0:14:20 > 0:14:23and discovering relations that you never knew existed.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28But sometimes it can also help heal family wounds and bring comfort and understanding.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32This is what happened in the case of Kevin Campbell.
0:14:37 > 0:14:43Kevin died aged 68 on 22nd March 2010 in York.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45He had lived for the last 25 years of his life
0:14:45 > 0:14:48in the pretty market town of Malton in North Yorkshire,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51within sight of the North York Moors.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58Towards the end of his life, Kevin lived in sheltered accommodation in the centre of the town.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04He was a well-known face at the New Globe pub. Alan Vaizey was another regular there.
0:15:04 > 0:15:11Well, I knew Kevin by him being part of our community in the local.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15We didn't live in each other's pockets.
0:15:15 > 0:15:21We were just part of a gang who visited a very friendly pub.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26Although Kevin wasn't from the town, he had no trouble fitting in.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31He was friendly. He was part of the gang, really, you know.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39For somebody who wasn't born and bred in the area, he mixed very well.
0:15:39 > 0:15:46There were three or four, sometimes five, different sets of dominos being played,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50and the odds are that Kevin would be dragged in to play.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Towards the end of his life Kevin suffered from ill health,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57and one of his legs was amputated.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02He didn't let his disability get in the way at all.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07He was an amiable chap who sort of mixed very well.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10He never threatened me with his walking stick or anything like that.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14He got on well with the gang.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23When Kevin died, he left an estate valued at £10,000 but no will.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27His case was picked up by Anna Dunn of Hull-based DS Researchers.
0:16:27 > 0:16:34He died in Malton, which is in North Yorkshire, an area that we like to cover.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Anna and her team have been heir hunting for 10 years,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41and are one of only a handful of heir hunting companies based in the North of England.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Having seen Kevin Campbell's estate advertised on the Treasury's list,
0:16:47 > 0:16:52Anna's first move was to look for his name on the electoral roll in his home town.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57When she couldn't find it, she then ordered a copy of his death certificate.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Once I'd received that, I was able to see when he was born
0:17:04 > 0:17:08and I ordered his birth certificate.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11The birth certificate told her
0:17:11 > 0:17:15that Kevin's parents were Charles and Frances Campbell.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Anna then looked to see whether Kevin's parents
0:17:17 > 0:17:19had had any more children.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22I discovered that Charles and Frances
0:17:22 > 0:17:25had two other children apart from Kevin.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28So Kevin had a brother and a sister,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31so my next stage was to track these down.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Kevin Campbell was born on the 10th October 1941
0:17:40 > 0:17:42in Cleveland, North Yorkshire.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46He was the middle son of Frances and Charles Campbell.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49When he was only nine years old, tragedy struck.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Both his parents contracted cancer
0:17:54 > 0:17:56and passed away within six months of each other.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Kevin and his younger sister were then sent to live
0:17:59 > 0:18:01with their mother's half-sister in Whitby.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05But life in their new home was far from happy,
0:18:05 > 0:18:10and at the age of 15, Kevin packed a plastic bag with a few things,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12went off to school and never came back.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14He went to work on a farm near Whitby
0:18:14 > 0:18:16before getting a job on the oil rigs.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21In 1969, the first commercial oil field was discovered
0:18:21 > 0:18:24in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27This discovery had huge implications for Britain
0:18:27 > 0:18:31and was to completely change the UK economy.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34The UK then was practically bankrupt.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Inflation was at 18%.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41North Sea gas and oil saved the country, really, financially.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45This major new industry required skilled personnel
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and thousands of workers migrated
0:18:48 > 0:18:50to north-east Scotland in search of work.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Kevin Campbell was there during these boom years,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55working as a motorman
0:18:55 > 0:18:58on some of the major on-shore drilling rigs.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59The life of a motorman
0:18:59 > 0:19:04on an on-shore rig, he would be responsible
0:19:04 > 0:19:08solely for the movement of all parts of the rig.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10It's quite a responsible job.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13When he left the oil industry is unclear,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16but at some point Kevin made his way back to North Yorkshire
0:19:16 > 0:19:20and stayed here until his death in 2012.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Anna discovered that Kevin had two siblings -
0:19:25 > 0:19:28a brother Colin and a sister Rosalyn.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32If they were alive, then they could inherit and if they had died,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36they could have children who could then be heirs.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38But before Anna could go down that road, she needed to rule out
0:19:38 > 0:19:43the possibility that Kevin had had a wife or children of his own.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45I looked for marriages for Kevin Campbell,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49but I found that it wasn't that easy to search for the name Campbell
0:19:49 > 0:19:53as there were quite a lot scattered about and I had realised
0:19:53 > 0:19:57that he hadn't remained in the same place where he was born.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00So I thought if I found his brother or his sister,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04maybe they would enlighten me a bit more as to whether they knew anything
0:20:04 > 0:20:06about Kevin and had he married or not.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11It was at this point that Anna discovered
0:20:11 > 0:20:14that some of the other heir hunting companies
0:20:14 > 0:20:15were also working this case
0:20:15 > 0:20:19and she desperately needed to find Kevin's brother and sister
0:20:19 > 0:20:23before they did. But she had a problem.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Anna and her team made an exhaustive search
0:20:26 > 0:20:30of all the records in Yorkshire and the North of England...
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Hi, I'm Peter from DS Research.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34..but there was absolutely no sign of Colin.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39She had just about given up hope
0:20:39 > 0:20:43when she came across his wife's name on the electoral roll.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47I did find a phone number which I telephoned
0:20:47 > 0:20:51and discovered that his older brother had actually died in Spain.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55But I spoke to his wife and she was able to give me
0:20:55 > 0:20:59a little bit more information on Kevin's sister.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06Rosalyn was now Anna's only hope of finding heirs to this estate.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Colin's widow had been able to tell her that Rosalyn was still alive
0:21:10 > 0:21:11and that she'd been married.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14She was also able to give her Rosalyn's married name.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17But Anna had no idea where she was living
0:21:17 > 0:21:19and, with the competition snapping at her heels,
0:21:19 > 0:21:24the race was now on to find Kevin's only surviving sister.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Coming up - the search for Kevin's heirs uncovers
0:21:32 > 0:21:35the truth behind an amazing family story.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39I don't remember much about my parents,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43but I was told that my dad swum for his life at Dunkirk.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Could you be in line for an unexpected windfall?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01In the UK, the Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates
0:22:01 > 0:22:05that, over the years, have baffled the Heir Hunters
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and still remain unclaimed.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12This is money that could have your name on it.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15These estates can stay on the list for up to 30 years
0:22:15 > 0:22:19and each one could be worth anything from 5,000
0:22:19 > 0:22:21to many millions of pounds.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Could they be relatives of yours?
0:22:28 > 0:22:33Margaret Dabanli died in London in July 1999.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Dabanli is most commonly a Turkish surname.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Does it ring a bell with you?
0:22:39 > 0:22:44Jessie Richins died in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, in April 1998.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48The surname Richins is a rare one in the UK and spelt this way,
0:22:48 > 0:22:53with an "I" at the end, it's particularly unusual.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Do you remember Jessie? Can you solve this case?
0:22:57 > 0:23:04Reggie Harold Erick Hattersley Gyte died in Stockport in October 1995.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Reggie's middle name, Hattersley, is more commonly found as a surname,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11but it's also the name of a place near Stockport.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Were you a friend or neighbour of Reggie's?
0:23:14 > 0:23:19If no heirs of his are found, his money will go to the government.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23If the names Margaret Dabanli, Jessie Richins or Reggie Gyte
0:23:23 > 0:23:25mean anything to you or someone you know,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Heir Hunter Anna Dunn was looking into the case
0:23:36 > 0:23:39of Yorkshireman Kevin Campbell.
0:23:39 > 0:23:45He died aged 68, leaving behind him an estate worth £10,000.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Anna had discovered that Kevin had two siblings -
0:23:47 > 0:23:50an elder brother, Colin, who had passed away,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53and a sister, Rosalyn.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Rosalyn had married and, as far as Anna knew, was still alive
0:23:57 > 0:23:59and living somewhere in the UK.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Anna desperately needed to speak to Rosalyn
0:24:02 > 0:24:05to find out if Kevin had ever married and had children.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08If he hadn't, then Rosalyn would be his closest relative
0:24:08 > 0:24:12and stood to inherit his entire estate.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15With only a name to go on, Anna started sifting through
0:24:15 > 0:24:18the online registers and the electoral roll.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22She discovered, to her delight, that Rosalyn was living
0:24:22 > 0:24:25only six miles from where she'd been born in North Yorkshire.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Anna knew that other heir hunters were working this case
0:24:30 > 0:24:31so she needed to act fast.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36But she also knew that she had to tread carefully,
0:24:36 > 0:24:41so she sent her travelling researcher, Peter, to pay Rosalyn visit.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43With cases like this of such close kin,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47one has to be a little more sensitive because, at the end of the day,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51we don't know what relationship they had -
0:24:51 > 0:24:54if they'd been brought up together,
0:24:54 > 0:24:59spent a lot of time together - one just doesn't know what to expect.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Rosalyn is now a widow
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and she lives with her granddaughter on the North Yorkshire coast.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10She also has a son and daughter who live nearby.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13As Anna anticipated, the news of her brother's death
0:25:13 > 0:25:15did come as a shock,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18but Rosalyn hadn't heard from Kevin in almost 20 years.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Well, I was upset, but not too upset
0:25:22 > 0:25:25because I hadn't seen him in such a long time.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29I've lost me other brother
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and now there's only me.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35All three children were deeply affected by the tragedy
0:25:35 > 0:25:37of their parents' early death.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40As the youngest, Rosalyn was left with a very few memories.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44I was three when my mum died
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and three and a half when my dad died,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50but I don't remember much about them.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55Only thing is I have a photograph of them, you know, to look at.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00But she does remember her and Kevin's new life
0:26:00 > 0:26:03with their aunt who they went to live with after their parents died.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05It was difficult living with auntie...
0:26:07 > 0:26:09..because...
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Well, her daughter wasn't very nice to us.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18She'd do things and we'd get the blame.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24After a few years, Kevin decided enough was enough.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26He was five years older than Rosalyn
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and able to look after himself,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30but to his little sister, it must've felt
0:26:30 > 0:26:33like she was being abandoned all over again.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35Well, I was upset that he'd gone
0:26:35 > 0:26:38because he was my brother, you know?
0:26:38 > 0:26:42I mean...I was close to him.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43He was the only one
0:26:43 > 0:26:45that was there with us, you know?
0:26:45 > 0:26:48And now I was on my own.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Anna's travelling researcher, Peter, spoke at length to Rosalyn.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55After he'd filled in as many gaps as he could about Kevin's later life,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59he was then able to give her some good news.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Following on from our conversation with Rosalyn,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06we did clarify that Kevin hadn't got married,
0:27:06 > 0:27:11he didn't have any children and because the older brother
0:27:11 > 0:27:15had died in Spain, Rosalyn would be the only beneficiary to this estate.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Rosalyn was delighted to be inheriting her brother's money,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24but she didn't want it to end there. Hearing about what happened to Kevin
0:27:24 > 0:27:29awakened an interest in her family and, in particular,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31the parents that she never knew.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35I don't remember much about my parents but I was told
0:27:35 > 0:27:38that my dad swam for his life at Dunkirk.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Rosalyn's father was actually in the fifth battalion
0:27:42 > 0:27:46of the Green Howards - an infantry regiment in the British Army.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49He saw active service in both France and Belgium
0:27:49 > 0:27:51during the Second World War.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56The Green Howards Regiment is based in North Yorkshire
0:27:56 > 0:28:00and the town of Richmond is home to the regimental museum.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Rosalyn wants to find out more about her father's wartime service,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07so she's come to the museum to meet curator Lynda Powell.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Rosalyn, welcome to the Green Howards Museum.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15It's lovely to meet you and I hope you'll be able to find
0:28:15 > 0:28:17something out about your father today.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19I've got some information upstairs for you,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22so perhaps you'd like to come upstairs and have a look round?
0:28:22 > 0:28:26- Oh, yes. Yes, please.- This way. It's just up these flights of stairs here.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32Rosalyn had heard that her father may have been a survivor
0:28:32 > 0:28:35of the evacuation of Dunkirk in June 1940,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38but that's all she knows, so she's hoping that Lynda can tell her more.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45We know your father went out to Dunkirk with the fifth battalion
0:28:45 > 0:28:49and we have a map showing the route that they took through France.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53It was really, really cold.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56We have reports from our own war diaries
0:28:56 > 0:28:58explaining that it was so cold
0:28:58 > 0:29:01that the radiators on the lorries were freezing,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04even when the truck was running, so it gives you some idea
0:29:04 > 0:29:07of how uncomfortable conditions must have been.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11Charles Campbell and the Green Howards
0:29:11 > 0:29:14were part of the British Expeditionary Force.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17They were sent over to France at the beginning of the war
0:29:17 > 0:29:21to defend the Western front and try to hold the German advance.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23Linda is able to show Rosalyn
0:29:23 > 0:29:26the part that her father's regiment played
0:29:26 > 0:29:30as they were caught up in the dramatic events of 1940.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34It's a little bit confusing because they were actually sent forward
0:29:34 > 0:29:37into Belgium as everyone else was retreating
0:29:37 > 0:29:40to try and defend this river here,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43but it proved impossible to defend the river.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48There were just too many Germans and the French on the right flank
0:29:48 > 0:29:51were not the strongest of the French troops
0:29:51 > 0:29:54and with the Germans being such an efficient army at that time,
0:29:54 > 0:29:59they couldn't withstand the force of the Germans
0:29:59 > 0:30:02and the right flank of the French army crumbled,
0:30:02 > 0:30:07which meant that the British army was left defending a very large area.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13The Green Howards were then forced to retreat
0:30:13 > 0:30:18and joined the long lines of Allied soldiers heading back to Dunkirk.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21By this time, winter had turned to scorching summer.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27It was very, very hot. Soldiers were marching on cobbled paving
0:30:27 > 0:30:29and it was a really arduous journey
0:30:29 > 0:30:32and by the time they arrived back at Dunkirk
0:30:32 > 0:30:34they were absolutely exhausted.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39On the 26th of May, Churchill ordered an evacuation
0:30:39 > 0:30:41of the stranded troops at Dunkirk,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44but it was feared there wasn't enough time or capacity
0:30:44 > 0:30:46to get even a fraction of them out
0:30:46 > 0:30:48before the German army arrived at the port.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54The whole country held its breath and prayed for a miracle.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59What happened next has gone down in history
0:30:59 > 0:31:04as an example of true British grit and triumph over adversity.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07A hastily assembled flotilla of boats
0:31:07 > 0:31:09ranging from troopships to pleasure cruisers,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12many of them manned by brave civilians,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15set sail for Dunkirk to come to the rescue.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22By June 4th, nearly 340,000 men had been saved
0:31:22 > 0:31:23and brought back to England,
0:31:23 > 0:31:25ready to fight another day.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32The Green Howards were one of the last regiments off the beaches.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37Soldiers were told when they were due to go to the embarkation points
0:31:37 > 0:31:41that they must hold on to the shoulder of the man in front
0:31:41 > 0:31:45as they travelled across the beach in the dark, just to make sure
0:31:45 > 0:31:49that they didn't lose anyone as they moved towards the embarkation points.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53So a really hard journey that your father went through.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55For Rosalyn, it's a lot to take in.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Oh, it's interesting, yeah.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Because I don't know nothing,
0:31:59 > 0:32:03- only that he swam for his life at Dunkirk.- Right. Yes.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08What we get from our regimental history is the bigger picture.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12I know where people were marching and how long it took them.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15What you've got is your individual father's story
0:32:15 > 0:32:18of having to swim for his life. It's always wonderful to hear them
0:32:18 > 0:32:23and that you've had that story handed down to you.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26So it enriches our own history of the regiment.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32It's been an extraordinary glimpse into the life of her father
0:32:32 > 0:32:35and the kind of man that he was.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37I'm proud of my dad and what he achieved -
0:32:37 > 0:32:39fighting the Germans,
0:32:39 > 0:32:40being at Dunkirk.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44It's been a satisfying case for Anna.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48From an heir-hunting perspective, and she beat the competition
0:32:48 > 0:32:51and found the sole heir to Kevin Campbell's estate,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53but there's more to it than that.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57This was a successful case all-round.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00From Rosalyn's point of view,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03she was able to find out more about her father who she'd lost
0:33:03 > 0:33:08when she was three, her brother who she lost contact with...
0:33:08 > 0:33:13These type of cases are the ones that make our work worthwhile.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27Heir Hunters Fraser & Fraser have been investigating
0:33:27 > 0:33:31the estimated £200,000 estate of reclusive William Lane
0:33:31 > 0:33:34who died aged 84 in Norbury, South London.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40So far, this case has been a roller-coaster ride for the Heir Hunters.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44A dodgy census entry meant that the maternal side appeared to be
0:33:44 > 0:33:47completely dead before magically coming back to life.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51We just found the marriage of Annie Emily Maude Froud.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53There are six children
0:33:53 > 0:33:59and so far we've managed to locate four of them alive and well.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02But that was nothing compared to the paternal side,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05where the whole family tree turned out to be wrong.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10It's not the grandparents that we thought it was.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12So we're back to square one, yeah.
0:34:17 > 0:34:22William Lane ended his days living alone and isolated from the world.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25When he was a teenager and the war broke out,
0:34:25 > 0:34:28he dreamed of joining the RAF and fighting the Germans.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32But by the time he was old enough to enlist,
0:34:32 > 0:34:34the government had other ideas.
0:34:38 > 0:34:44By 1943, Britain had lost around 36,000 miners to the armed forces
0:34:44 > 0:34:47and the country was facing a crisis through lack of coal.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51To avert disaster, Ernest Bevin,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53the Minister for Labour and National Service,
0:34:53 > 0:34:57decided that a random selection of all conscripts
0:34:57 > 0:34:59who were called up for national service
0:34:59 > 0:35:02would be sent to the mines and William was one of them.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06It was a lottery you didn't want to win.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09None of us wanted to go in the mines at all.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13We all wanted to go into the branch of the forces that was our wish,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16but it wasn't to be. And don't forget -
0:35:16 > 0:35:18we came from all walks of life. No matter what you did,
0:35:18 > 0:35:23you know, you could be an East-Ender or even a Lord -
0:35:23 > 0:35:26it made no difference, you're all subject to the same rules.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32Between 1943 and 1948, 48,000 of these Bevin Boys -
0:35:32 > 0:35:35as they became known - worked as an auxiliary force
0:35:35 > 0:35:39to the regular miners, hauling the coal and manning the conveyor belts.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Labour-intensive. Really hard work.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49And very, very dangerous. Dusty, dirty - it was a filthy job to do.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53I thought, "I want to get out of this," you know?
0:35:53 > 0:35:56"This isn't for me." I think most of us felt that.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58Very few Bevin Boys - well, they're not honest
0:35:58 > 0:36:00if they say they settled in and liked it.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09William Lane served his time digging for his country
0:36:09 > 0:36:12as one of these Bevin Boys, but now it's the Heir Hunters' turn
0:36:12 > 0:36:16to do some digging into William's family tree.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20After the last devastating setback, Noel was forced to throw out
0:36:20 > 0:36:23the entire paternal side of the tree and start again.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Yeah, that's rubbish. Forget that.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30But Noel is an experienced Heir Hunter
0:36:30 > 0:36:34and now he's got the correct names for the deceased grandparents, William and Martha,
0:36:34 > 0:36:38it isn't long before he's back in business.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42He finds William and Martha and their children on the 1911 census.
0:36:42 > 0:36:47The only problem is, there's no sign of the deceased's father, Albert.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50The father of the deceased isn't on there and we don't really know why.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53Yet again, the census seems to be playing tricks on them.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57If Albert is missing, who's to say there aren't other siblings
0:36:57 > 0:37:01who've been inexplicably removed from the picture?
0:37:01 > 0:37:07We think there are three brothers and one sister on the paternal side
0:37:07 > 0:37:10still alive, so aunts and uncles of the deceased.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15There may be more - we're not 100% sure that there's nobody else.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19It's time to bring in a bit more manpower.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23Michael and Neil join Simon in the hunt for the deceased's father, Albert.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26His birthday will match all the others we've got along here.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29And it's not long before they find him,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32but he's not where they thought he would be.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35And we think that's probably the 11 in a workhouse in Hereford,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38but why would he be in that and nobody else?
0:37:39 > 0:37:43It turns out that Albert is on the 1911 census,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46but instead of being with his family in Lambeth
0:37:46 > 0:37:48he's in a workhouse in Hereford.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51No-one can explain why this has happened,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54but the important thing is they've tracked him down
0:37:54 > 0:37:59and Neil is now satisfied that there are no other stray Lane siblings.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Finally, it seems that the whole of the paternal side
0:38:02 > 0:38:05of William's family are accounted for.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Now it's just a question of tracking down these aunts and uncles
0:38:08 > 0:38:11and their descendants and signing them up.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14As for the maternal side of the family,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17it looks like case manager Tony has finally made a break-through.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Hi, I'm sorry to trouble you -
0:38:19 > 0:38:21you don't know me. My name's Tony Pledger...
0:38:21 > 0:38:24He's on the phone to William's first cousin, Hilda.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28So if you can give Tom a call and then I'll then speak to Dave Hadley.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30OK, then? Thanks ever so much for this.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Lovely talking to you, and hopefully we'll speak again.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Thank you, bye.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38I was just talking to Hilda who's a maternal cousin,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41so we're going to go and see her tomorrow and hopefully
0:38:41 > 0:38:44she's then going to call her brother, Tom, that lives in Sidcup
0:38:44 > 0:38:47to say...whatever, and then Dave Hadley can call him
0:38:47 > 0:38:48and see him on the way home.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52This is a great result for the whole team.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54At one point, it looked like the case of William Lane
0:38:54 > 0:38:58would never be solved, but now it seems that they're on the verge
0:38:58 > 0:39:01of signing not one, but two heirs.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05Time to send in Dave Hadley.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08He heads off to Kent to visit Thomas -
0:39:08 > 0:39:12a cousin of William's on his mother's side of the family.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20- We found your way then?- Indeed. - Eh?- David Hadley.- Oh, right.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24- OK, what's your full name? - Thomas Edward Bates.
0:39:24 > 0:39:30- And what was your mum's full name? - Annie Emily Maude Bates.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33- And what was her maiden name?- Froud.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Your mum had a sister, Ida. Did you know her?
0:39:36 > 0:39:39Yeah, no... Well, I did. When I was very young,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42she used to take us to see her up in London somewhere.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45- Right, but other than that, you don't know anything?- No.- OK.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Although Thomas can just about remember his aunt, Ida,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52he has no memory of his cousin, William,
0:39:52 > 0:39:56but he listens to what Dave has to say and signs with the company,
0:39:56 > 0:40:00happy for them to help him make his claim to the Treasury Solicitor.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Right, well, thanks ever so much. Really nice meeting you.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Dave heads off. He's delighted to have signed his first heir
0:40:06 > 0:40:10while Thomas is left feeling a bit dazed.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13You know, when I was brought up, there was never much money about
0:40:13 > 0:40:18so you wouldn't think anyone's going to leave any money, sort of thing.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21But, you know, you never know do you?
0:40:29 > 0:40:31The next day dawns
0:40:31 > 0:40:34and Dave's already on the road, heading towards Canning Town
0:40:34 > 0:40:39in East London to speak to another of William's maternal cousins, Hilda.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I'm also hoping that her niece is going to be with her
0:40:43 > 0:40:47because her niece is also an heir, so I can get two birds with one stone.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Hilda's sister, Alice, died in 1978
0:40:51 > 0:40:54so her share of her cousin William's inheritance
0:40:54 > 0:40:58will be split between her two children. One of them, Linda,
0:40:58 > 0:40:59is with her aunt Hilda right now
0:40:59 > 0:41:01waiting to greet Dave.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Dave starts by asking Hilda
0:41:08 > 0:41:11about her connections with her mother's family.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14- If we start first of all - what's your full name?- Hilda Ivy.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18- I mentioned Ida. Do you remember Ida?- Aunt Ida? Yes.
0:41:18 > 0:41:24- I used to go and see her.- OK.- Yes. And I used to see the two sons.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26Hilda can just about remember William
0:41:26 > 0:41:28from when they were both very young,
0:41:28 > 0:41:32but, unsurprisingly, she hasn't seen him since.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35After they've listened to what David has to say,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38both women are happy for the company to help them make their claim.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41- That's the agreement. Have a read of it.- Thank you.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43It's a great start to the day for Dave.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Well, thanks ever so much, Mrs Elman, it's been a real pleasure.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- It's been lovely meeting you. - And you.- Thanks very much.- Bye-bye.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54But he can't stay long.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57The office has traced several more of William Lane's heirs,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59so he's got a busy day ahead of him.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04Meanwhile, Hilda and Linda are left to ponder their good fortune.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08It's the first time I've been an heir to anything,
0:42:08 > 0:42:12so that's the exciting part about it.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14And I never, ever thought I would be.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18But it's not just about the money. Receiving her inheritance
0:42:18 > 0:42:22has made Linda think about the cousin she never knew.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25To think that he was on his own.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27That's really sad.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30So, whoever it was, we didn't know 'em
0:42:30 > 0:42:32and they was part of our family.
0:42:33 > 0:42:38In the end, the team found all 28 heirs to William's £200,000 estate -
0:42:38 > 0:42:43eight on the maternal side and 20 on the paternal.
0:42:43 > 0:42:48Most of them had never even heard of their shy, reclusive cousin,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50but thanks to the Heir Hunters and their work,
0:42:50 > 0:42:52he'll now always be remembered.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd