Forrestel/Van Hoeck

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0:00:03 > 0:00:05Heir hunters are trained to track down the relatives

0:00:05 > 0:00:08of those who've died without leaving a will.

0:00:08 > 0:00:11She died 16th April.

0:00:11 > 0:00:14Their work involves expert research.

0:00:14 > 0:00:16Nothing in this job gets the adrenaline going

0:00:16 > 0:00:18like making enquiries.

0:00:18 > 0:00:21And it's often a race against time...

0:00:21 > 0:00:25Because you're in a competitive basis, there is a time constraint.

0:00:25 > 0:00:27..as rival companies are never far away.

0:00:27 > 0:00:31And they make their money through commission.

0:00:31 > 0:00:34They hand over thousands of pounds to family members

0:00:34 > 0:00:37who had no idea they were in line to inherit.

0:00:37 > 0:00:39It's all come out of the blue, really.

0:00:39 > 0:00:42The whole thing was just so exciting.

0:00:42 > 0:00:47I didn't know then what I know now about my own family.

0:00:47 > 0:00:52But most of all, they tell people of an unexpected windfall.

0:00:52 > 0:00:55So, could the heir hunters be knocking out your door?

0:00:59 > 0:01:01Coming up:

0:01:01 > 0:01:04The heir hunters discover the world's stage

0:01:04 > 0:01:06when they take on an international case.

0:01:06 > 0:01:08She was an actress.

0:01:08 > 0:01:11It seems that they had something in common that way.

0:01:11 > 0:01:12How romantic.

0:01:12 > 0:01:17Unravelling the mystery of a man surprises a family member.

0:01:17 > 0:01:21I had to read it two or three times because I thought,

0:01:21 > 0:01:22"Wow, what is this?"

0:01:22 > 0:01:25Plus, could a fortune be heading your way?

0:01:26 > 0:01:29How you could be entitled to inherit unclaimed estates

0:01:29 > 0:01:31held by the Treasury.

0:01:38 > 0:01:41It's Friday morning in the offices of heir hunting firm

0:01:41 > 0:01:43Fraser & Fraser.

0:01:43 > 0:01:46I've got an enquiry in W9.

0:01:47 > 0:01:50Go on, Dave, get out of the way!

0:01:50 > 0:01:53The company's highly experienced research team

0:01:53 > 0:01:55are working on a number of cases,

0:01:55 > 0:01:58many of which have been advertised as unclaimed

0:01:58 > 0:02:01by the government's Bona Vacantia division,

0:02:01 > 0:02:04part of the Treasury Solicitor's office.

0:02:04 > 0:02:07We find that cases are being solved much more quickly these days.

0:02:07 > 0:02:09There's a lot more interest in this line of work.

0:02:09 > 0:02:12We find that they're using the internet more.

0:02:12 > 0:02:14There's much more resources out there.

0:02:14 > 0:02:17But this is not the only source of heir hunting cases.

0:02:17 > 0:02:21- He's been dead four years by then. - Dead four years by then.

0:02:21 > 0:02:25Work can come from other areas, including solicitor referrals

0:02:25 > 0:02:27and tip-offs from neighbours.

0:02:27 > 0:02:30But the team also work with other probate research firms

0:02:30 > 0:02:32from around the world.

0:02:32 > 0:02:37And today, they've been given a case that has come in from the Big Apple.

0:02:37 > 0:02:41This is a case called Mary Forrestal who died in Buffalo, New York,

0:02:41 > 0:02:43passed to us by American agents,

0:02:43 > 0:02:46as she was supposed to be born over here in the UK.

0:02:46 > 0:02:49So, therefore there's potential beneficiaries over here,

0:02:49 > 0:02:50which we're looking into.

0:02:50 > 0:02:54The estate is thought to be worth about 150,000,

0:02:54 > 0:02:57which is about £90,000.

0:02:57 > 0:03:01- Well, that side of all have to be worked over then.- Exactly.

0:03:01 > 0:03:05David Pacifico is one of the firm's longest-serving case managers,

0:03:05 > 0:03:07so kicks off the investigation.

0:03:07 > 0:03:11- Shall I take it?- Yes, please. - I'll print off the tree then.- Yep.

0:03:11 > 0:03:15Mary was 85 years old when she passed away in a nursing home

0:03:15 > 0:03:18in the New York district of Buffalo.

0:03:18 > 0:03:22At this stage, the team know very little about her,

0:03:22 > 0:03:24or when she moved to the US.

0:03:24 > 0:03:26But as she was born in Britain,

0:03:26 > 0:03:28the team are going to be searching for UK-based heirs.

0:03:31 > 0:03:35Yes, that's the one, yeah. She died 16th of April.

0:03:37 > 0:03:41To find out if there are any living relatives in the UK to inherit,

0:03:41 > 0:03:45the research team need to build up Mary's family tree.

0:03:45 > 0:03:49But as she died in America, they have to follow their laws.

0:03:49 > 0:03:52International case manager Simon Mills is also working on this case.

0:03:54 > 0:03:57New York intestacy law is quite complicated,

0:03:57 > 0:03:59but a simplified version,

0:03:59 > 0:04:00if we can't find near kin,

0:04:00 > 0:04:04which would be brothers, sisters, children, nieces and nephews,

0:04:04 > 0:04:06and we have to go as far out as cousins,

0:04:06 > 0:04:10if we find a first cousin, or a closest living generation,

0:04:10 > 0:04:15nobody else below that generation would be entitled.

0:04:15 > 0:04:19The first step is to trace where Mary was born.

0:04:19 > 0:04:22So, we'd be concentrating on the maternal side of the family,

0:04:22 > 0:04:24so it's a case of finding the birth,

0:04:24 > 0:04:28finding the mother's information from the marriage and her birth,

0:04:28 > 0:04:30and working on the maternal side of the family.

0:04:30 > 0:04:36Researcher Emily has narrowed down Mary's birthplace to London.

0:04:36 > 0:04:37We weren't quite sure.

0:04:37 > 0:04:40We weren't even told where the deceased was born,

0:04:40 > 0:04:44but we identified the birth in Lambeth in 1928.

0:04:44 > 0:04:48From this, Emily hopes to learn who Mary's parents were.

0:04:48 > 0:04:52We've worked the maternal side of the family

0:04:52 > 0:04:55after identifying the parents' marriage in St Giles in London.

0:04:55 > 0:05:00Mary Elizabeth Forrestal was born in July 1928.

0:05:00 > 0:05:04She was Winifred Ellen Mayern and Richard Forrestal's second child.

0:05:05 > 0:05:07She has a brother.

0:05:08 > 0:05:11The deceased and her brother were both born over here.

0:05:12 > 0:05:14Emily is off to a good start,

0:05:14 > 0:05:16quickly establishing Mary's close family.

0:05:16 > 0:05:18But she then hits a stumbling block

0:05:18 > 0:05:22while looking for a marriage or a death for Mary's brother, Richard.

0:05:22 > 0:05:25Was he still alive? Had he married and had children?

0:05:25 > 0:05:27Oh, has HE got it?

0:05:27 > 0:05:30So, as Emily tries to unearth some more information

0:05:30 > 0:05:32about the brother...

0:05:33 > 0:05:39..travelling researcher Bob Barrett is already out on the road.

0:05:39 > 0:05:42He's set off from home in the hope there'll be heirs to visit.

0:05:42 > 0:05:45His job is visiting, picking up documents,

0:05:45 > 0:05:48and signing up heirs.

0:05:48 > 0:05:52Nothing in this job gets the adrenaline going more

0:05:52 > 0:05:55than talking to people and making enquiries.

0:06:01 > 0:06:04While they try to find out what happened to Mary's brother,

0:06:04 > 0:06:08the team decide to take a gamble and research the wider family.

0:06:08 > 0:06:14- We found the mother on the census, on the 1911 census.- Good.- Thank you!

0:06:16 > 0:06:18The 1911 census

0:06:18 > 0:06:22gives the team an instant snapshot of Mary's immediate family.

0:06:22 > 0:06:25They can see that Winifred, the mother of the deceased,

0:06:25 > 0:06:27was living with her parents Fred and Elizabeth.

0:06:27 > 0:06:30There were also several other siblings of Winifred's

0:06:30 > 0:06:35living with her. So, that revealed all of Mary's aunts and uncles.

0:06:40 > 0:06:45So, the team have established that in total, Winifred had 10 siblings.

0:06:45 > 0:06:47However, four had died as children.

0:06:47 > 0:06:49That left six siblings,

0:06:49 > 0:06:53whose children would be Mary's first cousins, and potential heirs.

0:06:55 > 0:06:58That would all depend on whether her brother was still alive.

0:06:58 > 0:07:02All right? Thanks very much. OK, bye.

0:07:02 > 0:07:06The team then receive some news from their American partners.

0:07:06 > 0:07:12The brother of the deceased, we know has passed away, and never married.

0:07:12 > 0:07:16So, therefore we are looking at aunts and uncles of the deceased,

0:07:16 > 0:07:18and any children of those aunts and uncles,

0:07:18 > 0:07:22so they would be cousins to the deceased.

0:07:22 > 0:07:27Mary's brother Richard had died in 1983 in Buffalo, New York.

0:07:27 > 0:07:31He had also never married or had children.

0:07:31 > 0:07:35So, what took Winifred and her husband Richard stateside?

0:07:35 > 0:07:38Richard was from Buffalo, in New York.

0:07:38 > 0:07:43There's a passport application for the Richard Forrestal

0:07:43 > 0:07:48going from America to England, and he needs to state his purpose.

0:07:48 > 0:07:50And on that, he says artist,

0:07:50 > 0:07:53and that he's been to places like Australia and South Africa.

0:07:53 > 0:07:58And that as well as an artist. So, he's obviously well travelled.

0:07:58 > 0:08:02The fact that Mary's father was born in New York may explain

0:08:02 > 0:08:04why the family went over there to live,

0:08:04 > 0:08:08despite the fact Mary and her brother were born in the UK.

0:08:08 > 0:08:11And as Emily continues trawling through records,

0:08:11 > 0:08:14it emerges that Mary's mum Winifred, and dad Richard,

0:08:14 > 0:08:17may have led a glamorous life.

0:08:18 > 0:08:19The father of the deceased

0:08:19 > 0:08:24and the mother of the deceased both seem to be quite artistic people.

0:08:24 > 0:08:26The father, Richard Forrestal,

0:08:26 > 0:08:31he was actually listed on certain shipping records as being an artist,

0:08:31 > 0:08:33and his purpose for travel

0:08:33 > 0:08:36was to go round to exhibitions and things like that.

0:08:39 > 0:08:40Whatever their careers,

0:08:40 > 0:08:43the team have now learned from passenger records

0:08:43 > 0:08:47that Richard and Winifred moved their young family from Southampton

0:08:47 > 0:08:51to New York, and company partner Neil has seen plenty of cases

0:08:51 > 0:08:54where families made this epic voyage.

0:08:55 > 0:09:00The passage from Southampton to New York is a very common journey.

0:09:00 > 0:09:04It's a journey taken by hundreds and thousands of people.

0:09:04 > 0:09:08People from all over the world travelled to New York.

0:09:09 > 0:09:13The journey, though, was harsh. The journey was very hard.

0:09:14 > 0:09:17The conditions were very cramped, very, very small,

0:09:17 > 0:09:20and people were confined to their cabin,

0:09:20 > 0:09:23or wherever they could make room.

0:09:23 > 0:09:25It's a very, very hard journey, lasting a few days.

0:09:25 > 0:09:29And then, even when you get to New York, you're then kept

0:09:29 > 0:09:34on a ship outside Ellis Island in New York, waiting to be off-loaded.

0:09:36 > 0:09:39A new life had begun for the Forrestal family,

0:09:39 > 0:09:42and Mary, who was just eight years on at the time of her move,

0:09:42 > 0:09:45would spend the rest of her life living on US soil.

0:09:53 > 0:09:57But, back in the office, the team are focused on her UK roots.

0:09:57 > 0:10:00On this case we discovered that the deceased had four aunts

0:10:00 > 0:10:03and uncles, who went on to marry and have children.

0:10:04 > 0:10:08So, the whole case now rests on Mary's first cousins.

0:10:08 > 0:10:10If she finds out all of them are dead, the heir hunters

0:10:10 > 0:10:16won't get their commission, and the work will have been a waste of time.

0:10:16 > 0:10:18Because this case originated from New York,

0:10:18 > 0:10:21we therefore had to take the nearest relative

0:10:21 > 0:10:23as the ones that would be entitled.

0:10:23 > 0:10:25In this case, it was first cousins.

0:10:25 > 0:10:27And there's some bad news.

0:10:27 > 0:10:32So far, it looks as if all of Mary's first cousins have died.

0:10:32 > 0:10:35It's giving me a headache, I tell you!

0:10:38 > 0:10:40But then, there's a glimmer of hope,

0:10:40 > 0:10:44as they can't find any records of death for the three children

0:10:44 > 0:10:46of Mary's uncle, Frederick William Mayern.

0:10:46 > 0:10:49Are they still alive?

0:10:49 > 0:10:53- Are you satisfied? - I think it looks pretty good.

0:10:53 > 0:10:55So, with all hope of finding an heir

0:10:55 > 0:10:58resting on the children of Frederick, the pressure is on.

0:10:58 > 0:11:01And they can't risk leaving one stone unturned.

0:11:03 > 0:11:05We could miss a vital record, a marriage or a death,

0:11:05 > 0:11:07because we've only looked one way.

0:11:13 > 0:11:16While the Treasury Solicitor publishes a list of new cases

0:11:16 > 0:11:19every day, the heir hunters can't always find the vital clues

0:11:19 > 0:11:23that lead them to entitled relatives.

0:11:23 > 0:11:25These cases remain on the government's unclaimed list

0:11:25 > 0:11:27for up to 30 years,

0:11:27 > 0:11:30and can provide a very different challenge for the heir hunters.

0:11:31 > 0:11:34Any case that is in the Treasury Solicitor's list

0:11:34 > 0:11:36is an unsolved case.

0:11:36 > 0:11:41It's really part of the process to find stumbling blocks,

0:11:41 > 0:11:44but because you're in a competitive process,

0:11:44 > 0:11:49you have to be mindful but there's a time constraint.

0:11:51 > 0:11:55Like other firms, Celtic Research, run by father and son team

0:11:55 > 0:11:59Peter and Hector Birchwood, find the list incredibly useful.

0:11:59 > 0:12:04But sometimes there is very little information to kick off the search.

0:12:04 > 0:12:07This was the situation in early 2013,

0:12:07 > 0:12:10when Hector took on the case of Ronald van Herk.

0:12:10 > 0:12:14He had an estate worth about £60,000.

0:12:16 > 0:12:20Ronald died on 16th October 2011.

0:12:21 > 0:12:24He was 67 years old.

0:12:24 > 0:12:27That's all we really had to work on at the time.

0:12:27 > 0:12:30We really didn't have very much information at all.

0:12:30 > 0:12:34We had a date of death, we had a place of death, and we had his name.

0:12:39 > 0:12:42Ronald was a retired postering manager,

0:12:42 > 0:12:45and had been living in Battersea, south London, for many years.

0:12:45 > 0:12:50And he was a well-loved character around his community.

0:12:50 > 0:12:53- He was a big, friendly giant. - He was, he was.

0:12:53 > 0:12:57But if you look at him, you might not necessarily think so.

0:12:57 > 0:12:59- You'd have to know him.- Yeah.

0:12:59 > 0:13:02Because first impressions is of someone... You might think

0:13:02 > 0:13:05that they were a bit more like a Hell's Angel type.

0:13:05 > 0:13:07Yeah, that kind of type coming across.

0:13:07 > 0:13:12- But a real, solid look to him. - Yeah. He was like that, he was.

0:13:12 > 0:13:17But he was a very, very nice, talkative person.

0:13:20 > 0:13:24- He was tall, a good six foot. - Yeah, very tall.

0:13:24 > 0:13:30- And he was very bulky up here. - Butch!- He had a lot of meat up here.

0:13:30 > 0:13:33And back then he used to ride a big motorcycle.

0:13:36 > 0:13:40Neighbours Susan and Andrea always looked forward to seeing him.

0:13:40 > 0:13:45No matter how much he was in his remission going to the hospital,

0:13:45 > 0:13:48getting his treatment, for his illness,

0:13:48 > 0:13:52he was, "How are you, Ron? "Oh, you know, so-so,

0:13:52 > 0:13:55"but we've got to get on with it. Have a good day."

0:13:55 > 0:13:58And he'll have that bit of banter with you, that little laugh with you.

0:13:58 > 0:14:01And I miss that about him. I miss that.

0:14:02 > 0:14:05Andrea will always remember Ronald fondly.

0:14:05 > 0:14:07His partner knocked on my door, and said,

0:14:07 > 0:14:11"I know you've got your two boys here,"

0:14:11 > 0:14:14and he said, "I'm sure Ron would have liked you to take this."

0:14:14 > 0:14:17And he stood there and presented us with Ron's computer.

0:14:17 > 0:14:20I said, "Thank you, Ron." I've got it until this day now.

0:14:25 > 0:14:28Heir Hunter Hector quickly established

0:14:28 > 0:14:30Ronald had married in 1983.

0:14:30 > 0:14:34But the couple later divorced and there were no children,

0:14:34 > 0:14:36so this would be a case of looking for his siblings.

0:14:37 > 0:14:41For Hector, the first thing he needed to establish

0:14:41 > 0:14:42was when Ronald was born.

0:14:42 > 0:14:47We got a date of birth from the death record.

0:14:47 > 0:14:50So we know that he's born in 1944.

0:14:50 > 0:14:53And we had a date given on that death certificate,

0:14:53 > 0:14:55I believe it was 20th January.

0:14:57 > 0:15:02But we couldn't really find a birth that matched that information.

0:15:03 > 0:15:07So, was the search over before it had even begun?

0:15:07 > 0:15:10The team widened their hunt for Ronald van Herk,

0:15:10 > 0:15:13but still came up with nothing.

0:15:13 > 0:15:19Following that, my initial thought was that he was adopted.

0:15:21 > 0:15:26And that was the next step in trying to locate his family.

0:15:29 > 0:15:31Hector's hunch paid off.

0:15:31 > 0:15:34It transpired Ronald's mother had died during childbirth,

0:15:34 > 0:15:37while his father had been killed in the war.

0:15:37 > 0:15:40Ronald was adopted by a close friend of his mum, Ethel,

0:15:40 > 0:15:44and her husband, Arthur van Herk.

0:15:44 > 0:15:47Adoption during the war was common practice,

0:15:47 > 0:15:50and once you're adopted, in terms of intestacy laws,

0:15:50 > 0:15:54your adopted family become your blood relatives.

0:15:54 > 0:15:59Children were just passed around on railway stations, very casually.

0:16:01 > 0:16:06In 1939, an act was passed to regulate adoption.

0:16:06 > 0:16:11But because the war then started, this was delayed until 1943.

0:16:11 > 0:16:15But even after that, children were still passed around quite a lot.

0:16:15 > 0:16:19It wasn't really till the late '40s and 1950s

0:16:19 > 0:16:22that adoption became much more tightened up.

0:16:23 > 0:16:27For Ronald, this meant he was soon in the arms

0:16:27 > 0:16:29of his new, loving parents.

0:16:29 > 0:16:31I would imagine that Ronald

0:16:31 > 0:16:34would have been cared for in the hospital,

0:16:34 > 0:16:37and as soon as possible the doctors or nurse

0:16:37 > 0:16:40would have just sorted out somebody to take him on,

0:16:40 > 0:16:45and if the mother's friend was nearby, and probably visiting,

0:16:45 > 0:16:47and offered, she would have been seen as an ideal person.

0:16:47 > 0:16:50And they would just hand over the baby

0:16:50 > 0:16:52as soon as it was able to leave the hospital.

0:16:53 > 0:16:56So, Hector and his team of heir hunters

0:16:56 > 0:16:58were now looking into the Van Herk family.

0:16:59 > 0:17:02The adoption gave us some information

0:17:02 > 0:17:06about the deceased's adoptive father.

0:17:06 > 0:17:10Arthur van Herk worked for the RAF.

0:17:10 > 0:17:14I think originally he was a cabinet maker.

0:17:14 > 0:17:17Once I located their marriage I could see

0:17:17 > 0:17:19that he really wasn't a career soldier.

0:17:21 > 0:17:26So, that then led me to locate his family in Belgium,

0:17:26 > 0:17:29which is where he was from,

0:17:29 > 0:17:32and we then located four individual branches

0:17:32 > 0:17:35that would be entitled cousin branches of the deceased.

0:17:37 > 0:17:39So, after a tricky start to the search,

0:17:39 > 0:17:43the hunt had begun to pick up pace, with Hector having found four heirs

0:17:43 > 0:17:46on Ronald's paternal side.

0:17:46 > 0:17:50However, the maternal side was set to put a spanner in the works.

0:17:52 > 0:17:56Her maiden name was Smith, and that's the most common name

0:17:56 > 0:17:57in the English language,

0:17:57 > 0:18:00the most common surname in the English language.

0:18:00 > 0:18:03Hector and his team would have their work cut out

0:18:03 > 0:18:05in the search for Ronald's mum's siblings.

0:18:05 > 0:18:09Their first task was to establish who Ethel's parents were.

0:18:11 > 0:18:13Once I had found Ronald's mother's death,

0:18:13 > 0:18:15I could see that she was born in Norfolk,

0:18:15 > 0:18:20which then allowed me to locate her birth certificate.

0:18:20 > 0:18:25In that birth certificate, I could see that her father

0:18:25 > 0:18:31was working as, I believe, a paymaster for the British Army.

0:18:31 > 0:18:33It's a very specific role.

0:18:33 > 0:18:38It narrowed down the field, and I was able to find a record for him,

0:18:38 > 0:18:44a military record, which gave all the places that he served in.

0:18:45 > 0:18:49One of the countries George travelled to was Bermuda.

0:18:51 > 0:18:54He had joined the Army in Britain in 1861,

0:18:54 > 0:18:58and came to Bermuda with the Second Regiment's 2nd Battalion.

0:18:58 > 0:19:02Britain had a regiment stationed in Bermuda at all times.

0:19:02 > 0:19:05There was always a British regiment stationed in Bermuda

0:19:05 > 0:19:07from the American Revolutionary War.

0:19:07 > 0:19:10So, when one finished their tour, another one would come.

0:19:10 > 0:19:15And some people stayed on afterwards, as it seemed this gentleman did.

0:19:16 > 0:19:21It was here in Bermuda that George met his future wife, Louise.

0:19:21 > 0:19:24She was the daughter of John Charles Bethley Clarke,

0:19:24 > 0:19:27the island's first police superintendent.

0:19:27 > 0:19:30You don't get an established police force in Bermuda

0:19:30 > 0:19:33until the 1870s.

0:19:33 > 0:19:38So, him becoming the first police superintendent at the time,

0:19:38 > 0:19:41I'm sure they would have considered very carefully

0:19:41 > 0:19:42who they appointed to the post.

0:19:44 > 0:19:45There are certain things

0:19:45 > 0:19:48that have always been part of a Bermuda childhood.

0:19:48 > 0:19:53Swimming off the rocks. There's a lot of volcanic rock.

0:19:53 > 0:19:55So, although there are beaches,

0:19:55 > 0:19:57they probably wouldn't have been in school,

0:19:57 > 0:20:00so they probably would have had a nanny.

0:20:00 > 0:20:04Often they would have been local women of African descent.

0:20:04 > 0:20:08Louise Clarke and George Smith married in 1895,

0:20:08 > 0:20:11and went on to have eight children.

0:20:11 > 0:20:14But for heir hunter Hector,

0:20:14 > 0:20:18tracking down all these Smiths was proving difficult again.

0:20:18 > 0:20:20You may find 10 different John Smiths

0:20:20 > 0:20:23whose fathers are Thomas Smith.

0:20:23 > 0:20:28There many problems with this is that the name is widespread.

0:20:34 > 0:20:37Heir hunters trace thousands of rightful beneficiaries every year,

0:20:37 > 0:20:41but not all cases can be cracked.

0:20:41 > 0:20:44There are thousands of estates on the Treasury's Bona Vacantia list

0:20:44 > 0:20:47that have eluded the heir hunters and remain unsolved.

0:20:49 > 0:20:52There are actually two Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates lists.

0:20:52 > 0:20:55There is one list, which is our current list of advertised estates.

0:20:55 > 0:20:58That's updated daily.

0:20:58 > 0:21:01There is also an historic unclaimed list,

0:21:01 > 0:21:06that's cases that have been referred to us between 1997 and 2013,

0:21:06 > 0:21:09which have been dealt with by the Treasury Solicitor

0:21:09 > 0:21:12but we're still looking for kin to come forward and claim.

0:21:12 > 0:21:15Today, we're focusing on two cases

0:21:15 > 0:21:17that are yet to be solved by the heir hunters.

0:21:17 > 0:21:20Could you be the beneficiary they are looking for?

0:21:20 > 0:21:24Could you be about to inherit some money from a long-lost relative?

0:21:25 > 0:21:28First is the case of George William Baker,

0:21:28 > 0:21:33who died on 20 August 1989, in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

0:21:34 > 0:21:39His parents were John Robert Baker and Esther Mary Bruce.

0:21:39 > 0:21:40They had George baptised

0:21:40 > 0:21:42at Buckden Wesleyan Methodist Church

0:21:42 > 0:21:45on 3rd June 1910.

0:21:45 > 0:21:48He also had a sister called Dorothy Ann Baker,

0:21:48 > 0:21:52who died just before her brother, in December 1988.

0:21:52 > 0:21:55Did you know George, and/or any of his relatives?

0:21:55 > 0:21:59Are you one of his relatives entitled to a share of his estate?

0:22:02 > 0:22:04Next is the case of Ellen Breiden-Bach,

0:22:04 > 0:22:08who died aged 98 on 1st September 2009.

0:22:08 > 0:22:12She was also known as Ellen Norah-Tilley.

0:22:12 > 0:22:15The name Breiden-Bach originates from Germany,

0:22:15 > 0:22:20and in Britain, it's in London that the name is most commonly found.

0:22:20 > 0:22:24Did you know Ellen, or do you have any information about her family?

0:22:24 > 0:22:27She lived all her life in Edmonton, north London,

0:22:27 > 0:22:30after being born here on 7th April 1911.

0:22:31 > 0:22:34Both George and Ellen's estate remain unclaimed,

0:22:34 > 0:22:38and if no-one comes forward, their money will go to the government.

0:22:38 > 0:22:41The public can get in touch with us in writing,

0:22:41 > 0:22:44either by e-mail or by post, or on the phone.

0:22:44 > 0:22:47And that's how we will get in touch with them as well.

0:22:47 > 0:22:49Do you have any clues that could help solve

0:22:49 > 0:22:53the case of George William Baker, or Ellen Breiden-Bach?

0:22:53 > 0:22:55Or maybe you believe you're related.

0:22:55 > 0:22:58You could have thousands of pounds coming your way.

0:23:04 > 0:23:08At the offices of Fraser & Fraser in London, its mid-afternoon

0:23:08 > 0:23:11and the team are searching for heirs of Mary Forrestal

0:23:11 > 0:23:15who has left an estate worth around £90,000.

0:23:15 > 0:23:17She died 16th April.

0:23:17 > 0:23:20But they are grappling with a hunt that has come from America.

0:23:20 > 0:23:23- That side will have to be worked over.- Exactly.

0:23:23 > 0:23:26Mary Elizabeth Forrestal was born in the UK,

0:23:26 > 0:23:30- but she died in Buffalo, New York. - There's nothing for her

0:23:30 > 0:23:32as a maiden name.

0:23:33 > 0:23:35Although not much is known about Mary at this stage,

0:23:35 > 0:23:38company boss Neil has managed to talk to some of her friends

0:23:38 > 0:23:40in New York.

0:23:42 > 0:23:46We think she was living a very happy, very enjoyable life.

0:23:46 > 0:23:48A very chatty lady. Loved her gardening,

0:23:48 > 0:23:52and was heavily involved in the local church.

0:23:52 > 0:23:55But her life could have been very different.

0:23:56 > 0:23:59At one time it looked as though she was going to become a nun,

0:23:59 > 0:24:04and everyone around her thought she may have really joined the church.

0:24:04 > 0:24:07As it happens, she moved into the aviation industry

0:24:07 > 0:24:09and she worked there for the whole of her life.

0:24:15 > 0:24:18In their search for British beneficiaries

0:24:18 > 0:24:19to the estate of Mary Forrestal,

0:24:19 > 0:24:23the heir hunters have discovered her father originated from New York,

0:24:23 > 0:24:25and was an artist.

0:24:26 > 0:24:30As for her mother, Winnie, before she married her American love,

0:24:30 > 0:24:33artistic life had led her on exciting trips around the globe.

0:24:35 > 0:24:38She was an actress on one of the shipping records.

0:24:38 > 0:24:41So it seems that they had something in common that way,

0:24:41 > 0:24:43I should imagine.

0:24:43 > 0:24:44How romantic.

0:24:49 > 0:24:53The team found Winnie on a 1921 shipping record from Liverpool

0:24:53 > 0:24:58to Canada, and then on a return trip back home several months later.

0:24:58 > 0:25:01Also on the boat were a lot of other actors and actresses,

0:25:01 > 0:25:04so was she part of a tour company?

0:25:04 > 0:25:08Winnie's career opened the world to her, but embarking on such

0:25:08 > 0:25:11an adventure as a young woman must have been a big decision.

0:25:15 > 0:25:18Companies or troops of actors travelling abroad,

0:25:18 > 0:25:21particularly to North America, as Winnie did to Canada

0:25:21 > 0:25:26and then to Seattle, this was not in the least bit unusual.

0:25:26 > 0:25:28And at this particular time,

0:25:28 > 0:25:32there was a significant increase in the number of companies

0:25:32 > 0:25:34who went abroad.

0:25:34 > 0:25:38That situation was brought about by the recession, that happened largely

0:25:38 > 0:25:43across western Europe, but very keenly in the UK in the early 1920s.

0:25:43 > 0:25:46And that recession affected the theatre,

0:25:46 > 0:25:50as it did every other area of industry and commerce.

0:25:50 > 0:25:54Some producers made a strategic decision to take their shows

0:25:54 > 0:25:57to North America in an effort to make additional money,

0:25:57 > 0:26:01because those shows could not continue to run in the UK.

0:26:01 > 0:26:03Winnie started treading the boards

0:26:03 > 0:26:05at the Brixton Theatre in south London

0:26:05 > 0:26:09when she was just nine years of age.

0:26:09 > 0:26:11Winifred Mayern began her career in 1908.

0:26:11 > 0:26:15She started at the Brixton Theatre, which was a music hall,

0:26:15 > 0:26:16popular theatre.

0:26:19 > 0:26:23Opened in September 1896, the Brixton Theatre and Opera House

0:26:23 > 0:26:27put on productions to rival London's West End.

0:26:30 > 0:26:34But sadly, it was destroyed by a wartime bomb in 1940.

0:26:36 > 0:26:38Performing in a theatre like Brixton Theatre

0:26:38 > 0:26:41would have been a great challenge to a young performer.

0:26:41 > 0:26:44Remember, these were big theatres.

0:26:44 > 0:26:49They would often seat 1,000, 1,500, sometimes 2,000 people.

0:26:49 > 0:26:52They were noisy, they were very active.

0:26:52 > 0:26:55Audience responded very volubly.

0:26:55 > 0:26:58They wouldn't have had the quiet response that you would expect

0:26:58 > 0:27:00when you go to a West End theatre today.

0:27:02 > 0:27:06One show Winnie appeared in was Oh, You Bull,

0:27:06 > 0:27:08a musical produced by Lou Lake.

0:27:09 > 0:27:12Richard Forrestal also starred in this show,

0:27:12 > 0:27:14so was this the very first time they met?

0:27:16 > 0:27:22She married into a theatrical family. Her husband was a variety performer,

0:27:22 > 0:27:26we think a reasonably successful one, who worked both in America

0:27:26 > 0:27:31and here in the UK. They met when she was quite young.

0:27:31 > 0:27:35They married, they lived here in the UK for about 10 years.

0:27:35 > 0:27:37They had two children.

0:27:37 > 0:27:41And then, they decided to go and live in the United States.

0:27:51 > 0:27:54The family may have firmly established themselves in America,

0:27:54 > 0:27:58but Emily is on the hunt for British heirs to Mary's estate.

0:28:00 > 0:28:03She's already ruled out heirs from her immediate family,

0:28:03 > 0:28:06so the hunt is on for aunts and uncles and their children.

0:28:08 > 0:28:12What the team have already discovered is two were bachelors,

0:28:12 > 0:28:14and three aunts have no surviving children.

0:28:14 > 0:28:17But what about the other five?

0:28:17 > 0:28:20We've been able to establish that four of them died as children,

0:28:20 > 0:28:24so all our efforts will be focused on the brother.

0:28:24 > 0:28:26Everything depends on Frederick's stem.

0:28:26 > 0:28:28He is the only route to heirs.

0:28:28 > 0:28:31But the team have been struggling to find any trace of him.

0:28:31 > 0:28:34If they can't find him they won't get to any heirs,

0:28:34 > 0:28:38and all their work on this £90,000 case will have been for nothing.

0:28:40 > 0:28:43- You said about the Irish connection. - Well, exactly.

0:28:43 > 0:28:46- The dad was Irish. - How do you know that was the father?

0:28:46 > 0:28:48Um...

0:28:48 > 0:28:50God, schoolboy error.

0:28:51 > 0:28:53Luckily, there's a breakthrough

0:28:53 > 0:28:57when Emily searches for alternative spellings of the surname.

0:28:57 > 0:29:01Frederick's stem... The reason why we had problems with him

0:29:01 > 0:29:04is because he changed the spelling of his surname.

0:29:04 > 0:29:07- He went from M-E-Y to M-A-Y.- OK.

0:29:07 > 0:29:10- So, we re-checked everything with A-Y.- Good.

0:29:12 > 0:29:15We found out that one of the heirs on this case had changed

0:29:15 > 0:29:17the spelling of his name,

0:29:17 > 0:29:22to be M-A-Y-E-R-N rather than M-E-Y-E-R-N.

0:29:22 > 0:29:25He was the only member of his family to do so,

0:29:25 > 0:29:28so we had an initial bit of trouble finding him.

0:29:28 > 0:29:30But we got there eventually.

0:29:30 > 0:29:33With the confusion over the name cleared up,

0:29:33 > 0:29:35the team are quickly able to establish

0:29:35 > 0:29:39that Frederick Mayern married a Florence and had three children,

0:29:39 > 0:29:41who will be heirs to Mary's estate.

0:29:41 > 0:29:43If they can be found.

0:29:43 > 0:29:47- So, you reckon it's just the one stem?- Yes, just the one stem.

0:29:47 > 0:29:49Are they still alive?

0:29:49 > 0:29:52Emily thinks she's found something that indicates they are.

0:29:52 > 0:29:56- You're sure they are the only children of each stem?- Yes.

0:29:56 > 0:29:59There's nothing else we can do until Bob says otherwise.

0:29:59 > 0:30:01Will you print off the tree then?

0:30:01 > 0:30:05I can't print of the tree from down here. So you can print off the tree.

0:30:05 > 0:30:09We've now discovered that there are possibly three surviving

0:30:09 > 0:30:14first cousins, in which case they will be entitled in priority

0:30:14 > 0:30:19to any deceased first cousins' descendants.

0:30:19 > 0:30:23So we'll now pass it over to one of our travellers, just to make contact.

0:30:23 > 0:30:27Time for travelling researcher Bob Barrett to swing into action.

0:30:29 > 0:30:33I'm going to see a lady in Eltham today,

0:30:33 > 0:30:37who's first cousin of Mary Forrestal.

0:30:37 > 0:30:41Hopefully I'll get some family information from the lady.

0:30:46 > 0:30:50- Hello, Mrs Powell? Bob Barrett. - Come in.- Thank you very much.

0:30:50 > 0:30:52Thank you.

0:30:52 > 0:30:56Fortunately for Bob, the heir Janet has asked her sister Alma along,

0:30:56 > 0:31:01so hopefully Bob will get two heirs signed up in one visit.

0:31:01 > 0:31:06Most of our work comes from the UK, people who have died in England.

0:31:06 > 0:31:08But every now and again we get a job that crops up

0:31:08 > 0:31:12where someone's died abroad, but had relatives from Britain.

0:31:12 > 0:31:14This has happened with a cousin of yours.

0:31:14 > 0:31:16- I don't know if you'd ever met, had you?- Yes.

0:31:16 > 0:31:20- Going back to when I was 16.- Really? - I can still remember it well.

0:31:20 > 0:31:23- Just the other day!- Yeah.

0:31:23 > 0:31:27While Bob gets all the paperwork in order,

0:31:27 > 0:31:31Alma remembers her father's reason for changing his name.

0:31:31 > 0:31:33You were actually right with the Mayern,

0:31:33 > 0:31:37Although you weren't, because Mayern was the original family name.

0:31:37 > 0:31:38Oh, I see.

0:31:38 > 0:31:43But it was changed because it was too German.

0:31:43 > 0:31:45- Was it a German family, then?- Yes.

0:31:45 > 0:31:49I've heard one or two cases where people of German origin

0:31:49 > 0:31:51have had to change their name because of the war.

0:31:51 > 0:31:54- You won't find another one in the phone book.- Really?- Yeah.

0:31:56 > 0:31:59Mary may have moved over 3,000 miles away,

0:31:59 > 0:32:03but she wasn't forgotten by cousins Alma and Janet.

0:32:03 > 0:32:06She used to send us lovely presents when we were small.

0:32:06 > 0:32:12You know, lovely coats. And Alma got dresses, and different things.

0:32:12 > 0:32:16I did used to get some nice stuff.

0:32:16 > 0:32:18'And bubble gum. That's what I remember, the bubble gum.

0:32:18 > 0:32:21'It was beautiful.'

0:32:21 > 0:32:22I can still remember the taste, actually.

0:32:22 > 0:32:26It's like a strawberry. You couldn't half blow some bubbles.

0:32:27 > 0:32:31I remember the pram that they sent over when I was a baby.

0:32:31 > 0:32:34I can still remember being taken to the nursery in it.

0:32:34 > 0:32:37A lovely Silver Cross, green.

0:32:38 > 0:32:42I used to get some lovely dresses sent by the family over,

0:32:42 > 0:32:46because obviously, Dad dying young,

0:32:46 > 0:32:49they seemed to take Mum under their wing, you know?

0:32:49 > 0:32:52And they sent some beautiful things over.

0:32:52 > 0:32:56And we used to get silver dollars, which we still keep.

0:32:56 > 0:32:59The cousins to whom she used to send precious gifts

0:32:59 > 0:33:01will now get to share in her estate.

0:33:02 > 0:33:05It's all come out of the blue, really.

0:33:05 > 0:33:10It's not something that you wish on anybody,

0:33:10 > 0:33:12when it comes, you think, well, we didn't know

0:33:12 > 0:33:16whether you was being pulled when we got the phone call, you know?

0:33:18 > 0:33:20- Bye-bye, now.- Bye-bye.

0:33:21 > 0:33:22It's the end of the day,

0:33:22 > 0:33:26and a worthwhile visit to South London for Bob,

0:33:26 > 0:33:29who agreed a fee with the two heirs for securing their inheritance.

0:33:30 > 0:33:34As for Janet and Alma, while unexpected, becoming an heir

0:33:34 > 0:33:40does have its advantages, and has brought back fond memories of Mary.

0:33:40 > 0:33:42A nice interview. I managed to catch two heirs at once,

0:33:42 > 0:33:45and a charming couple of ladies.

0:33:45 > 0:33:47So, it was very nice of them to both be there.

0:33:50 > 0:33:53I hope at the end of the day it all works out worthwhile for them.

0:33:53 > 0:33:57Bob puts in a call with the good news to the team.

0:33:57 > 0:34:00- They've both signed agreements with us.- 'They've both signed?'

0:34:00 > 0:34:03- They have. - 'Excellent, well done.'

0:34:03 > 0:34:06For Bob, his job is done. Well, for today, anyway.

0:34:08 > 0:34:11And the team have also signed Frederick's son,

0:34:11 > 0:34:15which means they've found all three British heirs to Mary's estate.

0:34:15 > 0:34:18Done. Take that away from me.

0:34:19 > 0:34:21Mary's father was American,

0:34:21 > 0:34:23so the US agents are researching

0:34:23 > 0:34:27the paternal side of the tree in the hope of finding heirs.

0:34:27 > 0:34:30Research on this case has been fantastic. There's a great result.

0:34:30 > 0:34:34We've identified the only three heirs we believe exist.

0:34:34 > 0:34:36They are all on the maternal side,

0:34:36 > 0:34:39the side we've been concentrating on, so that's really good news.

0:34:49 > 0:34:51Heir hunter Hector Birchwood

0:34:51 > 0:34:53and the team from Celtic Research

0:34:53 > 0:34:56were hard at work on the case of Ronald van Herk.

0:34:56 > 0:34:59Having traced four heirs in Belgium, they were now

0:34:59 > 0:35:03on the hunt for Ronald's maternal side of the family, the Smiths.

0:35:03 > 0:35:07It was really only through a stroke of luck that we managed

0:35:07 > 0:35:11to locate her father's military record.

0:35:13 > 0:35:16Ronald died from cancer in 2011

0:35:16 > 0:35:20at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.

0:35:20 > 0:35:22His mother had died in childbirth,

0:35:22 > 0:35:25and his father was killed during the war, so he'd been adopted

0:35:25 > 0:35:28as a baby by his mum's best friend Ethel and her husband,

0:35:28 > 0:35:30Arthur van Herk.

0:35:30 > 0:35:35Hector had managed to trace Arthur's side of the family to Belgium.

0:35:35 > 0:35:38However, it had been a bit trickier tracking down the maternal side

0:35:38 > 0:35:40due to the common surname of Smith.

0:35:42 > 0:35:44Eventually, the heir hunters discovered Ethel

0:35:44 > 0:35:47was one of eight children, born to George and Louise Smith.

0:35:50 > 0:35:53Out of Ethel's seven siblings, only two had children.

0:35:53 > 0:35:57Her sister Doris had one child, while Madeleine Mary Smith had four.

0:35:58 > 0:36:01We knew how many children we had to look for.

0:36:03 > 0:36:06And so we really tried to narrow the field down,

0:36:06 > 0:36:08to the ones who had the most unusual names.

0:36:08 > 0:36:11Madeleine Mary was a relatively less common name,

0:36:11 > 0:36:14even with a surname like Smith.

0:36:14 > 0:36:18And eventually, that led us to her granddaughter,

0:36:18 > 0:36:19who was also named Madeleine.

0:36:19 > 0:36:22That helped me locate the family.

0:36:22 > 0:36:25Finally, all the hard work put into this case

0:36:25 > 0:36:27by the heir hunters had paid off.

0:36:27 > 0:36:32Hector and his team had found the three heirs to Ronald's estate,

0:36:32 > 0:36:35and it was Madeleine who led him to Kathleen, Ronald's first cousin.

0:36:42 > 0:36:44Kathleen now lives in a nursing home,

0:36:44 > 0:36:48but has always been fascinated by her family history,

0:36:48 > 0:36:51And knew about her grandfather's type in Bermuda.

0:36:51 > 0:36:52Do you remember this, Mum?

0:36:52 > 0:36:57I think Cedric and Bea must have sent you that from Bermuda.

0:36:57 > 0:37:03Cos this is the Louise's father, Mr John Charles Bethley Clarke.

0:37:04 > 0:37:07You said that was him there, Mum.

0:37:08 > 0:37:12Madeleine has been helping her mum through the inheritance process,

0:37:12 > 0:37:14since she received the letter from Hector,

0:37:14 > 0:37:17as Kathleen is recovering from an operation.

0:37:17 > 0:37:23I had to read it two or three times, because I thought, wow, what is this?

0:37:24 > 0:37:28And so I said to Mum, "This is about you

0:37:28 > 0:37:32"and your relatives going back to Bermuda, Mum.

0:37:32 > 0:37:34"Your grandparents."

0:37:35 > 0:37:40She got really excited, because she delved right into the Bermuda

0:37:40 > 0:37:45side of things, and met relatives from there as well.

0:37:45 > 0:37:50- It's history, isn't it?- That's just what I said to someone, Mum.

0:37:50 > 0:37:53- It's historical. - It is, it's important.

0:37:53 > 0:37:56She said, "Yes, let's reply."

0:37:56 > 0:38:01And I think all we had was the back of an envelope, or something,

0:38:01 > 0:38:03and a pencil.

0:38:03 > 0:38:08And so Mum's in her hospital bed, writing this, "Yes, I am Kathleen

0:38:08 > 0:38:09"Louise Perry,"

0:38:09 > 0:38:13I said, "Right, I'll send it off and I'll see what happens."

0:38:15 > 0:38:19Today, Kathleen has come to see her daughter to go through letters

0:38:19 > 0:38:21and rekindle memories.

0:38:21 > 0:38:22They look so young!

0:38:22 > 0:38:25And the topic soon comes round to Kathleen's mum, Madeleine,

0:38:25 > 0:38:28and two aunts, including Ronald's mum Ethel,

0:38:28 > 0:38:30who all worked as nurses.

0:38:32 > 0:38:38There weren't many jobs for women in 1920, would it be?

0:38:38 > 0:38:45Dolly, Ethel and my mother, they all went off to Bart's.

0:38:45 > 0:38:49So, they were all there at the same time, really. All nursing.

0:38:51 > 0:38:55St Bartholomew Hospital, or Barts, as it's more commonly known,

0:38:55 > 0:39:01is the oldest hospital in London, dating back to 1123.

0:39:01 > 0:39:03Greta Barnes was a nurse there in the 1950s.

0:39:05 > 0:39:08Bart's is the oldest hospital in Britain,

0:39:08 > 0:39:11and it's the oldest hospital, it's never closed its doors,

0:39:11 > 0:39:13and has always remained open as a hospital.

0:39:15 > 0:39:20In the 1920s, life for the Smiths sisters would have been hard.

0:39:20 > 0:39:25They'd been working a 56-hour week, getting up at 6.30am in the morning,

0:39:25 > 0:39:28on the ward at 7am, and then they'd be serving breakfast,

0:39:28 > 0:39:32making beds, getting the patients up and spending a lot of time cleaning.

0:39:32 > 0:39:36Cleaning seemed to be the most important part of the work.

0:39:36 > 0:39:38And then, after they'd served lunch to patients,

0:39:38 > 0:39:41they'd have a very quick lunch themselves for half an hour,

0:39:41 > 0:39:42then back on the wards.

0:39:42 > 0:39:45And very often that was the time that the consultants

0:39:45 > 0:39:47were walking round with the matron,

0:39:47 > 0:39:50and every bed had to be made beautifully,

0:39:50 > 0:39:51and everything had to be quiet.

0:39:51 > 0:39:54After that, it was back to more cleaning,

0:39:54 > 0:39:56and the nurses, the Smiths certainly,

0:39:56 > 0:39:59would have been preparing tea for the patients between 3pm and 4pm,

0:39:59 > 0:40:04then back to bed-making, back to sorting the patients out,

0:40:04 > 0:40:07and then at eight o'clock the bell would ring, and the sister

0:40:07 > 0:40:10would be saying prayers before the nurses were allowed to go off duty.

0:40:12 > 0:40:16St Bart's was an internationally renowned hospital.

0:40:16 > 0:40:19I'm not at all surprised to find that the three Smith sisters

0:40:19 > 0:40:21chose to go to a hospital like that.

0:40:21 > 0:40:23Because it was the feather in the cap to be able

0:40:23 > 0:40:25to get into place like Bart's.

0:40:25 > 0:40:30All three sisters continued to have very successful nursing careers.

0:40:33 > 0:40:37Kathleen followed in her mother's footsteps, becoming a nurse,

0:40:37 > 0:40:40and even Madeleine works in the caring profession.

0:40:40 > 0:40:43But the family's nursing history isn't the only thing

0:40:43 > 0:40:46that comes to light when leafing through the family the memorabilia.

0:40:46 > 0:40:48Madeleine has come across a letter

0:40:48 > 0:40:51which sets a very different slant on Ronald's adoption,

0:40:51 > 0:40:53by his mum's best friend, Ethel.

0:40:54 > 0:40:57"Ron, adopted son,

0:40:57 > 0:41:03"was the son of a Canadian doctor who was killed in action in Italy,

0:41:03 > 0:41:09"and a friend of Essie's," that's Ethel, "who made a baby for Essie."

0:41:09 > 0:41:12That's what Mum's put here.

0:41:12 > 0:41:14"And who died having Ron."

0:41:14 > 0:41:16This sounds to me, then,

0:41:16 > 0:41:21that Ethel's friend was having this baby for Ethel.

0:41:23 > 0:41:26Ethel couldn't have children of her own.

0:41:26 > 0:41:29She desperately wanted a family,

0:41:29 > 0:41:34so this friend has had the baby for Ethel.

0:41:36 > 0:41:40Whether Ronald was a surrogate or simply adopted,

0:41:40 > 0:41:42he was brought up from birth by the Van Herks,

0:41:42 > 0:41:44and they became his true family.

0:41:47 > 0:41:49I think the case was extremely difficult to solve

0:41:49 > 0:41:52on the maternal side of the family.

0:41:52 > 0:41:55The paternal side was a little bit more straightforward.

0:41:55 > 0:41:58The estate has been divided into six branches,

0:41:58 > 0:42:01two on the maternal side, and four on the paternal side.

0:42:03 > 0:42:06Of the four maternal heirs, one is in Australia,

0:42:06 > 0:42:09and the rest are in the UK.

0:42:09 > 0:42:11All of the paternal heirs are in Belgium.

0:42:12 > 0:42:15With family dotted all over the world,

0:42:15 > 0:42:18photographs and letters are even more treasured.

0:42:19 > 0:42:22That's Ethel and Ronnie.

0:42:22 > 0:42:24And for Kathleen and Madeleine,

0:42:24 > 0:42:27a chance to reflect on long-gone family tales.

0:42:28 > 0:42:33I just remember that he was a baby, that Ethel brought...

0:42:33 > 0:42:36He could be two there, couldn't he?

0:42:36 > 0:42:39And it's all been an emotional process for Kathleen.

0:42:39 > 0:42:43They said a long time ago, but I've forgotten.

0:42:43 > 0:42:48Apart from anything else, it's been nice to discover

0:42:48 > 0:42:50all of the family history,

0:42:50 > 0:42:53because we probably wouldn't have looked into it as much.

0:42:53 > 0:42:56- TEARFULLY:- I've always cared about that sort of thing.

0:42:56 > 0:43:00I didn't think anybody in my family would want to bother with it...

0:43:00 > 0:43:02- Well, there we are. - ..or anything else.

0:43:02 > 0:43:04I don't know why I've done it, really.

0:43:04 > 0:43:07Finally, it's all coming together.

0:43:09 > 0:43:12It's a reward to me that somebody's interested.