Berridge/Campbell

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0:00:02 > 0:00:06Heir hunters specialise in tracing missing family members

0:00:06 > 0:00:09who are entitled to money from a relative who's died.

0:00:09 > 0:00:13I'm trying to trace a lady who may have been born in Stepney.

0:00:13 > 0:00:16Sometimes, the deceased simply hasn't left a will,

0:00:16 > 0:00:19and sometimes, they have become estranged from their family.

0:00:19 > 0:00:23Did look like Mum a bit! You did look like Mum. Your eyes.

0:00:23 > 0:00:25The race is then on for heir hunters

0:00:25 > 0:00:29to find the often-distant relatives in line for a windfall.

0:00:29 > 0:00:33I had to read it two or three times because I thought, wow!

0:00:33 > 0:00:37- What is this?- But this is a highly competitive arena...

0:00:37 > 0:00:40Getting to a case first is the most important thing.

0:00:40 > 0:00:43..with dozens of firms hoping to pip the others to the post

0:00:43 > 0:00:46to sign up heirs and claim their commission...

0:00:46 > 0:00:50Because you're in a competitive process, there's a time constraint.

0:00:50 > 0:00:54..and hand over what could be tens of thousands of pounds.

0:00:54 > 0:00:57Could the heir hunters be knocking at your door?

0:01:03 > 0:01:04Coming up...

0:01:04 > 0:01:08The heir hunters take on a case full of secrecy and scandal...

0:01:08 > 0:01:12The deceased had a potential sister. Um... But we have no name.

0:01:12 > 0:01:16And I think people are reluctant to give out that information at present.

0:01:16 > 0:01:19..while another job gives them a right run-around.

0:01:19 > 0:01:22All the candidates that I'd put together were all useless

0:01:22 > 0:01:25and they all went in the bin and I had to start from scratch.

0:01:25 > 0:01:28Plus, how you could be entitled to inherit unclaimed estates

0:01:28 > 0:01:29held by the Treasury.

0:01:29 > 0:01:31Could a fortune be heading your way?

0:01:38 > 0:01:43Fraser & Fraser is one of the world's largest probate firms.

0:01:43 > 0:01:45The husband left a probate some years ago.

0:01:45 > 0:01:47There could be some money there.

0:01:47 > 0:01:50Every day, they're racing against time to try to trace

0:01:50 > 0:01:54the distant relatives of those who've died without leaving a will.

0:01:54 > 0:01:57I'll have a look for you, James.

0:01:57 > 0:01:58It's challenging.

0:01:59 > 0:02:02Case manager Ben Cornish is all geared up for a job that's

0:02:02 > 0:02:06- just come in.- Just been given the case of Audrey A Berridge.

0:02:06 > 0:02:10She passed away in March of this year, 2013.

0:02:10 > 0:02:11It's quite an unusual name.

0:02:11 > 0:02:15We notice she's a Miss, but we can't find the birth record at the moment.

0:02:15 > 0:02:20We've tried England and Wales, Scotland. Um... But it's, er...

0:02:20 > 0:02:22We can't find anything at the moment.

0:02:22 > 0:02:25This case has been privately referred to them

0:02:25 > 0:02:31and could be a high-value estate, potentially worth around £150,000.

0:02:31 > 0:02:35So for the time being, they're the only company investigating this.

0:02:35 > 0:02:37But for how long?

0:02:46 > 0:02:52Audrey A Berridge passed away here in her house on 19 March, 2013.

0:02:54 > 0:02:57She's believed to have lived all her life in Worcester.

0:02:57 > 0:03:00That's all the information the team have to start with

0:03:00 > 0:03:04and, unfortunately, there are no surviving photos of her.

0:03:04 > 0:03:07However, her neighbour, Rhoda Scarett,

0:03:07 > 0:03:10who knew her for over ten years, can paint a picture of her.

0:03:12 > 0:03:17I used to see her in the village and see her on the bus, in town.

0:03:18 > 0:03:21She was a very nice person, always friendly,

0:03:21 > 0:03:25always had a smile on her face, you know, always dressed nice

0:03:25 > 0:03:29and, you know, you couldn't, like, say anything wrong about her,

0:03:29 > 0:03:34- I don't think.- But it would seem she led a very lonely life.

0:03:34 > 0:03:38You never saw her with anyone. She'd get on the bus on her own.

0:03:38 > 0:03:41Audrey never married, as far as I know.

0:03:42 > 0:03:45She never even talked about a relationship or anything, you know.

0:03:45 > 0:03:49Her life, I think, was more, you know, to herself sort of thing.

0:03:49 > 0:03:52Her one love, though, was her garden.

0:03:53 > 0:03:56Where a little drive was, coming up from her house,

0:03:56 > 0:03:59from the cottage to the road, if you'd go by sometimes,

0:03:59 > 0:04:02you'd see her putting some little plants in there

0:04:02 > 0:04:03cos I think she liked flowers, you know,

0:04:03 > 0:04:06so you'd see her putting these little plants in.

0:04:06 > 0:04:08And she'd just say, "Hello. How are you?"

0:04:14 > 0:04:17Back at the office, the team know Audrey died

0:04:17 > 0:04:20a spinster, as Miss Berridge, but that's about it.

0:04:20 > 0:04:23It's a real problem, actually, isn't it?

0:04:23 > 0:04:25This means they need to look to her wider family,

0:04:25 > 0:04:28but to do that, they need to find her birth.

0:04:28 > 0:04:30And immediately, the team have hit trouble.

0:04:30 > 0:04:33We haven't found her birth yet. Not going well.

0:04:33 > 0:04:36Despite searching all the available databases,

0:04:36 > 0:04:40they cannot find any record for a birth of Audrey A Berridge.

0:04:40 > 0:04:44I just honestly think that she's... It's a completely made-up name.

0:04:44 > 0:04:45Without the birth,

0:04:45 > 0:04:48they won't be able to find out who Audrey's parents were

0:04:48 > 0:04:52and, in turn, they won't be able to unlock the family tree.

0:04:52 > 0:04:56- He's born 1897.- But Ben has a theory.

0:04:56 > 0:05:00It does look like she's probably adopted by the Berridge family.

0:05:00 > 0:05:02So that's what we need to check now.

0:05:02 > 0:05:05The team must now search adoption records to see

0:05:05 > 0:05:07if they can prove the theory.

0:05:07 > 0:05:11She's known as Audrey A Berridge. Cheers. Bye.

0:05:14 > 0:05:17The team have found records of people

0:05:17 > 0:05:21who could be Audrey's parents, but with no way of proving a connection,

0:05:21 > 0:05:23it's little more than guesswork.

0:05:23 > 0:05:24And it appears to be baffling

0:05:24 > 0:05:27even the most experienced of heir hunters.

0:05:27 > 0:05:30- William J Berridge? - He looks a bit old. He's very old.

0:05:30 > 0:05:33That could be probably the reason why they don't... They've adopted her.

0:05:33 > 0:05:36I think we should work out one of these Berridge families, just to get it up to date.

0:05:36 > 0:05:38She might have just given her house to a Mrs Berridge

0:05:38 > 0:05:40who's not really Mrs Berridge.

0:05:40 > 0:05:42Likely to be a Miss Berridge, won't she?

0:05:43 > 0:05:47- Some female Berridge brings up the child in '37.- Mm.

0:05:50 > 0:05:52- Difficult.- Slowly but surely.

0:05:54 > 0:05:58The team just hope the adoption theory is right.

0:05:58 > 0:06:01Under Westminster constituency, it's West Worcestershire County?

0:06:04 > 0:06:08Oh, right. Bye. This is going to be a bit of a problem. If she's just..

0:06:08 > 0:06:11Have got the name, taken on the name. Um...

0:06:14 > 0:06:19- No trace for that adoption. - Nothing at all?- No. No.

0:06:19 > 0:06:21It's probably an unofficial amendment.

0:06:21 > 0:06:24- It's going to be an unofficial one. - All right, matey.

0:06:24 > 0:06:26- If you just bring that one back with all the details...- Yeah.

0:06:26 > 0:06:30So that's the confirmation that she wasn't actually adopted.

0:06:30 > 0:06:35The search appears to be slowly grinding to a halt...

0:06:35 > 0:06:40- This is not looking too good. - ..before it even gets going.

0:06:40 > 0:06:43Now she hasn't been formally adopted, it's a bit of a problem

0:06:43 > 0:06:46because we can't find what she was known as before.

0:06:46 > 0:06:48She could have completely changed her name.

0:06:48 > 0:06:50I mean, she could have been called Audrey at birth,

0:06:50 > 0:06:51but we can't find any records.

0:06:51 > 0:06:54It's going to be a needle in a haystack to find any Audreys

0:06:54 > 0:06:57been born in that area around that time.

0:06:57 > 0:07:00So it's a bit of a pickle, really. Yeah.

0:07:01 > 0:07:05With an estate worth around £150,000 at stake,

0:07:05 > 0:07:08the team aren't going to give up that easily.

0:07:08 > 0:07:11As heir hunters, they make their money from commission, which they

0:07:11 > 0:07:15agree with the beneficiaries, so this could be a worthwhile case.

0:07:15 > 0:07:18The team decide to turn their attention to Audrey's house.

0:07:18 > 0:07:22There's a Violet Fanny Griffiths

0:07:22 > 0:07:24born in Upton, which isn't a million miles away, is it?

0:07:24 > 0:07:27Looking at records of who's lived there over the years,

0:07:27 > 0:07:30they want to see if they can find evidence of a name change

0:07:30 > 0:07:33or of other family members living there.

0:07:33 > 0:07:37Basically, there's a Griffiths living with the deceased at her property.

0:07:37 > 0:07:42She dies 1996, aged 93.

0:07:42 > 0:07:45She lived there, it looks like, with the deceased,

0:07:45 > 0:07:46so maybe there's a connection there.

0:07:49 > 0:07:51Could this be the breakthrough they're looking for

0:07:51 > 0:07:55or could Violet Anne Griffiths just be a family friend?

0:07:55 > 0:07:57The team continue to plug away.

0:07:58 > 0:08:01I think we're going to have to slowly build up a case, really,

0:08:01 > 0:08:03rather than...

0:08:03 > 0:08:06Well, we can't go straight into it because we just don't know who this

0:08:06 > 0:08:11woman is or what she's born under or who her family connections are.

0:08:11 > 0:08:13- Apart from that, it's going well(!) - Yeah.

0:08:14 > 0:08:17Ben just hopes the travelling researcher will unearth some

0:08:17 > 0:08:20useful information to help get this investigation under way.

0:08:22 > 0:08:23OK. Well, if you, you know...

0:08:23 > 0:08:26Just see what else you can do cos it would be good to try and...

0:08:26 > 0:08:28If there was a sister, try and get her name.

0:08:28 > 0:08:31But, yeah, I'd definitely ask at the local shops cos I called...

0:08:31 > 0:08:34She did work at a shop. OK. Cheers. Bye.

0:08:35 > 0:08:39Enquiries have been made at the local address. Um...

0:08:39 > 0:08:42No-one really knows her. They had to chip together to...

0:08:42 > 0:08:45For a pauper's funeral. Um...

0:08:45 > 0:08:49Some information that we have gleaned is that the deceased

0:08:49 > 0:08:52had a potential sister. Um... But we have no name.

0:08:52 > 0:08:55And I think people are reluctant to give out that information at present.

0:08:55 > 0:08:58So we're making some more enquiries with the people that actually

0:08:58 > 0:09:01organised the funeral and hopefully pick up some certificates

0:09:01 > 0:09:03and maybe we'll get lucky on the certificates.

0:09:03 > 0:09:06But it's going to be difficult to prove anything

0:09:06 > 0:09:09cos there's no real connection at the moment,

0:09:09 > 0:09:13so need to get a body of evidence together and see where we end up.

0:09:13 > 0:09:15But at the moment, it's not looking too good.

0:09:19 > 0:09:22Travelling researchers spend their time out on the road, making

0:09:22 > 0:09:26enquiries, collecting documents and, ultimately, signing up heirs.

0:09:28 > 0:09:30That's our sole aim, you know?

0:09:30 > 0:09:33The most difficult side of the job is to tell

0:09:33 > 0:09:38a person their mum's died or their dad's died.

0:09:38 > 0:09:40That's the most difficult part of the job, really.

0:09:45 > 0:09:47In this quiet village where Audrey lived,

0:09:47 > 0:09:49there's a close-knit community.

0:09:49 > 0:09:52However, Audrey appeared to lead a very private life.

0:09:54 > 0:09:57Basically, she told me once about her work,

0:09:57 > 0:10:02and that was about it, about her mother and her friend.

0:10:02 > 0:10:07And that's all, really, Audrey ever, you know, ever told me, I think.

0:10:08 > 0:10:11With no-one able to shed any more light on Audrey's family,

0:10:11 > 0:10:14the team in the office have got their work cut out...

0:10:17 > 0:10:19..and are now abandoning computers

0:10:19 > 0:10:21and resorting to good old-fashioned research.

0:10:22 > 0:10:26There's an air of mystery starting to build around this case.

0:10:26 > 0:10:30But for Ben, an air of frustration engulfs him at the moment.

0:10:30 > 0:10:36This is...this is what I hate. Four, seven cases upstairs just like that.

0:10:36 > 0:10:39What is this, where does it all belong?

0:10:39 > 0:10:41As the team are not making too much headway

0:10:41 > 0:10:46using the computer databases, Ben makes the decision to

0:10:46 > 0:10:49take their research into their well-stocked library which contains

0:10:49 > 0:10:53parish records and specialist directories going back centuries.

0:10:58 > 0:11:00Senior researcher Roger decides to have a look

0:11:00 > 0:11:04at the 1937 electoral register in the library.

0:11:04 > 0:11:07The team think this would be around the time Audrey was born.

0:11:09 > 0:11:13It's one name and one address so it gives us a start, hopefully.

0:11:13 > 0:11:15We will see.

0:11:15 > 0:11:18Roger has found an Alice Berridge listed on the electoral roll

0:11:18 > 0:11:21and wonders whether she might be a relative.

0:11:21 > 0:11:23We are looking into possible deaths for her

0:11:23 > 0:11:27and we think we've got one in 1966 in Martley.

0:11:27 > 0:11:31Is this the vital breakthrough the team have been hoping for?

0:11:31 > 0:11:34Or could it be another dead end?

0:11:34 > 0:11:35We think this is possibly her mum.

0:11:43 > 0:11:46Finding long-lost relatives requires quick thinking

0:11:46 > 0:11:49and meticulous research by the heir hunters.

0:11:49 > 0:11:53They're often referred to as the detectives of the genealogy world.

0:11:55 > 0:11:57The process of finding heirs to unclaimed estates

0:11:57 > 0:11:59is rarely straightforward.

0:11:59 > 0:12:02But it's one that's relished by probate firms like Celtic Research.

0:12:04 > 0:12:07In my work, because we deal with death and money,

0:12:07 > 0:12:11you often see the best and the worst sides of people and often

0:12:11 > 0:12:16the stories that we have to deal with are quite sad but it's always

0:12:16 > 0:12:20a challenge whenever we are working a case that is very difficult.

0:12:21 > 0:12:24One recent case that caused case manager Saul Marks

0:12:24 > 0:12:29a bit of a headache was the £10,000 estate of Frederick Campbell.

0:12:29 > 0:12:31Even though it wasn't a high-value case,

0:12:31 > 0:12:35Saul decided to investigate as Fred lived and died in Birkenhead,

0:12:35 > 0:12:39which is just over the water from his Liverpool office.

0:12:39 > 0:12:42Obviously Frederick Campbell is a very common name

0:12:42 > 0:12:46and there was no middle name to narrow it down for us, so...

0:12:46 > 0:12:50I looked initially at other people named Frederick Campbell

0:12:50 > 0:12:53who had been born and who lived in the Birkenhead and Wirral area

0:12:53 > 0:12:57in the hope that one of these might be our deceased.

0:12:57 > 0:13:00When Saul got Frederick's death certificate, he discovered

0:13:00 > 0:13:04he wasn't as local as he initially thought.

0:13:04 > 0:13:08The deceased was actually born in 1912, he was 99 when he died,

0:13:08 > 0:13:10and he was born in Middlesbrough.

0:13:10 > 0:13:13So all the candidates that I'd put together were all useless

0:13:13 > 0:13:16and they all went in the bin and I had to start from scratch.

0:13:19 > 0:13:23Frederick Campbell died on 28 May 2012.

0:13:25 > 0:13:29He was living in a nursing home on the Wirral when he passed away.

0:13:29 > 0:13:33His friend and brother-in-law Derek Leaming was with him.

0:13:33 > 0:13:39Well, I was quite fond of Fred because, you know, man to man,

0:13:39 > 0:13:43you could talk the sport, jobs, anything, you know?

0:13:43 > 0:13:47He always got on well with myself and I felt so lonely for him

0:13:47 > 0:13:55because he'd gone 99.5 years and he was at the end on his own, you know?

0:13:55 > 0:13:57But he hadn't always been alone.

0:13:57 > 0:14:03Fred married Florence Davis, Derek's sister-in-law, in 1973.

0:14:03 > 0:14:08We used to go to the Labour club at Wallasey. Fred used to sing.

0:14:08 > 0:14:14Not that I saw him sing, but he used to play the ukelele.

0:14:15 > 0:14:20Sadly, Florence passed away in 1998 and they had no children.

0:14:20 > 0:14:28Fred then lived on his own with the social services coming in

0:14:28 > 0:14:31because his sight was receding.

0:14:31 > 0:14:34They were coming in in the morning to do his breakfast.

0:14:34 > 0:14:37Derek also paid regular visits

0:14:37 > 0:14:40to his brother-in-law and kept in touch until the day he died.

0:14:40 > 0:14:43But he is not an heir to Fred's estate.

0:14:47 > 0:14:49In Liverpool, Saul's search for beneficiaries

0:14:49 > 0:14:52was well and truly under way.

0:14:52 > 0:14:56I went through the electoral rolls, going back and back in time.

0:14:57 > 0:15:01In the early '70s his wife's name disappeared off the roll

0:15:01 > 0:15:04and a couple of years before that there was a different lady

0:15:04 > 0:15:09living there, named Edith Campbell, and I was thinking,

0:15:09 > 0:15:12"Well, I don't think that's his mother's name

0:15:12 > 0:15:15"and it wasn't his wife's name, perhaps it was a sister?"

0:15:15 > 0:15:19And then it dawned on me, perhaps he'd been married before.

0:15:19 > 0:15:24Sure enough, Saul soon found a marriage in 1951 of Frederick

0:15:24 > 0:15:25to Edith Hoggett on the Wirral.

0:15:27 > 0:15:30At this point in the research, I'd established that the deceased

0:15:30 > 0:15:32had been married twice

0:15:32 > 0:15:37and he'd had no children by his second marriage to Florence Davis.

0:15:37 > 0:15:41Um, he didn't appear to have any children by his first marriage

0:15:41 > 0:15:42to Edith Hoggett either.

0:15:45 > 0:15:48So it was to the wider family the heir hunters had to turn

0:15:48 > 0:15:51and Saul was quick to establish that Frederick's parents

0:15:51 > 0:15:53were James and Clara Campbell.

0:15:53 > 0:15:56Fred was their sixth child, born in 1912.

0:15:58 > 0:16:02At this time, the area was booming as a steel town and Fred's

0:16:02 > 0:16:07father and grandfather worked in the local steelworks as engine drivers.

0:16:07 > 0:16:11Looking at the history of this region, erm, Middlesbrough as we

0:16:11 > 0:16:15understand it now as a town didn't exist prior to round about the 1850s.

0:16:18 > 0:16:21It was the railways which brought other industries to the area

0:16:21 > 0:16:25and it was the Pease family that actually had the controlling interest

0:16:25 > 0:16:29in the Stockton and Darlington Railway who made the first extension

0:16:29 > 0:16:31of the railway lines out to what we call

0:16:31 > 0:16:33the ironmasters district of Middlesbrough.

0:16:35 > 0:16:38But to make it valuable they wanted other industries to come to

0:16:38 > 0:16:43the same area and use their railways so they attracted the iron makers

0:16:43 > 0:16:46and it was Bolckow and Vaughan, one of the first companies that came

0:16:46 > 0:16:50to Middlesbrough, and suddenly everything started to blossom.

0:16:51 > 0:16:53Frederick followed in their footsteps,

0:16:53 > 0:16:57working at the Haverton Hill steelworks as a stoker.

0:16:57 > 0:17:01Life in iron and steel furnaces was pretty mucky, pretty grimy,

0:17:01 > 0:17:03pretty dangerous.

0:17:03 > 0:17:06When you look at old photographs of workers they're basically

0:17:06 > 0:17:08wearing what we would call ordinary clothes.

0:17:08 > 0:17:10You know, they're wearing a pair of trousers,

0:17:10 > 0:17:13a shirt with their sleeves rolled up, a waistcoat, a scarf around their

0:17:13 > 0:17:18neck and a flat cap and that was about all they had to protect them.

0:17:18 > 0:17:20Certainly, in an iron works,

0:17:20 > 0:17:23it wouldn't be odd to be working a 10 to 12 hour shift.

0:17:25 > 0:17:29A tough job and skills that would be needed when Britain went to war.

0:17:31 > 0:17:34During the Second World War, Fred was stationed on board

0:17:34 > 0:17:38the Sir Evelyn Wood, a ship used for the transportation of men,

0:17:38 > 0:17:40ammunition and other supplies.

0:17:41 > 0:17:47The Sir Evelyn Wood was an 850-tonne iron steam coaster that saw service

0:17:47 > 0:17:49with the war department fleet

0:17:49 > 0:17:56and Royal Army Service Corps fleet from 1896 until 1957 -

0:17:56 > 0:18:00a remarkable period of service, lasting 61 years.

0:18:00 > 0:18:03His role was chief stoker.

0:18:03 > 0:18:07The vessel was powered by a twin compound steam engine.

0:18:08 > 0:18:11And it wasn't just the seas that were gruelling.

0:18:11 > 0:18:14A stoker was responsible for shovelling coal

0:18:14 > 0:18:18into the boiler of the ship's engine.

0:18:18 > 0:18:23The stoker would work in temperatures potentially up to 150 degrees

0:18:23 > 0:18:26with the atmosphere full of coal dust and with

0:18:26 > 0:18:29the ship pitching and rolling in both calm and rough seas.

0:18:34 > 0:18:37For Saul, the hunt was on for living relatives to inherit

0:18:37 > 0:18:43Fred's £10,000 estate. He'd now found out Fred had six siblings.

0:18:43 > 0:18:46Several of the deceased siblings died in infancy but there were

0:18:46 > 0:18:50two brothers and a sister who actually had children so there were

0:18:50 > 0:18:54actually 14 nieces and nephews of the deceased who were still alive.

0:18:54 > 0:18:56It looked like Saul had cracked the case,

0:18:56 > 0:19:00and in one fell swoop found all the heirs to this estate.

0:19:00 > 0:19:04Ready to put this case to bed, Saul was all set to sign them up,

0:19:04 > 0:19:07only to be dropped a bombshell.

0:19:07 > 0:19:09The deceased had actually been married three times.

0:19:15 > 0:19:19Every year, the heir hunters manage to crack the majority of their cases

0:19:19 > 0:19:22and track down heirs to unclaimed estates.

0:19:22 > 0:19:25However, there are always a few that elude them

0:19:25 > 0:19:28and stay on the Treasury Solicitors bona vacantia list.

0:19:28 > 0:19:31Bona vacantia is Latin for ownerless property

0:19:31 > 0:19:32and there's two main types.

0:19:32 > 0:19:34The first is the property of now-dissolved companies.

0:19:34 > 0:19:38And the second is a property of those who die without a valid will

0:19:38 > 0:19:40and without anyone entitled to inherit.

0:19:40 > 0:19:43But the cases won't remain on this list indefinitely.

0:19:44 > 0:19:47A case will stay on the list for 12 years, so either

0:19:47 > 0:19:50until it's claimed or until the limitation period is passed.

0:19:52 > 0:19:55Today we are focusing on two cases that remain unsolved.

0:19:55 > 0:19:59The first is Dorothy Avery, who died on 3 April 1988

0:19:59 > 0:20:02in Friern Barnet, North London.

0:20:05 > 0:20:11She was born though in West London, in Hammersmith, on 2 June 1898.

0:20:11 > 0:20:13Dorothy is believed to have been one of six children,

0:20:13 > 0:20:15having four brothers and one sister.

0:20:17 > 0:20:20Do you know anything which could shed some light on Dorothy's family?

0:20:22 > 0:20:25The next case is Joanna Margaret Andrews.

0:20:25 > 0:20:29She died on 10 July 2011 in Tyne and Wear.

0:20:30 > 0:20:34However, she was born in India on 18 December 1935.

0:20:36 > 0:20:39Joanna had been married to a Joseph Andrews,

0:20:39 > 0:20:43but he died in 1968, leaving her a widow.

0:20:44 > 0:20:47When it comes to who inherits an estate,

0:20:47 > 0:20:50the heir hunters have to follow the rules of intestacy.

0:20:50 > 0:20:54Generally the first people who are entitled are the spouse

0:20:54 > 0:20:56or a civil partner of the deceased.

0:20:56 > 0:20:59After that it's blood relatives who are directly descended

0:20:59 > 0:21:02from the grandparents of the deceased,

0:21:02 > 0:21:05as set out in the Administration Of Estates Act.

0:21:05 > 0:21:08Do you have any clues that could help solve these cases?

0:21:08 > 0:21:11Or maybe you believe you're related so could potentially have

0:21:11 > 0:21:13thousands of pounds coming your way?

0:21:21 > 0:21:24Heir hunter Ben Cornish and the team from Fraser and Fraser

0:21:24 > 0:21:28are hard at work on the mysterious case of Audrey Berridge

0:21:28 > 0:21:31who passed away at home in Worcester in 2013.

0:21:31 > 0:21:37She died without a will, leaving an estate worth upwards of £150,000.

0:21:37 > 0:21:40We haven't found her birth yet. Not going well.

0:21:40 > 0:21:42After a day on the case, the team has

0:21:42 > 0:21:46so far been unable to find a birth certificate for the deceased.

0:21:46 > 0:21:50I just honestly think that she's, it's a completely made-up name.

0:21:50 > 0:21:53And the only leads the team have to help identify Audrey

0:21:53 > 0:21:57are two names, Alice Berridge and a Violet Griffiths.

0:21:57 > 0:22:00Both had lived with Audrey up until they died.

0:22:01 > 0:22:05It's a new day and the team are again hard at work

0:22:05 > 0:22:08seeing if they can make headway on this tricky case to solve.

0:22:08 > 0:22:10Yesterday we thought that the deceased was adopted,

0:22:10 > 0:22:13suggested that she may have been adopted by the Berridge family.

0:22:13 > 0:22:16It may be that she's just been given to this Alice Berridge

0:22:16 > 0:22:21and Alice Berridge has brought her up and named her, so there's many

0:22:21 > 0:22:24different possibilities of what could have happened. So now,

0:22:24 > 0:22:28we can work back this individual and see how she is connected in.

0:22:28 > 0:22:30We still would be concerned about the fact

0:22:30 > 0:22:32that they cannot find the deceased's birth record.

0:22:32 > 0:22:35But it's a lot more positive than it was looking yesterday.

0:22:35 > 0:22:40Alice was born in 1873 and was married to a John Berridge,

0:22:40 > 0:22:41they had no children.

0:22:42 > 0:22:45But what emerges through the team's research

0:22:45 > 0:22:48is that Alice had been married before,

0:22:48 > 0:22:50to a William Griffiths in 1901.

0:22:50 > 0:22:53And they had one child, Violet Griffiths.

0:22:53 > 0:22:56So that made Alice and Violet mother and daughter,

0:22:56 > 0:23:00but what relation were they to Audrey? Was Alice Audrey's mum?

0:23:00 > 0:23:03Were Audrey and Violet half-sisters?

0:23:03 > 0:23:07The team desperately have to find answers.

0:23:07 > 0:23:11We just had to look for any "Audrey A"s in a 10-year period

0:23:11 > 0:23:13from 1938 forward and back to see

0:23:13 > 0:23:16if we can find any births of an Audrey A to tie it in.

0:23:16 > 0:23:20The team order in birth certificates for the Audrey As they have found

0:23:20 > 0:23:25and when they arrive in the office, it's good news for Ben.

0:23:25 > 0:23:27We noticed straight away it was our deceased.

0:23:27 > 0:23:29It was Audrey Anne Griffiths,

0:23:29 > 0:23:32she was born 28 September 1930.

0:23:32 > 0:23:35So the Violet Griffiths that we found, we initially thought she was

0:23:35 > 0:23:39a half-blood sister, but since she appeared on the birth certificate

0:23:39 > 0:23:43of the deceased we now know that she was actually her mother.

0:23:44 > 0:23:46This is a massive breakthrough for the team.

0:23:46 > 0:23:49It means they now know that Alice Berridge

0:23:49 > 0:23:52was in fact Audrey's grandmother.

0:23:52 > 0:23:54The pieces of the puzzle are now slowly coming together,

0:23:54 > 0:23:58and it looks like neither Audrey or Violet had any siblings.

0:23:58 > 0:24:01It means there's going to be no family at all

0:24:01 > 0:24:04on the maternal mother's side of the family.

0:24:04 > 0:24:07But why was Audrey a Berridge and not a Griffiths?

0:24:08 > 0:24:11On the death certificate of Violet Annie Griffiths,

0:24:11 > 0:24:15no relationship is ever given between her and the deceased.

0:24:15 > 0:24:17The deceased is the informant, but I am not sure

0:24:17 > 0:24:22whether they didn't want to... She did not know that was actually

0:24:22 > 0:24:24her mother or they chose for some reason

0:24:24 > 0:24:27not to list their relationship.

0:24:27 > 0:24:30As all three women had passed away there were going to be no answers

0:24:30 > 0:24:34to that question, and as there were no heirs on the maternal side,

0:24:34 > 0:24:35what the team now had to do

0:24:35 > 0:24:38was focus their attention on the paternal side.

0:24:38 > 0:24:41We haven't got a name on the birth certificate,

0:24:41 > 0:24:43no father is shown on the birth certificate,

0:24:43 > 0:24:46so really we've got no paternal side.

0:24:46 > 0:24:49The mystery behind the family deepens.

0:24:49 > 0:24:53The lack of a father's name on Audrey's birth certificate indicate

0:24:53 > 0:24:56she was born illegitimately and with no heirs through her mother's side

0:24:56 > 0:25:00of the family, this brings the team's two days of hard work

0:25:00 > 0:25:02to a sudden standstill.

0:25:04 > 0:25:07With no maternal heirs and no paternal family to trace,

0:25:07 > 0:25:09it looks as though there will be no beneficiaries

0:25:09 > 0:25:11and no commission for the heir hunters.

0:25:15 > 0:25:18But with an estate worth around £150,000,

0:25:18 > 0:25:21company boss Neil is refusing to give up.

0:25:21 > 0:25:24If he can find out and prove who Audrey's father was,

0:25:24 > 0:25:27they may still be able to find heirs.

0:25:27 > 0:25:30He's decided to travel to the area where Audrey died

0:25:30 > 0:25:33to see if he can find anything in the local records.

0:25:33 > 0:25:37So the information we have and what Ben's been able to put together

0:25:37 > 0:25:40is that the deceased we think is an only child,

0:25:40 > 0:25:44the birth certificate seems to indicate that she's illegitimate.

0:25:44 > 0:25:49So...we're going local, really, we are going back to the local records

0:25:49 > 0:25:51and we are going to see if we can find some trace

0:25:51 > 0:25:54of why it's illegitimate or...

0:25:54 > 0:25:57You know, why we... if we can find a father's name.

0:26:00 > 0:26:03Neil first heads to the local archive office

0:26:03 > 0:26:04to search the records.

0:26:06 > 0:26:11The names I am searching for are Berridge and Griffiths.

0:26:11 > 0:26:14We're searching under the name she's died under.

0:26:14 > 0:26:17The name we found the birth registered under

0:26:17 > 0:26:18as well as her forenames.

0:26:18 > 0:26:21It's not too bad, going through a book like this.

0:26:21 > 0:26:24You can pick it out and because we've been doing it for a while

0:26:24 > 0:26:26and I've been doing it for a while,

0:26:26 > 0:26:29it's several years since I looked at them,

0:26:29 > 0:26:32my tactic is I always go through the surnames first and then go

0:26:32 > 0:26:35backwards so turn the pages the opposite way to go for the forenames.

0:26:35 > 0:26:39It just means you can focus your eyeline a bit on one column

0:26:39 > 0:26:41and in the end it works out quicker.

0:26:41 > 0:26:46Neil has no luck tracing Audrey, but does find her mother Violet.

0:26:46 > 0:26:50And then, flipping on a few pages, and it really is only a few pages,

0:26:50 > 0:26:54but it's the best part of 30 years' worth of baptisms...

0:26:54 > 0:26:57we get to 30 August 1903.

0:26:57 > 0:27:01And here we have an entry for Violet Annie Griffiths.

0:27:01 > 0:27:04Violet Annie Griffiths is the mother of the deceased.

0:27:04 > 0:27:08It says her father is William Arthur, her mother Alice, everything ties up

0:27:08 > 0:27:11with the information from the birth certificate

0:27:11 > 0:27:13so we are definitely in the right area,

0:27:13 > 0:27:18the right parish and unfortunately, I can't find the deceased,

0:27:18 > 0:27:21which means I can't find a father's name.

0:27:21 > 0:27:25However deep the team dig, they cannot find an ounce of information

0:27:25 > 0:27:28to help them identify Audrey's father.

0:27:28 > 0:27:31Neil has now decided to make his way over to the house

0:27:31 > 0:27:34where Audrey lived and died.

0:27:34 > 0:27:36This property will contribute a large amount

0:27:36 > 0:27:38to the total value of the estate.

0:27:38 > 0:27:44As decorations and standards of repair go, this is pretty bad.

0:27:44 > 0:27:46Building-wise, it's a beautiful building.

0:27:46 > 0:27:50It's solid brickwork, beautiful headstone over the door.

0:27:50 > 0:27:53But, just a very, very poor state of repair at the moment.

0:27:55 > 0:27:58However, even though the house is in such a bad state,

0:27:58 > 0:28:01it is a valuable asset.

0:28:02 > 0:28:07I know that an end terrace of this quality is going to be worth

0:28:07 > 0:28:12a few thousand pounds, a few tens of thousand pounds,

0:28:12 > 0:28:14maybe even up to £150,000.

0:28:14 > 0:28:17It is a valuable estate.

0:28:17 > 0:28:19It is certainly worth us doing something on it.

0:28:19 > 0:28:21It is worth us following up as hard as we can.

0:28:21 > 0:28:25It is an estate which we don't think anyone else knows about.

0:28:25 > 0:28:29But with no-one so far to inherit it, it is worthless to the company

0:28:29 > 0:28:32as they won't earn any commission.

0:28:32 > 0:28:36Neil pushes on, and there's one last avenue to explore.

0:28:36 > 0:28:38The company's research has revealed

0:28:38 > 0:28:42that at the time of Audrey's birth, her mother Violet

0:28:42 > 0:28:45was living at a nearby stately home called Croome Court,

0:28:45 > 0:28:48the home of the Earl of Coventry.

0:28:48 > 0:28:52The family first came in about 1570.

0:28:52 > 0:28:56They moved here because the then Thomas Coventry

0:28:56 > 0:29:00married a young lady from this area, a very rich young lady,

0:29:00 > 0:29:03and with her dowry came some of the land in this area.

0:29:03 > 0:29:11Sadly, she died after having about four children. So he remarried

0:29:11 > 0:29:16another young lady from the local area who came with more land.

0:29:16 > 0:29:21That was the start of the Croome Estate.

0:29:21 > 0:29:25When the sixth Earl inherited Croome in 1751 he had dreams

0:29:25 > 0:29:28of modernising the estate, and called on the esteemed

0:29:28 > 0:29:32landscape architect Capability Brown to take on the job.

0:29:33 > 0:29:38It so happened that in 1751 as well, Capability Brown had set up his own

0:29:38 > 0:29:43business in Hammersmith, and so Lord Coventry became his first client.

0:29:43 > 0:29:49So he brought him here, not initially to do the park, but to do the court.

0:29:49 > 0:29:52Now, it's unusual for Brown.

0:29:52 > 0:29:57There are other buildings that he was architect for, but Croome

0:29:57 > 0:30:03was his first one and Croome was also his first landscape park creation.

0:30:03 > 0:30:08So Capability Brown set about bringing the Earl's vision to life.

0:30:08 > 0:30:13It was to make a complete work of art with the house sitting in the middle,

0:30:13 > 0:30:17the parkland surrounding it, and they worked together.

0:30:17 > 0:30:19From the park you look back at the house

0:30:19 > 0:30:22and see it almost as a garden building.

0:30:22 > 0:30:24But when you get inside the house

0:30:24 > 0:30:28and look out, you look at all the garden buildings.

0:30:28 > 0:30:31And all those views are designed.

0:30:31 > 0:30:35Wherever you stand, in the house or the park, and look out,

0:30:35 > 0:30:37you are looking at a designed view.

0:30:37 > 0:30:41We often say there is nothing at Croome has happened by accident.

0:30:41 > 0:30:45Both Violet and her mother Alice lived at Croome Court,

0:30:45 > 0:30:48because Alice's father William worked there as a stud groom.

0:30:48 > 0:30:52He would have had a terribly responsible job.

0:30:52 > 0:30:56He would only have been accountable to the ninth Earl himself.

0:30:56 > 0:30:59He would have started off at the age of 13 or 14

0:30:59 > 0:31:04straight from school as a lowly stable lad.

0:31:04 > 0:31:06He would have mucked horses out.

0:31:06 > 0:31:10He would have groomed them, he would have swept the yards,

0:31:10 > 0:31:15he would have learnt to ride on very, very quiet horses.

0:31:15 > 0:31:20Over the years, he would have worked his way up to responsibility.

0:31:20 > 0:31:23William's daughter Alice we know lived up here

0:31:23 > 0:31:29and her daughter Violet was baptised around here.

0:31:29 > 0:31:33Would the Earl's children have mingled with the staff's family?

0:31:33 > 0:31:35As very young children, yes.

0:31:35 > 0:31:40Later on in life, possibly there would have been a barrier.

0:31:40 > 0:31:45Violet, the mother of our deceased, she has this illegitimate child.

0:31:45 > 0:31:48All we know is that she was brought up

0:31:48 > 0:31:51probably around here in the 1930s.

0:31:51 > 0:31:52Is there any indication,

0:31:52 > 0:31:55is there anything to say who the father could have been?

0:31:55 > 0:32:02It could possibly have been anyone from a page boy to the hierarchy.

0:32:02 > 0:32:04It's very difficult to know.

0:32:07 > 0:32:10So many questions remain unanswered from this case,

0:32:10 > 0:32:12but one thing is certain -

0:32:12 > 0:32:14the heir hunters have done all they can

0:32:14 > 0:32:18to trace any beneficiaries to the estate of Audrey Berridge

0:32:18 > 0:32:22and, this time, have to walk away empty-handed.

0:32:22 > 0:32:25This is the end of the line, really, with the estate.

0:32:25 > 0:32:29We have taken the enquiries and the work as far as we possibly can.

0:32:29 > 0:32:34Out here at Croome Court, it's a remarkable place, you know,

0:32:34 > 0:32:39the deceased was probably conceived around here,

0:32:39 > 0:32:43but by who, who is the father, it could be anyone, we'll never know.

0:32:44 > 0:32:47We can't do anything else.

0:32:47 > 0:32:51English and Welsh law is quite clear, we can only go to first cousins.

0:32:51 > 0:32:54We haven't got any paternal side, the mother is an only child,

0:32:54 > 0:32:56she's got no cousins.

0:32:56 > 0:33:00This is one of those estates which the government is going to pocket.

0:33:08 > 0:33:14When Fred Campbell passed away aged 99, he left behind a £10,000 estate.

0:33:14 > 0:33:17With no children from his two marriages,

0:33:17 > 0:33:20Celtic's Saul Marks had traced nieces and nephews.

0:33:20 > 0:33:23But as he was just about to sign them up,

0:33:23 > 0:33:25a new revelation came to light.

0:33:25 > 0:33:30We've been working on the assumption that the deceased had no children

0:33:30 > 0:33:33from either of his two marriages that we knew up to that point.

0:33:34 > 0:33:38So we were on the point of sending contracts out to them

0:33:38 > 0:33:43when we established that the deceased actually had been married before

0:33:43 > 0:33:47and he had been married three times and had children by his first wife.

0:33:47 > 0:33:50That meant the research Saul had done was redundant

0:33:50 > 0:33:53and he would have to start all over again

0:33:53 > 0:33:57as the heirs he thought he had found would not be heirs

0:33:57 > 0:33:59if Fred and his first wife had had children.

0:34:05 > 0:34:07Fred was born in Middlesbrough,

0:34:07 > 0:34:10but spent the last 20 years of his life on the Wirral.

0:34:10 > 0:34:13He found work there at a Cadbury's factory in Moreton.

0:34:20 > 0:34:22Cadbury's, one of Britain's best-known companies,

0:34:22 > 0:34:26was established in 1824 by John Cadbury.

0:34:26 > 0:34:29It all began when he opened a grocer's shop in Birmingham

0:34:29 > 0:34:32selling cocoa and drinking chocolate.

0:34:33 > 0:34:35But it was his sons, George and Richard,

0:34:35 > 0:34:40who really broke the mould when they took over the company in 1861.

0:34:41 > 0:34:43Their plans for the future were ambitious.

0:34:43 > 0:34:46They wanted to build a place full of green spaces

0:34:46 > 0:34:50where industrial workers could thrive away from city pollution.

0:34:51 > 0:34:54So in 1893, the pair bought up more land

0:34:54 > 0:34:58to build a village for their workers.

0:34:58 > 0:35:01They named it Bournville after a nearby stream called Bourne Brook.

0:35:03 > 0:35:04Under the scheme,

0:35:04 > 0:35:07workers could purchase the homes they lived in,

0:35:07 > 0:35:09and, often for the first time,

0:35:09 > 0:35:13they had gardens to relax in and grow their own vegetables.

0:35:13 > 0:35:18Fred continued to work for Cadbury's in Moreton until he retired in 1975.

0:35:22 > 0:35:26For case manager Saul, the hunt was on for Fred's first wife.

0:35:26 > 0:35:29During the research, there was a marriage listing

0:35:29 > 0:35:31that had caught my eye of a Frederick Campbell

0:35:31 > 0:35:35marrying a Violet Banks in Middlesbrough in 1934.

0:35:36 > 0:35:39I thought this was worth investigating.

0:35:39 > 0:35:43I established that that marriage actually produced several children.

0:35:44 > 0:35:48Could these children be the rightful heirs to Fred's estate?

0:35:48 > 0:35:52The first thing Saul had to do was to prove it was the right family.

0:35:53 > 0:35:56What I didn't know was whether he had married before.

0:35:56 > 0:35:58On that marriage to Edith Hoggett,

0:35:58 > 0:36:01he would have been down as a widower or a divorcee.

0:36:01 > 0:36:05Sure enough, not only was he the right man,

0:36:05 > 0:36:06but he was actually listed

0:36:06 > 0:36:10as previously the husband of Violet Ada Banks.

0:36:10 > 0:36:15That was wonderful because that proved that the marriage

0:36:15 > 0:36:17that I found in Middlesbrough was the correct person.

0:36:19 > 0:36:22Frederick and Violet had three children.

0:36:23 > 0:36:25The thing is with this case,

0:36:25 > 0:36:28we nearly sent contracts to the wrong people.

0:36:28 > 0:36:30This was quite a relief because,

0:36:30 > 0:36:33instead of contacting 14 nieces and nephews,

0:36:33 > 0:36:36we knew we were down to three or four children of the deceased

0:36:36 > 0:36:38so, hopefully, there would be less work

0:36:38 > 0:36:40and the case would be solved more quickly.

0:36:40 > 0:36:44Saul discovered the eldest daughter Mavis had died in her twenties

0:36:44 > 0:36:46and she had no children.

0:36:47 > 0:36:50However he couldn't find a death for Florence or Violet,

0:36:50 > 0:36:53or indeed any trace of them.

0:36:53 > 0:36:58The second daughter Florence caused us quite a few problems,

0:36:58 > 0:37:00but ultimately, after quite a bit of work,

0:37:00 > 0:37:04we established that she died under her maiden name of Campbell.

0:37:04 > 0:37:06We assumed that she was a spinster

0:37:06 > 0:37:10and that, again, there would be no heirs from that line either.

0:37:10 > 0:37:11But just to make sure,

0:37:11 > 0:37:14I obtained a copy of her death certificate

0:37:14 > 0:37:17from Middlesbrough Registry office, and that actually revealed

0:37:17 > 0:37:22that she had been married and that the informant was one of her sons.

0:37:22 > 0:37:24This was the breakthrough Saul needed.

0:37:24 > 0:37:27He quickly found Anthony, Florence's eldest son.

0:37:27 > 0:37:29Anthony knew of his grandfather Fred,

0:37:29 > 0:37:33but his name wasn't mentioned often in the family home.

0:37:33 > 0:37:35I was quite intrigued, actually,

0:37:35 > 0:37:42because I wasn't sure that anybody in my family had any money to pass on.

0:37:42 > 0:37:48I was also intrigued that it was from my grandfather because,

0:37:48 > 0:37:51to tell you the truth, I didn't have many details about his life

0:37:51 > 0:37:55and I was hoping that maybe I could find out more.

0:37:56 > 0:37:59Anthony then put Saul in touch with his three siblings

0:37:59 > 0:38:02who were also heirs to Fred's estate.

0:38:02 > 0:38:05Saul still had to find Fred's youngest daughter,

0:38:05 > 0:38:07and he soon came across some interesting information.

0:38:10 > 0:38:12By sheer coincidence,

0:38:12 > 0:38:15the deceased's surviving daughter actually lived only a few miles away

0:38:15 > 0:38:18from where he was living, and yet they hadn't been in contact.

0:38:18 > 0:38:22It's amazing how families can move from one side of the country,

0:38:22 > 0:38:27back again and back again over the course of generations.

0:38:27 > 0:38:30She hadn't been in touch with her father for some years,

0:38:30 > 0:38:32so she had no idea that he had passed away.

0:38:32 > 0:38:35It was actually her daughter who broke the news to her.

0:38:35 > 0:38:38The fact that she also lives in Liverpool,

0:38:38 > 0:38:41not far from our office, was very convenient for me

0:38:41 > 0:38:43because I popped down that same evening

0:38:43 > 0:38:45and had a nice meeting with her and signed her up.

0:38:45 > 0:38:49For Fred's grandson Anthony, he now wants to know more

0:38:49 > 0:38:53about the grandfather his mother rarely spoke about.

0:38:54 > 0:38:57My memories of Fred are very scarce.

0:38:57 > 0:39:00I remember Mum showing me one picture of him.

0:39:00 > 0:39:03Apart than that, I had no other details.

0:39:03 > 0:39:05From the few details Anthony does know,

0:39:05 > 0:39:08he shares one thing in common with his grandfather.

0:39:10 > 0:39:12I know that he served some time at sea.

0:39:13 > 0:39:17I had cousins and uncles who served time at sea

0:39:17 > 0:39:21and being a current serving coastguard officer,

0:39:21 > 0:39:23I suppose there are those links.

0:39:26 > 0:39:30Today, Anthony is travelling from his home in Norfolk to Liverpool

0:39:30 > 0:39:32to meet two of Fred's brothers-in-law,

0:39:32 > 0:39:36Derek and Alex, both of whom knew his grandfather well.

0:39:36 > 0:39:42Today I'm feeling intrigued and excited. My first time in Liverpool.

0:39:42 > 0:39:45I've made a five-hour car journey

0:39:45 > 0:39:50to find out some background on my mother's father.

0:39:51 > 0:39:53For me, it's especially important today

0:39:53 > 0:39:57because today would have been my mum's 75th birthday.

0:39:57 > 0:39:59I'm doing it partly for her too.

0:40:03 > 0:40:06Anthony is meeting Derek and Alex at the famous Albert Dock.

0:40:08 > 0:40:12- Hello. I'm Derek.- Hello, Derek, nice to meet you.- How do you do?

0:40:13 > 0:40:21- Are you OK?- Take a seat. - He's like Fred's build.- Yes.

0:40:24 > 0:40:26Anthony sees for the first time in decades

0:40:26 > 0:40:28what his grandfather looked like.

0:40:31 > 0:40:34That's your grandfather.

0:40:35 > 0:40:40That's taken approximately about 20 years ago.

0:40:40 > 0:40:42Yes, I can see where you're coming from.

0:40:43 > 0:40:46- I can see my mother's face on him. - I did meet your mother.

0:40:46 > 0:40:52I didn't know about you. We both have a few times.

0:40:52 > 0:40:57Derek and Alex then give Anthony an insight into Fred's character.

0:40:57 > 0:41:02- He loved music. - Yes, he did like music.- My mum did.

0:41:02 > 0:41:05He did a lot of singing when he was younger.

0:41:05 > 0:41:08Because when he first came into our family,

0:41:08 > 0:41:14- he used to sing when he was walking along.- Always singing.

0:41:14 > 0:41:20- Any time he was sitting there, he'd start.- Chirping away.

0:41:20 > 0:41:23I wonder that's where my mum got it, because she was always singing.

0:41:23 > 0:41:25I was brought up on Elvis Presley.

0:41:26 > 0:41:30Did you know about your grandfather then?

0:41:30 > 0:41:34I only had really sketchy details.

0:41:36 > 0:41:40I didn't know he played the ukelele or that he was a stoker.

0:41:40 > 0:41:43All I knew was that he spent time at sea, I didn't know what he did.

0:41:43 > 0:41:48- He sounds like a bit of a character. - He was a character.

0:41:48 > 0:41:50He got on well at the nursing home

0:41:50 > 0:41:54because the majority were women there.

0:41:55 > 0:42:01He was in his element there. He was quite happy there.

0:42:03 > 0:42:05'Florence's son was very helpful.

0:42:05 > 0:42:10'He remembered his grandfather and he was kind enough to put us'

0:42:10 > 0:42:14in touch with his siblings and the family of his surviving aunt.

0:42:14 > 0:42:18Thanks to him, we were able to conclude the case quite quickly,

0:42:18 > 0:42:20once we had spoken to him.

0:42:20 > 0:42:24All his life, Anthony's grandfather has just been a faint and hazy image

0:42:24 > 0:42:25in the background.

0:42:25 > 0:42:29But now the memory of his grandfather can only grow stronger

0:42:29 > 0:42:32as he learns more about him from the people who knew him so well.

0:42:34 > 0:42:36It feels great.

0:42:36 > 0:42:38They told me things that I didn't know,

0:42:38 > 0:42:41things I probably couldn't have got off my mum.

0:42:41 > 0:42:45Bits about his life, like he used to play the ukelele.

0:42:45 > 0:42:47I can see the jovial side of him now.

0:42:47 > 0:42:51It's taken the intrigue out of him.

0:42:51 > 0:42:53It's opened him up to me and made him,

0:42:53 > 0:42:56kind of filled him out, made him a full person.

0:42:58 > 0:42:59Fred, my wife, myself.

0:42:59 > 0:43:01I honestly believe he is the kind of man

0:43:01 > 0:43:04I would have liked to have got to know better.

0:43:04 > 0:43:08Somebody I honestly think I could have spent time with.

0:43:08 > 0:43:10Just getting to know him.

0:43:10 > 0:43:11The way he comes across,

0:43:11 > 0:43:15I could have seen us spending many long hours together.