In early June I took part in the filming of an incredibly moving story that was told on The One Show last night.
Ruth Buckley had seen a previous reunion story that was broadcast in January and contacted the show for help fulfilling her late father's last wish.
Roy Grant desperately wanted to know what had happened to his little brother Victor, who he had not seen since 1939.
Roy and Victor had been sent to Ashley Down Orphan Home in Bristol in 1932, along with their sister Brenda, shortly after their father's death.
Roy and Victor Grant standing outside the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol around 1932. Image courtesy of Ruth Buckley and family
Roy carried this photograph everywhere with him in his wallet. It was his most treasured possession and accompanied him when he served in WW2. It was in great condition despite having been through the washing machine on several occasions!
In fact, this photograph was so special to Roy that when he died in October 2013 he asked to be buried with it; the only lasting image of his little brother.
Victor was born in 1925, the youngest of five children. His mother Nellie Grant (nee Thompson) died in 1928 after giving birth to a sixth child who sadly did not survive.
For several weeks Victor's eldest brother James Leslie Grant tried to care for his siblings, as did various other aunts and uncles. In the end it became obvious that they needed additional help, which is how the three youngest Grant siblings ended up at the Ashley Down Orphanage, which had been established by George Müller in 1849.
The original envelope detailing the entry of Brenda, Roy and Victor Grant into the orphanage on June 27th 1932. Image courtesy of the museum at the George Müller Charitable Trust
Once I made contact with the museum at the George Müller Charitable Trust I was stunned to discover that not only do basic records survive of the Grant orphans' time in the orphanage, but that all of the archives held by the trust are easily and readily accessible to the public.
The George Müller Museum holds some incredible and poignant items of interest.
Admission register providing dates of birth for Roy and Victor. Image courtesy of the museum at the George Müller Charitable Trust
Although they were separated because of their age there was nothing to suggest that the boys were unable to see each other regularly. They clearly thrived in their new home as shown in Victor's school report below:
Victor's school report... a real boy with a cheery disposition. Image courtesy of the museum at the George Müller Charitable Trust
On 17 September 1936 the time came for 14-year-old Roy to leave the orphanage and he was sent to live with his eldest brother "with a view to his being trained as a position within some branch of the navy".
Two weeks before he left Ashley Down Roy, wrote a letter, which is also held in his file at the museum, stating how much he enjoyed the outings and learning to swim but that he would miss his brother and "chums" once he left.
In July 1939, just weeks before the start of WW2, it was Victor's time to leave the orphanage and he too was returned to his eldest brother's home in Portsmouth.
The letter regarding Victor’s discharge. Image courtesy of the museum at the George Müller Charitable Trust
The imminent danger following the start of WW2 meant that Roy and Victor were once again removed from the care of their eldest brother; this time they were evacuated to Petersfield. And it was during this chaotic time that the boys became separated for the final time.
Having spoken to Ruth, my initial research included obtaining a copy of Victor's birth certificate which confirmed his middle name was Thompson and provided his date of birth.
I could find no entry in the death indexes for Victor despite having his date of birth to cross reference against. This meant that he was either still alive or had died outside of England or Wales.
I created a full family tree and made contact with various other relatives asking them for any additional information regarding Victor's whereabouts. The replies offered several different stories including one in which Victor was thought to have been killed during the Korean war under a pseudonym, which is quite hard to prove as you can imagine!
During the research process one marriage entry kept catching my eye, despite it being late in Victor's life and geographically in the wrong part of the country - having occurred in Bury St Edmonds rather than Portsmouth - but eventually I thought it best to order it, even if only to be able to eliminate it from any future searches.
When it arrived I was stunned to learn that it was the right Victor and proved that he did not die in the Korean War.
Crucially I now had full names, an address and a specific date so I contacted Bury St Edmunds Record Office to request a search of their electoral registers for that year and a few either side.
This cost £60 but it was certainly money well spent because the report revealed that not only were Victor and his wife living at that address but that several years later another name appeared on the register; that of their daughter Sharon. She was then easy to trace using the marriage indexes and current electoral registers, which are available online.
Once I had traced Sharon she was overwhelmed because she had never realised that her father had any siblings, let alone that she had a cousin.
Sharon and Ruth with Cat outside the museum at the George Müller Charitable Trust
Filming in the grounds of the museum at the George Müller Charitable Trust
What fond memories I have of that day; a day full of surprises and emotions. I'm happy to report that Ruth and Sharon have since met each other's families and are now in regular contact.
