0:00:02 > 0:00:05Today, the heir hunters are chasing an estate
0:00:05 > 0:00:09that for a limited period they have exclusive access to.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Their job now is to find the long-lost relatives
0:00:12 > 0:00:15before the estate goes public, and inform them
0:00:15 > 0:00:17of their unexpected windfall.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Could they be ringing at your door?
0:00:38 > 0:00:40On today's programme,
0:00:40 > 0:00:43the team finds heirs, but when they do,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46their family history doesn't marry up.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48There's one member of the family suggesting that
0:00:48 > 0:00:50her mother died in 1960.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55There's another suggesting that her mother died in the Blitz in 1944.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58In Hull, a confusing case for the heir hunters,
0:00:58 > 0:01:02where it appears the Treasury could have got it wrong.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Why is it on the Treasury list
0:01:05 > 0:01:08if she's in fact got next of kin?
0:01:08 > 0:01:11And how you could be entitled to unclaimed inheritance,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14where heirs need to be found.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Could you be in line for a cash payout?
0:01:25 > 0:01:30Every year in the UK, over 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32If no relatives are found,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36then any money that's left behind will go to the government.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Last year, they kept £14 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45But there are over 30 specialist firms
0:01:45 > 0:01:46competing to stop this happening.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50They're the heir hunters, and they make it their business
0:01:50 > 0:01:52to track down missing relatives
0:01:52 > 0:01:54and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58If we don't trace the right family,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00these estates will go to the government
0:02:00 > 0:02:02and nobody wants to see that.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15It's Thursday morning in London, and overnight,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19the Treasury has published a new list of names of unclaimed estates.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22In the offices of Fraser and Fraser,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24partner Charles is scanning the list,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28looking for estates that may have value.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29That could be worth something.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31As he picks names,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35he hands them over to the company's senior case managers.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Their job now is to work with their researchers
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and find the living relatives who will hopefully inherit an estate.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46As senior case manager Tony Pledger
0:02:46 > 0:02:50is slightly behind schedule this morning, he draws the short straw.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Tony, as you are the last one here,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55- you have been allocated... - The last one here? Me?
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- Yeah, but he had an excuse this morning.- You mean,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- there's nobody behind me? OK, sorry. - Nobody wants to be behind you, Tony.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Margaret Sheila Thomas, nee Brown.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08- That's all right. - It's not going anywhere fast.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10The names Thomas and Brown
0:03:10 > 0:03:12are some of the most common surnames in the UK.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Not a nice prospect for an heir hunter.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Plus, on top of that, the team's initial research suggests
0:03:19 > 0:03:23any beneficiaries may prove hard to find.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26But if anyone can find the heirs, it's Tony.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29With decades of experience under his belt, he sets to work.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33THEY SPEAK INAUDIBLY
0:03:33 > 0:03:35All right, I'll check that out.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37But as the morning draws on, it becomes apparent that
0:03:37 > 0:03:40being able to find the long-lost relatives on the Thomas case
0:03:40 > 0:03:42is looking highly unlikely.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46No matter how good Tony is at his job.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49The point is that if the care home's shut down,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51as you say, you're slightly stuffed.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54The team have exhausted all their leads...
0:03:56 > 0:03:59..so partner Charles is forced to make a decision.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03It might be uneconomic for us to do much research on it.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07He needs to use his managers' time productively,
0:04:07 > 0:04:08as no chance of heirs
0:04:08 > 0:04:11means no chance of commission for the company.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14He puts Tony on to a case that hasn't come through the Treasury,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16but from a solicitor's referral.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19Whatever.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22The heir hunters' interest in this case
0:04:22 > 0:04:25has dramatically increased over the past week,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28having heard the solicitor who referred it to them
0:04:28 > 0:04:31has also passed it on to the Treasury.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33This means the estate must have some value
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and the company has to act fast
0:04:36 > 0:04:38if they're going to be the first to find heirs
0:04:38 > 0:04:41before any competing companies get wind of it.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Ta-ra. Bye. Bye.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55Margaret Snare died aged 85 in 2010.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58She passed away at her home in the South East of England,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and her life appears to be a bit of a mystery.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Even her neighbours were at a loss to describe her after her death.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11All they knew was that she led a solitary, reclusive life,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15only appearing now and again to pop out to the shops.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18The community knew of her, but not about her.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Margaret's life may have been a mystery, but it's a mystery
0:05:25 > 0:05:29researcher Aisha has spent the past week trying to solve.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31I reckon that goes with that.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32It has not been an easy task.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37Aisha initially discovered Margaret had married twice,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40first to a man called Cecil Wakefield,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42who she divorced in 1955,
0:05:42 > 0:05:47and in the same year, she went on to marry Lloyd Snare.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Both relationships produced no children,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53but Margaret HAD had a child.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56It seems at some point during her first marriage,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59she bore a son to another man.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Aisha looked and found the child,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04a son called Michael Richards,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08but he died a bachelor in 1999.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11We're just sort of extending the search now.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14She would now have to research Margaret's siblings.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17All of this information Tony Pledger would be reviewing,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19if he could find it.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Right, listen, can you just give me a minute
0:06:21 > 0:06:23while I try and get the file out?
0:06:23 > 0:06:24I'm trying to multi-task here
0:06:24 > 0:06:28and you'll probably appreciate that's not working too well.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Whilst Tony looks for the file,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33he wants to get a travelling heir hunter out on the road,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35to reinspect the deceased's property
0:06:35 > 0:06:39to get an idea of its worth and to glean any additional information
0:06:39 > 0:06:41from Margaret's neighbours.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Hello, Dave.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47'The surname is Snare, S-N-A-R-E.'
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Dave Hadley is one of the company's squadron of senior researchers,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55who are willing to go wherever a case takes them
0:06:55 > 0:06:58in the hunt for heirs.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Their goal is to retrieve vital certificates and research
0:07:01 > 0:07:05and, ultimately, meet face-to-face with long-lost relatives
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and hopefully get them to sign up with the company.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I'm going to speak to neighbours and make local enquiries
0:07:12 > 0:07:14and see what I can find out about her.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Back in the office, Tony is pleasantly surprised by the leg work
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Aisha's already put in with Margaret Snare's wider family.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Based on her research, she thinks Margaret's parents
0:07:28 > 0:07:30were a Frederick and Mabel King,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32and they had six other children,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36one of whom Aisha believes is still alive,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38a sister called Betty.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Tony is trying his hardest to contact her and set up a meeting.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Hello?
0:07:46 > 0:07:47Hello?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Hello?
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Meanwhile, out on the road,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Dave Hadley has made it to Kent
0:07:56 > 0:07:59and is beginning his door-to-door enquiries
0:07:59 > 0:08:01with Margaret's neighbours.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04We're trying to trace the next of kin. We understand
0:08:04 > 0:08:05she lived on her own in the house.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- See the guy over there?- Yeah.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Now, he's the manager or something of it.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- He may know something.- OK.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- The guy in the black. - The one on the left-hand side?
0:08:16 > 0:08:17- That's it.- Excellent.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20- Thanks very much, I'm much obliged to you.- Anything to help.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22- Cheers, thank you.- Bye-bye.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Never one to turn down a lead,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Dave heads straight over the road.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Now, I understand from the neighbour
0:08:29 > 0:08:32that you've worked here for quite a while.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- Yes.- And you might have a bit of information about her.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39It turns out this gentleman was the person
0:08:39 > 0:08:42who'd first spotted a lack of activity in Margaret's home.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45He and another neighbour knocked on the door.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49No answer, and the lady next door phoned the police.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52They broke in around the back entrance
0:08:52 > 0:08:53and found she'd passed away.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57John, thanks for your help. If you do hear anything, give us a bell.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02Dave Hadley's enquiries haven't done much to advance the hunt.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It seems Margaret's reclusive ways
0:09:04 > 0:09:07have led to a dead end on information,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09but it hasn't been a wasted trip.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11'Looking at the state of the place,'
0:09:11 > 0:09:15I would suspect that she probably owned it,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19cos if it was rented property, the landlord wouldn't have allowed it
0:09:19 > 0:09:22to get into this state, I wouldn't have thought, so...
0:09:24 > 0:09:27..I think we can be fairly sure that she owned the property.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33This comes as reassuring news to the team in the office.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38So far, Tony hasn't been able to verify that she owned her own home,
0:09:38 > 0:09:43but that could just be because Margaret had lived there so long.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46The investigation continues. Travelling heir hunter
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Bob Barrett has made it to Margaret's sister's home.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50Hello. Mrs Sawyer, please.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52- She's inside.- Thanks very much.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Bob and Betty discuss what she knows about her family history,
0:09:57 > 0:10:02to crosscheck her recollections with Aisha's research.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03You thought there were nine?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Yeah, because I was the youngest of nine.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09So nine children in the King family,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12not the seven Aisha initially suspected.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Bob relays this crucial information straight back to the office,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18along with some positive news.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Oh, right. No, I'm just sitting next to Mrs Sawyer now
0:10:22 > 0:10:25and Mrs Sawyer is just about to sign an agreement.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Tony is pleased with the result
0:10:28 > 0:10:30and the additional family information
0:10:30 > 0:10:33will come in useful on the office's family tree.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36But Betty's version of events surrounding her mother Mabel's death
0:10:36 > 0:10:39contradicts the research from the office.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Bob's taking down the details
0:10:41 > 0:10:46and is getting increasingly concerned with what he hears.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47Would have been about '42.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50She - we assumed - had died
0:10:50 > 0:10:54- when the house was bombed.- Right.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Four of us youngest kids went into Dr Barnardo's
0:10:58 > 0:11:00and the eldest children -
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Dr Barnardo's found them living-in jobs.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05- Oh, right.- Because that's how it used to be in those days.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08It seems Betty and her other brothers
0:11:08 > 0:11:11and sisters had always been under the belief that Mabel had died
0:11:11 > 0:11:14during a bombing raid in the Blitz.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17In reality, her death certificate shows
0:11:17 > 0:11:19she actually died in the 1960's.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21This is all new to Betty.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Us children, me being the youngest, was always told that
0:11:26 > 0:11:31when the house was bombed in Finchley, North London,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34that's when my mother vanished.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37So what had gone on in the King family?
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Why and where had Mabel gone during the war?
0:11:40 > 0:11:45It's a mystery that, right now, there are no firm answers to.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48The family the office are trying their hardest to trace,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50seems to have fragmented over the years.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53The last time Betty saw her sister Margaret
0:11:53 > 0:11:55was in the 1950s.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59The only thing that the heir hunters can be sure about is that
0:11:59 > 0:12:03something dramatic happened in the King family
0:12:03 > 0:12:06during the 1940s that led to Mabel's mysterious disappearance.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08After his meeting,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Bob's intrigued by the family's complex past.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15At the moment, I don't know which version is true.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18It would be very interesting to find out, at the end of the day,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20what did happen and what motivated that.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Later in the programme,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28was the war a decisive factor in Mabel's mysterious disappearance?
0:12:28 > 0:12:32I think the circumstances of war meant that some people
0:12:32 > 0:12:35really did become strangers and those family bonds were never able
0:12:35 > 0:12:38to be re-established, even after the war.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Every Thursday morning,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48the Treasury's list of unclaimed estates
0:12:48 > 0:12:50is advertised to the heir hunting companies
0:12:50 > 0:12:54and they scramble to be the first to find beneficiaries to an estate.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But heir hunts can take on many a twist and turn
0:12:57 > 0:12:59and a case that starts off simple,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02can turn out to be anything but.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Dorothy Warcup died, aged 81 years old, in Hull Royal Infirmary
0:13:10 > 0:13:12in March 2010.
0:13:12 > 0:13:18She left no valid will and her estimated £70,000 estate
0:13:18 > 0:13:20was put onto the Treasury's list.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23In Hull, Dorothy was well-known locally
0:13:23 > 0:13:27and had been an extremely active lady in the community.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Anne White became Dorothy's friend through a shared interest.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Dorothy did guiding for many years.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I met her 30 years ago
0:13:39 > 0:13:43and I feel she was probably an experienced Guider before then.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48She was extremely devoted. Guiding meant everything to Dorothy.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Like Anne, Dorothy gave her spare time to the Brownies
0:13:52 > 0:13:54and the Girl Guide movement.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Despite being perceived as quite a strict lady,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Anne knew it was all a front.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01A gentle giant.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05She had the loudest voice you could ever imagine,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09but she was a kind, helpful soul,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12who just wanted to make the best for everyone, really.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17Dorothy was a widow and her estate is made up mainly from her home.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20It appeared on the Treasury's list
0:14:20 > 0:14:23and was picked up by Anna Dunn
0:14:23 > 0:14:26of heir hunting firm, DS Researchers.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Right, OK, then.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33Anna specialises in cases based in the North of England and Scotland.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36But despite years of experience at heir hunting,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Dorothy's case initially threw her.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43I was a little bit perplexed when I started working on the Warcup case,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47because I did find Dorothy Warcup on the electoral roll,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50but I also found her living with a son
0:14:50 > 0:14:52and what appeared to be a grandson.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57And then I thought, "Well, why is it on the Treasury list,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00"if, she's in fact, got next of kin?"
0:15:00 > 0:15:05Had The Treasury made a mistake? Something was amiss
0:15:05 > 0:15:08and Anna wanted to get to the bottom of it.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Having used the electoral roll, she already knew
0:15:10 > 0:15:13where Dorothy had lived, and so sent one of her travelling heir hunters
0:15:13 > 0:15:16to make enquiries with the neighbours.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21We found that, in fact,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Mark was Dorothy's son,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27and he had died in 2009.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31It was a sad discovery to make.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34According to the people who'd known Dorothy,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36her only child, Mark Warcup,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39had predeceased her by just six months.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Dorothy was heartbroken.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48I think the death of Mark absolutely devastated Dorothy.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53There was no end to it all. She was just truly devastated.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Mark was only in his early forties,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00but had fought a battle with drug addiction.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04He died of an overdose while visiting London.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07The police informed Dorothy of Mark's death.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11But it was Mark's life that Anna would now have to research
0:16:11 > 0:16:13in the hunt for Dorothy's heirs.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16She switched her attention to the grandson
0:16:16 > 0:16:19also mentioned on the electoral roll.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24I discovered that Mark had married in 1985
0:16:24 > 0:16:28and, following that,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31there was a birth of a boy called Jamie.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Anna's research suggested that
0:16:35 > 0:16:41Dorothy married a Jack Warcup in 1960 and had Mark in 1967.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46He then married in 1985 and had a son, Jamie Warcup.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48If alive, he would be the sole heir
0:16:48 > 0:16:52to Dorothy's estimated £70,000 estate.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Anna was wondering why, if she'd found all this out,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57the Treasury hadn't.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59She was about to get her answer.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03The case turned out to be more complicated
0:17:03 > 0:17:09once we realised that Jamie had been adopted out of the family.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Under British law, children adopted out of a family
0:17:13 > 0:17:15lose any right to an estate,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18so although Jamie was a blood relative of Dorothy's,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20his adoption had changed everything.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Both The Treasury and Anna know these rules,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27so she would now have to go back a generation
0:17:27 > 0:17:31to find Dorothy's parents and their brothers and sisters.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33This could lead her to aunts and uncles of Dorothy's
0:17:33 > 0:17:37and possibly cousins, but once again,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39there was a twist in the tale.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44And having received the birth certificate for Dorothy,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48I realised we only had the maternal side to go on.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53The reason Anna only had the maternal line to research
0:17:53 > 0:17:55was because Dorothy was born
0:17:55 > 0:17:56illegitimately to her mother,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Ivy Kennington.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Ivy was in her early twenties when she had Dorothy,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and was working as a domestic servant in Hull.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Seen here in her uniform,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12it was a job that was very popular in its day.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14In 1911, certainly,
0:18:14 > 0:18:19there were 1.3 million women employed in domestic service,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22and although that started to go down with the 20th century,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25with alternative employment opportunities being offered,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28there still would have been a very high proportion in the '20s.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Largely because there was very little electricity,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33washing machines, this sort of thing,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37domestic work was extremely hard and extremely labour-intensive,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40so you would either have had a maid of all work,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43if you were a very small house, or even a charwoman coming in.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Most people would have had something.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49These staff were sometimes very young girls,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51away from home for the first time,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55and some found themselves being taken advantage of.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59It is quite likely that the father of Ivy's baby
0:18:59 > 0:19:03was a member of the family, either a master of the house or a son,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05because this did happen quite often.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09And for women in Ivy's position, the prospects weren't good.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13It could not only ruin their career, but also their life.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15There was an enormous stigma
0:19:15 > 0:19:17in getting pregnant out of wedlock, yes.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19It went against all the Christian principles
0:19:19 > 0:19:21that were taught about marriage,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and against the whole social mores of the day.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27In many cases, they were just sent packing
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and there was no support given whatsoever.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33These women weren't left with many options,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37and we may never know what happened to Ivy after the pregnancy,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40apart from the obvious fact Dorothy was born.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Probate researcher Anna was after answers of a different kind, though.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50She now wanted to work out
0:19:50 > 0:19:52whether Dorothy had any aunts and uncles,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55as they could lead her to heirs.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Dorothy had two brothers,
0:19:59 > 0:20:00one who died at the age of one.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04The other married, but didn't have any children,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08and then she had a sister who lived for about 70 years,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12but didn't marry and didn't have any children.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16This meant that it was the end of the road
0:20:16 > 0:20:20and that there were no beneficiaries in this case,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22so the case would be shelved.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27It looked like she'd exhausted all leads,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30but Anna was not going to give in that easily.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33And this case was about to take on yet another direction
0:20:33 > 0:20:36in its hunt for Dorothy's rightfully heirs.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40With me being adopted, that wasn't my choice.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43That got decided for me by the judge in the Crown Court.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Could you be in line for an unexpected windfall?
0:20:52 > 0:20:56In the UK, the Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates
0:20:56 > 0:21:01that over the years have baffled the heir hunters and still remain unclaimed.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03This is money that could have your name on it.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08These estates can stay on the list for up to 30 years
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and each one could be worth anything from £5,000
0:21:11 > 0:21:13to many millions of pounds.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Today, we're focusing on three names from the list.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Could they be relatives of yours?
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Dorothy Netta Food died in West Sussex in February 2004.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Does her distinctive name combination mean anything to you?
0:21:31 > 0:21:34So far, all efforts to trace her heirs have failed.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Or did you know Filomena Pudlo,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42who died in Chiswick, West London, back in 1995?
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Are you Filomena's heir?
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Both her first name and surname are Italian in origin.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55Or finally, William Henry Merritt. He died in December 1996.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Unusually, only part of his address is listed.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Did you know William?
0:22:01 > 0:22:04If no heirs are found to his estate, the money will go to the government.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08If the names Dorothy Netta Food,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Filomena Pudlo or William Henry Merritt mean anything to you,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15then you could have a windfall on its way.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26Dorothy Warcup died aged 81 in Hull in March 2010.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28She left no valid will
0:22:28 > 0:22:33and her estimated £70,000 estate was put on to the Treasury's list.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Locally, she was a woman known for her commitment to the community,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41having spent decades volunteering with the Brownies
0:22:41 > 0:22:43and the Girl Guide movement.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Dorothy, as a very experienced Brown Owl,
0:22:48 > 0:22:54organised many day activities, pack holidays, five-day visits,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57exciting visits, even to London.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Dorothy loved to try different things
0:23:00 > 0:23:05for the Brownies to get absolutely all they could.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08And that way, they gained confidence
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and felt they really did belong to the Guiding family.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14According to Ann, whenever Dorothy was out and about,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18the local girls, now grown up, would always recognise her
0:23:18 > 0:23:22and stop and say hello to their former Brown Owl.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25It was a legacy anyone would be proud of.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29I would like Dorothy to be remembered for the caring
0:23:29 > 0:23:34she gave to hundreds of girls over an awful lot of years
0:23:34 > 0:23:40and she did it all with such loyal intent to the Guide movement.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44After her death, it appeared Dorothy had no living relatives
0:23:44 > 0:23:47who would be entitled to inherit her estate,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50despite the fact it seemed she'd lived with her grandson.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Anna Dunn, from heir-hunting company, DS Researchers...
0:23:57 > 0:24:00It's quite a delicate case, isn't it?
0:24:00 > 0:24:04..was trying her hardest to get to the bottom of it all.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07It turned out the grandson had been adopted out of the family.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12So I did have to explain to him that the law was quite clear.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17Any children that were adopted out of that family lose all entitlement.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22As Dorothy's grandson was no longer part of the family,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24he could not legally inherit.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26But nor could anyone else,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29as Dorothy's family tree showed she had no other living relatives.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33It looked like this estate was destined for the Treasury's coffers.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39But in the electoral roll Anna had researched,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42the grandson, Jamie, was listed as a Warcup
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and as living with his father, Mark, and grandmother, Dorothy.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50It seemed despite Jamie's adoption, they were still family ties.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Ties Anna couldn't ignore.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57I managed to find Jamie's phone number and managed to contact him
0:24:57 > 0:25:01and he confirmed that he had actually been adopted.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03He also confirmed he'd been aware of everything
0:25:03 > 0:25:06that was going on with his grandmother's estate.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10The police knocked at the door and told me that she had passed away
0:25:10 > 0:25:14and asked if I could contact the next-door neighbour
0:25:14 > 0:25:17for arrangements and stuff, so that's what I did.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19That's how I found out Dorothy had died.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Jamie had in fact known his grandmother well.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27And Anna discovered his adoption had followed
0:25:27 > 0:25:30the separation of his mother and late father, Mark.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35I was two when my mum and dad actually split up.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40My mum found a new partner, which is now my adopted father.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45So Jamie hadn't been adopted completely out of the family,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48as he was still raised by his birth mother.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52But aged 16, Jamie made a decision about his family life.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54After arguments at home, he moved out
0:25:54 > 0:25:58and this motivated him to track down the biological family
0:25:58 > 0:26:00he had never really known.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04I was curious about what he'd be like, what my real dad would be like.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07So that's why I went looking.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10From memory and what his mother had told him,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Jamie had a rough idea of the location of Dorothy's house.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17I knew the street they lived on, but I didn't know much about
0:26:17 > 0:26:20where they lived, so I started knocking door-to-door.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21I knocked on about 30 or 40 properties
0:26:21 > 0:26:25before I actually got to the house which I was looking for.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Despite not having seen his grandparents
0:26:27 > 0:26:29or his biological father, Mark, for most of his life,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Jamie was invited in and made to feel welcome.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37A very different situation to now.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It does seem a bit sad, knowing that nobody's in there
0:26:40 > 0:26:43because everybody has passed away that did live in there.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46It's a bit sad looking at it from the outside,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49when it used to have so many memories inside.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52After his initial meeting with his family,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56it took just a matter of weeks before Jamie was invited to move in.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00He discovered he and his father, Mark, had similar interests
0:27:00 > 0:27:02and specifically, Hull FC.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06We used to come every Friday night, whenever the match was at home.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09I have loved it since I can remember
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and he said he was the same, as a kid.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Whenever I went around, he showed me all these old programmes
0:27:15 > 0:27:18from Wembley, when KR beat us and stuff.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Coming back to the places Jamie and Mark used to visit together
0:27:22 > 0:27:27brings home to Jamie just how cut short his father's life was.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Yes, I do miss my dad.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33We didn't have time to build a big relationship.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36The relationship we had was good while it lasted.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39But unfortunately, he's passed away now.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Jamie spent five years living with Mark, Jack and Dorothy
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and informally started using his original Warcup surname.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53And it was the fact Jamie had re-established this close contact
0:27:53 > 0:27:56with his blood family that was going to change everything
0:27:56 > 0:27:58in Anna's heir hunt.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00In exceptional circumstances,
0:28:00 > 0:28:05the Crown does sometimes award what is called a discretionary grant.
0:28:05 > 0:28:11I felt in this case that Jamie did have those exceptional circumstances.
0:28:11 > 0:28:17The fact that he actually lived with his father and grandmother
0:28:17 > 0:28:22at the property together, not when he was young,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24but when he was in his 20s.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29That showed that he was part of that family for whatever reason.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33He even went by his birth name,
0:28:33 > 0:28:38which again is unusual for someone who's been adopted.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Anna let Jamie know her plan.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Having been resigned to getting nothing from the estate,
0:28:43 > 0:28:48Jamie is pleased and is willing to take up the fight on his behalf.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Because I moved back in when I was 16-years-old
0:28:51 > 0:28:56and spent time with them and lived with them and got to know the people they were,
0:28:56 > 0:28:59then yes, I think I'm entitled to it more than the government.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Obviously, with me being adopted, that wasn't my choice.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06That got decided for me by the judge in the Crown Court.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Anna's task now is to put together a claim for the Treasury
0:29:11 > 0:29:14that explains the circumstances surrounding Jamie
0:29:14 > 0:29:17and his grandmother Dorothy's estate.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20But it's not just circumstances that will matter.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23It's also having the right paperwork.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27So they will be ready for picking up at some stage?
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Birth, death and marriage certificates
0:29:29 > 0:29:33will mean everything in this case, to prove to the Treasury
0:29:33 > 0:29:37the clear link between Jamie, Mark and, ultimately, Dorothy.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Anna sends her travelling heir hunter, Peter,
0:29:40 > 0:29:44to Hull Register Office.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47I am looking for some certificates for Warcup.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49There should be three in total.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Thank you very much. Thank you. Bye.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Peter is collecting Jamie's birth certificate
0:29:56 > 0:29:59and both Mark's birth and marriage certificates.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02This is the ammunition Anna will need.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Mark's birth certificate and marriage certificate
0:30:05 > 0:30:09are absolutely crucial in this case because they link Jamie
0:30:09 > 0:30:15through to his grandmother, Dorothy, who is the deceased in this case.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Back in the office, Anna is taking legal advice
0:30:20 > 0:30:23on how best to submit the claim to the Treasury.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26She describes the ins and outs of Jamie's situation
0:30:26 > 0:30:29and gets some positive feedback.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34The solicitor does feel that it is an exceptional case
0:30:34 > 0:30:40and maybe the Crown might use its discretion and allow it,
0:30:40 > 0:30:45which would be good because he's lost his father and his grandmother.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48So it is quite a sad case
0:30:48 > 0:30:54and it would be nice if there was a favourable result.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00Over two months pass in an anxious wait for news,
0:31:00 > 0:31:02but at last, Anna has some.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05It's not definitive but it's positive enough
0:31:05 > 0:31:09for her to invite Jamie and his partner, Kelly, back for a meeting.
0:31:09 > 0:31:14- Hello. Come in.- Thank you.- Are you all right?- Yes, fine thank you.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18Anna that brings them up to speed on what the Treasury has said.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21They've basically said to us,
0:31:21 > 0:31:23"We're going to administer the estate".
0:31:23 > 0:31:27So although they haven't said yes or no,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30they're gathering in all the assets now
0:31:30 > 0:31:34and then they will say, "We'll give you a percentage of this."
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Or they will give you a bigger percentage and say,
0:31:38 > 0:31:40"We'll keep the little percentage."
0:31:40 > 0:31:42They wouldn't have done that
0:31:42 > 0:31:46- unless that what we've sent to them has some merit in it.- Yes.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51Put it this way, I shall be surprised if they turn around and say no.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55I would be very surprised, because they're going through
0:31:55 > 0:31:59an awful lot of work to turn around and say no.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01- I understand what you are saying. - Good.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04- Thank you Anna.- Goodbye.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Yet again, it's a waiting game for Jamie but along with Anna,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11he is in a positive frame of mind.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15I am feeling hopeful, yes, because it sounds like we've got a case.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19Anna will keep me informed so we'll see where we go from here.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Everything is now in the Treasury's hands
0:32:22 > 0:32:25and their decision will have a big impact on Jamie's life.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28He and his partner, Kelly, are expecting a child
0:32:28 > 0:32:31and the financial implication of him being considered
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Dorothy's legitimate heir speaks for itself.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37And Jamie's hoping a successful result from the Treasury
0:32:37 > 0:32:41means he'd get something to remember his grandmother by.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45This appeal is less about the money than it is possessions.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50All I've got is a few photos from the house. It's a lot to do with the memories, not the money.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58In London, heir hunting company Fraser & Fraser
0:32:58 > 0:33:01are investigating the case of Margaret Snare.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04She died in her home aged 85.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09Margaret passed away in February 2010 with no known relatives
0:33:09 > 0:33:12and leaving no will.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16According to the neighbours, she led a reclusive, solitary life.
0:33:16 > 0:33:21Her estate was referred by a solicitor to the company,
0:33:21 > 0:33:25but they now have discovered it's also been handed to the Treasury.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27I'm just going to do another enquiry on it.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32They want to track down Margaret's heirs before the estate goes public.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36An estate the office believe could be made up mainly from Margaret's home.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Researcher Esher has spent the last week
0:33:40 > 0:33:42putting together the family tree.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44No, that's wrong.
0:33:44 > 0:33:50Senior case manager, Tony Pledger, is now up to speed on the research.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54So we have that the deceased had certainly one, two, three,
0:33:54 > 0:33:56four, five, six full siblings.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00The research has unearthed a complex family history.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04Margaret's mother, Mabel, appears to have married three times.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Her second marriage, to Frederick King, produced seven children,
0:34:08 > 0:34:09including Margaret.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12But her sister and heir, Betty,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15told Bob Barett there were originally nine children.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18Esher discovered the additional two children
0:34:18 > 0:34:19were from Mabel's first marriage.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21But as half-blood siblings,
0:34:21 > 0:34:25they wouldn't be entitled to inherit on this estate.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28The potential half-blood ones aren't going to come into it anyway.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33And the revelations from Betty kept on coming.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36All her life, she'd been led to believe by her father
0:34:36 > 0:34:39that her mother had died in the Blitz.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42Perhaps as a consequence of her mother's disappearance,
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Betty and her siblings had spent part of their childhood in a Barnardo's home.
0:34:46 > 0:34:53But the office's research has turned up a contradictory family history.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56'They've now found another estranged sister of Betty's
0:34:56 > 0:35:01'who confirmed what the team have learned from Mabel's death certificate,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04'that she didn't die in the war but in 1960.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09'This is something Betty and her grandson, Andrew, are now trying to digest.'
0:35:09 > 0:35:14I think today has really opened up my eyes
0:35:14 > 0:35:19especially when we were told that your mother may have actually died in the 1960s.
0:35:19 > 0:35:26For someone who has been told since she was a young girl that she died, certainly hit home to me.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30The first you found out about your sister Margaret dying,
0:35:30 > 0:35:32is when you received a phone call yesterday.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36- Yes.- You have already told me that it upset you.- It did, yes.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46'Even though a lot of the family background is a mystery,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50'through their research into birth and marriage records, the heir hunters
0:35:50 > 0:35:55'do know exactly where Margaret and Betty's parents lived as a family.'
0:35:59 > 0:36:04'Whitfield Street is in the centre of London, just off Tottenham Court Road.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07'Back in the early 20th century,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10'it was a typical working-class area of London.
0:36:10 > 0:36:17'All seven of the King children were born whilst the family were registered at this address.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21'Father Frederick King was listed as a goods porter
0:36:21 > 0:36:24'at the world-famous St Pancras railway station.
0:36:24 > 0:36:30'Unfortunately, this family setup completely changed by the time of the Second World War.'
0:36:30 > 0:36:34If parents were unable or unwilling to care for their children,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37then the local authority would have placed children
0:36:37 > 0:36:42either in foster homes or institutions like Dr Barnardo's.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46Places like Dr Barnardo's did really become caring agencies.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50Their role in wartime was a more acute one.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55'The King family's children were told their mother had died in the war.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58'Despite this now being proved untrue,
0:36:58 > 0:37:00'it was highly believable for the time.'
0:37:00 > 0:37:04The Blitz was a time of enormous chaos and confusion.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09There are very heartrending stories of people in the East End
0:37:09 > 0:37:13trying to find their children and relations.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17'The fact Frederick King told his children that their mother had died
0:37:17 > 0:37:22'could be because he couldn't face telling them she'd left him.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25'Then, when the war broke out, Frederick, not been able to cope,
0:37:25 > 0:37:28'put the children into a Barnardo's home.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32'After experiencing such upheaval in their early years,
0:37:32 > 0:37:35'it is no wonder that Betty and her siblings grew apart.'
0:37:35 > 0:37:40That seems to be evidence of the sort of destruction
0:37:40 > 0:37:42on dislocation that war cause.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45People really did lose track of each other
0:37:45 > 0:37:48and families became completely splintered.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58'It's now the second day of the heir hunt
0:37:58 > 0:38:03'and researcher Gareth is getting his head around the repercussions
0:38:03 > 0:38:07'of yesterday's revelation about Margaret's mother, Mabel.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11'Betty's family knowledge may have been fairly limited
0:38:11 > 0:38:17'but it has given the heir hunters some leads into another older sister called Elizabeth.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20'Betty can vaguely remember having two nephews.'
0:38:20 > 0:38:24There seems to be a little confusion.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28It looks like the last time the family got together was in the '50s,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31and that's probably when the deceased's father, Frederick, died.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34So, after that, they don't seem to have much contact.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39'Despite the heirs they've managed to speak to not having detailed memories of their family setup,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43'Esher and Gareth have still made good progress on the case.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48'So far, the team has signed up two of Margaret's sisters.
0:38:48 > 0:38:53'They've also discovered three of her brothers died, leaving no children.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56'This leaves just the nephews to account for.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59'They could be the last heirs entitled to inherit
0:38:59 > 0:39:03'on what could be potentially be a valuable estate.'
0:39:03 > 0:39:07The crucial bit of information we need on this is the death certificate of Elizabeth.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12That would tell us the husband's name. Hopefully we should find out the marriage from that
0:39:12 > 0:39:15and we will get a good informant, ideally one of the children.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17And that will firm up on the address for them.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21'Gareth gets a travelling heir hunter on the case.'
0:39:21 > 0:39:23I think what we will do is get Dave Hadley there today.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27'Whilst Dave Hadley goes to the register office,
0:39:27 > 0:39:29'Gareth and Esher wait with bated breath.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34'Elizabeth's death certificate is crucial to finding the last two heirs on this case.'
0:39:34 > 0:39:36He is born as a Bright, yeah?
0:39:36 > 0:39:40'Luckily, Dave Hadley has come through with the goods
0:39:40 > 0:39:43'and it is exactly the result the team were hoping for.'
0:39:43 > 0:39:46The informant is a daughter-in-law.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50Phone to see which one it is, just to get an address for them.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52I'll check that address first.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57'Using the daughter-in-law's name, Esher scours the marriage records and discovers the eldest nephew.
0:39:57 > 0:40:03'The younger nephew, Michael, is traced minutes later.'
0:40:03 > 0:40:08So, luckily, we've got Michael on the phone in Chatham
0:40:08 > 0:40:12which is good because that is where Dave Hadley is now.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15I need to get it up on the computer so he can access it
0:40:15 > 0:40:20and then he can go and interview Michael to see what he knows about the family.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23'Later that afternoon, Dave Hadley met
0:40:23 > 0:40:27'and got an agreement from nephew Michael.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31'Would he be able to shed light on his grandmother's mysterious wartime disappearance?
0:40:31 > 0:40:33'Seemingly not.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37'The family tree showing his aunts and uncles came as news to him.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41'Family was something his late mother, Elizabeth, had never discussed.'
0:40:41 > 0:40:44She was very, very secretive about everything she did.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47As far as I know, my family,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51my mother was a small family on her own, that was it.
0:40:51 > 0:40:56She said once that my grandfather on her side
0:40:56 > 0:41:00came down to visit us.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03I was about three so I knew nothing about it.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07She mentioned that she never got on with her father
0:41:07 > 0:41:12through one thing or another again, that is as far as that goes.
0:41:12 > 0:41:18'Michael, now in his 60s, considers these revelations about his wider family as interesting
0:41:18 > 0:41:22'but that's as far as it goes.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25I mean, for me, they are strangers.
0:41:25 > 0:41:30I've got their names, when they were born and when they died.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35But, to me that's all it is, names. If I had been 20 or 30 years younger,
0:41:35 > 0:41:42I might have been, you know... My family is now cast.
0:41:42 > 0:41:47'Unfortunately, Michael is unable to clear up any of the mystery
0:41:47 > 0:41:50'surrounding his grandmother Mabel.
0:41:50 > 0:41:57'Even sadder is the fact that Frederick, Mabel and their children
0:41:57 > 0:42:01'weren't alone in having their world turned upside down by the Blitz.'
0:42:01 > 0:42:05The circumstances of war meant that some people really did become strangers
0:42:05 > 0:42:09and those family bonds were never able to be re-established even after the war.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13'Being contacted out of the blue and being told you're an heir
0:42:13 > 0:42:17'to an estranged relative's estate, can be an unsettling experience.
0:42:17 > 0:42:24'For the heir hunters, they try and do their work with as much tact and understanding as possible.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28'For Betty and her grandson. Andrew, the events of the past few days
0:42:28 > 0:42:31'bring home just how fragile families can be.'
0:42:31 > 0:42:37One event, one tragic event can break families up.
0:42:37 > 0:42:43And as time goes on, it becomes more difficult to take that first step
0:42:43 > 0:42:49to contact each other again because from there you can explore further.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Who knows what you might find?
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd