Heir Hunters Season 5, Episode 20: Whittles/Phelps

1

Chapman/Moran

Marjorie Chapman died in a nursing home but tragically the heir hunters learn she lost all three of her children and it's not long before the shocking truth about their deaths emerges. The team also look at one of their largest-ever cases. Michael Moran died in England but was from an enormous Irish family who ended up spread around the world.

45 min

2

Woods/Grinderbergs

Grace Woods died in Oxford aged 89 leaving an estate worth 150,000 pounds. The heir hunters are stunned to learn that Grace was Britain's first bona fide supermodel and in 1946 led a troupe of Britain's finest models on a glamorous trip to New York. The heir hunters also look at the case of Leons Grinbergs, a Latvian who was forced from his homeland by the bloody battle between the Germans and the Russians.

45 min

3

Page/Ardley

Barbara Page died aged 80, leaving behind an estate worth 100,000 pounds. The heir hunters manage to trace Barbara's family quickly but it's a competition between them and rival firms. The team also look at the case of George Ardley, a farmer who died in 2009 leaving 160,000 pounds and a herd of cows. The search for George's family uncovers relatives he never knew he had.

45 min

4

Cator/Mukerji

Edith Cator was born and bred in Watford and married her third husband Burt at the age of 78. The search for Edith's relatives proves tricky with rival firms competing to be the first to find her heirs. The case of Elizabeth Mukerji has stumped heir hunters for nearly 20 years. Her husband's family had connections with Ghandi but the search for Elizabeth's heirs ends up in Ireland.

45 min

5

Thomas/Koshevnikova

Robert Thomas died without leaving a will in 2009 and left behind a 20,000 pound estate. Thomas is the 9th most common surname in Britain, but will the team win through and ensure Robert's estate goes to relatives and not the government? The team also look at the estate of Alexandra Koshevnikova who fled Russia after the revolution of 1917. She came from a wealthy background and spent months living in the Waldorf Astoria in New York but she ended up living in Buckinghamshire teaching Russian for the British Secret Service.

45 min

6

Birch/Kutner

Retired British Army Captain Brian Simon Birch MBE died in Malta where he'd lived as an expat for over 20 years. He left an estate worth over 270,000 pounds and the heir hunters throw all their resources at the case. The heir hunters also look at the estate of Marilyn Kutner whose family came to Britain from Lithuania in the 1920s. Like many Jewish immigrants, the Kutners anglicised their names, making the search for Marilyn's heirs very difficult indeed.

45 min

7

Walker/West

Doreen Walker died in Lewisham leaving a house worth an estimated 250,000 pounds. The heir hunters learn she was a professional singer but can they find any living relatives to inherit her estate? The team also look at the case of Frederick West, a Victorian philanthropist who donated some land in 1844 which is now being sold for 375,000 pounds. The search uncovers links with Winston Churchill, King Edward VI and wealthy German aristocracy.

45 min

8

Coleman/Dynak

The search is on for heirs to Audrey Coleman's estate and there's plenty of competition from rival firms. The heir hunters also look at the estate of Wiktor Dynack who died in the Royal Star & Garter home for ex-military personnel in Richmond. He came to Britain with the Polish resettlement corps having been forced out of Poland during the war.

45 min

9

Brown/Greenhouse

Gravedigger Billy Brown is known to have died in South-West London but his surname is a notoriously difficult name to research. But will the heir hunters win through and find the rightful beneficiaries to Billy's estate? The search for relatives of Georgina Greenhouses from the Shropshire quarrying town of Cleehills gives the heir hunters a real headache. Her mother committed bigamy because she couldn't afford a divorce, which makes the research very tricky indeed.

45 min

10

Jones/Rose

Howard Jones died alone leaving 40,000 pounds in cash lying around his home and the heir hunters must break the news of his death to his closest relatives. The team also look at the estate of musician Timothy Rose, widely acknowledged as one of the nearly men of the 1960s/70s music scene.

45 min

11

Somers/Buck

James Somers died in Ashford in 2010. The search for his heirs causes confusion for the heir hunters who struggle to find out whether he was born in England or Ireland. The team also looks at the case of Olive Buck whose family were separated by the devastating Bath Blitz.

45 min

12

Glanfield/Saunders

The heir hunters investigate the case of Mary Glanfield but struggle to establish whether there is any value in the estate. The team also looks at the estate of Jamaican-born Keith Saunders who came to Britain in the 1950s.

45 min

13

Roberts/Belchambers

The estate of David Hugh Roberts, worth 2 million pounds, had eluded the heir hunters for five years. He died a recluse in a flat near Wimbledon and the team has tried unsuccessfully to find living relatives. Now though there is fresh hope as new records are available. Penny Belchambers died in a 600,000 pound flat in Kensington. The search for her heirs uncovers the tale of Polish war pilot Witold Lanowski who flew with the RAF during the Second World War.

45 min

14

Milner/Sedgbeer

Motorcycle enthusiast Ian Milner died in 2010 and it's up to the heir hunters to try and find living relatives. Their search takes them to Bradford and they are in a race against competing firms. The team also looks at the estate of Ruth Sedgbeer who came from a family of Scottish sheep farmers that were part of a pioneering Victorian experiment aimed at turning Exmoor into farmland.

45 min

15

Luckarift/Paine

The team looks into the estate of Edward Luckarift who died in North Wales and, during the 1960s, worked as a scriptwriter on the BBC programme That Was The Week That Was. Diana Paine was the daughter of a car salesman and when the Second World War broke out she was one of the thousands of women who joined the war effort, becoming a driver for the Kent fire service.

45 min

16

Walton/Sturm

Avid cricket fan Cecil Walton died in Durham in 2010 leaving no will. It's now up to the heir hunters to find relatives who can inherit his estimated 100,000 pound estate. The Heir Hunters also look at the case of Gustav Sturm a German who came to Britain as a prisoner of war and never left. Gustav's family knew little of how he had been forced to fight for the German army in some of the bloodiest battles of the second world war. Plus, details of three unsolved cases.

45 min

17

Drinkwater/Neaves

The case of Edward Drinkwater is a sad tale of two brothers who died within hours of each other. It's an unusual situation for the Heir Hunters but they get straight to the task of trying to find living relatives. Winifried Neaves is another name that appears on the unclaimed estates list and the hunters make swift work of building up her family tree and finding heirs. But then, out of the blue, a will is found.

45 min

18

Simpson/Webbe

When the heir hunters look into the estate of Vera Simpson they discover her Grandfather was involved in the famous Jarrow march of 1936 in which disgruntled shipbuilders marched 300 miles to London to protest against unemployment. Arthur Webbe passed away over 20 years ago and his estate has remained unclaimed ever since. Arthur was from a proud sea faring family. His grandfather had travelled to the Caribbean and his father was a master mariner who was tragically lost at sea during the first world war. Plus, details of three unsolved cases.

45 min

19

Pope/Edwards

Elsie Pope died in a nursing home near Shrewsbury leaving an estate worth 50,000 pounds. The search for her heirs is complex, not least because Elsie's father managed to register her birth twice in two different districts. Rose Edwards was a working class girl from the East End of London and went on to become one of Lyons' famous Nippy waitresses working in their prestigious teahouse in Marble Arch. Faced with a large London family, the heir hunters uncover a surprising secret. Plus, how you could be entitled to a share of unclaimed estates worth thousands or even millions of pounds.

45 min

20

Whittles/Phelps

The heir hunters get the inside scoop on the 250,000 pound estate of Howard Whittles and they're soon confident they've got the case sewn up. But is their confidence mis-placed? Leanora Phelps died in the Wirral where she had lived her whole life. She came from a family of dairy farmers and when the heir hunters go door knocking, one lady gets the surprise of her life. Plus, details of three unsolved cases.

45 min

21

Bernstein/Foster

David Bernstein died alone in a derelict house Brighton, leaving an estate worth around 300,000 pounds. David was from a Jewish immigrant family, and with Bernstein an extremely common name, the team have their work cut out. The heir hunters also investigate the estate of music fanatic Donald Foster, whose family worked at the famous Cadbury factory in Birmingham. Plus, details of three unsolved cases.

45 min

22

Humphrey/Comaskey

The search is on for heirs of Vera Humphrey, who was given up for adoption when she was a child. Will the heir hunters get the information they need to solve the case and find Vera's heirs? The heir hunters also look into the case of Arthur Comaskey. He died alone in Essex, but came from a proud engineering family who had been involved in ship building and the birth of the motor car. Plus, details of three unsolved cases.

45 min

23

Hudson/Jackson

The heir hunters search for relatives of Red Cross nurse and hairdresser Ivy Hudson, who died at the ripe old age of 103. Also testing the Heir Hunters is the case of Norah Jackson, whose husband James died in a horrific factory accident. There are 55,000 pounds in compensation waiting to be claimed, but can the heir hunters find any relatives? Plus, could you be an heir to an unclaimed estate? Details of three unsolved cases which could be worth thousands, or even millions, of pounds.

45 min

24

Fawcett/Whelan

Ronald Fawcett died in Stoke-on-Trent in 2010 without leaving a will, so the search for his heirs is on. The team throw all their resources at the case in the hope they can track down his heirs. Will they succeed? Meanwhile, the search for heirs to the estate of artist and set designer Anthony Whelan's estate takes the heir hunters all the way to the island of Bute in Scotland. Plus, details of three unsolved cases.

45 min

25

Smith/Gray

Widower Gordon Smith died in 2009, leaving behind an estate worth 150,000 pounds. He left a will but it was not properly completed, so now the heir hunters must find living relatives. Michael Gray died alone in 2007 in his home in Kingston and was something of an enigma to his neighbours. But when the heir hunters begin investigating the estate, they learn his father's career with the air ministry had meant that Michael had spent much of his childhood in a remote port in the Yemen. Plus, details of three unsolved cases.

45 min