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Come on, Missy.
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Sit.
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Paw.
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Good girl.
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Olly Murs is a pop star
and presenter
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who's sold over 28 million records
worldwide.
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He's one of the biggest stars
to emerge
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from TV singing competition
The X Factor.
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What's your name? My name is Olly.
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What is your big dream?
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Erm... To be a pop star.
OK. Well, this is your chance.
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The journey since 2009
has been a roller-coaster for me.
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So much changed in my life.
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You know, I was 25.
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I went from working in a call centre
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to selling out arenas,
to getting number one albums.
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Olly has entertained audiences
around the world,
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but has always returned
to his roots here in Essex.
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I think Essex gets a tough rap
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because, actually, look how
beautiful it is here today.
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It's stunning.
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I'm proud to be from Essex.
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I'm proud to have been born
in Essex.
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And I love it.
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Olly grew up in Witham,
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one of three children to mum
Vicky-Lynn and dad Pete.
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Home life was special.
It really was.
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As a kid, we was always joking
and laughing.
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We always were singing.
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# Show me the way to go home. #
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It was fun.
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I think people presume
I'm just Olly Murs from Essex,
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but actually there is a lot more
going on there.
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I know that I'm a quarter Latvian
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and I think Murs is a Latvian
surname, which my grandad Eddie had.
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But he was a closed book.
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And very tough, very quiet.
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So the information I have on him
is very little.
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Apart from that, I know the Murs's,
there's links with the circus.
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So I would love to find out
more about that.
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My dad's been digging
around this for years
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to try and unearth
his family history.
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I really want to unlock them doors
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that he has been struggling to open
for all these years.
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But my dad is actually convinced
we're Vikings.
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You have said this to me before.
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HE ROARS
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Olly lives with his wife Amelia,
not far from where he grew up.
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I'm excited for you. Do you think
there's going to be any surprises?
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Is it going to be... I don't know.
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I guess there's got to be something.
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So, me and Amelia just got married,
which is super incredible.
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She's a strong,
independent woman, career driven.
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But also she's won fitness
competitions as a fitness model.
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And I went and watched her once.
It was just insane.
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I think one of my motivations
for doing this show
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is to pass on this knowledge
to my future children.
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And the next time people ask me,
"Where does Murs come from...?"
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..I can go,
"Have you got half an hour?"
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And I can tell them the story.
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And that would be cool.
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It would be cool to understand
exactly where I'm from and who I am.
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So I'm off to see my dad today,
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which is going to be very,
very intriguing.
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I know so much about my mum's side.
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But sadly for me, my...
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My dad's side, my grandparents died
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and I didn't really get a chance
to really speak to them
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and get an understanding
of our family history as Murs's.
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So today is probably the first time
that I can remember me and my dad
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sitting down talking about
the family with no-one else around.
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My mum's not there.
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We really struggle to have
these kind of conversations.
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So this is a real step
for me and my dad.
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Let's go and see the old man.
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Hiya. Yes, Dad. How are you doing?
You OK? Nice to see you.
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So can you tell me more
about your side?
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I know that grandad Eddie
was Latvian. Yeah.
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Can you tell me more about that?
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Well, he came over here
when he was a teenager.
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He never really spoke
about his past
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until I asked him,
when he was a lot older.
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And in 2002, I took Dad...
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..back for the first time
in nearly 50 years.
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What's this? It's a video I took.
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That's Riga, the capital.
That's where he's from.
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He wanted to go on this journey
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to try and find out
about his life there.
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Look at him, he looks totally lost.
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Yeah, I am. I am lost.
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Oh, it's just so magical
to hear his voice.
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He told me more in those
three days in Latvia
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than he did at any other time.
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And I went and got this.
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What is this?
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Eduards...
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..Janko...
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Oh, is this his birth certificate?
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Yeah. That's an English
translation of it.
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I was going to say!
I'll look at that one!
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Oh, wow.
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So Grandad was born on the
28th of January in 1932.
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Yeah. Eduards.
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So it's Eduards, not Eddie then?
That's right.
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Eduards. Eduards.
Eduards Jankovskis.
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Jankovskis. Jankovskis.
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Eduards Jankovskis.
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And if you notice the mother's name.
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Veronika... Jankovska.
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Jankovs...
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What?
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That's the female, Jankovska.
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And Jankovskis is the male
of the surname.
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So he's not a Murs? No.
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Hang on a minute. So where does
the Murs come from, then?
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My grandad.
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Why is he not on here?
They weren't married.
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So who's... Who's...
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Who's the great-grandad Murs, then?
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This is your great-grandfather.
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This is my great-grandfather.
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What?
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Hang on, hang on, hang on.
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So who's this lady here?
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That's his wife, Katrine.
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Oh, my God.
She's holding him up on a stilt.
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On her shoulders, yeah.
And he's playing the guitar!
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He's playing the guitar, yeah.
No way!
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It's a great photo.
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He used to sing songs
up on there in the circus.
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Wow.
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So he was a circus performer?
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Yeah, they were a double act
in the circus.
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I mean, I've done some
amazing shows in my career...
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..but that...
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I mean, imagine if I turned up
at the O2 like that!
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Do you think Amelia would
have me on her shoulders?!
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She's probably strong enough!
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I have here a marriage certificate
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of your great-grandad,
Eduards Murs and Katrine, his wife.
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Oh, wow.
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There's a translation.
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Eduards Alberts Murs.
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Alberts Murs. Love that.
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And he was born on the
31st of October, 1890, in Riga.
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Katrine Berzins was his wife.
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Place of work was the
Riga Salomonska Circus.
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That's right. Yeah.
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Oh, wow.
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They got married on
the 5th of December, 1929.
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Grandad Eddie was born in 1932.
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So he had an affair with Veronika?
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I guess so, yeah.
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Did Katrine know that?
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Eventually she must have done, yeah,
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because my dad went to live
with my grandad.
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Wow, man.
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That's crazy.
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During the Second World War,
because it was so bad,
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Veronika, your great-grandma,
decided that it would be good
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for my dad to get out of Riga.
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So she handed my dad over to his dad
across a bridge when he was 12,
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to take him away somewhere safe.
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Wow.
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Me dad said to me she never
turned around or waved.
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She just walked away
and he never saw her again.
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It's heartbreaking, actually.
168
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He told me in Latvia that he didn't
think his mum loved him any more,
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for giving him away.
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And he never spoke to her,
ever, after that?
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Never reached out, nothing?
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In the 1960s and early '70s,
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Veronika managed to contact my dad
through letters
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and my dad chose to ignore them.
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He told himself that his mum
didn't want him any more,
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and I suppose that was a way
of dealing with it.
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And, erm, he was very remorseful
that he never replied to her.
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And we don't know what happened
to her in later life.
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Really sad that your dad
felt like that.
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I would love to find out
what happened to Veronika...
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..and where she was buried.
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I really, really hope
that I can uncover
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the mystery of Veronika,
my great-grandmother,
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as well as finding out
more about Eduards Alberts Murs.
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And I think I obviously
have to go to Latvia.
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That's where I've got to start,
right? That's right. Riga in Latvia.
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00:10:49,060 --> 00:10:50,540
Olly has found out that his
188
00:10:50,580 --> 00:10:53,140
great-grandfather, Eduards Alberts
Murs,
189
00:10:53,180 --> 00:10:57,380
was a circus performer who was in a
double act with his wife, Katrine.
190
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He's also discovered
that Eduards had an affair
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00:11:02,180 --> 00:11:05,740
with his great-grandmother,
who was called Veronika Jankovska.
192
00:11:06,860 --> 00:11:09,060
The family know very little
about her,
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00:11:09,100 --> 00:11:12,460
except that she last saw her son,
Olly's grandad Eddie,
194
00:11:12,500 --> 00:11:14,740
when he was just 12 years old.
195
00:11:19,420 --> 00:11:23,140
Olly is travelling to
Latvia's capital city, Riga.
196
00:11:28,460 --> 00:11:30,780
Look at it. It looks amazing.
197
00:11:30,820 --> 00:11:33,900
I feel like, why have I never
not come here before?
198
00:11:35,700 --> 00:11:37,620
It's a long way from home.
199
00:11:37,660 --> 00:11:40,780
Erm, yeah. It's not...
This is definitely not Essex now.
200
00:11:40,820 --> 00:11:42,420
I'm here in Latvia.
201
00:11:42,460 --> 00:11:43,820
In Riga!
202
00:11:45,220 --> 00:11:47,820
He's starting by trying
to trace the circus
203
00:11:47,860 --> 00:11:51,700
where his great-grandfather Eduards
and his wife Katrine performed.
204
00:11:55,220 --> 00:11:59,580
OK, so I left Essex
with this amazing photo
205
00:11:59,620 --> 00:12:03,180
of my great-grandad Eduards,
and Katrine.
206
00:12:03,220 --> 00:12:06,180
They were circus performers
here in Riga.
207
00:12:07,460 --> 00:12:11,900
They were in the Salomonska Circus.
208
00:12:11,940 --> 00:12:14,460
A bit nervous to see what I find.
209
00:12:17,060 --> 00:12:18,660
Riga circus.
210
00:12:20,180 --> 00:12:21,540
Ah!
211
00:12:21,580 --> 00:12:23,780
It is still a functional circus.
212
00:12:23,820 --> 00:12:27,140
I've got to go and find it.
I've got to go and have
a look at it, surely.
213
00:12:28,620 --> 00:12:30,300
All right, let's go.
214
00:12:35,420 --> 00:12:37,900
I was expecting the circus
215
00:12:37,940 --> 00:12:41,260
to be in a field somewhere,
with a massive tent.
216
00:12:41,300 --> 00:12:43,140
But it's here.
217
00:12:44,700 --> 00:12:46,780
Oh, here it is. Cirks.
218
00:12:50,100 --> 00:12:51,540
Wow.
219
00:12:53,580 --> 00:12:55,220
Oh, my God.
220
00:12:55,260 --> 00:12:56,780
I'm actually...
221
00:12:57,860 --> 00:12:59,620
I'm really nervous.
222
00:13:01,140 --> 00:13:03,020
This is going to be mental.
223
00:13:04,380 --> 00:13:05,740
Wow.
224
00:13:07,100 --> 00:13:08,340
Wow.
225
00:13:10,660 --> 00:13:13,060
This is not what I expected at all.
226
00:13:14,260 --> 00:13:15,780
It's insane.
227
00:13:19,460 --> 00:13:24,420
This could actually be where my
great-grandad and his wife stood
228
00:13:24,460 --> 00:13:26,420
and did that performance.
229
00:13:27,580 --> 00:13:28,900
Wow.
230
00:13:34,540 --> 00:13:35,780
Hello!
231
00:13:37,180 --> 00:13:38,740
Hello!
232
00:13:38,780 --> 00:13:41,100
Can you hear me?
233
00:13:44,100 --> 00:13:47,900
Olly's meeting the circus's
archivist, Elvira Avota.
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00:13:47,940 --> 00:13:50,260
Hello. Welcome.
235
00:13:50,300 --> 00:13:53,380
Wow. It's a pleasure.
Olly. Lovely to meet you.
236
00:13:53,420 --> 00:13:55,540
Elvira. Nice to meet you.
237
00:13:55,580 --> 00:13:57,820
Elvira, this place is insane.
238
00:13:57,860 --> 00:13:59,260
Yeah.
239
00:13:59,300 --> 00:14:02,940
And obviously, I'm trying to
find out if my great-grandad,
240
00:14:02,980 --> 00:14:05,660
Eduards Alberts Murs,
performed here.
241
00:14:05,700 --> 00:14:08,620
Yes. We have some evidence
that he did. He did?
242
00:14:08,660 --> 00:14:10,860
With his wife, together, yes. Wow.
243
00:14:10,900 --> 00:14:13,940
We have some things that
I could show you about them.
244
00:14:13,980 --> 00:14:17,220
Oh, please. Yeah, I'd love
to see them. Thank you.
245
00:14:18,740 --> 00:14:25,060
So here is a little example from
a Riga newspaper about their show.
246
00:14:25,100 --> 00:14:27,180
That's incredible.
247
00:14:27,220 --> 00:14:30,260
This discipline usually
is called Perch Act.
248
00:14:30,300 --> 00:14:32,500
And this performance is quite unique
249
00:14:32,540 --> 00:14:35,020
because the holding person
is a woman.
250
00:14:35,060 --> 00:14:36,740
Wow.
251
00:14:36,780 --> 00:14:41,500
So he's hanging by his teeth
while playing guitar.
252
00:14:41,540 --> 00:14:45,500
He's holding himself up
by his mouth? Yes. What?!
253
00:14:45,540 --> 00:14:48,900
And at the same time,
his wife, Katrine,
254
00:14:48,940 --> 00:14:54,100
is holding him on her shoulders
and also playing a little accordion
255
00:14:54,140 --> 00:14:56,780
and spinning at the same time, yes.
256
00:14:56,820 --> 00:15:00,660
I mean, I'm a performer myself.
Mm-hm. But that is next level.
257
00:15:00,700 --> 00:15:04,180
I don't know if I've got that
in my locker! Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
258
00:15:04,220 --> 00:15:06,460
And this was in the newspaper? Yes.
259
00:15:06,500 --> 00:15:09,020
And there was also a description
about the show.
260
00:15:09,060 --> 00:15:11,660
So I would say that
their performance
261
00:15:11,700 --> 00:15:13,580
was one of the highlights
262
00:15:13,620 --> 00:15:16,460
because they were
the only ones who had the picture.
263
00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:19,100
And their performance was called
Murr and Mure.
264
00:15:20,140 --> 00:15:22,060
Mura Mure? Murr and Mure, yes.
265
00:15:22,100 --> 00:15:23,940
Wow. OK.
266
00:15:23,980 --> 00:15:26,620
And they performed
in the 1920s and 1930s.
267
00:15:26,660 --> 00:15:28,460
Why Murr and Mure?
268
00:15:28,500 --> 00:15:31,220
Local artists were not that popular.
269
00:15:31,260 --> 00:15:34,620
The audience was interested
in something more exotic.
270
00:15:34,660 --> 00:15:37,900
So that's why most of the artists'
names are more French.
271
00:15:37,940 --> 00:15:40,380
They're sort of still using
the name Murs...
272
00:15:40,420 --> 00:15:43,380
Yeah. They keep the root
of the word, yeah. Yeah.
273
00:15:43,420 --> 00:15:47,660
But we're going to mix it up
a little bit and make it more
flamboyant. Yeah. Amazing.
274
00:15:47,700 --> 00:15:53,260
I have this postcard, which
usually was used as a memorabilia.
275
00:15:53,300 --> 00:15:55,620
And this is them? Yes.
276
00:15:55,660 --> 00:15:57,780
This is mad.
277
00:15:57,820 --> 00:15:59,660
He looks so cool.
278
00:15:59,700 --> 00:16:02,940
And, yeah, she looks strong. Yeah.
279
00:16:02,980 --> 00:16:06,540
That, for me, is like merchandise
that would be handed out.
280
00:16:06,580 --> 00:16:10,060
And that's something that I do
a lot when I do tours or... Yeah.
281
00:16:10,100 --> 00:16:13,340
There's me thinking I was
the only Murs that did all that!
282
00:16:13,380 --> 00:16:16,940
So how often would they be
doing a performance?
283
00:16:16,980 --> 00:16:19,700
So here performances
happened every day,
284
00:16:19,740 --> 00:16:22,860
because they could perform
here for only one month a year.
285
00:16:22,900 --> 00:16:26,860
So just one month of shows
and they would move to a different
city or a different place?
286
00:16:26,900 --> 00:16:28,660
Usually, yes. Wow.
287
00:16:29,820 --> 00:16:32,820
That is a newspaper clipping
from Finland.
288
00:16:32,860 --> 00:16:34,860
Finland? Yes.
289
00:16:34,900 --> 00:16:38,220
The Sirkus MAXIM programme.
Oh, wait there a minute.
290
00:16:40,140 --> 00:16:41,900
I'm just trying to find Murs.
291
00:16:41,940 --> 00:16:45,060
So I have also a translation
of this. OK.
292
00:16:45,100 --> 00:16:48,940
"Circus MAXIM is a mix of the best
talent from the mainland.
293
00:16:48,980 --> 00:16:52,300
"Just to mention a few attractions
from the artists' programme.
294
00:16:52,340 --> 00:16:54,980
"The original strength gladiators,
295
00:16:55,020 --> 00:16:58,140
"Momino with their funny
trained dogs,
296
00:16:58,180 --> 00:17:00,420
"Mademoiselle Verona."
297
00:17:01,860 --> 00:17:04,540
Oh! "A unique and music achievement
in balance."
298
00:17:04,580 --> 00:17:06,900
Is that them, The Morello? Yes.
299
00:17:06,940 --> 00:17:09,820
Oh, what's The Morello?
That's different. Yes.
300
00:17:09,860 --> 00:17:12,020
So they changed the names sometimes,
301
00:17:12,060 --> 00:17:15,060
when they performed
in a different place.
302
00:17:15,100 --> 00:17:17,660
I see that it was in 1931.
303
00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:19,940
My great-grandad, Eduards,
304
00:17:19,980 --> 00:17:22,660
had an affair
with a woman called Veronika.
305
00:17:22,700 --> 00:17:25,580
And my grandad, Eddie,
was born in 1932.
306
00:17:26,940 --> 00:17:28,900
And it's like, was she on this...
307
00:17:28,940 --> 00:17:31,700
I mean, was she on the circus
with them? I don't know.
308
00:17:31,740 --> 00:17:35,100
Because, I mean, even looking on
this, it says "Mademoiselle Verona".
309
00:17:35,140 --> 00:17:37,820
Was she around?
How did he meet her?
310
00:17:37,860 --> 00:17:41,700
So that is something that
I don't know how to help you with.
311
00:17:41,740 --> 00:17:44,900
But you can go to the state
historical archives
312
00:17:44,940 --> 00:17:46,940
and maybe they can help.
313
00:17:46,980 --> 00:17:49,820
I appreciate it, and thank you
so much for this information.
314
00:17:49,860 --> 00:17:52,660
It's great. Now, I need to go
and rethink my stage name!
315
00:17:54,300 --> 00:17:56,340
Maybe a little bit more French!
316
00:17:56,380 --> 00:17:58,220
A bit more French.
317
00:17:58,260 --> 00:17:59,900
Murr and Mure!
318
00:17:59,940 --> 00:18:01,620
Love it.
319
00:18:05,740 --> 00:18:09,420
To be here, where my great-grandad
Eduards used to perform, feels
amazing.
320
00:18:09,460 --> 00:18:12,100
It feels like we've
connected in a way.
321
00:18:13,820 --> 00:18:16,580
As a performer,
I'm super proud of him.
322
00:18:16,620 --> 00:18:18,620
And then on the flip side to it,
323
00:18:18,660 --> 00:18:21,020
he wasn't the most loyal husband,
it seemed.
324
00:18:21,060 --> 00:18:24,180
So that for me is a little bit
of a hard one to get my head around,
325
00:18:24,220 --> 00:18:26,900
because that's not the kind
of husband that I want to be.
326
00:18:29,140 --> 00:18:31,700
And I'm starting to think
whether Veronika
327
00:18:31,740 --> 00:18:34,180
was on the road as part of this act.
328
00:18:35,380 --> 00:18:37,420
There's still more to this story.
329
00:18:37,460 --> 00:18:41,260
And where it goes, I don't
know, but that's the next step.
330
00:18:43,380 --> 00:18:45,620
Let's see if I can still do
a bit of this.
331
00:18:48,340 --> 00:18:49,700
Ta-da!
332
00:18:52,780 --> 00:18:55,700
To see how his great-grandparents
Eduards Murs
333
00:18:55,740 --> 00:18:58,540
and Veronika Jankovska's
lives may have crossed...
334
00:18:59,940 --> 00:19:03,100
..Olly has come to the Latvian State
Historical Archives
335
00:19:03,140 --> 00:19:06,300
to meet head archivist
Rita Bogdanova.
336
00:19:07,340 --> 00:19:10,060
Hi, Rita. Hello. Lovely to meet you.
337
00:19:11,940 --> 00:19:16,340
So the story that I know so far
is that my great-grandad, Eduards,
338
00:19:16,380 --> 00:19:18,940
had an affair with a woman
called Veronika,
339
00:19:18,980 --> 00:19:21,180
which was my grandad Eddie's mum.
340
00:19:21,220 --> 00:19:24,180
So I'd love to know
if you've found anything
341
00:19:24,220 --> 00:19:28,300
about this mystery woman, really,
who we have no information about.
342
00:19:28,340 --> 00:19:29,900
Yeah. OK.
343
00:19:29,940 --> 00:19:34,300
We have some information and I will
show you the first file, which is...
344
00:19:35,980 --> 00:19:41,940
..the birth registration entry for
your great-grandmother, Veronika.
345
00:19:43,220 --> 00:19:45,340
Here is her name in Russian.
346
00:19:46,500 --> 00:19:48,780
Can you read it? I have no...
347
00:19:48,820 --> 00:19:50,940
So this is in Russian? Yeah.
348
00:19:50,980 --> 00:19:54,020
Because by that time
when Veronika was born,
349
00:19:54,060 --> 00:19:56,780
Latvia was part
of the Russian Empire.
350
00:19:56,820 --> 00:19:59,860
And do you have that
translated into English? Yeah.
351
00:20:04,340 --> 00:20:08,620
So, Veronika was born on the
17th of August, 1909. Right.
352
00:20:08,660 --> 00:20:11,540
She was daughter to Josiph
and Tekla. Right.
353
00:20:11,580 --> 00:20:14,140
Your great great-grandparents.
354
00:20:14,180 --> 00:20:16,100
My great great-grandparents. Wow.
355
00:20:17,340 --> 00:20:19,260
And it was in Dvinsk?
356
00:20:19,300 --> 00:20:21,420
Dvinsk. Where is Dvinsk?
357
00:20:21,460 --> 00:20:26,380
Dvinsk is an old name
that was renamed to Daugavpils.
358
00:20:26,420 --> 00:20:29,540
It's situated in the east of Latvia.
359
00:20:30,860 --> 00:20:36,780
So doing the math, my great-grandad,
Eduards, was born in 1890.
360
00:20:36,820 --> 00:20:38,700
So he's a good...
361
00:20:39,740 --> 00:20:41,940
..20 years older than Veronika!
362
00:20:41,980 --> 00:20:46,340
So I'm really intrigued how they met
and found each other at some point.
363
00:20:46,380 --> 00:20:48,980
Oh, OK. I will show you.
364
00:20:50,060 --> 00:20:53,940
The archives has a very large
collection of passports.
365
00:20:53,980 --> 00:20:56,740
We are lucky to have among them
366
00:20:56,780 --> 00:21:00,780
the passport of your
great-grandmother, Veronika.
367
00:21:00,820 --> 00:21:02,220
No way!
368
00:21:03,500 --> 00:21:04,860
Oh, wow.
369
00:21:06,340 --> 00:21:08,060
And there she is.
370
00:21:09,460 --> 00:21:11,420
That's my great-grandma.
371
00:21:14,260 --> 00:21:17,140
It's amazing to see her photo.
That's just insane.
372
00:21:17,180 --> 00:21:23,020
This passport was issued
on April 25th, 1931.
373
00:21:23,060 --> 00:21:26,220
By that time, she lived in Riga.
374
00:21:26,260 --> 00:21:27,980
Oh, right.
375
00:21:28,020 --> 00:21:31,020
So she was 21 and living in Riga.
376
00:21:31,060 --> 00:21:33,260
And if we open this...
377
00:21:34,780 --> 00:21:36,700
OK, so what am I looking at here?
378
00:21:38,100 --> 00:21:40,380
So you can see here, so...
379
00:21:40,420 --> 00:21:42,420
Oh, it's in English. Phew!
380
00:21:44,380 --> 00:21:46,580
It's a work permit for Veronika.
381
00:21:46,620 --> 00:21:50,500
Permit to work for the Circus Maxim
in different Finnish regions.
382
00:21:50,540 --> 00:21:53,900
Starting from the 27th
of April, 1931.
383
00:21:53,940 --> 00:21:56,460
So she was in the circus as well?
384
00:21:56,500 --> 00:21:58,900
Yeah. Oh, that makes sense now.
385
00:21:58,940 --> 00:22:01,980
So she went to Finland. Right.
386
00:22:02,020 --> 00:22:03,700
And...
387
00:22:05,020 --> 00:22:08,900
..I know that my great-grandad,
Eduards, was in Finland
at one point.
388
00:22:08,940 --> 00:22:11,100
So they must have met in the circus.
389
00:22:11,140 --> 00:22:12,820
Is that correct?
390
00:22:12,860 --> 00:22:17,820
So here is the passport
of your great-grandfather, Eduards,
391
00:22:17,860 --> 00:22:19,980
and his wife, Katrine.
392
00:22:20,020 --> 00:22:21,460
Oh, my God.
393
00:22:22,660 --> 00:22:25,740
No way!
I mean, this is phenomenal.
394
00:22:27,700 --> 00:22:30,300
Wow. There's my great-grandad,
Eduards.
395
00:22:30,340 --> 00:22:32,140
Katrine.
396
00:22:32,180 --> 00:22:34,780
And, of course,
now the missing piece...
397
00:22:36,340 --> 00:22:37,900
..Veronika.
398
00:22:37,940 --> 00:22:39,540
I will show you...
399
00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:43,060
Look at this.
400
00:22:43,100 --> 00:22:45,180
OK. It's a...
401
00:22:46,500 --> 00:22:48,580
..working permit for Veronika.
402
00:22:48,620 --> 00:22:52,300
And this is a working permit
for Eduards and Katrine.
403
00:22:52,340 --> 00:22:54,660
Ah, that's the same. The same.
404
00:22:56,300 --> 00:22:59,420
So they would have been in Finland
at the same time. Right.
405
00:22:59,460 --> 00:23:00,860
OK.
406
00:23:00,900 --> 00:23:02,340
Interesting.
407
00:23:05,740 --> 00:23:10,220
Here is an article in a Finnish
newspaper about circus.
408
00:23:10,260 --> 00:23:12,140
So please look at it...
409
00:23:12,180 --> 00:23:13,780
In 1931.
410
00:23:13,820 --> 00:23:15,780
So I've seen this before
411
00:23:15,820 --> 00:23:19,460
and I did notice that there was
a Mademoiselle Verona.
412
00:23:19,500 --> 00:23:21,780
Right. Would that be her?
413
00:23:21,820 --> 00:23:23,580
Yeah, definitely.
414
00:23:23,620 --> 00:23:24,980
Wow.
415
00:23:26,780 --> 00:23:31,660
"Mademoiselle Verona,
the daredevil trapeze artist."
416
00:23:31,700 --> 00:23:35,380
Right. My great-grandma
was a trapeze artist?
417
00:23:35,420 --> 00:23:36,940
Trapeze artist.
418
00:23:38,580 --> 00:23:40,140
That's amazing.
419
00:23:41,500 --> 00:23:45,140
Here is another article
from the Finnish newspaper,
420
00:23:45,180 --> 00:23:47,300
dated August 1931.
421
00:23:48,660 --> 00:23:49,860
Wow.
422
00:23:50,980 --> 00:23:52,980
"In previous years, Circus Maxim
423
00:23:53,020 --> 00:23:55,620
"has been the best of the circuses
touring our country
424
00:23:55,660 --> 00:23:58,260
"and this year it has
got even better.
425
00:23:58,300 --> 00:24:02,180
"We cannot help but mention
Miss Verona, the trapeze artist,
426
00:24:02,220 --> 00:24:05,020
"because she truly
deserves this title.
427
00:24:05,060 --> 00:24:08,300
"Her act, in which she performs
gymnastics on a trapeze
428
00:24:08,340 --> 00:24:12,100
"high up, close to the roof of the
tent, is a sight for sore eyes."
429
00:24:12,140 --> 00:24:14,140
So she was the main attraction.
430
00:24:14,180 --> 00:24:16,420
Mm-hm. Wow. Amazing.
431
00:24:17,700 --> 00:24:20,820
So this article was on
the 14th of August, 1931.
432
00:24:20,860 --> 00:24:22,820
We know that my grandad Eddie...
433
00:24:23,860 --> 00:24:26,220
..was born in January 1932.
434
00:24:26,260 --> 00:24:27,500
Right.
435
00:24:28,940 --> 00:24:32,060
So he was conceived
during this period, right?
436
00:24:32,100 --> 00:24:33,980
Yeah. It's right.
437
00:24:34,020 --> 00:24:37,300
And to the time when
this article was written,
438
00:24:37,340 --> 00:24:40,100
when she performed trapeze,
439
00:24:40,140 --> 00:24:45,820
she was four months' pregnant
with your grandfather.
440
00:24:47,020 --> 00:24:49,700
Wow. And she's up
doing a trapeze act.
441
00:24:49,740 --> 00:24:51,300
She's up. Right.
442
00:24:51,340 --> 00:24:53,220
Wow. That is some...
443
00:24:53,260 --> 00:24:54,940
That is incredible.
444
00:24:56,100 --> 00:24:58,500
So my grandad Eddie
was up there in the sky,
445
00:24:58,540 --> 00:25:01,020
not knowing what was going on,
flying around.
446
00:25:01,060 --> 00:25:03,820
What a woman.
What an incredible woman.
447
00:25:06,420 --> 00:25:10,300
Olly can now take his paternal
family tree back four generations.
448
00:25:11,700 --> 00:25:14,580
He's discovered that his
great great-grandparents
449
00:25:14,620 --> 00:25:19,100
were called Tekla Jankovska
and Josiph Jankovskis,
450
00:25:19,140 --> 00:25:21,900
who lived more than
100 miles from Riga.
451
00:25:24,580 --> 00:25:28,300
But what happened to their daughter,
his great-grandmother Veronika,
452
00:25:28,340 --> 00:25:31,340
after she returned to Riga
from the circus in Finland,
453
00:25:31,380 --> 00:25:33,140
is still a mystery.
454
00:25:34,620 --> 00:25:37,540
So, Olly's meeting historian
Imants Serelis,
455
00:25:37,580 --> 00:25:41,900
who's taking him to the apartment
Veronika moved into in 1932,
456
00:25:41,940 --> 00:25:45,380
whilst heavily pregnant
with his grandfather, Eddie.
457
00:25:46,540 --> 00:25:48,100
So here we are.
458
00:25:48,140 --> 00:25:51,460
And this is the...
This is the flat.
459
00:25:51,500 --> 00:25:53,140
No way!
460
00:25:55,380 --> 00:25:59,020
This is where my great-grandma,
Veronika, lived. Exactly.
461
00:26:01,940 --> 00:26:04,540
It feels amazing to be here.
It really does.
462
00:26:04,580 --> 00:26:07,260
Did Veronika have my grandad here?
463
00:26:07,300 --> 00:26:12,180
We know that Eddie was born
in Riga First City Hospital.
464
00:26:12,220 --> 00:26:14,180
It's not far from here.
465
00:26:14,220 --> 00:26:18,260
So definitely this flat was the
first home for the newborn Eddie.
466
00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:22,260
So this is where it began for him.
This is the first home. Exactly.
467
00:26:22,300 --> 00:26:24,900
And Veronika is only 22.
468
00:26:24,940 --> 00:26:29,540
It's her first baby and she
comes back here on her own.
469
00:26:29,580 --> 00:26:32,540
Yeah, so... Wow, that
must have been so scary.
470
00:26:32,580 --> 00:26:36,300
The situation must have been
really, really hard financially
471
00:26:36,340 --> 00:26:38,340
and also emotionally.
472
00:26:38,380 --> 00:26:39,860
Yeah.
473
00:26:39,900 --> 00:26:42,140
And how long did they stay here for?
474
00:26:42,180 --> 00:26:43,980
Not very long.
475
00:26:44,020 --> 00:26:47,780
They moved out in April 1932.
476
00:26:47,820 --> 00:26:53,060
And we have a document
and it's an employment questionnaire
477
00:26:53,100 --> 00:26:57,780
for unemployed persons to get
some help from the state.
478
00:26:57,820 --> 00:26:59,940
And you can see here the surname.
479
00:26:59,980 --> 00:27:01,940
Jankovskis. Yeah.
480
00:27:01,980 --> 00:27:03,980
But here we have another name.
481
00:27:05,060 --> 00:27:06,500
Tekla.
482
00:27:06,540 --> 00:27:09,620
Ah, that's her mum. Yes.
Veronika's mother.
483
00:27:09,660 --> 00:27:13,580
And to make it easier,
we have a translation.
484
00:27:13,620 --> 00:27:17,660
So Tekla has gone to the state
to ask for money to help?
485
00:27:17,700 --> 00:27:20,020
Exactly. Yes. OK. So...
486
00:27:20,060 --> 00:27:21,660
And then here...
487
00:27:21,700 --> 00:27:25,460
The family consists
of obviously her husband. Yes.
488
00:27:25,500 --> 00:27:29,460
And then Eduards, my grandad?
489
00:27:29,500 --> 00:27:31,580
Yes. It's a grandson.
490
00:27:31,620 --> 00:27:33,420
So he went to live...
491
00:27:34,820 --> 00:27:36,900
..with his grandparents.
492
00:27:36,940 --> 00:27:39,940
Without Veronika.
Without Veronika.
493
00:27:39,980 --> 00:27:42,500
And it's in Daugavpils.
Ah, right. OK.
494
00:27:42,540 --> 00:27:44,660
That's where she grew up. Yes.
495
00:27:44,700 --> 00:27:46,780
The 13th of June, 1932.
496
00:27:46,820 --> 00:27:50,300
So she had my grandad Eddie,
probably for a few months,
497
00:27:50,340 --> 00:27:54,100
and has then given him to...
It seems so. ..her parents.
498
00:27:54,140 --> 00:27:57,700
Obviously she was a young mum
and she needed help. Yeah.
499
00:27:57,740 --> 00:28:00,340
Do we know where Veronika went?
500
00:28:02,100 --> 00:28:03,980
So we have a...
501
00:28:05,020 --> 00:28:10,180
..photograph from a newspaper
from April 1932.
502
00:28:10,220 --> 00:28:13,300
Wow.
The same year when Eddie was born.
503
00:28:13,340 --> 00:28:16,340
She looks fantastic.
I mean... Yeah.
504
00:28:16,380 --> 00:28:18,980
And it says Miss Verona,
505
00:28:19,020 --> 00:28:23,180
gymnast on trapeze
in the new circus programme.
506
00:28:23,220 --> 00:28:26,700
So she went back out working
again on the circus.
507
00:28:26,740 --> 00:28:30,540
Just a couple of months
after Eddie's birth.
508
00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:34,740
I mean, it's just mind-blowing.
509
00:28:34,780 --> 00:28:38,660
There she is, onstage
straight away, on the trapeze.
510
00:28:38,700 --> 00:28:42,380
The decision for her
to give her baby away
511
00:28:42,420 --> 00:28:45,260
and to keep working in a circus,
512
00:28:45,300 --> 00:28:48,460
it must have been a hard,
hard decision.
513
00:28:48,500 --> 00:28:51,660
She needed to get back to work
and she needed the money.
514
00:28:51,700 --> 00:28:54,820
I know that my grandad came
back to Riga at some point,
515
00:28:54,860 --> 00:28:56,860
and he has said that he lived...
516
00:28:58,100 --> 00:28:59,740
..with his mum.
517
00:28:59,780 --> 00:29:01,820
So is that true?
518
00:29:01,860 --> 00:29:04,900
So we have a house book,
519
00:29:04,940 --> 00:29:08,540
and this is from the year 1939.
520
00:29:08,580 --> 00:29:11,900
So seven years after Eddie's birth.
521
00:29:11,940 --> 00:29:16,460
Each apartment building in Riga
had this kind of book at that time,
522
00:29:16,500 --> 00:29:21,900
and it records all inhabitants
of every single apartment.
523
00:29:21,940 --> 00:29:23,700
OK, so this is the...
524
00:29:24,740 --> 00:29:27,300
..21st of... September.
525
00:29:27,340 --> 00:29:29,900
Veronika Jankovskis... And below.
526
00:29:29,940 --> 00:29:33,220
And Eduards.
So that's grandad Eddie.
527
00:29:33,260 --> 00:29:37,300
Yeah. So she has her son now?
Yes. Which is lovely.
528
00:29:37,340 --> 00:29:42,700
But September 1939,
the Second World War begins.
529
00:29:42,740 --> 00:29:47,540
And the war, of course,
changes everything for Latvia
530
00:29:47,580 --> 00:29:49,740
and also for your family.
531
00:29:49,780 --> 00:29:52,940
Can you give me that information or
have I... You have to find it out.
532
00:29:52,980 --> 00:29:55,700
OK, I will do.
Detective Murs is here!
533
00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:00,940
By the start of the
Second World War,
534
00:30:00,980 --> 00:30:04,340
Latvia had been an independent
country for nearly 20 years.
535
00:30:06,780 --> 00:30:11,380
But in June 1940, the Soviet Union,
which included Russia, moved in,
536
00:30:11,420 --> 00:30:13,660
quickly occupying the country.
537
00:30:15,340 --> 00:30:17,860
Led by dictator Joseph Stalin.
538
00:30:19,860 --> 00:30:22,980
At the time,
Olly's great-grandfather Eduards,
539
00:30:23,020 --> 00:30:26,780
his wife Katrine, and his
great-grandmother Veronika
540
00:30:26,820 --> 00:30:29,180
and grandad Eddie all lived in Riga.
541
00:30:30,540 --> 00:30:32,700
To find out what happened to them,
542
00:30:32,740 --> 00:30:36,300
Olly has come to the Museum
of the Occupation of Latvia,
543
00:30:36,340 --> 00:30:39,500
where he's meeting
historian Peteris Celms.
544
00:30:40,620 --> 00:30:42,180
Hi, Peteris.
545
00:30:42,220 --> 00:30:44,740
I'm at this point
in my family's history
546
00:30:44,780 --> 00:30:46,820
that the Second World War begins.
547
00:30:46,860 --> 00:30:49,020
What does that mean for my family?
548
00:30:49,060 --> 00:30:53,100
So the Soviets take over the country
and then everything changes.
549
00:30:53,140 --> 00:30:56,220
The currency was replaced
by worthless Soviet money.
550
00:30:56,260 --> 00:30:58,220
Bank accounts were confiscated.
551
00:30:58,260 --> 00:31:00,820
Large private land-holdings
are confiscated.
552
00:31:00,860 --> 00:31:04,180
But the real shock happens almost
a year after the occupation.
553
00:31:05,420 --> 00:31:08,260
In June 1941, in one night,
554
00:31:08,300 --> 00:31:12,140
over 15,000 people in Latvia
were rounded up
555
00:31:12,180 --> 00:31:16,260
and deported in cattle cars
to labour camps in Siberia.
556
00:31:17,900 --> 00:31:19,980
Then, just over a week later,
557
00:31:20,020 --> 00:31:23,500
Nazi Germany invaded
Soviet-occupied Latvia
558
00:31:23,540 --> 00:31:26,140
and soon took control
of the country.
559
00:31:27,980 --> 00:31:32,540
During the Nazi occupation,
more than 70,000 Latvian Jews
560
00:31:32,580 --> 00:31:37,300
and 20,000 Jews deported from
other countries were murdered there.
561
00:31:39,620 --> 00:31:42,180
It's just...
It's just awful, isn't it?
562
00:31:42,220 --> 00:31:44,700
Absolutely. Such a horrendous time.
563
00:31:46,540 --> 00:31:48,500
What happened to my family?
564
00:31:49,620 --> 00:31:52,860
Like most of the population,
they try to survive.
565
00:31:52,900 --> 00:31:55,980
And I think the next document
shows a sort of attempt
566
00:31:56,020 --> 00:31:58,860
to establish some kind
of a domestic life.
567
00:31:58,900 --> 00:32:00,300
Oh, wow.
568
00:32:00,340 --> 00:32:02,420
So Veronika gets married? Yes.
569
00:32:02,460 --> 00:32:05,780
She marries a fellow
named Voldemars Eiche.
570
00:32:05,820 --> 00:32:07,700
In 1942? Yes.
571
00:32:07,740 --> 00:32:09,780
What happens after that?
572
00:32:09,820 --> 00:32:12,660
Well, the next document
unfortunately shows
573
00:32:12,700 --> 00:32:14,900
that the marriage doesn't last.
574
00:32:14,940 --> 00:32:16,940
My God, what happened?
575
00:32:16,980 --> 00:32:21,220
OK, so divorce suit
against Veronika Eiche
576
00:32:21,260 --> 00:32:24,220
on December 17th, 1943.
577
00:32:24,260 --> 00:32:27,620
"The court decided
to dissolve the marriage
578
00:32:27,660 --> 00:32:30,740
"that Voldemars Vladimirs Eiche
579
00:32:30,780 --> 00:32:34,220
"has concluded with
Veronika Jankovskis."
580
00:32:34,260 --> 00:32:37,860
So it didn't last long.
It was only a year. Correct.
581
00:32:37,900 --> 00:32:42,260
"Who got the husband's surname
upon the conclusion of marriage."
582
00:32:42,300 --> 00:32:44,940
So she kept the name,
which is interesting.
583
00:32:44,980 --> 00:32:47,500
It could mean a lot
of different things.
584
00:32:47,540 --> 00:32:50,700
One possibility is that Eiche,
which is a common Latvian name,
585
00:32:50,740 --> 00:32:53,580
is actually a German name
by its background.
586
00:32:53,620 --> 00:32:57,380
So she may have been thinking having
that surname will help long term
587
00:32:57,420 --> 00:33:00,860
if the country continues
to be occupied by Germany.
588
00:33:00,900 --> 00:33:04,620
Possibly. Bless Veronika,
she's been through a real journey.
589
00:33:04,660 --> 00:33:06,500
What happens next?
590
00:33:06,540 --> 00:33:08,980
What happens next is the war
comes back to Latvia.
591
00:33:10,300 --> 00:33:15,740
By mid 1944, Nazi Germany had lost
significant ground to Soviet forces.
592
00:33:17,220 --> 00:33:20,180
The Red Army was once more
approaching Riga,
593
00:33:20,220 --> 00:33:22,900
where Olly's family
were still living.
594
00:33:22,940 --> 00:33:25,860
People really did fear
a new Soviet occupation.
595
00:33:25,900 --> 00:33:29,820
Partly because it was whipped up
very, very aggressively
by Nazi propaganda.
596
00:33:29,860 --> 00:33:31,940
But even if they disbelieved it,
597
00:33:31,980 --> 00:33:35,060
many didn't want to be
in a Soviet-occupied country.
598
00:33:35,100 --> 00:33:38,260
Yeah. The Germans themselves
are organising a big evacuation
599
00:33:38,300 --> 00:33:41,620
of the civilian population
westwards to Germany, on ships.
600
00:33:41,660 --> 00:33:44,100
If you're in Latvia at that point,
601
00:33:44,140 --> 00:33:47,300
you've got decisions to make,
haven't you? Very much.
602
00:33:47,340 --> 00:33:50,580
Your family then has to make
a decision whether to stay in Latvia
603
00:33:50,620 --> 00:33:52,940
to try to let the front
ride over them
604
00:33:52,980 --> 00:33:55,580
and be in a
Soviet-occupied Latvia again,
605
00:33:55,620 --> 00:33:58,740
or to go west
as the German army evacuates.
606
00:33:58,780 --> 00:34:00,420
Yeah.
607
00:34:00,460 --> 00:34:03,580
So I know that obviously
my grandad left Latvia
608
00:34:03,620 --> 00:34:06,380
during the Second World War,
with his dad.
609
00:34:06,420 --> 00:34:08,620
Correct. And his wife, Katrine.
610
00:34:08,660 --> 00:34:12,580
And the next document actually
shows one step in that direction.
611
00:34:12,620 --> 00:34:14,460
It's a house registry book.
612
00:34:14,500 --> 00:34:18,300
I can see Eduards Jankovskis here,
which is my grandad.
613
00:34:18,340 --> 00:34:20,660
And this was in 1944.
614
00:34:20,700 --> 00:34:22,100
Correct.
615
00:34:22,140 --> 00:34:24,900
So I know that my grandad
is 12 at this point.
616
00:34:25,940 --> 00:34:29,260
OK. So this is the
interesting bit, isn't it?
617
00:34:29,300 --> 00:34:33,740
Because when and where he went
after leaving this property -
618
00:34:33,780 --> 00:34:37,860
and it says Germany on the
5th of September, 1944.
619
00:34:37,900 --> 00:34:42,020
So that would have been a decision
made by his parents...
620
00:34:42,060 --> 00:34:46,100
It must have been. ..by Veronika
and obviously his dad, Eduards.
621
00:34:46,140 --> 00:34:48,780
Correct. Thousands of people
were being forced
622
00:34:48,820 --> 00:34:51,100
to make that kind of decision
for safety.
623
00:34:51,140 --> 00:34:52,580
I still...
624
00:34:53,900 --> 00:34:56,500
..can't understand why Veronika
didn't go with them.
625
00:34:56,540 --> 00:34:59,460
There could have been 100
reasons that they separated.
626
00:34:59,500 --> 00:35:03,380
It could have been possible
that she applied for evacuation
and was turned down.
627
00:35:03,420 --> 00:35:05,140
We'll never know.
628
00:35:05,180 --> 00:35:08,380
And it must have been really
difficult for her to have done that.
629
00:35:08,420 --> 00:35:11,060
And I think it was the best
decision for him.
630
00:35:11,100 --> 00:35:13,220
And the saddest thing of this story
631
00:35:13,260 --> 00:35:16,580
is that my grandad
had such anger towards her,
632
00:35:16,620 --> 00:35:20,380
of how he felt he was sort of
abandoned and left.
633
00:35:20,420 --> 00:35:21,860
Yeah.
634
00:35:21,900 --> 00:35:25,780
The Second World War really did
have a massive effect on my family.
635
00:35:25,820 --> 00:35:27,260
Enormous.
636
00:35:38,060 --> 00:35:40,580
Today for me was a real eye-opener.
637
00:35:42,740 --> 00:35:45,260
I think my great-grandmother,
Veronika,
638
00:35:45,300 --> 00:35:48,740
made a really bold decision
at that bridge that day
639
00:35:48,780 --> 00:35:52,860
to say goodbye to her son,
knowing that he might come home,
640
00:35:52,900 --> 00:35:54,860
but he might not.
641
00:35:57,060 --> 00:36:00,540
And sadly, my grandad never
got to see his mum again.
642
00:36:02,100 --> 00:36:05,060
He had a lot of trauma in his life
from a very, very early age,
643
00:36:05,100 --> 00:36:08,060
and that stuck with him
to the day he died.
644
00:36:08,100 --> 00:36:10,420
He was very subdued. He was quiet.
645
00:36:12,060 --> 00:36:15,060
It's made me understand
why he was the way he was.
646
00:36:18,540 --> 00:36:21,620
I just wish he could have
understood her decisions.
647
00:36:22,900 --> 00:36:27,780
And I really wish I could go back
20 or 30 years and say to him,
648
00:36:27,820 --> 00:36:31,940
"Look, Grandad, reach out,
call your mum."
649
00:36:35,620 --> 00:36:40,260
I'm now intrigued to see
what happened in Germany.
650
00:36:40,300 --> 00:36:44,820
And then how my grandad
got to the UK.
651
00:36:52,900 --> 00:36:55,620
To find out about his family's
journey to Germany,
652
00:36:55,660 --> 00:37:00,180
Olly's meeting Marianna Auliciema
from the Latvians Abroad Museum.
653
00:37:01,820 --> 00:37:04,540
Marianna, lovely to meet you.
Yes, nice to meet you too.
654
00:37:04,580 --> 00:37:07,980
I'm at a real pivotal moment
in my family's life.
655
00:37:08,020 --> 00:37:11,460
My great-grandad, Eduards,
and Katrine
656
00:37:11,500 --> 00:37:15,140
have decided to take my grandad
on a boat to Germany.
657
00:37:15,180 --> 00:37:19,820
Well, thousands of Latvian civilians
left Latvia at that time as refugees
658
00:37:19,860 --> 00:37:22,700
and many of them left
from here in Riga.
659
00:37:22,740 --> 00:37:25,660
So this is an example
of one of the boats
660
00:37:25,700 --> 00:37:28,140
that was leaving the port
at that time.
661
00:37:28,180 --> 00:37:30,620
Wow. So it was very chaotic.
662
00:37:30,660 --> 00:37:33,420
Lots of people there, busy.
663
00:37:33,460 --> 00:37:37,340
I actually have more documents to
show you on the boat just behind us.
664
00:37:37,380 --> 00:37:41,660
Would you like to come with me
to the boat? I will, yes.
Great. Wow. Let's do it.
665
00:37:46,660 --> 00:37:50,660
So where did my great-grandad
Eduards, and Katrine,
666
00:37:50,700 --> 00:37:53,420
and of course my grandad Eddie,
end up?
667
00:37:53,460 --> 00:37:56,540
So this is a registration card
668
00:37:56,580 --> 00:38:00,980
for a refugee camp from Neustadt
in Germany,
669
00:38:01,020 --> 00:38:04,420
where your grandfather
Eddie was living
670
00:38:04,460 --> 00:38:08,380
together with his father,
your great-grandfather Eduards,
671
00:38:08,420 --> 00:38:12,620
and his wife, Katrine,
by the time the war ends in 1945.
672
00:38:12,660 --> 00:38:14,100
Wow.
673
00:38:14,140 --> 00:38:16,540
So this is for Eduards Murs.
674
00:38:16,580 --> 00:38:19,420
But if you have a look
at his birth date...
675
00:38:20,540 --> 00:38:24,500
The 28th of the first, 1932.
So this was my grandad's.
676
00:38:24,540 --> 00:38:28,220
Yeah, but here you'll notice
his surname has also changed.
677
00:38:28,260 --> 00:38:30,500
Of course! Do you know,
I didn't even...
678
00:38:30,540 --> 00:38:32,220
I'm so oblivious.
679
00:38:32,260 --> 00:38:34,980
My grandad is finally using
the name Murs.
680
00:38:35,020 --> 00:38:38,780
That's so interesting because
obviously he was Jankovskis,
681
00:38:38,820 --> 00:38:41,340
his mum's surname for so long.
682
00:38:41,380 --> 00:38:43,660
And now that he's with his dad,
683
00:38:43,700 --> 00:38:47,780
maybe he felt it was time for him
to change his name and be a Murs.
684
00:38:47,820 --> 00:38:50,780
And that is why now I am.
685
00:38:52,420 --> 00:38:54,940
And then I wanted to show you this.
686
00:38:54,980 --> 00:38:58,500
That's your... Oh, wow. ..grandad.
That's my grandad, Eddie. Eddie.
687
00:38:58,540 --> 00:39:00,420
Look at him posing.
688
00:39:00,460 --> 00:39:02,620
He's about 15 here.
689
00:39:02,660 --> 00:39:05,980
It's 1947 and he's living
in this refugee camp.
690
00:39:06,020 --> 00:39:08,260
He's obviously in deep thought.
691
00:39:08,300 --> 00:39:10,940
Is he thinking of his mum?
Is he thinking of...
692
00:39:12,460 --> 00:39:14,460
..you know, is this going to change?
693
00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:16,300
Am I going to be able to go home?
694
00:39:16,340 --> 00:39:19,300
Do we know how long they were
in that refugee camp for?
695
00:39:19,340 --> 00:39:23,620
The camps themselves were only
places where they had refuge
for a short amount of time,
696
00:39:23,660 --> 00:39:26,820
and they had to think about
where they could go next.
697
00:39:26,860 --> 00:39:30,300
And Latvia at the time was still
occupied by the Soviet Union.
698
00:39:30,340 --> 00:39:33,340
And often Latvians
were scared to go back.
699
00:39:33,380 --> 00:39:36,580
And as you know, your family
ended up in the UK.
700
00:39:36,620 --> 00:39:39,140
And I'd just like you to have
a look at this.
701
00:39:39,180 --> 00:39:41,580
This is your great-grandad,
Eduards.
702
00:39:44,140 --> 00:39:45,980
Look at my great-grandad.
703
00:39:47,100 --> 00:39:48,500
Amazing.
704
00:39:48,540 --> 00:39:52,020
He looks so different to the photos
that I'd seen before.
705
00:39:52,060 --> 00:39:56,500
Now we're in 1948,
so he would have been 58 there.
706
00:39:56,540 --> 00:39:57,820
58.
707
00:39:59,380 --> 00:40:01,100
So what is this?
708
00:40:01,140 --> 00:40:04,500
So it's an ID card that he would
have had in the refugee camps.
709
00:40:04,540 --> 00:40:07,260
And this stamp in the middle
shows you the date
710
00:40:07,300 --> 00:40:09,260
and where he went, which is...
711
00:40:10,300 --> 00:40:14,020
Har... Harwich. Harwich. Wow.
That's up the road from us in Essex.
712
00:40:14,060 --> 00:40:16,380
That's in Essex, isn't it, Harwich.
713
00:40:16,420 --> 00:40:20,060
They came to the UK
on the 10th of May, 1948.
714
00:40:20,100 --> 00:40:22,100
That's right. At Harwich.
715
00:40:22,140 --> 00:40:25,580
So thousands of Latvians
ended up going to the UK
716
00:40:25,620 --> 00:40:27,700
to help with labour shortages.
717
00:40:27,740 --> 00:40:31,420
And some of them stayed like your
family and made happy lives there.
718
00:40:31,460 --> 00:40:32,900
Yeah.
719
00:40:32,940 --> 00:40:35,980
They ended up in the UK
and never left Essex.
720
00:40:36,020 --> 00:40:37,660
Amazing.
721
00:40:42,580 --> 00:40:46,460
It was so incredible to see
the journey that my family went on.
722
00:40:46,500 --> 00:40:49,900
Obviously it was a tough journey,
but along that process,
723
00:40:49,940 --> 00:40:54,940
my grandad took the Murs name and
that was a really cool thing to see.
724
00:40:57,500 --> 00:41:01,780
But what happened to
my great-grandma Veronika
when she was here on her own?
725
00:41:01,820 --> 00:41:03,620
What did she do?
726
00:41:05,700 --> 00:41:08,060
For me, she's still
the mystery of this story,
727
00:41:08,100 --> 00:41:10,300
and I still want to find
them answers.
728
00:41:14,420 --> 00:41:17,420
To uncover what happened
to his great-grandmother, Veronika,
729
00:41:17,460 --> 00:41:19,620
after she stayed in Latvia,
730
00:41:19,660 --> 00:41:22,700
Olly is heading to the
Latvian State Archives.
731
00:41:22,740 --> 00:41:26,580
It holds thousands
of once top-secret files
732
00:41:26,620 --> 00:41:29,660
linked to the Soviet
occupation of the country,
733
00:41:29,700 --> 00:41:31,780
which lasted until 1991.
734
00:41:33,380 --> 00:41:37,020
As part of the Soviet Union,
Latvia was strictly controlled,
735
00:41:37,060 --> 00:41:39,900
with restricted contact
with the West.
736
00:41:41,380 --> 00:41:45,740
It was also closely policed by a
security and intelligence agency
737
00:41:45,780 --> 00:41:48,020
later known as the KGB.
738
00:41:50,140 --> 00:41:52,940
Olly is meeting historian
Daina Bleiere.
739
00:41:54,460 --> 00:41:56,300
Daina, it's lovely to meet you.
740
00:41:56,340 --> 00:41:59,020
I'm at the mysterious part
of my story.
741
00:41:59,060 --> 00:42:03,420
My great-grandmother, Veronika,
stayed here in Latvia.
742
00:42:03,460 --> 00:42:07,100
And I just want to know
what happened next.
743
00:42:07,140 --> 00:42:09,420
This is a criminal file.
744
00:42:09,460 --> 00:42:12,900
And this is in Russian.
745
00:42:12,940 --> 00:42:16,500
And here is Eiche, Veronika.
746
00:42:16,540 --> 00:42:21,180
So Veronika was arrested on this...
Arrested?
747
00:42:21,220 --> 00:42:23,020
Arrested, yes.
748
00:42:23,060 --> 00:42:27,140
On December 15th, 1950,
when this criminal case was started.
749
00:42:29,300 --> 00:42:32,060
Wow, I'm just trying
to process that she's been...
750
00:42:32,100 --> 00:42:34,380
My great-grandma
has just been arrested.
751
00:42:34,420 --> 00:42:36,220
You can see here.
752
00:42:37,500 --> 00:42:39,860
Oh, wow.
That's her fingerprint.
753
00:42:40,900 --> 00:42:43,020
Incredible to see that.
754
00:42:43,060 --> 00:42:45,900
It was made after her arrest.
755
00:42:47,500 --> 00:42:50,340
I mean, what's she been
arrested for?
756
00:42:51,540 --> 00:42:55,100
On March 5th, 1951,
757
00:42:55,140 --> 00:43:00,060
there was a court hearing
in Veronika's case.
758
00:43:01,940 --> 00:43:08,260
OK. So on the 5th of March, 1951,
it's the case against Veronika.
759
00:43:08,300 --> 00:43:11,780
According to the
Criminal Code, 5810.
760
00:43:11,820 --> 00:43:17,780
Article 58, section ten,
was on political crimes,
761
00:43:17,820 --> 00:43:21,260
mainly anti-Soviet propaganda
and agitation.
762
00:43:21,300 --> 00:43:22,660
OK.
763
00:43:22,700 --> 00:43:26,140
She was interrogated
about anti-Soviet statements.
764
00:43:27,420 --> 00:43:31,340
So she's been arrested
for an anti-Soviet statement?
765
00:43:31,380 --> 00:43:33,300
Yes. OK.
766
00:43:33,340 --> 00:43:37,820
To say something anti-Soviet
was a crime under Soviet rule,
767
00:43:37,860 --> 00:43:40,220
especially in Stalin's time.
768
00:43:40,260 --> 00:43:46,500
In 1951, people could be sentenced
just, for example, telling jokes
769
00:43:46,540 --> 00:43:51,260
about Soviet leaders
or criticising Soviet system.
770
00:43:51,300 --> 00:43:54,260
So basically, anyone that
said anything negative
771
00:43:54,300 --> 00:43:57,620
towards the Soviet Union,
they could be arrested.
772
00:43:57,660 --> 00:44:00,980
It was propaganda against
the Soviet Union. Yeah.
773
00:44:01,020 --> 00:44:05,260
So did my great-grandmother plead
guilty or not guilty to this case?
774
00:44:05,300 --> 00:44:07,380
No, she pled not guilty.
775
00:44:07,420 --> 00:44:11,260
OK. It shows that she
was quite brave woman.
776
00:44:11,300 --> 00:44:14,780
Because in most cases,
people pled guilty
777
00:44:14,820 --> 00:44:20,260
due to pressure from investigators,
due to torture and so on.
778
00:44:21,700 --> 00:44:23,860
Here is her testimony.
779
00:44:23,900 --> 00:44:26,620
So this is her testimony in court.
780
00:44:26,660 --> 00:44:28,420
Yes. OK.
781
00:44:28,460 --> 00:44:31,100
"It was only a political
conversation.
782
00:44:31,140 --> 00:44:34,540
"I approached the table where
the witnesses were seated.
783
00:44:34,580 --> 00:44:37,540
"At that point,
I had something to drink..."
784
00:44:37,580 --> 00:44:40,380
So I'm presuming that it was
an alcoholic drink.
785
00:44:40,420 --> 00:44:44,020
"I didn't say anything critical
about the Soviet Government.
786
00:44:44,060 --> 00:44:46,660
"I did not criticise communism."
787
00:44:47,740 --> 00:44:51,660
So she's explaining that
she didn't do anything wrong.
788
00:44:51,700 --> 00:44:53,860
So what was the outcome?
789
00:44:53,900 --> 00:44:56,620
Yes, the outcome was here.
790
00:44:56,660 --> 00:44:59,380
It is judgment of the court.
791
00:44:59,420 --> 00:45:01,740
And here we have a translation.
792
00:45:01,780 --> 00:45:03,220
Oh, my God.
793
00:45:04,580 --> 00:45:06,020
EXHALING:OK.
794
00:45:06,060 --> 00:45:07,420
Erm...
795
00:45:07,460 --> 00:45:10,340
"So having reviewed
the case of the accused,
796
00:45:10,380 --> 00:45:12,820
"we find that the accused, Eiche,
797
00:45:12,860 --> 00:45:16,540
"expressed anti-Soviet statements
in a public place,
798
00:45:16,580 --> 00:45:18,860
"and at the same time telling lies
799
00:45:18,900 --> 00:45:21,740
"about the leaders
of the Soviet state.
800
00:45:21,780 --> 00:45:25,500
"The highest court rules
to convict the accused."
801
00:45:25,540 --> 00:45:27,260
Wow.
802
00:45:27,300 --> 00:45:29,260
I mean, that is...
803
00:45:29,300 --> 00:45:31,460
So here is her sentence.
804
00:45:32,780 --> 00:45:37,700
"Veronika, according to 5810
P1 of the Criminal Code,
805
00:45:37,740 --> 00:45:43,620
"is imprisoned in a corrective
labour camp for eight years."
806
00:45:46,380 --> 00:45:47,820
Eight years!
807
00:45:49,100 --> 00:45:52,860
"This judgment is final and there
is no opportunity for appeal."
808
00:45:52,900 --> 00:45:54,260
Yes.
809
00:45:54,300 --> 00:45:56,980
It was a very harsh sentence,
really.
810
00:45:57,020 --> 00:45:59,940
I mean, she's having
a conversation in the bar
811
00:45:59,980 --> 00:46:03,100
and that has basically cost her
eight years of her life.
812
00:46:03,140 --> 00:46:04,540
Yes.
813
00:46:04,580 --> 00:46:06,460
That is just brutal.
814
00:46:06,500 --> 00:46:08,700
Absolutely. I can't believe it.
815
00:46:10,140 --> 00:46:13,580
So I need to find out now
what happened in the prison
816
00:46:13,620 --> 00:46:15,900
and what happened when she came out.
817
00:46:15,940 --> 00:46:19,180
This will be the next step
of your investigation, really.
818
00:46:19,220 --> 00:46:20,620
Yeah.
819
00:46:20,660 --> 00:46:24,100
My great-grandmother had such
a difficult time. She really did.
820
00:46:24,140 --> 00:46:27,740
Yeah. The story... Those were tough
times. Really tough times for her.
821
00:46:27,780 --> 00:46:31,060
And very difficult
for many people,
822
00:46:31,100 --> 00:46:35,020
who become victims
for nothing, really.
823
00:46:38,900 --> 00:46:41,900
To find out what happened
to his great-grandmother, Veronika,
824
00:46:41,940 --> 00:46:44,180
after she was sentenced,
825
00:46:44,220 --> 00:46:47,860
Olly is going to the former
headquarters of the KGB in Latvia,
826
00:46:47,900 --> 00:46:50,140
where she was interrogated.
827
00:46:51,620 --> 00:46:53,460
The building is now a museum...
828
00:46:54,900 --> 00:46:58,100
..where Olly is meeting
historian Genst Appauls.
829
00:47:00,620 --> 00:47:04,980
Obviously, I know that my
great-grandmother, Veronika,
830
00:47:05,020 --> 00:47:07,420
was sent to prison.
831
00:47:08,540 --> 00:47:12,380
So I'm just trying to find
more information about that.
832
00:47:13,820 --> 00:47:17,860
So that was from the Soviet Ministry
of State Security,
833
00:47:17,900 --> 00:47:19,940
the predecessor of the KGB,
834
00:47:19,980 --> 00:47:23,500
concerning imprisonment
of your great-grandmother.
835
00:47:24,860 --> 00:47:27,140
And here you have a translation.
836
00:47:28,620 --> 00:47:32,740
OK. Obviously she's been sentenced
to eight years at a labour camp.
837
00:47:32,780 --> 00:47:35,060
And here's the address here,
isn't it?
838
00:47:35,100 --> 00:47:36,700
Yes, indeed.
839
00:47:36,740 --> 00:47:41,500
Conditions were surely horrible
because food was insufficient
840
00:47:41,540 --> 00:47:45,260
and they had to perform
hard labour on a daily basis.
841
00:47:45,300 --> 00:47:48,580
So many people did not survive
that imprisonment.
842
00:47:50,220 --> 00:47:55,020
Under Stalin, millions of people
were sent to Soviet labour camps.
843
00:47:55,060 --> 00:47:58,660
Prisoners, like Olly's
great-grandmother Veronika,
844
00:47:58,700 --> 00:48:03,580
were forced into hard labour,
often in extreme temperatures.
845
00:48:03,620 --> 00:48:08,580
Over a million people died of
exhaustion, starvation or disease.
846
00:48:10,380 --> 00:48:13,060
A key part of Stalin's
reign of terror,
847
00:48:13,100 --> 00:48:17,340
the number of camps reduced
after his death in 1953.
848
00:48:18,580 --> 00:48:21,900
Initially, your great-grandmother
was imprisoned
849
00:48:21,940 --> 00:48:26,820
in a forced labour prison camp under
harsh conditions for two years.
850
00:48:26,860 --> 00:48:31,380
But in 1953, she was transferred
to a different place.
851
00:48:31,420 --> 00:48:34,740
To the Molotov Oblast
in the Russian Federation.
852
00:48:34,780 --> 00:48:36,380
In Russia? Yes.
853
00:48:36,420 --> 00:48:39,140
OK. Well, let's have
a look at this then.
854
00:48:39,180 --> 00:48:43,700
So she was convicted in 1951,
but in 1956, on the 29th of April,
855
00:48:43,740 --> 00:48:47,780
a commission decision was taken
to release her from imprisonment
856
00:48:47,820 --> 00:48:52,100
in Molotov Oblast Colony,
when they closed the colony.
857
00:48:52,140 --> 00:48:55,060
So she was released in 1956.
858
00:48:55,100 --> 00:48:57,100
So she survived?
859
00:48:57,140 --> 00:49:00,460
Yes, she did, and she
was lucky to survive. Amazing.
860
00:49:00,500 --> 00:49:03,220
So she was supposed to stay
for eight years,
861
00:49:03,260 --> 00:49:06,220
but was fortunate to come out
after five, which is great.
862
00:49:06,260 --> 00:49:07,980
Yes, indeed.
863
00:49:08,020 --> 00:49:11,860
But I also wanted to introduce
another document to you.
864
00:49:11,900 --> 00:49:13,220
OK.
865
00:49:13,260 --> 00:49:16,900
Because after returning
to Latvia in 1956,
866
00:49:16,940 --> 00:49:19,340
she started looking for somebody.
867
00:49:19,380 --> 00:49:22,660
So when she came out of prison,
she went back to Latvia.
868
00:49:22,700 --> 00:49:24,420
Yes, she came back.
869
00:49:24,460 --> 00:49:27,740
Well, I can...
I can see the name straight away.
870
00:49:27,780 --> 00:49:29,180
Erm...
871
00:49:29,220 --> 00:49:32,900
Eduardu Murru-Jankovski.
872
00:49:32,940 --> 00:49:36,420
And I can see my grandad's
date of birth there - 1932.
873
00:49:37,820 --> 00:49:39,980
So what... What is this?
874
00:49:40,020 --> 00:49:42,260
There is also a short translation.
875
00:49:42,300 --> 00:49:46,620
Ah, so it's relatives looking
and waiting for you in the homeland.
876
00:49:46,660 --> 00:49:48,340
So this is...
877
00:49:48,380 --> 00:49:51,980
Is this from Veronika?
Is this from my great-grandmother?
878
00:49:52,020 --> 00:49:54,620
Yes. So she's trying to find...
Indeed.
879
00:49:54,660 --> 00:50:00,300
..her son, Eduards Murru Jankovskis,
born the 28th of January, 1932.
880
00:50:00,340 --> 00:50:03,980
And it's being searched for
by Eiche, Veronika.
881
00:50:04,020 --> 00:50:09,140
Basically, she published an advert
in 1957, in a newspaper.
882
00:50:09,180 --> 00:50:11,580
And this is not the only example.
883
00:50:11,620 --> 00:50:16,060
We know that your great-grandmother
continued publishing such adverts
884
00:50:16,100 --> 00:50:18,420
in newspapers published in the West.
885
00:50:18,460 --> 00:50:22,100
And also she was trying to approach
the International Red Cross,
886
00:50:22,140 --> 00:50:23,820
looking for...
887
00:50:23,860 --> 00:50:26,420
Wow. She really was
trying to find her son.
888
00:50:26,460 --> 00:50:28,220
Yes, she did her best.
889
00:50:28,260 --> 00:50:30,780
And right after returning
from imprisonment.
890
00:50:32,020 --> 00:50:34,180
My grandad felt abandoned as a child
891
00:50:34,220 --> 00:50:36,900
and felt that his mum
didn't love him.
892
00:50:36,940 --> 00:50:40,100
But this looks like
she really cared.
893
00:50:40,140 --> 00:50:43,380
After such a horrific five years,
being in prison,
894
00:50:43,420 --> 00:50:45,940
she was trying to find her son.
895
00:50:47,580 --> 00:50:51,180
I was wondering when she'd passed,
and when she died.
896
00:50:51,220 --> 00:50:53,060
Well, erm...
897
00:50:53,100 --> 00:50:55,180
That is her death certificate.
898
00:50:55,220 --> 00:50:56,580
Oh.
899
00:50:58,700 --> 00:51:00,980
OK, so I can see the date.
900
00:51:01,020 --> 00:51:03,100
So she... She died in 1988?
901
00:51:03,140 --> 00:51:04,700
Yes, in 1988.
902
00:51:06,260 --> 00:51:08,580
And do you know where she's buried?
903
00:51:08,620 --> 00:51:11,340
Erm, yes. We managed
to find this information.
904
00:51:11,380 --> 00:51:16,380
She was buried in a cemetery,
which is in the vicinity of Riga.
905
00:51:16,420 --> 00:51:19,220
But she was buried in section 13.
906
00:51:19,260 --> 00:51:22,140
Basically, she was buried
by the state
907
00:51:22,180 --> 00:51:24,900
because she did not have
any relatives left.
908
00:51:26,540 --> 00:51:27,900
Oh.
909
00:51:27,940 --> 00:51:30,180
That's very sad. Yeah.
910
00:51:30,220 --> 00:51:32,340
So she had no family here?
911
00:51:32,380 --> 00:51:34,420
No. Oh.
912
00:51:34,460 --> 00:51:37,300
I mean, you know, when you're
on a journey like this,
913
00:51:37,340 --> 00:51:40,140
you feel like you get to know
someone just a little bit.
914
00:51:40,180 --> 00:51:45,460
And knowing that she died with
no-one there, that's really sad.
915
00:51:56,700 --> 00:51:59,140
Today was an emotional day for me.
916
00:51:59,180 --> 00:52:03,220
I feel that there was a lot
of information to take in.
917
00:52:03,260 --> 00:52:05,100
Things I didn't expect.
918
00:52:06,860 --> 00:52:11,500
And to hear that my
great-grandmother died in 1988
919
00:52:11,540 --> 00:52:13,980
with no family around her...
920
00:52:15,500 --> 00:52:17,420
..it really saddens me.
921
00:52:17,460 --> 00:52:19,940
She had a son,
she had grandchildren,
922
00:52:19,980 --> 00:52:22,820
and she had great-grandchildren
at the time of her death.
923
00:52:22,860 --> 00:52:26,860
It's just a shame that none of us
could have been there
for her at that point.
924
00:52:36,540 --> 00:52:39,860
Olly is travelling
to the outskirts of Riga,
925
00:52:39,900 --> 00:52:41,220
to the cemetery where
926
00:52:41,260 --> 00:52:44,140
his great-grandmother,
Veronika, is buried.
927
00:52:45,980 --> 00:52:48,980
I feel like it's been
a crazy few days.
928
00:52:51,420 --> 00:52:56,140
But to go and visit my
great-grandmother's grave today is,
erm...
929
00:52:56,180 --> 00:52:58,500
Yeah, I suppose there's part of me
930
00:52:58,540 --> 00:53:02,500
that's sort of looking forward
to being close to her,
931
00:53:02,540 --> 00:53:05,420
and I never thought
I'd feel like that.
932
00:53:08,220 --> 00:53:10,420
One of the biggest things
my dad asked me
933
00:53:10,460 --> 00:53:13,140
was, he would like to know
where she was buried.
934
00:53:13,180 --> 00:53:15,780
So the fact that we're
heading there now...
935
00:53:17,260 --> 00:53:19,620
..it's a really special moment
for me.
936
00:53:22,620 --> 00:53:25,300
With no family
to pay for her funeral,
937
00:53:25,340 --> 00:53:29,860
Olly's great-grandmother, Veronika,
was buried in an unmarked grave.
938
00:53:32,140 --> 00:53:36,380
So where I am now is area 13.
939
00:53:38,460 --> 00:53:40,780
This is the area
that she was buried in.
940
00:53:43,700 --> 00:53:46,380
Unfortunately, she doesn't
have a plaque or a stone.
941
00:53:48,180 --> 00:53:51,220
But it gives me some peace
because it is a beautiful area.
942
00:53:51,260 --> 00:53:53,700
It really is.
It's a beautiful cemetery.
943
00:53:56,940 --> 00:53:58,260
Bless my...
944
00:53:59,700 --> 00:54:01,620
..my great-grandmother.
945
00:54:01,660 --> 00:54:04,180
She had such a... She had
such sad moments in her life.
946
00:54:05,780 --> 00:54:07,300
Yeah.
947
00:54:07,340 --> 00:54:09,740
I hope that she's at peace now.
948
00:54:16,580 --> 00:54:20,420
And I'm happy that I'm able to give
my dad some answers on her life.
949
00:54:20,460 --> 00:54:22,540
That's... That's the key thing.
950
00:54:33,540 --> 00:54:36,020
All right, Olly?
All right, Dad. You OK?
951
00:54:36,060 --> 00:54:37,940
Not too bad. How did you get on?
952
00:54:37,980 --> 00:54:41,820
Well, it has been one hell of
a journey, Dad, let me tell you.
953
00:54:41,860 --> 00:54:43,900
I've found out so much stuff. Yeah.
954
00:54:45,220 --> 00:54:48,100
Currently, right now,
I'm actually stood
955
00:54:48,140 --> 00:54:50,180
where my great-grandmother,
956
00:54:50,220 --> 00:54:53,180
your grandmother, Veronika,
was buried.
957
00:54:55,260 --> 00:54:57,060
Oh, right. So you are... Wow.
958
00:54:58,900 --> 00:55:03,180
It's very emotional because
I know my dad would love
to have found her grave.
959
00:55:03,220 --> 00:55:05,500
Mm. He'd have probably said sorry...
960
00:55:06,820 --> 00:55:08,860
..for not answering those letters.
961
00:55:12,100 --> 00:55:14,340
Don't get emotional.
You'll make me go.
962
00:55:16,140 --> 00:55:17,860
Erm, yeah.
963
00:55:17,900 --> 00:55:19,620
Well, you know, he...
964
00:55:19,660 --> 00:55:22,300
He had his reasons, Dad, you know.
965
00:55:22,340 --> 00:55:24,060
It's sad.
966
00:55:24,100 --> 00:55:26,740
But we can go and visit
grandad's grave and say,
967
00:55:26,780 --> 00:55:29,300
"Look, we found her", you know?
Yeah.
968
00:55:30,900 --> 00:55:34,140
Yeah. And we can always come
and visit this as a family.
969
00:55:34,180 --> 00:55:36,580
Yeah. Brilliant. Thank you, Oliver.
970
00:55:36,620 --> 00:55:38,100
Fantastic.
971
00:55:38,140 --> 00:55:40,260
I just can't wait to see it all.
972
00:55:40,300 --> 00:55:43,580
I just can't wait to see
what information you found.
973
00:55:43,620 --> 00:55:46,380
All right. Well, I love you loads.
I love you, too.
974
00:55:46,420 --> 00:55:49,060
And I'll see you when you get back.
Bye. Bye.
975
00:55:51,900 --> 00:55:53,700
Wow. That was, erm...
976
00:55:53,740 --> 00:55:56,340
I've never seen my dad cry,
actually.
977
00:55:56,380 --> 00:55:57,860
It was, erm...
978
00:55:57,900 --> 00:55:59,740
Yeah, it was quite...
979
00:55:59,780 --> 00:56:02,620
Quite emotional to see him cry
and get upset.
980
00:56:04,700 --> 00:56:06,380
Erm, I think...
981
00:56:06,420 --> 00:56:09,420
I think, I don't know, just
seeing him emotional is just...
982
00:56:09,460 --> 00:56:11,900
I feel like I've done
something really special
983
00:56:11,940 --> 00:56:13,820
for him and the family.
984
00:56:15,380 --> 00:56:18,620
I'm just really happy. I'm happy
that I've been able to do this.
985
00:56:18,660 --> 00:56:20,820
And, you know, I've...
986
00:56:20,860 --> 00:56:24,940
I've been able to kind of find
that peace for him, so that's nice.
987
00:56:43,700 --> 00:56:48,220
When I started this trip, I barely
knew anything about my family.
988
00:56:49,580 --> 00:56:52,860
I feel like it's taken me
on a journey that I never expected.
989
00:56:54,340 --> 00:56:57,660
I feel like me and my dad, our
relationship will change after this.
990
00:56:57,700 --> 00:56:59,940
There's something deeper now.
991
00:57:02,460 --> 00:57:05,780
And my dad can come back here
and, like me,
992
00:57:05,820 --> 00:57:10,340
feel connected to Latvia
and feel like it's part of us.
993
00:57:10,380 --> 00:57:12,540
I feel part of Latvia now.
994
00:57:12,580 --> 00:57:15,180
I feel really connected
to my family
995
00:57:15,220 --> 00:57:17,500
more than I ever have been, really.
996
00:57:20,780 --> 00:57:24,420
I have learned so much
about my family history...
997
00:57:25,860 --> 00:57:29,220
..how and why it shaped me
to the person I am today.
998
00:57:31,260 --> 00:57:34,380
You know, I feel really proud
to be a Murs.