1 00:00:02,380 --> 00:00:03,380 Come on, Missy. 2 00:00:04,980 --> 00:00:06,340 Sit. 3 00:00:06,380 --> 00:00:07,780 Paw. 4 00:00:07,820 --> 00:00:09,380 Good girl. 5 00:00:09,420 --> 00:00:12,180 Olly Murs is a pop star and presenter 6 00:00:12,220 --> 00:00:15,340 who's sold over 28 million records worldwide. 7 00:00:16,740 --> 00:00:19,220 He's one of the biggest stars to emerge 8 00:00:19,260 --> 00:00:21,900 from TV singing competition The X Factor. 9 00:00:21,940 --> 00:00:24,180 What's your name? My name is Olly. 10 00:00:24,220 --> 00:00:25,980 What is your big dream? 11 00:00:26,020 --> 00:00:29,020 Erm... To be a pop star. OK. Well, this is your chance. 12 00:00:30,420 --> 00:00:33,580 The journey since 2009 has been a roller-coaster for me. 13 00:00:33,620 --> 00:00:35,500 So much changed in my life. 14 00:00:35,540 --> 00:00:37,260 You know, I was 25. 15 00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:39,580 I went from working in a call centre 16 00:00:39,620 --> 00:00:43,940 to selling out arenas, to getting number one albums. 17 00:00:45,980 --> 00:00:49,100 Olly has entertained audiences around the world, 18 00:00:49,140 --> 00:00:52,660 but has always returned to his roots here in Essex. 19 00:00:52,700 --> 00:00:54,700 I think Essex gets a tough rap 20 00:00:54,740 --> 00:00:57,540 because, actually, look how beautiful it is here today. 21 00:00:57,580 --> 00:00:59,300 It's stunning. 22 00:00:59,340 --> 00:01:01,340 I'm proud to be from Essex. 23 00:01:01,380 --> 00:01:03,660 I'm proud to have been born in Essex. 24 00:01:03,700 --> 00:01:05,380 And I love it. 25 00:01:05,420 --> 00:01:07,380 Olly grew up in Witham, 26 00:01:07,420 --> 00:01:11,100 one of three children to mum Vicky-Lynn and dad Pete. 27 00:01:12,380 --> 00:01:15,220 Home life was special. It really was. 28 00:01:16,380 --> 00:01:19,300 As a kid, we was always joking and laughing. 29 00:01:21,060 --> 00:01:23,140 We always were singing. 30 00:01:23,180 --> 00:01:25,340 # Show me the way to go home. # 31 00:01:25,380 --> 00:01:26,980 It was fun. 32 00:01:29,540 --> 00:01:32,980 I think people presume I'm just Olly Murs from Essex, 33 00:01:33,020 --> 00:01:36,180 but actually there is a lot more going on there. 34 00:01:37,820 --> 00:01:40,020 I know that I'm a quarter Latvian 35 00:01:40,060 --> 00:01:46,180 and I think Murs is a Latvian surname, which my grandad Eddie had. 36 00:01:47,620 --> 00:01:50,340 But he was a closed book. 37 00:01:50,380 --> 00:01:53,620 And very tough, very quiet. 38 00:01:53,660 --> 00:01:57,300 So the information I have on him is very little. 39 00:01:59,060 --> 00:02:02,940 Apart from that, I know the Murs's, there's links with the circus. 40 00:02:04,780 --> 00:02:07,540 So I would love to find out more about that. 41 00:02:09,220 --> 00:02:12,380 My dad's been digging around this for years 42 00:02:12,420 --> 00:02:15,820 to try and unearth his family history. 43 00:02:17,940 --> 00:02:20,180 I really want to unlock them doors 44 00:02:20,220 --> 00:02:23,460 that he has been struggling to open for all these years. 45 00:02:24,940 --> 00:02:27,540 But my dad is actually convinced we're Vikings. 46 00:02:27,580 --> 00:02:29,260 You have said this to me before. 47 00:02:29,300 --> 00:02:30,620 HE ROARS 48 00:02:30,660 --> 00:02:34,180 Olly lives with his wife Amelia, not far from where he grew up. 49 00:02:34,220 --> 00:02:38,260 I'm excited for you. Do you think there's going to be any surprises? 50 00:02:38,300 --> 00:02:40,340 Is it going to be... I don't know. 51 00:02:40,380 --> 00:02:42,380 I guess there's got to be something. 52 00:02:42,420 --> 00:02:46,060 So, me and Amelia just got married, which is super incredible. 53 00:02:46,100 --> 00:02:50,140 She's a strong, independent woman, career driven. 54 00:02:50,180 --> 00:02:54,380 But also she's won fitness competitions as a fitness model. 55 00:02:54,420 --> 00:02:57,420 And I went and watched her once. It was just insane. 56 00:02:59,060 --> 00:03:01,700 I think one of my motivations for doing this show 57 00:03:01,740 --> 00:03:04,980 is to pass on this knowledge to my future children. 58 00:03:06,340 --> 00:03:10,060 And the next time people ask me, "Where does Murs come from...?" 59 00:03:11,700 --> 00:03:14,580 ..I can go, "Have you got half an hour?" 60 00:03:14,620 --> 00:03:17,060 And I can tell them the story. 61 00:03:17,100 --> 00:03:19,260 And that would be cool. 62 00:03:19,300 --> 00:03:23,180 It would be cool to understand exactly where I'm from and who I am. 63 00:03:58,860 --> 00:04:00,940 So I'm off to see my dad today, 64 00:04:00,980 --> 00:04:03,620 which is going to be very, very intriguing. 65 00:04:05,580 --> 00:04:08,260 I know so much about my mum's side. 66 00:04:08,300 --> 00:04:10,260 But sadly for me, my... 67 00:04:10,300 --> 00:04:13,020 My dad's side, my grandparents died 68 00:04:13,060 --> 00:04:16,420 and I didn't really get a chance to really speak to them 69 00:04:16,460 --> 00:04:19,860 and get an understanding of our family history as Murs's. 70 00:04:21,660 --> 00:04:25,260 So today is probably the first time that I can remember me and my dad 71 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:29,140 sitting down talking about the family with no-one else around. 72 00:04:29,180 --> 00:04:31,180 My mum's not there. 73 00:04:31,220 --> 00:04:34,340 We really struggle to have these kind of conversations. 74 00:04:34,380 --> 00:04:37,260 So this is a real step for me and my dad. 75 00:04:38,860 --> 00:04:40,980 Let's go and see the old man. 76 00:04:52,180 --> 00:04:55,460 Hiya. Yes, Dad. How are you doing? You OK? Nice to see you. 77 00:04:58,940 --> 00:05:01,900 So can you tell me more about your side? 78 00:05:01,940 --> 00:05:05,020 I know that grandad Eddie was Latvian. Yeah. 79 00:05:05,060 --> 00:05:06,940 Can you tell me more about that? 80 00:05:06,980 --> 00:05:09,900 Well, he came over here when he was a teenager. 81 00:05:09,940 --> 00:05:12,620 He never really spoke about his past 82 00:05:12,660 --> 00:05:15,620 until I asked him, when he was a lot older. 83 00:05:15,660 --> 00:05:18,860 And in 2002, I took Dad... 84 00:05:19,900 --> 00:05:23,500 ..back for the first time in nearly 50 years. 85 00:05:23,540 --> 00:05:26,140 What's this? It's a video I took. 86 00:05:29,940 --> 00:05:33,620 That's Riga, the capital. That's where he's from. 87 00:05:35,140 --> 00:05:37,060 He wanted to go on this journey 88 00:05:37,100 --> 00:05:39,740 to try and find out about his life there. 89 00:05:39,780 --> 00:05:41,660 Look at him, he looks totally lost. 90 00:05:41,700 --> 00:05:43,940 Yeah, I am. I am lost. 91 00:05:43,980 --> 00:05:46,580 Oh, it's just so magical to hear his voice. 92 00:05:48,220 --> 00:05:51,620 He told me more in those three days in Latvia 93 00:05:51,660 --> 00:05:53,940 than he did at any other time. 94 00:05:55,860 --> 00:05:58,700 And I went and got this. 95 00:06:00,340 --> 00:06:02,180 What is this? 96 00:06:02,220 --> 00:06:03,580 Eduards... 97 00:06:04,620 --> 00:06:06,020 ..Janko... 98 00:06:06,060 --> 00:06:07,860 Oh, is this his birth certificate? 99 00:06:07,900 --> 00:06:10,300 Yeah. That's an English translation of it. 100 00:06:10,340 --> 00:06:12,980 I was going to say! I'll look at that one! 101 00:06:13,020 --> 00:06:14,580 Oh, wow. 102 00:06:15,660 --> 00:06:20,700 So Grandad was born on the 28th of January in 1932. 103 00:06:20,740 --> 00:06:22,620 Yeah. Eduards. 104 00:06:22,660 --> 00:06:25,020 So it's Eduards, not Eddie then? That's right. 105 00:06:25,060 --> 00:06:27,620 Eduards. Eduards. Eduards Jankovskis. 106 00:06:27,660 --> 00:06:30,020 Jankovskis. Jankovskis. 107 00:06:30,060 --> 00:06:31,980 Eduards Jankovskis. 108 00:06:32,020 --> 00:06:33,980 And if you notice the mother's name. 109 00:06:35,260 --> 00:06:37,500 Veronika... Jankovska. 110 00:06:37,540 --> 00:06:39,140 Jankovs... 111 00:06:39,180 --> 00:06:40,660 What? 112 00:06:40,700 --> 00:06:43,180 That's the female, Jankovska. 113 00:06:44,420 --> 00:06:47,980 And Jankovskis is the male of the surname. 114 00:06:49,260 --> 00:06:51,500 So he's not a Murs? No. 115 00:06:51,540 --> 00:06:54,660 Hang on a minute. So where does the Murs come from, then? 116 00:06:54,700 --> 00:06:56,300 My grandad. 117 00:06:56,340 --> 00:06:59,380 Why is he not on here? They weren't married. 118 00:06:59,420 --> 00:07:01,420 So who's... Who's... 119 00:07:01,460 --> 00:07:03,940 Who's the great-grandad Murs, then? 120 00:07:05,220 --> 00:07:07,300 This is your great-grandfather. 121 00:07:08,620 --> 00:07:10,580 This is my great-grandfather. 122 00:07:10,620 --> 00:07:11,940 What? 123 00:07:11,980 --> 00:07:13,940 Hang on, hang on, hang on. 124 00:07:13,980 --> 00:07:16,020 So who's this lady here? 125 00:07:16,060 --> 00:07:17,980 That's his wife, Katrine. 126 00:07:19,060 --> 00:07:21,380 Oh, my God. She's holding him up on a stilt. 127 00:07:21,420 --> 00:07:23,860 On her shoulders, yeah. And he's playing the guitar! 128 00:07:23,900 --> 00:07:26,180 He's playing the guitar, yeah. No way! 129 00:07:27,380 --> 00:07:29,100 It's a great photo. 130 00:07:29,140 --> 00:07:32,220 He used to sing songs up on there in the circus. 131 00:07:32,260 --> 00:07:33,660 Wow. 132 00:07:33,700 --> 00:07:35,780 So he was a circus performer? 133 00:07:35,820 --> 00:07:38,380 Yeah, they were a double act in the circus. 134 00:07:38,420 --> 00:07:41,900 I mean, I've done some amazing shows in my career... 135 00:07:42,940 --> 00:07:44,660 ..but that... 136 00:07:44,700 --> 00:07:47,500 I mean, imagine if I turned up at the O2 like that! 137 00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:52,140 Do you think Amelia would have me on her shoulders?! 138 00:07:52,180 --> 00:07:53,940 She's probably strong enough! 139 00:07:55,580 --> 00:07:58,180 I have here a marriage certificate 140 00:07:58,220 --> 00:08:03,140 of your great-grandad, Eduards Murs and Katrine, his wife. 141 00:08:04,700 --> 00:08:06,300 Oh, wow. 142 00:08:06,340 --> 00:08:08,060 There's a translation. 143 00:08:08,100 --> 00:08:09,820 Eduards Alberts Murs. 144 00:08:09,860 --> 00:08:12,020 Alberts Murs. Love that. 145 00:08:12,060 --> 00:08:16,180 And he was born on the 31st of October, 1890, in Riga. 146 00:08:17,660 --> 00:08:20,740 Katrine Berzins was his wife. 147 00:08:22,580 --> 00:08:26,700 Place of work was the Riga Salomonska Circus. 148 00:08:26,740 --> 00:08:28,780 That's right. Yeah. 149 00:08:28,820 --> 00:08:30,260 Oh, wow. 150 00:08:31,980 --> 00:08:35,180 They got married on the 5th of December, 1929. 151 00:08:36,380 --> 00:08:39,100 Grandad Eddie was born in 1932. 152 00:08:41,260 --> 00:08:43,340 So he had an affair with Veronika? 153 00:08:44,620 --> 00:08:46,300 I guess so, yeah. 154 00:08:46,340 --> 00:08:48,260 Did Katrine know that? 155 00:08:48,300 --> 00:08:50,380 Eventually she must have done, yeah, 156 00:08:50,420 --> 00:08:53,940 because my dad went to live with my grandad. 157 00:08:53,980 --> 00:08:55,580 Wow, man. 158 00:08:55,620 --> 00:08:57,340 That's crazy. 159 00:08:57,380 --> 00:09:00,860 During the Second World War, because it was so bad, 160 00:09:00,900 --> 00:09:06,500 Veronika, your great-grandma, decided that it would be good 161 00:09:06,540 --> 00:09:09,820 for my dad to get out of Riga. 162 00:09:09,860 --> 00:09:16,980 So she handed my dad over to his dad across a bridge when he was 12, 163 00:09:17,020 --> 00:09:19,660 to take him away somewhere safe. 164 00:09:20,900 --> 00:09:22,340 Wow. 165 00:09:22,380 --> 00:09:26,340 Me dad said to me she never turned around or waved. 166 00:09:26,380 --> 00:09:30,420 She just walked away and he never saw her again. 167 00:09:32,060 --> 00:09:34,300 It's heartbreaking, actually. 168 00:09:34,340 --> 00:09:40,060 He told me in Latvia that he didn't think his mum loved him any more, 169 00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:42,140 for giving him away. 170 00:09:43,260 --> 00:09:45,500 And he never spoke to her, ever, after that? 171 00:09:45,540 --> 00:09:47,420 Never reached out, nothing? 172 00:09:47,460 --> 00:09:50,380 In the 1960s and early '70s, 173 00:09:50,420 --> 00:09:55,220 Veronika managed to contact my dad through letters 174 00:09:55,260 --> 00:09:58,860 and my dad chose to ignore them. 175 00:10:00,020 --> 00:10:03,620 He told himself that his mum didn't want him any more, 176 00:10:03,660 --> 00:10:06,740 and I suppose that was a way of dealing with it. 177 00:10:06,780 --> 00:10:11,540 And, erm, he was very remorseful that he never replied to her. 178 00:10:11,580 --> 00:10:15,340 And we don't know what happened to her in later life. 179 00:10:15,380 --> 00:10:18,180 Really sad that your dad felt like that. 180 00:10:18,220 --> 00:10:22,220 I would love to find out what happened to Veronika... 181 00:10:24,140 --> 00:10:26,180 ..and where she was buried. 182 00:10:29,260 --> 00:10:32,260 I really, really hope that I can uncover 183 00:10:32,300 --> 00:10:35,420 the mystery of Veronika, my great-grandmother, 184 00:10:35,460 --> 00:10:39,460 as well as finding out more about Eduards Alberts Murs. 185 00:10:39,500 --> 00:10:42,260 And I think I obviously have to go to Latvia. 186 00:10:42,300 --> 00:10:45,820 That's where I've got to start, right? That's right. Riga in Latvia. 187 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 00:10:59,100 --> 00:11:02,140 He's also discovered that Eduards had an affair 191 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, 193 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. 234 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.