0:00:02 > 0:00:06In the UK, around 30 million adults haven't made a will.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10If anyone dies without one, or with no known relatives,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13their estate is dealt with by the Bona Vacantia,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16a division of the Treasury Solicitors Office.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18When the new cases are brought to me
0:00:18 > 0:00:20we make any enquiries that we can make to find kin,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24and then if we can't find kin, they're then put onto the website
0:00:24 > 0:00:27for kin to come forward themselves and claim the estate.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32And that's where the heir hunters step in.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35They use specialist skills to trace long-lost relatives.
0:00:36 > 0:00:3812 children off their marriage.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Oh, Lord, so we want Mum to be alive.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Their investigations delve into the past
0:00:44 > 0:00:46and uncover hidden stories.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Edward Burlton was a farm bailiff.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51All the Burlton children were all involved in farming.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53They bring family memories back to life.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57You look like Mum a bit! Your eyes.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59And, at the end of the day,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01they bring news of an unexpected windfall.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05With a little bit of financial help,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I will now be able to spend more time researching family,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11keeping in touch with distant relatives...
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Could the heir hunters be knocking at your door?
0:01:19 > 0:01:24Coming up - the hunters have a majestic mission on their hands
0:01:24 > 0:01:27as he attempts to track down a family of Kings.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29King is a pretty bad surname to research.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32And while searching through piles of belongings,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35the team come across a gem of Imperial worth!
0:01:35 > 0:01:38We've since discovered that the pearls found in Marion's house
0:01:38 > 0:01:41actually belong to the Duchess of Windsor.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Plus, how you could be entitled to inherit unclaimed estates
0:01:44 > 0:01:46held by the Treasury?
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Could a fortune be heading your way?
0:01:54 > 0:01:57It's Friday morning, and in the offices of Fraser and Fraser
0:01:57 > 0:02:00the UK's largest probate research company,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02it's a hive of activity.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04So, what's the score?
0:02:04 > 0:02:06We need the marriage, don't we?
0:02:06 > 0:02:08The Bona Vacantia list has just been released.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12This is one source of their work, and comes in daily.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14This one's illegit.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18I need you to phone me as soon as possible
0:02:18 > 0:02:21so I can give you all the information. Thank you.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23When the new list of names is released,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26the team must quickly work out which cases might be valuable.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27It's a race against time,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31as there will be other companies on the chase.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34And as heir hunters are paid by commission from a percentage
0:02:34 > 0:02:36of the estate agreed by the beneficiaries,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40their aim is to sign up as many heirs as possible.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Early signs are that one case has potential.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48We think it might be an estate where the deceased
0:02:48 > 0:02:50has died in a nursing home.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54There is talk it could be upwards of £50,000 in savings accounts.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56So from our point of view, it is a lucrative estate
0:02:56 > 0:02:59that we obviously want to beat competition on.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07James King died aged 78 in 2013 in Pimlico.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Unfortunately, no photos of James King have survived.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Neighbour Nadia Carcombe knew him for many years.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20He was very nice. Polite.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23But he was never a boisterous man.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25He wasn't a man you'd...
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Normally I could say to someone "Hello, Sunshine. How are you?"
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Any man - builder - doesn't matter who. To make the day.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36And he'd... I wouldn't do it to him, because I felt it would hurt.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Now, that's how I knew him. A delicate man.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46James King had served in the army with the Royal Fusiliers.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54We were both ex-forces. I was ex-forces.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Never mentioned it.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59It seemed the past was a closed book.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03He didn't want to know anybody really.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06He would acknowledge you, but that was as far as it went.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10And when he was growing older and iller,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12he became even more reclusive.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14In all the time I knew him,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16I never... Apart from carers,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18I never saw a visitor.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Never saw a soul.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27Back at the office,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30the team have started by looking for James's place of birth,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33and case researcher Alan has made some good progress.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38I went back to the records and had a look and I found a birth in Stepney.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43James King was born in 1934 in the East London area of Stepney.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47He was the son of Annie Ada Lane and James King.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49With the parents identified,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52the team are able to start looking for siblings,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and it quickly becomes clear this is a big family.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59He was one of nine children,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02so the team have their work cut out for them
0:05:02 > 0:05:04as they must trace them all
0:05:04 > 0:05:06if they are to find all the beneficiaries.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Ann dies aged five.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- Does she? I didn't find that. - Died of whooping cough.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Eileen married, and died.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Alan and Dave have already established that
0:05:22 > 0:05:24two of James's siblings were Ann and Eileen.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Both have died. However, Eileen had two children.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Could these be the first heirs to be found?
0:05:38 > 0:05:42Alan soon finds a contact number for one of Eileen's daughters.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45So then case manager Dave can make the call.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Good afternoon. Very sorry to trouble you.
0:05:48 > 0:05:54I'm trying to trace a lady who may have been born in 1942 in Stepney.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55Thank you.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Just got it in in the minute.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01You only get one minute to leave answerphone messages.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03So I try to cram it all in.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Alan continues to try and find James's six other siblings
0:06:10 > 0:06:12but it's not an easy task.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20As he discovers, when looking into James's eldest sister - Jessie.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23I can't find her. I'm looking on the electoral roll.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Whilst Alan and the team continue to dig deeper
0:06:30 > 0:06:31into the King family,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34researcher Dave Hadley is out on the road.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39His job is to make enquiries, collect documents and sign up heirs.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43You're bound to build up a relationship and a rapport
0:06:43 > 0:06:44with the beneficiaries
0:06:44 > 0:06:48because you're in contact with them throughout the process.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51And sometimes these things can take quite a while.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53It can be anything up to 18 months,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57two years before the estate is finally distributed.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Back in the office,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Dave Slee gets a call from a lady
0:07:04 > 0:07:07who he hopes is one of James's sisters.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Hello, Mel.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Mrs King, yes. Lovely.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Now, was you born in 1942, Mrs King?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19So far so good.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Now, was you the daughter of James King and Annie Ada Lane?
0:07:25 > 0:07:26George King. Right.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29The fact that you're not related to the deceased...
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Or, you could be, but very distantly,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and wouldn't be an entitled party, so...
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Thank you so much for coming back to me, because it helps me...
0:07:38 > 0:07:40It resolves a problem that I had. Yeah, exactly.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Not a great start for the team.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Thank you. Bye-bye now. Bye-bye.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50King's a pretty bad surname to research,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52so the more information they can give us
0:07:52 > 0:07:54the easier it makes our life.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57But they need to find a lead soon,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00or risk losing out to another company
0:08:00 > 0:08:02who are bound to be on this case too.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I'm making sure this one's right, because she's gained an initial.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09And James's elusive elder sister Jessie
0:08:09 > 0:08:11is causing Alan a headache.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Anyone know what Bethnal Green's postcode is?
0:08:17 > 0:08:19E2? Thanks.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21RINGING
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Hello, David Slee.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25But, at last, the team makes some headway.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28They have established that James's younger brother was Alfred,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31and Dave has been able to speak to him on the phone.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Fortunately, two of his siblings -
0:08:34 > 0:08:37so other siblings of the deceased -
0:08:37 > 0:08:39are also in the same area,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41so hopefully we can get them all together.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43It's a promising start.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45But they need to move fast,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47or else other heir-hunting firms
0:08:47 > 0:08:50might beat them to those all-important heirs.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53So far, they've managed to trace three of James's siblings,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and they all live around Harlow in Essex.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00However, all the family were born and grew up in Stepney,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02an area of East London
0:09:02 > 0:09:04devastated by the Second World War.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11AIR RAID SIREN WAILS
0:09:11 > 0:09:14In 1940, when James would have been just six years old,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Hitler's forces embarked on a brutal bombing campaign,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20and the East End bore the brunt.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23For case manager and fellow East Ender Dave Slee,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26the story strikes a personal chord.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31I can imagine that for this family growing up
0:09:31 > 0:09:33as young children in Stepney during the war,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35it would've been harrowing.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41This is an area, where the docks were,
0:09:41 > 0:09:45that were bombarded from 1940 onwards.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49My family were in London during that time,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51my mother was evacuated out of London.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Yeah, harrowing for youngsters in that period.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00You can understand why the deceased's siblings
0:10:00 > 0:10:02have moved out towards Harlow.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07This was a town that was really a new town built after the war
0:10:07 > 0:10:11to re-house people that were bombed out from the East End.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14All down to David Hadley now.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I've had a call from the office and they've got the name and
0:10:19 > 0:10:24address of a brother of the deceased, so I'm on my way to see him.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Dave is in Harlow,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29where he's meeting Alfred, James's youngest brother.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- Mr King?- Yeah.- Dave Hadley. - Oh, pleased to meet you.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41It's the heir hunters who have had to break the news
0:10:41 > 0:10:43of James's death to his brother.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Nobody knew very much about him. You know, he was one of these guys,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49he seemed to keep himself very much to himself.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52It's all come as a shock to Alfred,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55who hadn't heard from his brother for over 50 years.
0:10:55 > 0:11:01- How did he die, d'you know, or...? - Well, I don't know for sure.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05And Alfred reveals some surprising news about his older brother's past.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09I mean, I only knew him when I was young, you see. He was in the army.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I'm sure it was Korea, but he was shot in the head,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14and, er, the telegram come. Me dad took it,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17and being the eldest son, it said, "Missing believed dead."
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Of course that caused him to have a stroke soon afterwards.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- What, the...?- Me dad. - Oh, your dad?- Yeah.- Oh, right.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31In 1953, 12 years after the Blitz in London, 18-year-old James was
0:11:31 > 0:11:34conscripted into the army and sent to fight in Korea.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Jim Jacobs, a veteran of the Korean War,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48describes what life would have been like for such a young man.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52As an 18-year-old going to Korea from the United Kingdom,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54there was an incredible difference.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59I saw gunshot injuries, I saw shell and mortar injuries,
0:11:59 > 0:12:05and they're the worst, because a man in Korea generally was not shot
0:12:05 > 0:12:09by a single sniper's bullet to the forehead as you see a lot in films.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Most of them were killed by artillery.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17James returned home, but things had changed whilst he'd been away.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Of course, he come home from the army and me dad had passed away,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25and he wanted to be the head of the family and tell everyone what to do.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27He was a bit forceful like that.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28And she said, "No."
0:12:28 > 0:12:31And he said, "Right, I'm going,"
0:12:31 > 0:12:36- and he left the house and we never seen him any more after that.- Yeah.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40But can Alfred shed any light on the mystery of Jessie?
0:12:40 > 0:12:41She's apparently still alive.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44She's about 83 now.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47She was in Tower Hamlets but no-one could tell us where she is.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48She won't tell us.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53With information about Jessie trickling in,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55the heir hunters hope to piece it all together.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Alfred is happy to sign and has agreed with Dave a percentage
0:13:00 > 0:13:05of his estate to go to the company for acting on his behalf.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10So a good result for the team. But it's also a time for reflection.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12- Thanks very much. - Cheers, then, bye-bye.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Although I haven't seen me brother since I was 12 years old,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18then suddenly realised that he's passed away
0:13:18 > 0:13:21and I haven't seen him, you know, it's sad, very sad.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23After all this time, you know,
0:13:23 > 0:13:25all of a sudden he's not here no more.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27And I can't speak to him no more, you know.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Me eldest brother, you know, lost him. Yeah.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37He's going to have a chat to his brothers and sisters now and, erm,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42he's going to break the news to them, which is the best way of dealing
0:13:42 > 0:13:46with it, and I'm going to come back tomorrow and interview some of them.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54With their first heir signed, the team are making good progress,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57but with James's sister Jessie proving elusive,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59this case could yet have a sting in the tail.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02It's always the way, you think you've got it all finished
0:14:02 > 0:14:07and then there's always one nagging step that needs to be completed.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Finding long-lost relatives is the main job of the heir hunters.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24But sometimes, when a person leaves behind a property, it can be up to
0:14:24 > 0:14:29the team involved in administering the estate to clear the house.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34It's great that a property exists, and it can be sold, but so many of
0:14:34 > 0:14:38the people who die intestate, their houses are in very poor condition.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Today in Shropshire, probate executive Michelle Parry
0:14:43 > 0:14:47and house clearance company manager John Thacker have been tasked
0:14:47 > 0:14:50with clearing the home of a lady called Marion Dawson,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53who died in 2012 without leaving a will.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57When I saw the state of the property
0:14:57 > 0:15:00I realised it was going to take quite a lot of time to get through
0:15:00 > 0:15:06all of the paperwork in order to assess the extent of Marion's estate.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10The house clearance has been the latest stage of the process,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14and Saul Marks of Celtic Research is in charge of administering
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Marion's estate, having taken up the search for her heirs.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22It became clear that we would need to commission a house clearance firm
0:15:22 > 0:15:26to remove, basically, all the junk,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30in order to make the house presentable in order to be sold.
0:15:36 > 0:15:42Marion Dawson died in hospital on the 17th of October 2012.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Her neighbours, Steve and Jan Austin, talk fondly of her.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50We moved here about May 2012, and we saw Marion strides away, really.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53She was pottering backwards and forwards between the garage
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and the back door, so we'd just stick our heads over the fence
0:15:56 > 0:15:59and she'd do the same and she'd find out what we were doing,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02just exchange pleasantries. She was a nice lady, really.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05She seemed to have quite a nice little self-contained life.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07- She was happy.- Yeah. - She was really happy.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09She was always smiling
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and she was always up for a conversation, a chat.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17And very proud of her garden. She used to have a gardener come.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18It was quite a nice garden
0:16:18 > 0:16:21so somebody used to come round to cut hedges and lawns and that.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23But she seemed to spend a lot of time just sat out.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Last summer, in between the rain,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28she used to sit out quite a lot and enjoy the wildlife and that.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Yeah, just enjoy the wildlife and the sunshine.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36While Marion spent time ensuring her garden always looked presentable,
0:16:36 > 0:16:37her house remained a mystery.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- Not many people were allowed into the house.- No.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44She was private, she was private.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49She'd obviously had a difficult life.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53I think she'd battled with breast cancer and her husband died of
0:16:53 > 0:16:57cancer, and she'd had a difficult life, certainly in the latter years.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05She couldn't cope with moving around the house, so I think she got a bed
0:17:05 > 0:17:10moved into the kitchen, and that's where she spent most of her time.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Her neighbours say she found a lot of comfort up on Prees Heath.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19This is where Marion grew up, and was also where she spent a lot
0:17:19 > 0:17:23of her time later in life, helping out on the butterfly reserve.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Evelyn Calder has many happy memories
0:17:27 > 0:17:30of time spent there with Marion.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33I've known Marion since I was about three years old.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35She was three years older than me.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39They lived a few yards away from where we lived,
0:17:39 > 0:17:44and Marion's mother used to come and help my mother do the washing.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Mrs Burlton was very nice. We always got the sweet coupons off them.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57When Marion died aged 79, there were no known relatives, so her estate
0:17:57 > 0:18:01was advertised by the Treasury, and Saul decided to take up the hunt.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05He works for a probate research company run by Peter
0:18:05 > 0:18:09and Hector Birchwood, and they have offices all over the United Kingdom.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Saul Marks is their man in Liverpool.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15The first thing I did was looked up her marriage,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17of a Burlton to a Dawson,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21and I found her marriage to Geoffrey Dawson in 1966.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I also then found Geoffrey's death in 2000,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28and that rounded off that part of the investigation.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34But when Saul began the search for children he didn't have much luck.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36It seemed there were none.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40I did find that the deceased had an elder brother, Cyril Burlton,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43but he died in 1985.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47There were no marriage listings for him and we were able to prove
0:18:47 > 0:18:50quite conclusively that he'd not had any children.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56That meant that any heirs to this lady's estate would be cousins,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59either on the paternal side or the maternal side.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05Saul started with Marion's father, Ellis Joseph,
0:19:05 > 0:19:10who was one of ten children born to Edward and Sarah.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Edward Burlton was a farm bailiff and it seems from the censuses
0:19:14 > 0:19:20that all the Burlton children were all involved in farming in that area.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23The community in Shropshire that Marion grew up in was
0:19:23 > 0:19:27built around agriculture and a farm bailiff was a significant job.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31The farm bailiff on many farms
0:19:31 > 0:19:33would be essentially the foreman of the farm,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37carrying out the day-to-day instructions for the farmer.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39At the time, farming was perceived
0:19:39 > 0:19:42as a relatively high-status profession.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45A lot of farming families would have brought their children up to see
0:19:45 > 0:19:50little option or little type of work which would be suitable for them.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Farming was a relatively prestigious occupation and there was a
0:19:53 > 0:19:57tendency for, particularly the sons, to follow their fathers.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01And that was certainly true of the Burltons.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Both Marion's dad Ellis and her uncle George
0:20:04 > 0:20:07followed in their father's footsteps and worked on the farm.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10But no-one else decided to follow the family trade.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Despite being a large family,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17only two of Ellis's siblings had children.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20These would be Marion's first cousins and heirs to her estate.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24The only other Burltons who actually had any children
0:20:24 > 0:20:28were his brother Arthur and his sister Lily.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Arthur had one child named Dora,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34but she died without issue so there were no heirs on that branch either.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40So, having been through this enormous Burlton family with nine possible
0:20:40 > 0:20:43branches apart from the deceased's own branch, there was
0:20:43 > 0:20:47only one branch left that could possibly have any heirs on it.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Saul's search rested with Marion's aunt Lilian.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52If she had children they would be heirs.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Lily Burlton married a gentleman named William Pugh
0:20:57 > 0:20:58and had three children.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Sadly all those children have since passed away,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05but they had quite a number of children amongst the three of them.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09So, finally, after a bit of a scare that there might not be any heirs
0:21:09 > 0:21:12at all, I suddenly had a nice group of heirs who were all
0:21:12 > 0:21:15cousins of each other who I could then contact.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Saul was close to getting the case tied up.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24But before he could relax, a curve ball was thrown his way.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27All our research would have just been for nothing.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38Heir hunters trace thousands of rightful beneficiaries every year,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40but not all cases can be cracked.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42There are thousands of estates
0:21:42 > 0:21:44on the Treasury's Bona Vacantia list,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46a file of unclaimed estates
0:21:46 > 0:21:49that have eluded the heir hunters and remain unsolved.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51The money raised by the Bona Vacantia Division
0:21:51 > 0:21:54is passed to Her Majesty's Treasury,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56and if a claim is made within 12 years to an estate on the
0:21:56 > 0:22:00unclaimed list, for example, then we'd pay that money back out again.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Today we're focusing on two cases that are yet to be
0:22:03 > 0:22:05solved by the heir hunters.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Could you be the beneficiary they're looking for?
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Could you be about to inherit some money from a long-lost relative?
0:22:12 > 0:22:17First is the case of Paul Bernard, a widower who died
0:22:17 > 0:22:22on the 12th of October 2008 in Camden, North London, aged 82.
0:22:22 > 0:22:28Records reveal he was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on the 1st of July 1926.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Paul also used the surname Akinola
0:22:30 > 0:22:34and was sometimes known as Paul Akinola Bernard.
0:22:34 > 0:22:40Paul wed his second wife, Maria Vidarte de Castro, in 1970.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44But she died just two months before him in August 2008.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48It's believed he may have had a daughter from his first marriage.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49Despite all this information,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53there's been no success in tracing beneficiaries to his estate.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Do you know anything which could shed some light on his family?
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Next, can you help with the case of Stefan Bohdan Adams?
0:23:01 > 0:23:07He died on the 21st of February 2012 in Hammersmith, London.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10He was born in January 1950 in Leeds,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and also went by the name Stefan Kwiatkowski.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17The name Kwiatkowski originates from Poland,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21and means "one from the place of little flowers."
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Could this name be the key to unlocking Stefan's past?
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Did you know Stefan?
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Both Paul and Stefan's estates remain unclaimed,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34and if no-one comes forward, their money will go to the government.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37The money raised by the Bona Vacantia Division is passed
0:23:37 > 0:23:41annually to the Treasury, and it goes into the consolidated fund
0:23:41 > 0:23:43therefore to benefit the country as a whole.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Do you have any information that could help solve these cases?
0:23:49 > 0:23:50And if you're related,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53you could have thousands of pounds coming your way.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Heir hunter Saul Marks and the team from Celtic Research
0:24:04 > 0:24:07were hard at work on the case of Marion Dawson,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11whose estate was estimated to be worth up to £350,000.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17After an initial scare that there were no heirs to her estate,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20the team were now on the hunt for five of her first cousins.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Marion was born into a farming family and spent her whole life
0:24:28 > 0:24:32in and around the beautiful rural area of Shropshire.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37However, there was one particular spot
0:24:37 > 0:24:41that held a special place in her heart, Prees Heath.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43It was here she lived with her parents
0:24:43 > 0:24:45and spent most of her childhood.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50But all that changed when Britain went to war.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Marion and her family were uprooted from their beloved moorland as their
0:24:54 > 0:24:57house was knocked down to make way for one of several pop-up
0:24:57 > 0:25:01airfields, set up by the RAF to cope with wartime demand.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09RAF Tilstock was built in 1942 by Sir Alfred McAlpine,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13and in the particular area that her house used to occupy, erm,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17it was replaced by runways and several hangars.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19The airfield itself was initially used
0:25:19 > 0:25:21for an operational training unit,
0:25:21 > 0:25:25which is where crews would come together from their initial training,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28they would be trained to operate heavy bombers,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31so the type of aircraft they would
0:25:31 > 0:25:36train on would be Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys and Vickers Wellingtons.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41They would be trained to carry out bombing raids over Europe,
0:25:41 > 0:25:45so the main offensive came through the use of these heavy bombers.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Marion and her family had to leave everything they knew behind
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and were re-housed.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56They lived in two railway carriages,
0:25:56 > 0:25:57er, for some years.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Yeah, they always had ducks and chickens running about everywhere.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04In the railway carriages and everything.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10After the war, Marion married and set up home in Whitchurch,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13not far from where she'd built those childhood memories.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17And it was here she would remain until her dying day.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24For Saul, tracking down heirs to the estate, it seemed that,
0:26:24 > 0:26:29like Marion, the wider family hadn't ventured too far away either.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Eventually, he had managed to speak to one of the heirs...
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Hi, my name's Saul Marks...
0:26:34 > 0:26:36..who then put him in touch with all her cousins.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40In total there were seven heirs on the paternal side who were all
0:26:40 > 0:26:41descendants of that branch,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45and we were able to secure agreements from all of them.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Having successfully signed up a number of heirs,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Saul was about to get a nasty shock.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53There was one heart-stopping moment in the administration
0:26:53 > 0:26:57when Michelle told me they'd actually found a will in the house.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59And if that will had been valid,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01all our work would have gone out the window.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06This was potentially disastrous news for Saul
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and could mean all his hard work would have been for nothing.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Michelle, the probate executive, set about checking the will
0:27:13 > 0:27:15to see if it was valid.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It was written in the 1970s.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22She had left everything to her husband
0:27:22 > 0:27:26but her husband unfortunately passed away before she did.
0:27:26 > 0:27:27And Marion never updated it.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34Saul could finally distribute the estate as the will was invalid.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38It's with great relief that we were able to sit back knowing
0:27:38 > 0:27:42that the heirs that we'd found were indeed heirs to the estate.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48One of the heirs is David, the son of Marion's cousin Grace.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52He lives just 35 miles away from Shrewsbury in Stourbridge.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57That's their wedding, I didn't even know I went to it,
0:27:57 > 0:27:58but that's me at the back.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02David has been shown one of Marion's photo albums
0:28:02 > 0:28:06found among the treasured possessions in her house.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08The familiar faces spark a lot of memories.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15Did use to visit Marion in the '60s and late '50s.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18I've always had the impression that Marion's family
0:28:18 > 0:28:21were quite well off in those days.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25These were people that had gone through the Second World War,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29used to rationing, and thereby quite frugal,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32and I think they carried that on in life.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Like myself, we hoard things and keep things.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38If I don't use it in 10 years it might come in handy in 20 years!
0:28:40 > 0:28:42This is my wedding.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46And we've just about got Marion on here
0:28:46 > 0:28:48and Geoffrey just at the back.
0:28:48 > 0:28:54Back in 1973 was the last time I saw Marion when she came to my wedding.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58And we just gradually lost touch.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06For Saul, the case was pretty much wrapped up,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09as he had also traced Marion's mother's side of the family
0:29:09 > 0:29:11who were all abroad.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14The deceased mother's death certificate
0:29:14 > 0:29:16showed that she was born in Belgium in 1892,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20so what I had to do was then look for any other occurrences
0:29:20 > 0:29:21of her surname in this country.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23She came from a large family herself
0:29:23 > 0:29:25and there were actually quite a number of heirs
0:29:25 > 0:29:27who still lived in Belgium.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34But there was one more surprise for Saul, hidden in Marion's house.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36While searching the house,
0:29:36 > 0:29:38two sets of pearl necklaces were found,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41together with a Sotheby's catalogue.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44We've since discovered that the pearls found in Marion's house
0:29:44 > 0:29:47actually belonged to the Duchess of Windsor.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49The pearls have been brought to an auction house
0:29:49 > 0:29:52where they'll soon go under the hammer.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55So Marion purchased these necklaces
0:29:55 > 0:29:56as two cultured pearl necklaces,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59but obviously that isn't quite the reason that she chose these two.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02She could have picked up a cultured pearl necklace anywhere,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04but the fact that she bought both of these,
0:30:04 > 0:30:05and the fact of this providence,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08really means that she obviously has some interest, or had some interest
0:30:08 > 0:30:12in the royal family, maybe in particular Wallis Simpson.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16The Duchess of Windsor, of course,
0:30:16 > 0:30:18very prolific in the media in the 1930s and 1940s,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20height of the Art Deco style.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26She became, if you like, a bit of a poster girl for it.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29She was looked upon as a style icon -
0:30:29 > 0:30:31beautiful clothes and basically beautiful jewellery,
0:30:31 > 0:30:33that's what she was known for.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36The pearls were recently sold
0:30:36 > 0:30:39and boosted the value of the estate by £2,000.
0:30:44 > 0:30:49But, for heir David, Marion's legacy is more than financial.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56The whole experience has revived memories of his long-lost cousin.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58With hindsight, it would have been nice
0:30:58 > 0:31:01to have perhaps got to know her a little bit better.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05It's quite sad that Marion was alone
0:31:05 > 0:31:08and I wish I had more information and would have known,
0:31:08 > 0:31:12because I would have been able to visit, because I do frequent the neighbourhood quite often.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Hopefully, with a little bit of financial help,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20I will now be able to spend more time researching family,
0:31:20 > 0:31:22keeping in touch with distant relatives,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25generally keeping everybody together.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Heir hunters Fraser & Fraser are working on the case
0:31:39 > 0:31:42of 78-year-old James King who died in Pimlico.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48Unfortunately no photographs of James King have survived.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Researcher Dave Hadley is making good progress,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54having signed one heir and with two more visits planned.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58It's important they sign as many heirs as possible.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01They've ruled out three who died with no issue,
0:32:01 > 0:32:04and have spoken to one on the telephone.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07But one stem is proving problematic,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09that of James's elder sister Jessie.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14She's the only stem outstanding.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16There is issue on that, lots of issue.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20But the team are persevering.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22Sorry, Dave, when was Jessie born?
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Jessie - born Sep 30.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Last known living in Bethnal Green area.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Jessie was the first child of Annie and James King.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39So far, all the team have to go on
0:32:39 > 0:32:41is the name of her husband.
0:32:43 > 0:32:4512 children off their marriage.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Oh, Lord.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51So we want Mum to be alive. Bye, now. Bye-bye.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55David Hadley's just managed to see
0:32:55 > 0:32:57one of the deceased's nieces.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02She's given us some information about the last remaining stem,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05which appears that one of the sisters of the deceased,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07she married and had 12 children.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she's alive and entitled,
0:33:12 > 0:33:17otherwise it would mean we've got to find 12 further heirs entitled,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19so it makes more work for us.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23The news that Jessie had so many children
0:33:23 > 0:33:25puts the pressure on Dave and Alan
0:33:25 > 0:33:29as rival heir hunters are also likely to be working on this case,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31vying to sign up the heirs first
0:33:31 > 0:33:35and secure their commission as agreed by the beneficiaries.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40Husband was a proprietor of a cafe,
0:33:40 > 0:33:42or something like that.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44And their research exposes
0:33:44 > 0:33:47the enormity of the task ahead.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51- Are these all with mother's maiden name...?- Yeah.- King?
0:33:53 > 0:33:57So, whose name is...? M-U...
0:34:00 > 0:34:03We'll just have to write that in.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04It's all Greek to me.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08But it looks like their persistence has paid off.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Just two hours later,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Dave thinks he's got a lead on Jessie.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Right, I think we've got lucky
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and we've just found the last remaining heir
0:34:17 > 0:34:18outstanding on this estate.
0:34:20 > 0:34:21The team have a number for Jessie,
0:34:21 > 0:34:24and if she's alive and they can speak to her
0:34:24 > 0:34:27it means they will have their final heir
0:34:27 > 0:34:29and won't have to trace her 12 children.
0:34:34 > 0:34:35Uh-uhh.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37But it's not looking good.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47And there's no answer.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49So he tries another number.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52It's always the way - you think you've got it all finished
0:34:52 > 0:34:55and then there's always one nagging little stem
0:34:55 > 0:34:57that needs to be complete.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01It's not what Dave was hoping to hear.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03So as he can't get hold of Jessie,
0:35:03 > 0:35:05the team's only option now
0:35:05 > 0:35:09is to start searching for her 12 children.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12She's done what a lot of women do
0:35:12 > 0:35:14when they split up from their husbands...
0:35:14 > 0:35:17she's reverted back to her middle name.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20Good afternoon, I'm trying to get in contact with a Philip.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Thank you for your time, bye-bye.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25We can't do any more than that, can we? Jesus.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29With the strain of finding the last heir
0:35:29 > 0:35:31taking its toll in the office,
0:35:31 > 0:35:33Dave Hadley is out on the road
0:35:33 > 0:35:36visiting potential heirs.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Today he's on his way back to see James's brother Alfred
0:35:39 > 0:35:41and meet two other siblings,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43John and Patricia.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47He's got a number of brothers and sisters living in the same area
0:35:47 > 0:35:50and he very kindly agreed
0:35:50 > 0:35:53to get them all together
0:35:53 > 0:35:57so that I can meet with them all in one go.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59Saves me a lot of time and travel.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Hello. How are you?
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Dave explains to John why he's there.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13I mean, basically James passed away last year
0:36:13 > 0:36:15and didn't leave a will.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- Left a little bit of money. - He had a hard life, Jimmy.- Did he?
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Yeah, he did, yeah.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25For John, hearing about his brother's death
0:36:25 > 0:36:27has brought memories flooding back.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29One fond memory I have
0:36:29 > 0:36:31is when Jimmy used to play the maracas
0:36:31 > 0:36:35and we used to have a laugh and I used to sing.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37I was always singing Dean Martin songs,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40cos they liked that sort of thing.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Being in the army I think really affected him.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47John's sister Patricia then arrives to meet Dave.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51- Where were you born? - Bethnal Green Hospital.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53I don't really want it this way.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55If he was alive, you know...
0:36:55 > 0:36:59But my mum chucked him out when he was younger
0:36:59 > 0:37:02and he didn't want to know us.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04The news of her brother's death
0:37:04 > 0:37:06highlights the importance of the here and now,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09and keeping in touch with all the family.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12As it appears Jessie is as elusive to her siblings
0:37:12 > 0:37:14as she is to the heir hunters.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20If they do find Jessie and I send the letter for her to read,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23or whoever picks it up,
0:37:23 > 0:37:24I'll be very grateful.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28And if she is alive I'd like to see and find out where she lives.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35Back in the office, the team has also been wanting to find Jessie
0:37:35 > 0:37:37and the hunt has taken a twist.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40Dave Slee has managed to find contact details
0:37:40 > 0:37:42for one of her daughters.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47A genuine matter, I'm trying to trace a family by the name of King
0:37:47 > 0:37:51and I'm hoping you're the daughter of Jessie Ali,
0:37:51 > 0:37:53whose maiden name was King.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Was King...
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Now, we've been in contact
0:37:59 > 0:38:03with your other aunts and uncles in the last day or so
0:38:03 > 0:38:06who would also be entitled to a share in the estate,
0:38:06 > 0:38:07but so would your mother. Erm...
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Has she? Oh, I am sorry to hear that.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18Not the news Dave was hoping to hear.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21Oh...
0:38:23 > 0:38:25The worst scenario.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29One of the deceased's sisters has unfortunately died
0:38:29 > 0:38:31about three years ago.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Finally the team has found their remaining stem - Jessie.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41What is a shame
0:38:41 > 0:38:44is that one of the sisters that we've interviewed today
0:38:44 > 0:38:47was desperate to try and speak with her sister
0:38:47 > 0:38:49that she's lost contact with,
0:38:49 > 0:38:51and now it's not going to happen
0:38:51 > 0:38:53because she died about three years ago.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55The team now have their work cut out
0:38:55 > 0:38:58as they have to find all of her children.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02Jessie had 12 offspring, four were adopted out,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05so the heir hunters don't need to find them.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07However, there are eight remaining children
0:39:07 > 0:39:10who are now heirs to James's estate.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14One of those heirs is Sharon.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Now in her 50s, Sharon grew up in care
0:39:17 > 0:39:20after being given up by her mother Jessie as a young child.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Having never really known any of her wider family,
0:39:23 > 0:39:25the news that she's an heir
0:39:25 > 0:39:27is a precious chance to connect with her roots.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32You feel like you're not relevant to people
0:39:32 > 0:39:35and you don't know your family history.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39You know, you hear certain things but you're not sure if it's true,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42you question things but you don't really get a straight answer.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46The death of James, an uncle she never, and will never know,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49has at least put her in contact with other family members
0:39:49 > 0:39:52so she can start filling in gaps of her life.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55So when I did get the phone call
0:39:55 > 0:39:59and it was confirmed that it was actually a definite relative,
0:39:59 > 0:40:02I did feel, "Oh, it's relevant."
0:40:02 > 0:40:05I felt, oh, there is someone out there
0:40:05 > 0:40:08that I can call an aunt or I did have an uncle.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10And for the first time
0:40:10 > 0:40:12she can be part of a family.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14So, yeah...
0:40:14 > 0:40:18It's important for me to feel relevant.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21So as Dave Slee wraps up the case,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24he feels a sense of fulfilment.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28What is nice is that they've expressed a desire
0:40:28 > 0:40:31to make contact with their aunt
0:40:31 > 0:40:33who they haven't seen...
0:40:33 > 0:40:34I don't think they've ever seen.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37So hopefully there'll be a nice reunion
0:40:37 > 0:40:39and from our point of view that's quite gratifying.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44While the work of the heir hunters is complete,
0:40:44 > 0:40:48for Sharon it's just the beginning of her journey.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50She's off to meet her aunt Patricia.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53I'm feeling very nervous,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56but very excited at the same time.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00Yes, and I'm looking forward to meeting her
0:41:00 > 0:41:03and I hope, erm...that she likes me.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11Patricia has invited Sharon to her home.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13DOORBELL RINGS Hello, Sharon.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16- Hello, Pat.- Hello, come in.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18- Come in. Come in.- Thank you.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20The ladies have plenty to talk about.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Well, when I opened the door...
0:41:25 > 0:41:28You did look like Mum a bit, your eyes, yeah.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33Your eyes... The eyes feature look like Mum, yeah, they do.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36The conversation soon turns to Sharon's mum,
0:41:36 > 0:41:37Patricia's sister Jessie.
0:41:37 > 0:41:42When I was told she moved back to London I went to the council.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44- Tower Hamlets.- Tower Hamlets, yeah.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47I went to them and asked and gave them me name and that, and they said,
0:41:47 > 0:41:51"No, we can't help you." But then when these people...
0:41:51 > 0:41:55When my brother died, they found yous and I couldn't believe it.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57I tried and I couldn't get nowhere.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00I've been trying through a long, long time.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03But, you know what, thankfully we've met each other.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06- Yeah, yeah.- That's been really good.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Patricia then shares some family photos with her niece.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12That's Nan there, she's drinking.
0:42:14 > 0:42:19- Mum looks like her there. Definitely.- Yeah, yeah.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20I didn't realise I had so many.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23These are lovely, what you've given me, thank you.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27That's Eileen and me going out for the day. That's Nan.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29'It's been a really nice day.'
0:42:29 > 0:42:32I was a bit worried what to say, what not to do, that,
0:42:32 > 0:42:35but I had a load of photographs, that sort of sealed it a bit.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39For me, trying to look for them,
0:42:39 > 0:42:41where I've failed,
0:42:41 > 0:42:45because of Jimmy dying, it's paid dividends.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48I'm glad she's here and she can see us
0:42:48 > 0:42:50and she's got connections on Mum's side.
0:42:50 > 0:42:51Brilliant.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56It's been actually awesome,
0:42:56 > 0:42:57is the word I want to use.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Erm...
0:42:59 > 0:43:02It's been such a blessing meeting Aunt Pat,
0:43:02 > 0:43:07I feel so relaxed around her, I felt like I knew her for years.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Yeah, it's awesome. Awesome.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12I can't believe that it happened.