0:00:02 > 0:00:04Welcome to Heir Hunters,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06where we follow the search for relatives of people who've died
0:00:06 > 0:00:10without leaving a will, hoping to unite them with forgotten fortunes.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Today, the Heir Hunters are searching for the beneficiaries
0:00:16 > 0:00:19to an estate worth £150,000.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Somewhere out there are some long-lost relatives
0:00:23 > 0:00:26who have no idea they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Could the Heir Hunters be knocking at your door?
0:00:30 > 0:00:31'Hello?'
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Coming up on today's programme...
0:00:51 > 0:00:53It's not looking too good on that side now.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Could the Heir Hunters' worst nightmare be about to come true?
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Reluctantly, this might be one
0:01:00 > 0:01:03that will go directly to the Government, I'm afraid.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08The death of an independent-minded lady from Worthing
0:01:08 > 0:01:12breathes fresh life into one of the 20th century's most notorious scandals.
0:01:12 > 0:01:19I am convinced that he was set up at Clivedon with Christine Keeler.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24And as we delve deeper into her background
0:01:24 > 0:01:28the experts uncover an amazing woman who led an amazing life.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33She was at the centre of activities - combined operations, D-Day and so on -
0:01:33 > 0:01:39and it's no wonder that she retired on a bit of a high, in a sense, at the end of her naval career.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Plus, how you may be entitled
0:01:42 > 0:01:45to inherit an unclaimed estate held by the Treasury.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Could thousands of pounds be heading your way?
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Every year in the UK,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05If no relatives are found,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08then any money that's left behind will go to the Government.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15Last year, they made £14 million from unclaimed estates.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18That's where the Heir Hunters come in.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21They make it their business to track down missing relatives
0:02:21 > 0:02:24and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Well, if we don't give the money to the rightful people,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29then it will end up with the Government.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36In our first case today,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40the team investigate the estate of a man who died in Durham.
0:02:40 > 0:02:46But things don't start out as planned for the Heir Hunters. Can the team get back on track?
0:02:49 > 0:02:51It's 7:00am in the morning
0:02:51 > 0:02:54at the offices of Heir Hunters Fraser & Fraser
0:02:54 > 0:02:56and the Treasury has just released
0:02:56 > 0:02:58its weekly list of unclaimed estates.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02If someone dies without leaving a will with no known next of kin
0:03:02 > 0:03:06and their estate is worth more than £5,000,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08then they will appear on this list.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12- Is that a definite date of birth there? - That's a date of birth, yes.- OK.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17There are a few cases that look to be worth quite a lot of money.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20But one in particular has caught boss Neil's eye.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24So the case we're going to be looking at is David Robin Granger.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29Dies on Boxing Day, 2010, in Northampton.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Where it's going to go, I don't know.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33So fingers crossed.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44David Granger died aged 67 on the 26th of December, 2010.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49He left no will, and no photograph of him can be found.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52His friend Steve Hawkins knew him for 15 years,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54and remembers him as a one-off.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56He was an interesting man.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Erm... A real perfectionist in everything he did.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04David lived in this house in Northampton
0:04:04 > 0:04:05right up until his death,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10his wife, Anne, having passed away a few years earlier.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12I mean, they were dedicated to one another, you know?
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Everything they did, they did together.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Um... Between them, they were a real partnership,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Dave was such a loyal person.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24He'd use the local butcher
0:04:24 > 0:04:27rather than go to the supermarket for his meat,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30because it was a traditional thing to do, you know?
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Erm... He'd have his milk delivered by the milkman,
0:04:33 > 0:04:39because that was the way he was, sort of, brought up, the way things were.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Dave was old school.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45He was, er... There's not many left like Dave, he was an eccentric.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50Um... An old English gent, if you like.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Back in the office,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00and the search to find David's heirs is already under way.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05Senior case manager David Milchard, known round the office as Grimble,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07has been put in charge.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12It seems that David Granger owned his home in Northampton.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16As the average house in that area is worth about £150,000,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18the team are hoping that David's estate
0:05:18 > 0:05:20will be worth at least that much.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25The value of estates is really important to the Heir Hunters,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27because they work on commission,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29earning a percentage of the amount that's claimed
0:05:29 > 0:05:31by each heir they sign.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36But they can't earn any money unless they find some heirs.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- 'Hello, Dave.'- Hi, David.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42So Grimble asks senior researcher on the road, Dave Hadley,
0:05:42 > 0:05:43to go over to the property
0:05:43 > 0:05:46to see what he can find out from the neighbours.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47I... That's where he lived, right.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Yeah, it looks like he owned that property.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50OK?
0:05:50 > 0:05:52- FROM CAR:- All right, mate. Bye.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Heir hunting relies heavily on research done in the office,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03but most investigations require some face-to-face enquiries.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Senior researchers on the road are based all over the country,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08and it's their job to follow up any lead
0:06:08 > 0:06:13and make sure they get to the heirs ahead of the competition.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21I was just coming to make some enquiries
0:06:21 > 0:06:23about the gentleman that used to live in the house,
0:06:23 > 0:06:24did you know him at all?
0:06:24 > 0:06:25Yeah.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27It looks like Dave's in luck.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30He bumps into one of David's neighbours on the street.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Was he ever married?
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- Yes, his wife died. - What was her name?- Anne.- Anne?- Yeah.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38OK. Did they have any children?
0:06:38 > 0:06:40No.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43And I never heard any mention of brothers or sisters.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- Right.- Or for that matter, cousins. - Right.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Dave goes to phone Grimble to update him.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Yeah, the neighbour said he didn't think there was any siblings.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53'Yeah, OK.'
0:06:56 > 0:06:58But in the office,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01the team have managed to establish who David's parents were.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03- Jessie E Jones?- Yeah.- When is it?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Marries Charles H Granger, Sep 30, Hammersmith.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09David's father was Charles Henry Granger,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12and his mother was Jessie Emily Jones.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16He was indeed an only child, and had no children of his own.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21- Dominic, do you want to look up Charles's, um...birth?- Yeah.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24That means the Heir Hunters will need to look further afield
0:07:24 > 0:07:26if they're going to find any beneficiaries.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30But under the inheritance laws of England and Wales,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33they can only go back as far as the deceased's grandparents,
0:07:33 > 0:07:38meaning anyone up to first cousins and their descendants can inherit.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Grimble's first discovery relates to the maternal side of the family.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45- Lillian Maud.- Lillian Maud.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Born in Chelsea.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49And Winifred is Winifred Cissie?
0:07:49 > 0:07:51After referring to the 1911 census,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55he has turned up two maternal aunts for David.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Lillian Maud and Winifred Cissie.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01If either of these two had any children,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04they would be eligible to inherit from their cousin David.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09But almost as soon as these aunts have been found...
0:08:09 > 0:08:14- Died when?- Uh... December, 1918, Hammersmith, aged 26.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16..the team comes back with some bad news.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20And he appears to have found deaths for both of them, dying as spinsters.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22So...
0:08:22 > 0:08:25That's not looking too good on that side now.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Since both of David's maternal aunts died childless,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33this side of the family can now be declared dead in the water.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Which means that everything is riding on them finding heirs
0:08:36 > 0:08:38on David's father's side.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Otherwise, the whole of this potential £150,000 estate
0:08:42 > 0:08:45will disappear into the Treasury's coffers.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Researcher Gareth has been tasked with finding a birth certificate
0:08:50 > 0:08:54for David's father, Charles Granger. And he's feeling the pressure.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59We know he was born in 1905, or he's supposed to be born in 1905.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02We can't find a birth record for him and we can't find a census for him.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07And because we can't find these, we can't really move on. We're stuck.
0:09:07 > 0:09:13So we either need more information, or at the moment, a stroke of luck.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Without the birth certificate, they can't find out
0:09:17 > 0:09:20the names of Charles's parents, who would be David's grandparents.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24And they need those to search for any of his uncles and aunts.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28But over on the other side of the office, case manager Simon
0:09:28 > 0:09:33has been thinking outside the box and has come up with the goods.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38Well, born on 29 June. Which is the day. It's just '01, and not '05.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44We've found a birth that's Charles Henry, in London.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Appears to have the right date of birth.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50It's just born in 1901, not 1905.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52So one of the many things that could have been wrong
0:09:52 > 0:09:55with our not finding the birth was the fact it was the wrong year of birth.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01According to Simon's online research,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Charles was born on 29 June, 1901, in Holborn.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08His parents, Charles Granger, also known as Henry,
0:10:08 > 0:10:13and Martha Peek, were married in Marylebone in 1897.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19But despite Simon's breakthrough, this search still isn't getting off the ground.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21HE GROANS
0:10:21 > 0:10:26Well, we've now found the birth of the father of the deceased, Charles Henry.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32So we expect then at that point to, you know, be able to leap forward.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Find the census, start working family.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40But in actual fact, we're stuck again on the census.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Gareth's looked through all the Charles Grangers
0:10:42 > 0:10:45living in the Holborn area of London in 1911.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49But none of them have parents called Charles and Martha.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52But just then, a member of the team spots something
0:10:52 > 0:10:54and passes it over to Simon.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00It's a page from the 1911 census for a school in West London.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05It's a Charles Henry Granger, on age, as a scholar.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Unfortunately, it tells you nothing else at all.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11So it could be our Charles H, or it couldn't be.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15If this young boy is David's father,
0:11:15 > 0:11:20then he was obviously away at school in 1911 when the census was taken,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22which explains why they can't find him with his family.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Just then, out of the blue,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30another Granger child falls into their laps.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33This is pukka? It's pukka.
0:11:33 > 0:11:39Further scrutiny of that same school census entry has revealed a Frank William Granger.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41It seems likely that Frank is Charles's brother
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and both boys have been sent away to school.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48But there's no way of proving this, because there's no record of Frank's parents' names.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57This case is fast turning into an Heir Hunter's nightmare.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01If they can't prove that the deceased's father had any brothers or sisters,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04then there will be no entitled heirs on this side of the family either.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Which can only mean one thing.
0:12:07 > 0:12:14Reluctantly, this might be one that will go directly to the Government, I'm afraid.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15Which isn't too good.
0:12:15 > 0:12:21Grimble knows that his only chance is to prove that those two schoolboys are brothers.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24If he can do that, and trace Frank's descendants,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28then that £150,000 inheritance will end up where it should be,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30with David Granger's rightful heirs.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Coming up - Gareth goes out on a limb...
0:12:38 > 0:12:43I'm wondering, have they just abandoned their first two children, Frank and Charles?
0:12:43 > 0:12:47..as the mystery of the missing schoolboys finally unravels.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51So much of it ties in. So much of it looks good. We are working it.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Heir Hunters solve thousands of cases a year and millions of pounds
0:13:07 > 0:13:10are paid out to rightful heirs, but not every case can be cracked.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15The Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates
0:13:15 > 0:13:18that have baffled the Heir Hunters and remain unclaimed.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22This could be money with your name on it.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26The Bona Vacantia unclaimed list
0:13:26 > 0:13:29is a list of cases that we haven't found kin for.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31The list goes back to 1997,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34because that's when our case management system came online.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37The idea is to produce a list of all those cases, so there
0:13:37 > 0:13:41should be at least a few thousand there, possibly many thousands.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43The money in these estates is cash that the Government wants
0:13:43 > 0:13:45the rightful heirs to inherit.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49The money raised ultimately goes to the Exchequer
0:13:49 > 0:13:51to benefit the country as a whole.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56But it's important to remember that the Crown doesn't want to grab all estates that it possibly can.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59It's keen for kin to be found and for people to make wills.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02That's the way to stop property becoming Bona Vacantia. Make a will.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06So are today's featured cases relatives of yours?
0:14:06 > 0:14:12Could you be about to receive a lump sum of thousands or even millions of pounds?
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Anna Buglar died in Gillingham, Dorset, in November 2005.
0:14:16 > 0:14:23Buglar is a rare surname in the UK but is most commonly found in the West Country.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Does the name Buglar ring a bell for you? Do you remember Anna?
0:14:27 > 0:14:33Carol Willem Johannes Van Greuning died in Hove in February 2001.
0:14:33 > 0:14:39Carol's name indicates that he was probably from the Netherlands or Flanders.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Did you know Carol?
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Did he talk to you about his background or any living family?
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Kathleen Marjorie Daye died in Bordesley Green, Birmingham,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52in June 2001.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Although Day is a common surname, this spelling is fairly unusual.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Were you a friend or neighbour of Kathleen's?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Can you help solve her case?
0:15:03 > 0:15:07If you think you are related to any of the names today, you need to show
0:15:07 > 0:15:11your relationship to the deceased in order to claim their estate.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14People need to prove their entitlement
0:15:14 > 0:15:17by producing documentary evidence,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20various certificates of birth, death and marriage,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23which we will tell them what's required
0:15:23 > 0:15:26and then they will need documents of identity.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29A reminder of the names again.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Anna Buglar,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Carol Van Greuning
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and Kathleen Daye.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38So if you're a relative of anyone on today's list
0:15:38 > 0:15:41then you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51When a lady from Worthing dies without leaving a will,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53the Heir Hunters uncover a case with hidden depths.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I'll be finding out more later, but here's how the case began.
0:15:59 > 0:16:05Sometimes, heir hunts provide a fascinating link with our nation's history.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Never was this more true than on the case of Constance Harrington,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13whose life had been entwined with some of the most tumultuous and scandalous events of our age.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19Constance died aged 87 on January 7, 2011.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23For the last few years before she died,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Constance lived in this block of flats in Worthing, West Sussex.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Her neighbours, David and Emma Walford, lived downstairs from her.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Constance was definitely a good old-fashioned neighbour.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37She'd always be there to say hello to and you know, pick up your mail
0:16:37 > 0:16:42and your parcels if you weren't here. And just generally quite friendly.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I would have said that Constance was very well presented.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49You could almost see maybe that she'd come from somewhere
0:16:49 > 0:16:52where she possibly had money before, possibly.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57Throughout the time they knew her, Constance never had any visitors to her flat,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00but she seemed to manage very well on her own.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04I think Constance was quite strong willed
0:17:04 > 0:17:07and I would have said she probably was quite feisty,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11because she just came across as being quite confident.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15She'd be there, you know, with five or six big carrier bags from Tesco's.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I'd sort of say to her, you know, "Would you like me to help you?"
0:17:18 > 0:17:22"Oh no, no, I think I'll be fine. I can get up these flights of stairs!"
0:17:26 > 0:17:31Constance never made a will and shortly after she passed away
0:17:31 > 0:17:36her case came to the attention of case manager Dave Slee.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40We very quickly established that Constance had died,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42having owned her own property in Worthing.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46And therefore we knew that the estate would have some value.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51The estate of Constance Harrington was in fact valued at £130,000.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55But there was no sign of any immediate family who could be beneficiaries.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59The next step was to look for any brothers or sisters
0:17:59 > 0:18:04and, for that, David needed to get hold of her birth certificate.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09It told him that Constance was born in 1922 in Bethnal Green in east London.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13And that her parents were Stephen Harrington and Ethel Mullings.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17So we undertook a search of birth records in England and Wales
0:18:17 > 0:18:21from 1919 up to 1922, when Constance was born.
0:18:21 > 0:18:26And then of course we went past that date for another 20 years
0:18:26 > 0:18:30and we were able to prove that Constance was in fact an only child.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Constance grew up with her parents in Hackney
0:18:36 > 0:18:40and was educated at the local Coburn High School for Girls.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42She must have done well at school, because after she left,
0:18:42 > 0:18:48she became a secretary to the managing directors of several large London firms.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50But all that was about to change.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58In 1939, the Second World War broke out and by 1943
0:18:58 > 0:19:04Constance had enlisted in the Wrens, the Women's Royal Naval service.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08The Wrens play an absolutely key role in the Second World War.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12There are about 75,000 of them at the peak in 1944.
0:19:12 > 0:19:18There weren't enough male personnel to carry out all the administrative jobs required.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21And clearly the best male personnel tended to be sent to sea.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25So what the Wrens allowed you to get was first class people,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27running the administration of the Royal Navy.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Christian Lamb also served as a Wren during the war
0:19:32 > 0:19:36and remembers the excitement of being a part of the war effort.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38It was very difficult to get in,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40because lots and lots of people wanted to join.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44The girls came from absolutely any background.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46It was the war, you must remember this.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51And everybody felt desperate to help in any way they could.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Wrens fulfilled every role, from drivers and cooks,
0:19:55 > 0:19:56to aircraft mechanics.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59But Constance's experiences as a high-level secretary
0:19:59 > 0:20:04meant that she was involved with the actual operational planning of the war.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08After a first posting to Combined Operations headquarters,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Constance was sent to Norfolk House,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13where she worked directly for Lord Louis Mountbatten
0:20:13 > 0:20:17as the Allied Expeditionary Force prepared for D-Day.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21We all knew, of course, that D-Day day was coming up.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25But we didn't talk about our own particular part in it.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28We were sworn to secrecy.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31You just knew that you were living history,
0:20:31 > 0:20:35in the sort of way that nobody could imagine that you ever would do
0:20:35 > 0:20:38as a girl of, what, 25 or something.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40The most extraordinary situation.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46As a key member of the support staff, Constance was intimately involved
0:20:46 > 0:20:50in the creation of what's been called the greatest ever masterpiece of naval planning -
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Operation Neptune.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00On 6 June, 1944, 7,000 ships landed over 150,000 troops
0:21:00 > 0:21:04on the Normandy coast to begin the Allied invasion of France.
0:21:06 > 0:21:12The coast was divided into five sectors - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Sword, and Juno.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Constance was assigned to Force J, whose destination was Juno Beach.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23It demonstrates the complexity of the planning required,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25that all these forces, with air support too,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28had to be brought in at the right time and in the right place.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32And there was, considering the difficulty of the operation, remarkably little confusion.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35And that was a tribute to Constance and the other planners.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39A few days after the successful completion of Operation Neptune,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43one of Constance's commanding officers wrote a letter
0:21:43 > 0:21:45recommending her for promotion to officer.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50His admiration for Wren Harrington and her work is very clear.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52'The success up to now of the small part of the operation
0:21:52 > 0:21:56'for which I have been responsible' - quite a large small part, actually -
0:21:56 > 0:22:00'is in no small measure due to her hard work and efficiency.'
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Clearly, a key role in a key operation.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Back in the office and Dave Slee was engaged in a detailed operation of his own,
0:22:10 > 0:22:15tracking down the heirs to Constance's £130,000 estate.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Having established that she was an only child,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22he now had to look for any uncles, aunts or cousins.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Through online research,
0:22:24 > 0:22:29he discovered that her paternal grandparents were William Harrington and Elizabeth Hawksbee,
0:22:29 > 0:22:34who were married in Bethnal Green in 1870 and had seven children.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Dave needed to know if any of these aunts and uncles
0:22:37 > 0:22:41had had children who would be Constance's cousins.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44So he set about tracing each and every one.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47We know that Constance had two paternal aunts,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50one named Florence and one named Beatrice.
0:22:50 > 0:22:57And we quickly established that it would appear that they both died in Dartford as children.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Now, in view of the fact that the family never appeared to leave Bethnal Green,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05it made me think that there must have been some reason why they were in Dartford.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09And I kind of had the hunch that probably they died in a hospital.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Dave's hunch turned out to be correct.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Florence and Beatrice's death certificates revealed that they both died in 1894.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23Their place of death was given as the hospital ship Atlas,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27one of two ships moored on the Thames that were used to house smallpox patients.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Smallpox was probably the most feared disease
0:23:33 > 0:23:38from about 1600 onwards, or 1700 onwards.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42After the end of the Plague, smallpox was probably
0:23:42 > 0:23:47the biggest widespread killer that affected people in the British Isles.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Although smallpox has now been eradicated
0:23:49 > 0:23:53thanks to effective vaccination, in the late 19th century
0:23:53 > 0:23:57the big problem was how to isolate sufferers and prevent its spread.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01As soon as Constance's aunts were suspected of having the disease,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05they would have been taken to a designated wharf on the river,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07where they were assessed by doctors.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10From there, they were taken by converted paddleboat
0:24:10 > 0:24:14out to the two hospital ships - the Atlas and the Endymion.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21We know that of the 20,000 people who went from London
0:24:21 > 0:24:26to the hospital ships over the 17 or so years that they were in operation,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30that about 4,000 died, about 20%.
0:24:30 > 0:24:36But at the same time, 16,000 eventually came back home to London.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Sadly, Constance's aunts never returned
0:24:39 > 0:24:41to their family in Bethnal Green.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44As children, they were particularly vulnerable.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Florence died first, aged 13,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51followed three weeks later by her sister Beatrice, aged five.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00It turned out that, out of Constance's six uncles and aunts, only two of them had married
0:25:00 > 0:25:04and had children who could be Constance's heirs.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06The eldest one, William, had married a Caroline Tovee
0:25:06 > 0:25:11in 1893 in Bethnal Green, and they had a son called Reginald.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16He in turn had married and had a son, also called Reginald.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20It looked like Dave was finally closing in
0:25:20 > 0:25:23on his first beneficiary to Constance Harrington's estate,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27but little did he know that this investigation was about to lead him
0:25:27 > 0:25:30to the heart of one of the defining events of 20th-century Britain.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36From talking with family members, I discovered that Constance
0:25:36 > 0:25:40worked for a famous, if somewhat infamous, person
0:25:40 > 0:25:42who was involved in a scandal
0:25:42 > 0:25:45that rocked the whole of the British Establishment.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53Before we uncover the twists and turns that happened in the hunt for Constance's heirs,
0:25:53 > 0:25:59I've heard that the team have discovered more information about her life and times.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03I've come to central London to find out exactly what this is.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It turns out that during the process of dealing with her estate
0:26:07 > 0:26:10boss Neil Fraser has discovered paperwork
0:26:10 > 0:26:14that sheds yet more light on Constance and her amazing career.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16- Hi, Neil.- Hi.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20- So, what have you found?- Well, we've been through Constance's house,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24trying to find information about her family and financial information.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28While having a look through we found a couple of photo albums and quite a few letters.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33Inside the photo albums, which are particularly interesting,
0:26:33 > 0:26:37we have photos in here of Constance's time as a Wren.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41There's a photo here of what looked to me like quite high-ranking
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Army, Navy and Air Force officers.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47And then four women in the middle and Constance is the second one in.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- There she is. Just the four of them. - Standing in uniform.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55And then, if we look further through this album, there's one picture which
0:26:55 > 0:26:59to me is particular interesting, it's a bit more about the history.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04And it appears to look like quite an old, almost Wild West photo.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08- Yeah.- But it says here it's from the 2nd of August, 1919.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13It's the wedding of Daddy and Mother, so this must be her parents,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16just got married. They're taken down here, this is in Eastbourne.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19And we think that's where they went on honeymoon.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24So... Absolutely unique snapshot into Constance's life
0:27:24 > 0:27:27and her family life, which has never really been seen
0:27:27 > 0:27:29by many people at all.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32And then, as we go into the other albums, we've just more
0:27:32 > 0:27:36and more of her family photos and pictures of her
0:27:36 > 0:27:41- through her life and different bits of her again in uniform.- Yeah.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42There she is again.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46Photo albums and things like this just help us
0:27:46 > 0:27:48put a bit more emotion onto the family.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52And changing from a name on a list onto an actual person,
0:27:52 > 0:27:57and obviously all these photos will now be passed over to the beneficiaries.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01It helps them with the emotional connection back to the deceased.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06Heir hunting's not all about money, it's about bringing the families back
0:28:06 > 0:28:11together, it's about trying to show people their relatives
0:28:11 > 0:28:15and hopefully, when we've found a beneficiary, that'll spur them on
0:28:15 > 0:28:18to making a will so we don't have to deal with a case like this again.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23It's fascinating to see first-hand these snapshots of Constance's life
0:28:23 > 0:28:27over the years. She obviously loved her job as a Wren,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31and as we've already heard, was very, very good at it.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33So what else have you got here, what are these letters?
0:28:33 > 0:28:38What we have here is a few letters, a few bits of correspondence.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43This is describing Wren C Harrington,
0:28:43 > 0:28:47and it's commending her excellent work in the South Asia Command.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49And this from...
0:28:49 > 0:28:51- Mountbatten.- Mountbatten.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55And there's a few coming through from commanders in the Royal Navy
0:28:55 > 0:28:58about how Third Officer Harrington of the Wrens...
0:28:58 > 0:29:01"She carried out her duties with marked zeal and ability,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04"displayed intense loyalty to me personally
0:29:04 > 0:29:07"and to organisation as a whole. She's hard-working,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10"is not discouraged or ruffled by difficulties."
0:29:10 > 0:29:11Aw!
0:29:11 > 0:29:15"She has a pleasant personality and is a very good mixer."
0:29:15 > 0:29:16And these go through, I think,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20every single one of the letters we have here commends Constance
0:29:20 > 0:29:27as a very worthy Wren, very worthy, and it seems like everyone is...
0:29:29 > 0:29:33It seems a shame to actually move her on as she gets promoted
0:29:33 > 0:29:34through the ranks.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37I mean, it's just amazing when we look through here about some of
0:29:37 > 0:29:41the roles she had and some of the people she worked for
0:29:41 > 0:29:43throughout the wartime period.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46"I have formed the highest opinion of her character
0:29:46 > 0:29:48"and have no hesitation in recommending her
0:29:48 > 0:29:51"for a position of responsibility and trust."
0:29:51 > 0:29:52And they're all like this.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57Just incredible references. "She's tactful, has a good manner,
0:29:57 > 0:29:58"is always cheerful.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02"Entirely trustworthy and extremely loyal."
0:30:02 > 0:30:07These letters are truly amazing - as amazing as Constance herself.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11It's wonderful to think all of this documentation will one day go
0:30:11 > 0:30:14to her long-lost relatives, who can begin to get to know her
0:30:14 > 0:30:15and her achievements.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18The revelations don't end there.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Neil has discovered a very rare document indeed.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24It's a CV, it's Constance's CV.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Written probably sometime in 1956,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29cos of her last appointment down here.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32It gives her name, date of birth, that she went to grammar school
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and some of her education. And also her typing speed
0:30:35 > 0:30:36of 75 words a minute.
0:30:36 > 0:30:43Some of her time through the army and the Wren and who she was working for.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47And then the last bit where she finished up her career.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50There's a bit here from 1945 to 1949
0:30:50 > 0:30:52when she was commissioned in the Women's Royal Navy Service.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56Assistant Secretary to Navy Officer in Charge of Londonderry.
0:30:56 > 0:31:01Secretary of the Joint/AS School, Londonderry from its inception.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06This part here links into this letter from 9th of February, 1950.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11"Miss Constance Harrington served as Third Officer WRNS
0:31:11 > 0:31:15"under my command from January 1947 until October 1947,
0:31:15 > 0:31:19"in the capacity of Secretary to the Joint Anti-Submarine School, Londonderry."
0:31:20 > 0:31:22This is amazing.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26All this stuff you've brought today is absolutely fascinating.
0:31:26 > 0:31:27Thank you for all this information.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30I now want to find out all about the Anti-Submarine School.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34'So join me later, when I'll be diving into yet another chapter
0:31:34 > 0:31:36'of this amazing woman's life.'
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Let's return to the case of David Granger.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Can the heir hunters solve the mystery of the boys
0:31:47 > 0:31:49separated from their family?
0:31:50 > 0:31:53The team in the office have been trying to find the rightful heirs
0:31:53 > 0:31:56to his £150,000 estate.
0:31:56 > 0:32:02David died in Northampton aged 67, and no photograph of him survives.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05The researchers have discovered that after a successful career
0:32:05 > 0:32:07at a computer firm in Warwick,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10David left to start a wrought iron business
0:32:10 > 0:32:12and started working with his hands,
0:32:12 > 0:32:14a passion he shared with his friend Steve.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Whatever he did, it was perfection.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22There was always a better way of doing something with Dave,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24and Dave would find a way.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27If you ever needed help, Dave was always there.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29You know, you could ring Dave up
0:32:29 > 0:32:31and he's the first person to help you out.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35David was undoubtedly very generous to his friends,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37but he was naturally quite reserved.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Dave, as far as I know, was an only child.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44He was brought up in Northamptonshire.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48He never really discussed his personal life.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56So far, this case has been a frustrating one
0:32:56 > 0:32:58for case manager Grimble.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02There are no entitled heirs on the maternal side,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05and on the father's side, his best lead
0:33:05 > 0:33:09is a tantalising glimpse of two boys' names on the 1911 census.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14The census entry for the residential West London District School
0:33:14 > 0:33:18shows a Charles Granger aged six, who could be David's father,
0:33:18 > 0:33:22and a Frank Granger aged eight, who could be his uncle.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28Neil think he knows why the boys aren't registered with their family.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Is it a poor school? Is it a poor school, is it?
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Yeah, so they've been abandoned in a poor school.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39The school they were at was the West London District School
0:33:39 > 0:33:42and was one of several in London known as poor schools
0:33:42 > 0:33:44that took in children from poor families
0:33:44 > 0:33:47who couldn't afford to care for them themselves.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49It was quite a large building.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52It housed pretty much 700 or 800 children
0:33:52 > 0:33:56and had a large dining hall and very large grounds.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58It had about 70 acres of grounds.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01It was actually its own little community, a little village, almost.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06They were taught shoemaking, carpentry,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09anything that would make them employable in later life.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14They would stay there either until their parents left the workhouse
0:34:14 > 0:34:18and they would be united, or in some cases they would stay there
0:34:18 > 0:34:21until they reached the age of 15
0:34:21 > 0:34:25when they would then be old enough to lead an independent life.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32If the two boys on the census WERE David's father and uncle,
0:34:32 > 0:34:36it seems that they grew up separated from their parents,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38and after they left the school, it's unlikely
0:34:38 > 0:34:40that they would have returned to the family,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43which is going to make it even harder for Neil
0:34:43 > 0:34:47to make the vital connection that will prove he's on the right track.
0:34:48 > 0:34:49But in the meantime,
0:34:49 > 0:34:53all they can do is press on and pursue every lead they have.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57- I, or without the I on his...? - With the I.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Gareth has been trying to trace Frank Granger after he left the school
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and has found three marriages that could be relevant.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11What's the first one?
0:35:11 > 0:35:13Emily. B-A-I-L-E-Y.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18One of the marriages to an Emily Bailey seems promising,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21so they immediately put in a request for a certificate.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24It turns out this marriage produced three children,
0:35:24 > 0:35:26who could be first cousins to David.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31Further investigation reveals that Peter and Anne have died,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34but James, it appears, is still alive.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37He's a potential claimant.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43We can't be 100% sure at the moment, but from what we can see
0:35:43 > 0:35:47from the records, there's a good chance he is part of the family.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51And hopefully, by talking to him, he may give us
0:35:51 > 0:35:56some information that may put it all together, so we'll give him a try.
0:35:56 > 0:36:02Dave sends senior heir hunter on the road, Bob Barrett, round to James's house,
0:36:02 > 0:36:06but Bob's been warned that this could be a wild goose chase.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10It may very well NOT be an heir, so the first thing I'll do
0:36:10 > 0:36:14if I manage to find this gentleman is to try and ascertain
0:36:14 > 0:36:16that he comes from the right family.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22- Mr Granger?- He's in luck.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26James Granger is in, so Bob gets straight down to business.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30- So you don't know your dad's date of birth?- No, no, I don't.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34But quickly realises he's not going to get the answers he's looking for.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38- Or where he was born?- No. - And you don't know when he died?- No.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41You don't remember any aunts and uncles on his side?
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Nobody has ever mentioned anything about that side.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48It turns out that James's parents split up when he was very young,
0:36:48 > 0:36:52so he knows nothing about his real father, Frank Granger.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56Although Bob still isn't convinced that James is an entitled heir,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59he talks him through the process of claiming on an estate.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Just one signature just there.
0:37:01 > 0:37:02James is happy for the heir hunters
0:37:02 > 0:37:04to help him make his claim to the Treasury,
0:37:04 > 0:37:07if he turns out to be connected to the family.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Right, be seeing you, then.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Everything about this case is still very uncertain.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16Bob may have just signed up his first heir, and if he has,
0:37:16 > 0:37:20then James could finally fill in the gaps in his family history.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Money doesn't really bother me,
0:37:23 > 0:37:29so it's nice to know, cos I don't know a lot of my relatives.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Well, I mean, I was too young, put it that way,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37and I was never one for investigating.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40I just take life as it comes.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45- Hiya, Grimble, please.- Meanwhile, Bob checks back in with the office.
0:37:45 > 0:37:50Would you believe it, the one time when we need someone to know
0:37:50 > 0:37:53something about their father, this Mr Granger doesn't.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58But even as Bob is relaying his latest setback to Grimble,
0:37:58 > 0:38:02downstairs, Gareth is having a eureka moment.
0:38:02 > 0:38:07I'm wondering, have they just abandoned their first two children, Frank and Charles?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Possibly because they couldn't afford to look after them,
0:38:11 > 0:38:16and at a later date, they've been in a better position and started having kids again.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18Gareth's found an entry on the 1911 census
0:38:18 > 0:38:20for a Henry and Martha Granger.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24It shows them having two children, Thomas and Rose.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27There's no mention of Charles or Frank,
0:38:27 > 0:38:29the two boys who had been sent away to the poor school,
0:38:29 > 0:38:33but Gareth thinks that they are part of the same family.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37We're not sure it's right, but so much of it ties in,
0:38:37 > 0:38:40so much of it looks good. We're working it.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43If his theory's correct,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46then he's just found another aunt and uncle of the deceased.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49James Granger, the newly signed potential heir,
0:38:49 > 0:38:51would also be their nephew.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54If Thomas and Rose had gone on to have children,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57they would also be heirs, but frustratingly,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59this is where the trail runs dry.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06It's like a whole section of the family, for some reason, has vanished.
0:39:06 > 0:39:07It's really hard, this case.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12But undaunted, Simon and Gareth get stuck into this new challenge,
0:39:12 > 0:39:16and between them, they find out the truth.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19Thomas, it seems, died as an infant, but Rose hadn't vanished.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21She'd emigrated.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24- Where was your guess for Rose? - Arkansas.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28- They've gone to America.- Well done.
0:39:30 > 0:39:35Rose Granger may have died, but she has a daughter living in America.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38She is another potential first cousin of David's
0:39:38 > 0:39:40and heir to his estate.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43Simon is delighted.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45So it looks as if they've gone to Arkansas,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47and more importantly, she's on the phone.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51It's 2pm in London, and 8am in Arkansas.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Grimble rings the possible cousin with what he hopes
0:39:55 > 0:39:56will be a happy wake-up call.
0:39:57 > 0:40:03Right, she was Rose, was she? Right. OK.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Can you tell me, did your mother have any other brothers or sisters at all?
0:40:07 > 0:40:10It's vital that Grimble establishes a link
0:40:10 > 0:40:12between Rose's daughter and the deceased.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15The two brothers that left home,
0:40:15 > 0:40:17were they older or younger than your mother?
0:40:21 > 0:40:25Amazingly, she seems to know a lot about her mother's family,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29and it looks like it's tying in with Gareth's theory.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Bye-bye.
0:40:31 > 0:40:32A lovely old girl.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Well, don't know if it's the right family,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38but everything adds up, doesn't it?
0:40:38 > 0:40:45She's saying that her mother, um, she had two brothers that left home,
0:40:45 > 0:40:51and that's basically our deceased father and his brother Frank.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55The grandmother had two other children.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Grimble heads down downstairs to share the good news.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05She read out all the details on her mother's birth certificate that she had,
0:41:05 > 0:41:10which gives us date of birth and confirms Henry and Martha Amy.
0:41:10 > 0:41:15- Peek?- Peek. That's definitely right as far as that's concerned.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19It's a great result for the team.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22All their hard work has finally paid off,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25but there's still one missing piece to this jigsaw.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29Is James Granger, who signed the agreement earlier,
0:41:29 > 0:41:34really David Granger's first cousin and a bona fide heir to his estate?
0:41:34 > 0:41:38The answer is contained on his father Frank Granger's marriage certificate,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41which has just arrived in the office.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44So this is our guy. He is right.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47The certificate proves that Frank and Charles, the two boys
0:41:47 > 0:41:52who were sent away to the poor school, were indeed brothers.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Frank's father is listed as Henry Granger,
0:41:55 > 0:41:57who was Charles's father as well.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01This means that Frank's son James is a first cousin
0:42:01 > 0:42:03and heir of the deceased.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05Grimble is delighted.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07I think we've got the right family.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Full marks to all the researchers down there.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12They've done a very good job, I think.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14In the end,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18the heir hunters traced a total of six beneficiaries on this case.
0:42:18 > 0:42:23Fraser & Fraser estimate the estate could be worth as much as £480,000
0:42:23 > 0:42:27based on the sale of David's businesses, but the final value
0:42:27 > 0:42:31will only be confirmed by the Treasury to the heirs.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35All in all, it's was a good day's heir hunting, and Neil knows it.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39Hard work and good research has enabled us to solve a case
0:42:39 > 0:42:42which this morning looked like it may never be solved.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52Here are some more unsolved cases where heirs still need to be found.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55The Government's database has over 2,000 names on it.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58This is money that is owed to members of the public.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01New cases are added all the time.
0:43:01 > 0:43:06Cases get on our unclaimed list after a little while.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10The procedure is that initially the case will come in, we will make some
0:43:10 > 0:43:15enquiries ourselves to see whether we can trace relatives or a will.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19If those initial enquiries don't bring forth anything,
0:43:19 > 0:43:21we will then advertise.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24But these cases do not stay on the list forever.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Well, it'll stay on the list as long as it's claimable
0:43:27 > 0:43:29and actually, under the Limitation Act,
0:43:29 > 0:43:35people have 12 years to come forward and claim, and that 12 years runs
0:43:35 > 0:43:38from the date the administration of the estate is completed.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41Let's have one last go at finding rightful heirs
0:43:41 > 0:43:43to estates on the list.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47Do these names mean anything to you? Are they relatives of yours?
0:43:49 > 0:43:53Henry Albert Powis died in Chelmsford in November 2007.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56The name Powis is most common in the Hereford area
0:43:56 > 0:43:58and the Anglo-Welsh border.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Did you know Henry? Do you know anything about his family?
0:44:04 > 0:44:11Elizabeth Baulch died on the 15th of May 2009 in Thamesmead in London.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14Baulch is a very rare name, shared by only eight people
0:44:14 > 0:44:17in a million according to the most recent census.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21Do you share Elizabeth's rare surname?
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Could you be a relative entitled to her unclaimed estate?
0:44:26 > 0:44:30Subhi Subhedar died on the 16th of July 1998
0:44:30 > 0:44:33in St Thomas's Hospital in Lambeth, London.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36I have Subhi's death certificate here.
0:44:36 > 0:44:41It shows that he was born on the 17th of March 1935, in India.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45The death certificate also reveals that Subhi was an architect.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Was he a colleague of yours?
0:44:47 > 0:44:52If you think you're related to Subhi or any of the people featured today,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55then follow the Treasury Solicitors' advice.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58If people want to find out information
0:44:58 > 0:45:03about Bona Vacantia Division, the first port of call is our website.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06We have a dedicated website and there's information on there
0:45:06 > 0:45:10for them to find out about what we do and how to make a claim.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13A reminder of those names again.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17Henry Powis, Elizabeth Baulch
0:45:17 > 0:45:18and Subhi Subhedar.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23If today's names are relatives of yours,
0:45:23 > 0:45:25you could be entitled to a forgotten fortune.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35Now back to the case of Constance Harrington from Worthing,
0:45:35 > 0:45:39who had been an outstanding Wren in World War Two.
0:45:39 > 0:45:45Constance died aged 87, leaving behind an estate worth £130,000,
0:45:45 > 0:45:47but no will.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50I found out from heir hunter Neil that Constance worked
0:45:50 > 0:45:53for the Anti-Submarine School in Londonderry.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55To find out more,
0:45:55 > 0:45:59I've asked naval historian Eric Grove to investigate further.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04- Hello, Eric.- Hello, nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07So what was the Anti-Submarine School
0:46:07 > 0:46:08and why was it in Londonderry?
0:46:08 > 0:46:12It was the main centre where air
0:46:12 > 0:46:15and naval tactics against submarines were developed.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18And it was in Londonderry because Londonderry was a major base
0:46:18 > 0:46:20in the Second World War for operations against the U-boats.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23It was as far west as we could get in the United Kingdom
0:46:23 > 0:46:26and it and Liverpool were the two major anti-submarine bases
0:46:26 > 0:46:28in the Second World War.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34The U-boats were so called by the British because of the German name
0:46:34 > 0:46:39for submarines - unterseeboot - basically, "under sea boat".
0:46:39 > 0:46:42The German U-boat fleets were a major thorn in the Allies' side
0:46:42 > 0:46:44during World War Two.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47It wasn't so much the damage they did to warships,
0:46:47 > 0:46:49but merchant shipping instead,
0:46:49 > 0:46:52stopping crucial supplies crossing the Atlantic to the UK.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58By the end of the war, it's estimated that 3,000 Allied ships
0:46:58 > 0:47:01had been sunk by U-boat torpedoes.
0:47:01 > 0:47:06And about 2,800 of those ships had been merchant vessels.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10The Anti-Submarine School was key to helping end this threat forever.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18So Constance would have been at the Anti-Submarine School
0:47:18 > 0:47:22between 1945 and 1947. What would she have been doing?
0:47:22 > 0:47:25The first big thing, and I think she was transferred there
0:47:25 > 0:47:28to help administer this, was Operation Deadlight.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32- And what's Operation Deadlight? - Disposing of the German U-boat fleet.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36The British insisted that the vast majority of the available German
0:47:36 > 0:47:39submarines left at the end of the war should be sunk,
0:47:39 > 0:47:41because they'd been the biggest threat during the war
0:47:41 > 0:47:44and they didn't want these to get into the hands of a country
0:47:44 > 0:47:46that might be a threat after the war.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49So, of about 156, I think, were surrendered at the end of the war,
0:47:49 > 0:47:5140 went to the various victor powers
0:47:51 > 0:47:56and over 100 were sunk in various ways in the Irish...
0:47:56 > 0:47:59well, at the entrance to the Irish Sea off Northern Ireland.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07The plan was that they would lay charges in the bow and the stern.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09Trouble was, they were in such a bad state.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11They had been badly built to start with,
0:48:11 > 0:48:13many of them in the latter part of the war.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17And they really didn't get to where they were supposed to be scuttled,
0:48:17 > 0:48:19so they were sunk by gunfire, most of them.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Some were sunk by depth charges dropped by aircraft
0:48:22 > 0:48:24to practise anti-submarine techniques.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28And they were all got rid of, and it was quite a remarkable operation.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32The sea to the north of Ireland is scattered
0:48:32 > 0:48:34with wrecked German submarines.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38Even with the German U-boat fleet destroyed, their legacy lived on.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42Constance and the Anti-Submarine School were also thinking
0:48:42 > 0:48:45about the future threat of the submarine.
0:48:45 > 0:48:47And there was a joker in the pack too.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49The Germans, at the end of the war, had developed submarines
0:48:49 > 0:48:52of a new design, with very high underwater speed.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55And this required new weapons and new tactics,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58so it was crucially important that there should be a centre of excellence,
0:48:58 > 0:49:00like the Anti-Submarine School,
0:49:00 > 0:49:02to try and develop means of countering what could be
0:49:02 > 0:49:06an even greater threat in a new war than the U-boats had been in the Second World War.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09And why was there all this effort to counter submarines?
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Submarines had been the main threat to Britain's control of the sea
0:49:12 > 0:49:15in the Second World War, the main threat to Britain's survival perhaps.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18And we needed to counter submarines in the Second World War
0:49:18 > 0:49:20and there was the prospect that somebody else -
0:49:20 > 0:49:23as time went by, it looked as if it would be the Soviet Union -
0:49:23 > 0:49:27would threaten Britain with submarines in a future war.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31So yet again Constance was right in the middle of the action.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33From his research into this amazing woman,
0:49:33 > 0:49:35this comes as no surprise to Eric.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38The anti-submarine warfare experts insisted that
0:49:38 > 0:49:41the Joint Anti-Submarine School be retained after the war,
0:49:41 > 0:49:43that it be established and Constance was there
0:49:43 > 0:49:46when it was established as a permanent establishment.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49And it was really perhaps the most important thing
0:49:49 > 0:49:50in the Royal Navy at the time.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53This is all too typical, from what I know about Constance,
0:49:53 > 0:49:58she was at the centre of activities, combined operations, D-day and so on.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01And it's no wonder that she retired on a bit of a high,
0:50:01 > 0:50:05at the end of her naval career because she'd always been at the centre of things
0:50:05 > 0:50:10and you couldn't have been more at the centre of things than being in Londonderry at this time.
0:50:13 > 0:50:17Now let's discover how Constance's case came to a conclusion.
0:50:17 > 0:50:23She died aged 87, leaving no will and an estate worth £130,000.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29Heir hunter Dave Slee's search for Constance's heirs has brought him
0:50:29 > 0:50:32to the brink of his first major breakthrough.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36By tracing the descendants of her Uncle William,
0:50:36 > 0:50:40he had arrived at her first cousin once removed, Reginald Harrington.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45Reginald was Dave's first live heir on this case,
0:50:45 > 0:50:48so he didn't waste any time getting in touch.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52It was a complete surprise to me, I had no idea, in fact,
0:50:52 > 0:50:57that I had a cousin, once removed, named Constance.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01It turned out that, for some reason, Reginald's father,
0:51:01 > 0:51:05also Reginald, had had very little contact with his family after he married.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10I didn't come across my family until I was a young man myself,
0:51:10 > 0:51:14so my paternal family is quite distant to me,
0:51:14 > 0:51:19which is one of the reasons why I'm now so keen to learn more.
0:51:19 > 0:51:20Did she talk about any of the others?
0:51:20 > 0:51:24Dave was able to tell Reginald about his cousin Constance's
0:51:24 > 0:51:28illustrious wartime career, but as it turned out,
0:51:28 > 0:51:31this was only her first step along the corridors of power.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35As the investigation continued and Dave spoke to more
0:51:35 > 0:51:38of Constance's descendants, he made a fascinating discovery.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42I found out from a family member that, incredibly,
0:51:42 > 0:51:49Constance at one time was working as the private secretary to John Profumo
0:51:49 > 0:51:52who, later on, as the Minister of War,
0:51:52 > 0:51:55was involved in the Profumo scandal.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59John Profumo was a Conservative politician
0:51:59 > 0:52:04who served as Secretary of State for War from 1960 to 1963.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07During this time, he had an adulterous affair with
0:52:07 > 0:52:11a glamorous call girl named Christine Keeler, sparking off
0:52:11 > 0:52:14one of the greatest political scandals of the 20th century.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20Profumo famously fell for Christine's charms
0:52:20 > 0:52:23when they met by the swimming pool of Cliveden House,
0:52:23 > 0:52:26where they were both guests at a house party.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31The year was 1961.
0:52:31 > 0:52:36Profumo and Christine embarked on a brief affair that ended
0:52:36 > 0:52:38after he was warned about her friendship
0:52:38 > 0:52:40with society osteopath Stephen Ward.
0:52:41 > 0:52:47It was known to the security services that Ward had
0:52:47 > 0:52:52some connections and had been trying to make contact with the Russians.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56Ward seems to have been a bit of a fantasist
0:52:56 > 0:53:02and was trying to sell secrets to the Russians and find ways of doing that.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04Fast-forward 18 months,
0:53:04 > 0:53:08and the press have got wind of the affair and are hounding Christine.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11It's become known that another of her boyfriends,
0:53:11 > 0:53:15also introduced to her by Ward, was Yevgeni Ivanov,
0:53:15 > 0:53:19a Russian naval attache to the Soviet embassy in London.
0:53:19 > 0:53:24One of the reasons why the Profumo affair becomes so toxic
0:53:24 > 0:53:29is because it could be associated with security scandals
0:53:29 > 0:53:34and with the whole idea of spying
0:53:34 > 0:53:37in the wake of a series of spy scandals
0:53:37 > 0:53:40which had broken over the previous year or so.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43Profumo offered to resign,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46but when questioned in private by members of his own party,
0:53:46 > 0:53:49he denied that he had had a relationship with Keeler.
0:53:49 > 0:53:55He went on to reaffirm that in the House of Commons
0:53:55 > 0:53:58in his statement on 22nd March 1963,
0:53:58 > 0:54:01and it's that statement that,
0:54:01 > 0:54:05"There was no impropriety in my acquaintanceship with Miss Keeler"
0:54:05 > 0:54:10which came back to bite him later on in the year,
0:54:10 > 0:54:13when it became apparent that this was untrue.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18Having previously worked with Profumo, Constance would have taken
0:54:18 > 0:54:20a lot of interest in the case,
0:54:20 > 0:54:24but would of course remain entirely professional and discrete.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31Good private secretaries would have been brought up not to have enquired
0:54:31 > 0:54:35into things that don't directly concern them anyway.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38But it turned out nothing could save him.
0:54:38 > 0:54:44On 5th June 1963, after sustained pressure by the press and MPs,
0:54:44 > 0:54:46John Profumo finally admitted his lie
0:54:46 > 0:54:48and resigned from the Government.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52He devoted the rest of his life to charity,
0:54:52 > 0:54:56and in 1975, 20 years after his fall from grace,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58he was awarded the CBE.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04By the time he dies in 2006,
0:55:04 > 0:55:10he's felt to have fully atoned for his crimes, such as they were,
0:55:10 > 0:55:16and to have made a signal contribution to society,
0:55:16 > 0:55:20but in a rather different way from during his parliamentary career.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24Constance had an astounding career
0:55:24 > 0:55:27and had been a loyal secretary to all the important figures
0:55:27 > 0:55:29that she worked with over the years.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33For Dave Slee, it was a successful and eye-opening investigation.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Thank you now, bye-bye.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40Initially, we just thought this is in a state of hover.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43A lady that's lived in London and retired, as so many people do,
0:55:43 > 0:55:47onto the south coast, and it wasn't until we delved deeper
0:55:47 > 0:55:50into Constance's background that we discovered
0:55:50 > 0:55:52what a fascinating life she led.
0:55:52 > 0:55:57So, from our point of view, to research estates where people have
0:55:57 > 0:56:02this connection with famous events is, of course, really rewarding.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07In the end, the company found 30 heirs
0:56:07 > 0:56:10to Constance's £130,000 estate,
0:56:10 > 0:56:1315 on each side of the family.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15The investigation was over,
0:56:15 > 0:56:18but the heir hunters had accumulated some fascinating information
0:56:18 > 0:56:22about Constance which they wanted to share with their cousin Reginald,
0:56:22 > 0:56:26so senior researcher on the road, Dave Hadley, went over to meet him.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29- Mr Harrington.- Hello.- Hello.
0:56:29 > 0:56:30- It's good to see you.- And you.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34- As well as the Harrington family tree...- That's Constance.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37- Constance, yes. - And there's you.- Yes.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40..Dave has also brought a letter written by Constance
0:56:40 > 0:56:42to one of her maternal cousins.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45- I'll let you read the letter. - Thank you.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49In it, she speaks of an enduring friendship with Profumo and his wife.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52"He invited me to stay with him
0:56:52 > 0:56:56"and his wife at their country cottage in Sawbridgeworth.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58"I felt very honoured."
0:56:58 > 0:57:01The letter also offers an intriguing glimpse into her thoughts
0:57:01 > 0:57:05about the scandal that put an end to her old boss's career.
0:57:05 > 0:57:11"I am convinced that he was set up at Cliveden with Christine Keeler.
0:57:12 > 0:57:18"People who did not want him to rise to the top and were jealous of him.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22"He was a top man. He made a mistake,
0:57:22 > 0:57:26"but we are all sinners, are we not?"
0:57:28 > 0:57:32Hearing Constance's point of view is a moving experience
0:57:32 > 0:57:34for both heir hunter and heir.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38Somehow, I feel I almost have a link with her.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41I was in the Royal Marines myself.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45She was a Wren and, I don't know, there's a closeness
0:57:45 > 0:57:49that seems to have developed now which I didn't dream would happen.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51It's been absolutely fascinating.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56It turns out there are other family similarities as well.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59Like her cousin Constance before her,
0:57:59 > 0:58:03Reg's younger daughter Claire has also had a high-flying career.
0:58:03 > 0:58:07As a PA at 10 Downing Street, she's worked for three Prime Ministers
0:58:07 > 0:58:10and travelled all over the world on state business.
0:58:10 > 0:58:15There's a parallel there, isn't there, that they both have worked
0:58:15 > 0:58:21at the highest level, so I'm very proud of both of them, I really am.
0:58:35 > 0:58:38Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd