- 15 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00So this is my home, pretty much, where I spend nearly half the year.
00:06This is the Strictly Studios.
00:08Amy Dowden is an award-winning ballroom and Latin American dancer.
00:13Hello, hello, hello. You all right?
00:15Best known for her dazzling performances on Strictly Come Dancing.
00:19We did it! We did it!
00:21Please welcome. Amazing, Amy.
00:24I mean, here's where the magic happens.
00:26I started dancing when I was eight years old.
00:30I was on holidays, and I managed to persuade my parents
00:33that we wasn't going to have a barbecue and a beach.
00:36We were going to go to the clubhouse and enter the disco dancing competition.
00:43I won. That was it.
00:46I was hooked. I didn't stop dancing.
00:48I danced my way to school when my mum was doing the shopping.
00:52Yeah, from that moment then, I didn't stop.
00:58We've got your Chicago costume today. Would you like to try it?
01:01Yes, please.
01:02Is it quite sexy?
01:04It's unbelievably sexy.
01:06Right then, I'll get changed now.
01:10I love it!
01:10Look at you!
01:12I love it, I love it, I love it.
01:12Can I just do this out?
01:13Can I just do this out?
01:14You're going to look sensational, Amy.
01:17It's quite sexy for me.
01:19This is.
01:20And quite exposing, isn't it?
01:21It's very exposing.
01:22I wouldn't have had the confidence to wear this last year for sure.
01:25When I was 32, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
01:30And I needed surgery, a mastectomy and a strong course of chemotherapy.
01:36We have missed her so much and are delighted.
01:40She is well enough to be back with us tonight.
01:42Please welcome the one and only, Amy Dowdle!
01:46Being given that never shot at life, you know,
01:49that I'm going to do all I possibly can to, like, to dance my way through life.
01:55Thank you, Jane.
01:56I love it.
01:57I love it, I love it, I love it.
01:59I love it, I love it.
02:07One thing, you just, like, you go...
02:10Amy grew up in Cadiffilly, South Wales, with her parents, twin sister Rebecca and older brother Lloyd.
02:17I've always been so lucky to have my mum and dad as role models.
02:21From a young age, they instilled into us, you don't get anything without working hard.
02:26And again, that was very good for me.
02:28Being Welsh is a massive part of my identity, yeah, for sure.
02:31And also, being the first ever and the only ever Welsh professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing as well.
02:38I love getting that in there.
02:39Shall we try it again?
02:40Yeah.
02:42I'm just intrigued.
02:44Were we always Welsh?
02:46Who knows?
02:47But I think we're 100% Welsh.
02:51I know for my grandad, Frank, so my dad's dad was adopted.
02:55I literally know nothing about Frank's birth family.
02:58Nothing at all.
03:00My dad just said, like, he regrets so much not asking his dad those questions.
03:05I'd love for him to be able to find out a lot about his family and for me to give
03:10that back to him.
03:13I know with my mum's family, they come from a farm.
03:18And I know years ago, it was apparently a murder on a farm.
03:22Was it a family member that got murdered?
03:26Imagine if it was a family member who committed the murder.
03:28That'd be so bad.
03:30So, yeah, I'd love to find out more.
03:32Ha, ha, ha, ha.
03:34Ha, ha, ha.
03:34And again.
03:34See ya.
03:35Bye.
03:46Bye.
04:09Amy's travelling back to her hometown,
04:11Caerphilly, in South Wales.
04:14It's always so lush to come back home.
04:18It just feels all right.
04:20I just feel calm, relaxed.
04:22I love all the memories.
04:25It just feels so spacious as well.
04:27Like, I always love looking at all the mountains, all the greenery.
04:33So just up the street here on the left,
04:36that's where I went dancing.
04:40I used to walk up there every Saturday morning.
04:42And this is the bus stop I used to catch the bus to school to.
04:45And here's Caerphilly Castle.
04:49Amy's visiting her parents, Richard and Gillian,
04:52to see if they have any more clues about the rumour of a murder in the family
04:55and her grandfather's adoption.
04:58Hello. Hello.
04:59How are you all right?
05:00Yes, it's nice.
05:02And you too.
05:02Yeah.
05:03Oh, have a nice holiday.
05:05Yeah, lovely, thank you.
05:06I expect you're ready for a cup of tea.
05:08Yes, please.
05:09Yeah, I thought you would be.
05:10Looking forward to finding out.
05:14Are we going to find out?
05:15Yeah.
05:15I think there's lots of criminals, don't you?
05:19Yeah.
05:21You'd be gutted, wouldn't you?
05:23Wouldn't you?
05:24We can't change the past, can we?
05:26No.
05:27Yeah.
05:28Gosh, you've got a lot of albums out here, haven't you?
05:31Yeah.
05:32Rebecca would hate you for getting this photo out.
05:35That's when you...
05:36St David's Day.
05:36St David's Day, when you were in the infant school.
05:39You used to love it.
05:40Oh, I know, I love dressing up.
05:41You always love dressing up.
05:44Yes.
05:45And this one, this is a beautiful photograph.
05:48This was Nan, wasn't it, when she was younger?
05:49I always remember this photo being by the side of your bed.
05:52Yes, this is Nanny.
05:53Barbara Jenkins was your maiden name.
05:55I think she maybe was about 20 years of age.
05:59Wow.
05:59You were very close to your grandma.
06:01Yeah.
06:02And didn't she say I was going to be on a stage?
06:03She said it from an early age,
06:05because she used to love to twirl around in your dresses
06:07and show everybody what you could do.
06:09And she used to say,
06:11you're going to be on the stage one day.
06:13You were six.
06:14Six, yeah.
06:14When she passed away.
06:16So is it on the Jenkins side, the room of the deaf?
06:19It is, yes.
06:20The murder.
06:21We're not quite sure whether it was a murder or what it was,
06:24which a distant cousin of mine, Wynne,
06:27told me occurred in the Aberystwyth area, West Wales.
06:33I'd like to know the real story of what happened
06:36with the mysterious death.
06:38Find out if it's a murder or not.
06:40So I've got this photo year of my mum and dad
06:43on their wedding day.
06:44Hmm.
06:45And I like the way the minister who married them
06:48is photo bombing it.
06:50LAUGHTER
06:52My dad's full name was Francis John Dowden,
06:55but everyone knew him as Frank.
06:58Yeah.
06:59He was born 1919.
07:00So obviously I didn't get to meet my grandparents on your side,
07:05your mum and dad.
07:07So we don't really know an awful lot about them.
07:09I just know that you told me he was unofficially adopted.
07:12Yeah.
07:13So he was informally adopted,
07:14because when he was 18 months old,
07:17his mum passed away.
07:19He was one of six.
07:21Do you know why his mum passed away?
07:23Do you know what happened?
07:24I don't know, no.
07:25And his mum's name was Louise.
07:28Mm-hmm.
07:29Louise Dowden.
07:30And his father was Bill.
07:32Mm-hmm.
07:33They would have been your grandparents.
07:35They would have been my grandparents.
07:36My great-grandparents.
07:37Did he know he was adopted?
07:39Not until he was in school.
07:42I think he had to take a birth certificate to school
07:45for some activity.
07:47And anyway, I think then they had to explain,
07:52which...
07:53It's a big shock.
07:54Isn't it?
07:55Quite a...
07:55Yeah.
07:56Would have...
07:58Yeah.
07:59But he really had a happy upbringing.
08:01Did your dad, Frank,
08:03have any contact with his birth father?
08:07What I do know is
08:08that when my dad was eligible to work,
08:12I'd been told that
08:15Bill, my dad's dad,
08:17wanted Frank back to go down the mine with him
08:19because that would have been another income.
08:22Gosh.
08:22How old would he have been then?
08:24Well, I think he'd have been 14.
08:26It'd be good to know the true facts there.
08:29Yeah, that's what I mean.
08:30I don't really know a lot of my dad's dad, Bill,
08:32or his mum, Louise.
08:33They lived in New Tradica,
08:35further up the valley.
08:37Don't really know much about that.
08:39No.
08:42Amy wants to find out
08:44about her grandfather, Frank's adoption.
08:46But first, she wants to get to the bottom of the rumour
08:49of a mysterious death on her mum, Gillian's side.
08:52Gillian thinks the suspected murder
08:54was on Amy's grandma,
08:56Barbara Jenkins' side of the family.
09:00I'm intrigued to find out about murder.
09:05I kind of want a bit of drama.
09:06Maybe that's the theatrical side of me,
09:08the drama side.
09:09Do you know what I mean?
09:10I want it to be interesting.
09:10I want it to be gruesome.
09:11I want a story to tell.
09:13I want, yeah, it's...
09:15You know, I don't know.
09:17I want the gossip, really.
09:24Amy's on her way
09:25to meet her distant cousin, Nguyen,
09:27who lives near the village of Tinegraig
09:29in West Wales.
09:31Hopefully,
09:32I can find out
09:34what actually happened on the farm.
09:37Was there a murder?
09:38Was one of my family members involved?
09:42Detective Dowden on a mission.
09:45Nguyen's been researching
09:46the Jenkins family history for years,
09:48so she's hoping he can help her
09:49with her investigation.
09:51Hello, Amy.
09:52Hello, Nguyen.
09:53Nice to meet you.
09:57Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?
09:58Oh, I'd love one, yeah.
09:59And hopefully you find out a lot more.
10:02So, Nguyen,
10:02I am told
10:04you're the member in this family
10:05that has all the information.
10:08Yes.
10:08This is...
10:09This is a family tree.
10:11Oh, whoa!
10:13I've prepared for you.
10:14Got me here.
10:15Then my mum and dad,
10:17Richard Dowden,
10:18Gillian Mutter.
10:19Yeah.
10:19My nan, Barbara Jenkins,
10:22known as Babs.
10:23And then
10:23Evan Edward Jenkins.
10:25Yeah.
10:25And then Mary Jenkins.
10:28And then it goes up to
10:29my great-great-great-grandfather,
10:33Evan Jenkins,
10:34who is
10:34what connects us.
10:36Us, yeah,
10:37our common ancestor.
10:38You're descended from
10:39Margaret Evans
10:41and
10:42Evan Jenkins'
10:44daughter,
10:45Mary Jenkins.
10:48I'm descended from
10:50their daughter,
10:51Catherine.
10:52So,
10:53they were sisters.
10:54They were sisters.
10:55Got a picture of
10:56Mary Jenkins here,
10:58OK?
10:58Yes.
10:58Mary Jenkins
11:01was your
11:02great-great-grandmother.
11:04Great-grandmother.
11:04So,
11:05do we know
11:05anything about
11:07my great-great-great-grandparents,
11:09Margaret and
11:10even?
11:11OK,
11:11here's a picture
11:12taken
11:131908.
11:16So,
11:17you can see
11:17Evan there.
11:19He's the individual
11:20with a beard.
11:22Oh,
11:22whoa!
11:23Do you see him?
11:23Yeah!
11:24That's a very long beard.
11:26Yeah,
11:27I don't know how he
11:27kept control of that,
11:29but he was a deeply
11:30religious man,
11:31so he had
11:32his own personal
11:33copy of the Bible.
11:34It's incredible
11:35how he got these.
11:36Oh,
11:37it's,
11:38it's gorgeous.
11:39Yeah.
11:40So,
11:43this is
11:44all in Welsh.
11:45It would have been
11:46fluent Welsh speakers.
11:47And your
11:48first language?
11:49My first language
11:50is
11:51Camaraic,
11:52with Tishaal Camaraic.
11:53Erm,
11:54dwi'n
11:55trio dysgu
11:56sierad Camaraic.
11:57Da iawn.
11:57Ond,
11:58da iawn.
11:59Dwi'n ymarfer mwy.
12:01Ymarfer mwy.
12:02Maes eion marfer mwy.
12:03Yeah.
12:04Da iawn.
12:05And then
12:06we've got
12:07a Margaret Jenkins
12:08here.
12:09And that's my
12:09great,
12:11great,
12:11great
12:12grandmother.
12:141885,
12:15I can see
12:1542 years.
12:19And then
12:20I've got
12:22Eleanor Jenkins.
12:25November
12:26the 11th,
12:301888.
12:31So,
12:32what is this?
12:33I'll hand you
12:34the transcript.
12:35In memory of
12:36Margaret Jenkins,
12:37who died
12:3742 years old.
12:40So young.
12:41And she had
12:42nine children
12:42when she died.
12:44Nine children.
12:44Very young.
12:45also in memory
12:47of Eleanor Jenkins,
12:49who was shot
12:50dead by the
12:51cruel man
12:53Ophel.
12:54Offaly Owen.
12:56Offaly Owen,
12:57November the
12:5811th,
12:591888,
13:00age 14.
13:02Why would
13:03somebody want
13:04to shoot
13:04a 14-year-old
13:05girl?
13:07It is very
13:08sad.
13:09The
13:10entry
13:13in the
13:13Bible
13:13is written
13:14by
13:14Evan Jenkins'
13:16own hand.
13:17I didn't
13:17know
13:19of this
13:20incident.
13:22And when
13:22I read that
13:23to start off
13:24with,
13:24I felt
13:25very,
13:26very emotional.
13:26Yeah.
13:27You can see
13:28there's anger
13:28there,
13:28shot dead
13:29by the
13:29cruel man.
13:30Yes.
13:31So that is,
13:32he wants
13:32that man
13:33to be
13:33remembered
13:34for killing
13:35his daughter.
13:36When I heard
13:37of this
13:37mysterious death,
13:38I didn't think
13:38it would have
13:39been somebody
13:39within our
13:40family who
13:41was killed.
13:43I assumed
13:44one of our
13:45family members
13:46shot somebody.
13:46It just
13:47was not
13:47expecting us
13:48and not
13:48expecting a
13:49child,
13:5014 years
13:51old.
13:51I really
13:52need to
13:52get to
13:53the bottom
13:53of it.
13:54You know,
13:54these family
13:56are still
13:57alive to me.
13:58They're
13:58ordinary
14:00working people
14:01within
14:01a rural
14:02community.
14:03Mm-hmm.
14:04I'm very proud
14:05that I'm
14:06descended from
14:07Evan Jenkins.
14:07You couldn't
14:08imagine it
14:09for him.
14:09No.
14:10Losing his
14:10wife and
14:11then losing,
14:12you know,
14:12his precious
14:13daughter.
14:14Amy has
14:15discovered that
14:16the death
14:16in her family
14:17was Eleanor
14:17Jenkins,
14:18her three-times
14:19great-aunt.
14:21Eleanor was
14:22the teenage
14:23daughter of
14:23Amy's three-times
14:24great-grandparents,
14:26Evan and
14:26Margaret Jenkins
14:27and the
14:28sister of
14:29her great-great
14:30grandmother,
14:30Mary.
14:32Eleanor and
14:33Mary worked
14:33as servants
14:34at Berth-Lewid
14:35Farm,
14:35so to start
14:36her investigation,
14:38she's come
14:38here to meet
14:39social historian
14:40and crime
14:41specialist,
14:41Angela Muir,
14:42who's been
14:43looking into
14:43the circumstances
14:44of Eleanor's
14:45death.
14:49So I
14:49learned that
14:50my great-great-great-aunt,
14:53Eleanor was
14:54shot dead
14:55at just
14:5614 years old,
14:57so I'm on a bit
14:57of a mission,
14:58a bit of a
15:00detective now
15:01to try and
15:02find out
15:03exactly
15:03what happened.
15:06Well,
15:06we actually
15:06have her
15:08death certificate
15:08here.
15:09Eleanor Jenkins,
15:10female,
15:1213 years.
15:13I thought she
15:14was 14,
15:15but she was 13.
15:15Sometimes there's
15:16a little bit
15:17of inaccuracy
15:17with the documents.
15:19So it does
15:20say
15:20Ellen Jenkins.
15:22So this is
15:23definitely
15:23Eleanor?
15:24It's definitely
15:24Eleanor.
15:26A servant
15:27girl
15:29at this
15:30house.
15:32So on the
15:3311th of
15:33November,
15:361888,
15:38feloniously
15:38did kill
15:39Ellen Jenkins
15:40by shooting
15:41her with
15:42a gun.
15:43Oh my
15:43goodness.
15:44So this
15:45completely
15:45ties up
15:46with what
15:48Ivan wrote
15:49in his
15:49personal
15:50Bible.
15:51So I've
15:52got a
15:53newspaper
15:53article
15:53here,
15:54and you'll
15:55notice the
15:55name Humphrey
15:56Owen in
15:57there.
15:57That's
15:57actually
15:57Austley
15:58Owen,
15:58and we
15:58know it's
15:58the same
15:59person.
15:59Shocking
16:00fatality
16:00in
16:00Cardiganshire,
16:02a
16:02Burr-Floyd
16:02farm,
16:03occupied
16:04by one
16:05Thomas
16:06Lowry.
16:07It
16:07transpired
16:08that Mr
16:08Lowry had
16:09gone to
16:09chapel in
16:10the morning
16:10and had
16:11left the
16:11farm in
16:11charge of
16:12two
16:12servant
16:13girls,
16:14and a
16:14young lad
16:15of the
16:15name of
16:16Humphrey
16:16Owen.
16:1717
16:18years of
16:18age,
16:19Nellie
16:19Jenkins
16:20was sent
16:20to fetch
16:21some water
16:21while her
16:22senior
16:22fellow servant
16:23prepared the
16:24dinner.
16:24So they
16:25refer to
16:26Eleanor as
16:26Nellie.
16:27Yeah,
16:28absolutely.
16:28Owen came
16:29in and
16:29said,
16:30I have
16:31shot
16:31Nellie
16:31dead.
16:32It is
16:33stated that
16:33the girl
16:34asked
16:34Owen how
16:35a gun
16:35was handled
16:37and that
16:38he
16:39thereupon
16:40took up
16:40the weapon
16:41for the
16:42purpose of
16:43showing her
16:43not being
16:44aware
16:45that the
16:46gun
16:46was
16:47loaded.
16:49He
16:49playfully
16:50pointed it
16:51at the
16:51girl.
16:52This is
16:52literally
16:53awful.
16:55It
16:56penetrated
16:57through the
16:57left side
16:58of her
16:58mouth
16:58and had
17:00emerged at
17:00the back
17:01of her
17:01neck.
17:02That would
17:02have been
17:02like an
17:02instant
17:03death.
17:03It's
17:04quite
17:04horrific.
17:05Was
17:05found
17:06lying
17:06quite
17:07dead
17:08on the
17:08pavement
17:08in front
17:09of the
17:09house.
17:09Right
17:10here.
17:12So she
17:12passed away
17:13right here.
17:14This is
17:15the spot
17:16where your
17:16great
17:17great aunt
17:19lost her
17:20life.
17:21And it
17:22would have
17:22been someone
17:22she knew
17:23killed her.
17:24That's
17:24right.
17:24He was a
17:25servant in
17:25the same
17:26house.
17:27I don't
17:27know.
17:27It doesn't
17:28seem like
17:28an accident
17:29the fact
17:30that Mr.
17:32Lowry
17:33was away.
17:35Convenient
17:35that he
17:36was at
17:36church.
17:37How the
17:38other servant
17:38was inside.
17:40Was it an
17:40accident or
17:41was it
17:41planned?
17:42So I've
17:43been doing
17:43a bit more
17:44research and
17:44there's some
17:45newspaper
17:45accounts from
17:46the time that
17:47go into a bit
17:47more detail about
17:48what actually
17:48happened.
17:49I can walk
17:49you through
17:49that now.
17:50Oh yes
17:50please.
17:55Right.
17:56Oh gosh.
17:57Do you reckon
17:57this is the
17:57original floor?
17:58This would be
17:59the original
17:59floor.
18:00Yeah.
18:00These flagstones
18:01would likely be
18:02original.
18:03It's literally
18:04like it was.
18:05Yeah.
18:05It's a lot
18:06of the original
18:06features.
18:07We put together
18:08some notes
18:09outlining exactly
18:10what happened
18:11on that day.
18:12The gun was
18:13usually kept
18:14in the parlour
18:14so here.
18:15In this room.
18:15In the right
18:16hand corner.
18:18So the right
18:18hand side of the
18:19corner of the
18:19window.
18:21That would have
18:22been here.
18:23That's right.
18:23Offaly was in
18:24the parlour
18:25dressing in here.
18:27So why don't
18:27we go through
18:27here?
18:28So this was
18:29the kitchen.
18:30This historically
18:30would have been
18:31the kitchen.
18:31And it said
18:32in the newspaper
18:34article that the
18:37other servant was
18:39preparing dinner
18:40so she would have
18:41been here.
18:41That's right.
18:42So Anne would have
18:43been the other
18:43servant.
18:44Eleanor goes out
18:45to get some water
18:46in a tin bucket.
18:48Anne could not
18:49say how long
18:50she'd been out
18:51before she heard
18:52the report
18:53of the gun.
18:55Anne then got up
18:57and went towards
18:58the front door.
19:01Anne saw Eleanor
19:02lying on the ground
19:03in the yard.
19:04She then ran
19:05down to Tinnagraig
19:07to tell deceased
19:08sister what had
19:09happened.
19:10So where's Tinnagraig?
19:11So Tinnagraig is
19:12the village nearby
19:13so it's just
19:14in that direction
19:15there.
19:16When she returned
19:17deceased was not
19:18lying in the same
19:20place but being
19:21removed into
19:23the passage.
19:24Literally.
19:25That's right.
19:26They've been brought
19:27back in here.
19:29But why would he
19:30have done that?
19:30We're not entirely
19:31sure.
19:32To hide more
19:35evidence again.
19:39to try and prove
19:41to him that it
19:42was a mistake.
19:44It was an accident.
19:45He obviously had
19:46intention to use
19:47that gun.
19:48Whether it was to
19:49kill Eleanor or not
19:50he would have known
19:52the gun was loaded.
19:53To me this was
19:54planned.
19:55So to me she
19:56walked out and
19:57she would have
19:58been over here.
19:59He would have
20:00already had the gun.
20:01He would have
20:02been up there.
20:04and he shot her.
20:06So surely this
20:07must have been
20:07investigated because
20:08right now I don't
20:10see this as an
20:12accident.
20:12And that's just me
20:13learning about it
20:14you know within
20:16minutes I can see
20:17that.
20:18So in all cases of
20:20suspicious or
20:21sudden or unexplained
20:22death the next step
20:23would always be a
20:24coroner's inquest.
20:27The coroner's
20:28inquest was the
20:29first step of the
20:30legal proceedings in
20:31Eleanor's case.
20:33The coroner's jury
20:34made up of men from
20:36the local community
20:37would determine the
20:38cause of death and
20:39if Offaly Owen would
20:40go on to face a
20:41criminal trial.
20:43So the first
20:43witness was Ann
20:44Jones and that was
20:45the servant in the
20:47house.
20:48That's right.
20:49The deceased and
20:52Offaly Owen were in
20:54service together at the
20:55farm.
20:55They were good
20:56friends.
20:57They were good
20:57friends.
20:58I wouldn't risk
21:00with a good friend
21:02playing with a gun
21:03or testing out a gun
21:06that was loaded.
21:07So this is really
21:09confusing.
21:11Even Jenkins' father
21:13of the deceased was
21:14the next witness
21:16called.
21:17Witness saw Mary
21:19Laurie who told him
21:20that Offaly had shot
21:22Nellie.
21:24I can't even begin to
21:26think what he was
21:26thinking.
21:27That's unimaginable.
21:28Yeah.
21:29That's horrible.
21:31He then went into
21:32the house and saw
21:33his daughter lying
21:34on her back.
21:35Witness could not
21:35recollect what
21:37occurred after but
21:39he thought that he
21:40laid down by the
21:41side of his daughter
21:41for some time.
21:43Well that's so sad.
21:45The shock of it
21:46might have made him
21:47faint and then he
21:48came to and he was
21:50lying by his
21:50daughter's side.
21:51And I know he
21:52lost his wife only
21:53three years prior.
21:54Mm-hmm.
21:56So this is, you
21:57know,
21:59two important
22:00members of his
22:01family, close
22:02family.
22:04And under quite
22:04shocking and
22:05devastating
22:06circumstances.
22:07Mm-hmm.
22:07Witness did not
22:08see Offaly at that
22:10time but he saw
22:11him afterwards.
22:12When Witness first
22:13saw him he was
22:14sitting on the
22:15cell.
22:15The first thing
22:17Witness said to
22:18him was,
22:18oh, you
22:20villain, is it
22:21here you are
22:22after killing
22:23my child?
22:26Witness then
22:27took hold of his
22:28collar and pushed
22:30him.
22:30I wouldn't want to
22:31be in the same
22:31room as anybody
22:32who had killed a
22:32member of my
22:33family.
22:34Offaly then took
22:35his hat and went
22:36out without saying
22:37a word.
22:39Witness thought that
22:40Offaly, taking it
22:41so cool that it
22:43was done
22:44intentionally, which
22:45is what I, you
22:47know, immediately
22:47thought as well.
22:51So Offaly didn't
22:52apologise for
22:53killing his
22:54daughter, didn't
22:54want to explain
22:55it was an
22:55accident.
22:57It just seems
22:58no remorse at
22:59the same time.
23:00Do you know what
23:01I mean?
23:01There's no emotion.
23:03There's no I'm
23:03sorry.
23:04Yes, he hasn't
23:05fled but there's
23:07no...
23:07I don't know.
23:11So one take on
23:12it is that he's not
23:13showing any remorse.
23:14No remorse at all.
23:15Another take on it
23:16is he's a 17-year-old
23:17boy who's just
23:18shot his friend and
23:19co-worker so it's
23:21possible that he was
23:22also in a state of
23:22shock himself.
23:23In reply to the
23:25charge, Offaly said
23:26that he did not
23:27know that there
23:29was a charge in
23:30the gun.
23:32He did not mean
23:34to kill her.
23:38So he's saying as
23:39soon as he raised
23:39the gun, it went
23:42off.
23:43I'm not sure because
23:44like obviously reading
23:45this, you know, I
23:46think yes, it was an
23:47accident and they
23:48were good friends and
23:49why would you want to
23:49kill somebody who
23:51was your good friend?
23:52But there is still
23:53information in there
23:54that I'm still
23:54thinking this doesn't
23:56add up.
23:58Do we know what
23:59happened next?
24:00Here's the final
24:01extract.
24:01After a short
24:02deliberation, the
24:04foreman announced
24:04that they had found
24:06a verdict of
24:07manslaughter.
24:08You can see here
24:09that he was trying
24:10to tell the jury
24:12that he didn't mean
24:14to kill her.
24:15And they came up
24:16with manslaughter.
24:18That's right.
24:21Which, because we
24:22don't have a reason
24:24why, I guess, for
24:26me right now, reading
24:27this, okay, I can
24:31live with that, but
24:33what would have been
24:34the next step?
24:35This would have gone
24:36to magistrate's court
24:37and then it would have
24:37gone on to the assizes.
24:39Hold in Carmarthen.
24:40In Carmarthen.
24:41So I need to get
24:43to court now.
24:46Manslaughter was a
24:47less serious charge
24:48than murder, but it
24:50meant Offaly Owen would
24:51still have to stand
24:52trial for Eleanor's
24:53death.
24:55I'm horrified by
24:57what I've read.
25:01It's going to take a
25:02little time to process
25:03it.
25:04Was there a punishment
25:05to Mr Owen?
25:06I really hope so.
25:07He took a life away,
25:08you know, a young
25:09girl's life.
25:16Amy's come to the
25:17courthouse in Carmarthen
25:18where Offaly Owen was
25:19tried and is meeting
25:20historian Erin White
25:22to find out Owen's
25:23fate.
25:26You can feel the
25:27intensity.
25:28You can, of course,
25:30and cases from
25:31Cardiganshire, Carmarthen
25:32and Pembrokeshire were
25:33all tried here, so this
25:35was a hive of
25:36industry.
25:37I'm guessing that's
25:38where I understand.
25:39That's where he would
25:40have stood.
25:41I literally want to sit
25:42up there and go,
25:42order, order.
25:44And then, of course, the
25:45public galleries would
25:46have been full with
25:47people interested.
25:49The press and
25:50everything, I bet.
25:51Yes.
25:52And what would have
25:53the sentence been then
25:55for manslaughter?
25:56Well, it was a lot
25:57lighter than murder.
25:59Murder, of course, was
26:00a hanging offence.
26:02Manslaughter was
26:03regarded more leniently
26:04in this period, and the
26:07usual sentence would have
26:09been something like up to
26:10a year in prison, usually
26:12with hard labour.
26:13Is there any more
26:14evidence from the court
26:16that could help me to
26:18determine what actually
26:20happened?
26:20Well, we've got a newspaper
26:23report here which tells us
26:25what happened next.
26:26So, South Wales Daily News,
26:27Wednesday, December 12, 1888.
26:31Alleged manslaughter,
26:33Ophelia Owen, 17, charged
26:35on a coroner's requisition
26:37with manslaughter on the
26:3913th of November last.
26:41Pleaded not guilty.
26:45And the counsel for the
26:47prosecution said he, with
26:49the sanction of the court,
26:50intended calling no
26:52witnesses.
26:53The judge intimated that he
26:55thought that was the proper
26:58cause to take, and a verdict
27:00of not guilty was returned.
27:03The prisoner was therefore
27:05discharged.
27:07So, he came out as not
27:10guilty?
27:11Yes.
27:11Yes, the prosecution
27:13decided not to present a
27:15case against him on the
27:17day.
27:17But also, no witnesses
27:20was called.
27:21Isn't that a little bit
27:23weird?
27:24It is unusual, yes.
27:25There wasn't a
27:26There wasn't questioned.
27:28Why do you think the
27:28prosecution made that
27:29decision?
27:30With these kind of cases,
27:32very often, a lot came
27:34down to reputation and
27:37character and previous
27:40convictions or previous good
27:42character.
27:43And in Offaly's case, he was a
27:4417-year-old who hadn't been in
27:46trouble with the law.
27:47Would you say that this outcome
27:51is entirely fair then?
27:53There was a longstanding
27:53tradition in Wales of a kind of
27:56mediation, of avoiding official
27:57justice, trying to maybe sort
27:59things out within the community.
28:00So the community is at the heart of
28:02this case, in a way.
28:03To me, that sounds like they're giving
28:06him the benefit of the doubt.
28:07They're balancing what is the best
28:09outcome, what is the fairest outcome
28:11here.
28:12But maybe not thinking about the victim
28:14in all this and the victim's family,
28:16which is my family.
28:17And I kind of feel like there was no clear
28:19closure, I guess, for anybody with this
28:23manslaughter and not guilty verdict.
28:25There seemed to have been a consensus
28:27from the legal point of view that not
28:29guilty was going to be the outcome.
28:31It was a gun going off unintentionally.
28:38You're not convinced?
28:42No, I'm not convinced.
28:44I see it that, yes, the evidence is
28:47all saying, but I don't know, some part
28:49of me is just not satisfied with this.
28:53I mean, that might have been Yvonne's
28:55response as well, Eleanor's father,
28:57that lack of satisfaction, as we know
28:59he did note in the family Bible.
29:03Yes.
29:03His daughter, Eleanor, was shot dead
29:06by a cruel man, Offaly Owen.
29:11We don't know when he wrote that,
29:12though, that's the only problem.
29:13Did he write it on the day?
29:17You know, in anger and emotional,
29:19you know, shock, upset.
29:27Amy's come to St David's Church in Blind Penal,
29:30where her three-times great-aunt,
29:32Eleanor, was laid to rest.
29:37She's meeting genealogist Aylir Ann Daniels.
29:40I'd love to learn about how did the siblings
29:47and even get over this, get over these tragedies
29:51and move on with their life.
29:52Yeah.
29:53They were chapel-goers, and people did get enormous comfort
29:57from going to chapel.
29:59There is no doubt about that.
30:01And we've got a glimpse of how they would have coped
30:05from an article that appeared in the local press
30:08just after her funeral.
30:09A great number attended to show their respect
30:12for the deceased.
30:13All that were acquainted with the girl
30:16could not help shedding tears at the door.
30:19The deceased was highly respected in a neighbourhood,
30:22and she was regarded as a young person
30:25of more than ordinary ability.
30:29Do we have any more information
30:31how they was after the funeral?
30:33We do know from descendants
30:36that there was a rift between the two families.
30:40And you can understand that.
30:42Although it was an accident, still,
30:44he took away, you know, his little girl.
30:49Yes. Yes, most definitely.
30:51We do know that a niece and nephew of Offaly
30:55and Eleanor actually married in the 1920s.
31:00Really?
31:01Yes, yeah.
31:03So, you know, 30, 40 years later.
31:06So the families did end up getting over the rift?
31:12Yeah.
31:13At first, when I heard that he was found not guilty,
31:16I was like, how did the family move on?
31:19How did they then, you know, start to process the grief?
31:24Um, but it does seem like it was an accident.
31:27Mm.
31:28And I guess, after time, they started to forgive.
31:33Yeah.
31:35Yeah.
31:36It does seem that, you know, Eleanor did make a mark.
31:39You know, you can see where he was exactly.
31:42A young person of more than ordinary ability.
31:45Mm.
31:46I wonder if that's how she was remembered.
31:48They actually renamed Little Valley,
31:50which is just in front of the farm, Berthruid farm.
31:53They named it after her.
31:55Oh, really?
31:56So it's called Cum, Cum Nell.
31:59Oh, cos they called her Nell?
32:01Yeah.
32:02Yes.
32:03I never realised a member of my family
32:08has, you know, landscape named after her.
32:12I think that's, you know, that's something quite special.
32:15Really touching.
32:16So, not only have you got very deep roots here,
32:20you have a parcel of land around here
32:24that actually celebrates a member of your family.
32:29So it's fair to say my mum's side of the family
32:31are Welsh through and through.
32:34Through and through.
32:34Not only Welsh, but Cardi's.
32:36And I just have to say that, being a Cardi myself.
32:40So a Cardi sort of would mean somebody from Cardi gynsia.
32:45A Cardi.
32:45A Cardi, yeah.
32:47So you're definitely a Cardi.
32:50With a piece of the land name after a family.
32:52Indeed, yeah.
32:54Member, wow.
32:56Do you know what?
32:57That's made me quite proud, learning how, you know,
32:59my mum's side, the Jenkins side,
33:00we are Welsh through and through.
33:02And I'm told a lot that I look like a Jenkins.
33:06Oh, OK.
33:06Yeah.
33:14So Margaret Jenkins, 1885, just 42 years old.
33:20And then underneath, Eleanor.
33:251888, just 14 years old.
33:32So they're buried next to one another.
33:35And next along is more Jenkins.
33:38Take some pictures.
33:48This is the great, great, great grandfather, Ellen.
33:57Eleanor will always be here because that valley,
34:01Kum Nell, is named after her.
34:03You know, she'll never be forgotten.
34:05You know, her roots are here and will always belong here.
34:12Now she's solved the case of Eleanor Jenkins' death,
34:15Amy wants to get some answers for her dad.
34:17I would love to find out more about the Dowden family
34:23because my grandfather, Frank, being adopted,
34:25I must have been quite tough, you know, out of six children.
34:29He was the one chosen to be given up for adoption.
34:32And I think that's quite a lot to live with.
34:37It does make me wonder what a man my great grandfather, Bill, was.
34:46Hoping to discover more, Amy's come to meet historian Laura Rowe,
34:50who has been digging into the family history.
34:53I just really want to find out more information
34:56about my great-grandfather, Bill,
34:59and my great-grandmother, Louisa.
35:02Well, we've been able to find pictures of...
35:06Oh, wow!
35:07There's Bill there and Louisa.
35:10This is the first time I've seen my great-grandfather
35:14and my great-grandmother.
35:16I do see, like, a resemblance of my dad, actually, there.
35:21He looks very smart, doesn't he?
35:22He does.
35:23And she's very glamorous, too.
35:26Yeah, look, this is a copy of their wedding certificate here.
35:31Gosh, so the 11th of May, 1907.
35:37So William was 30 and Louisa was 24.
35:41So they got married in 1907 at St. Francis Church,
35:49the county of Bristol and Somerset, not in Wales.
35:53No, not in Wales.
35:54Were they both from Bristol or Somerset?
36:00Well, we know that the Underhills had been in the southwest
36:03for generations, but for Bill, he joined the Royal Naval Reserve.
36:07And if we have a look at Bill's service record,
36:10that gives you his place of birth.
36:14Cardiff.
36:15Mm-hm.
36:16So my great-grandfather's Welsh,
36:18but my great-grandmother is English.
36:20Yeah.
36:21I always thought we were, like, Welsh through and through.
36:25But clearly not.
36:27My great-grandmother is English,
36:29so how did it end up working out for him with the Royal Navy?
36:33And this is his wartime record
36:37from the First World War.
36:39Wow.
36:41If we look at rating on discharge,
36:43he's gradually working up his way through the ranks
36:46until he becomes here a first engineer at the end.
36:49So he's clearly a grafter.
36:50Yeah.
36:51Somebody with determination, dedication and works hard.
36:54So you can see from this that in 1917,
36:57Bill is posted to HMT Devara.
37:03What type of ship is this?
37:05The Devara is a minesweeper.
37:07Crew of about 12.
37:08So not big at all.
37:12During World War I,
37:14German forces laid tens of thousands of mines in British waters.
37:20Minesweepers, like the one Amy's great-grandfather Bill was on,
37:23were tasked with the dangerous job of cutting the mines free
37:26and detonating them.
37:31In October 1917,
37:34Bill's ship, the Devara,
37:35in convoy with another minesweeper called the Earl Lennox,
37:38was escorting an ammunition ship
37:40to the perilous seas off the southwest coast of Scotland.
37:46Laura's found a first-hand account of what happened next.
37:50Court of Inquiry held at HM Naval Base Larn Harbour,
37:55re-sinking of HMT Earl Lennox.
38:00Gosh.
38:01Yes.
38:01About one o'clock, I heard the explosion.
38:04I immediately went to the wheelhouse door and looked out.
38:07I saw the stern of the Earl Lennox up in the air.
38:12So, one of the ships amongst the convoy has been sunk.
38:18Yeah.
38:18But that state, he's got no idea,
38:19is this a submarine attack with a torpedo?
38:21And in which case,
38:23the submarine will still be there somewhere.
38:24Yeah.
38:25Or it could be a mine that it's hit.
38:27And in which case, it's not,
38:28you don't lay one mine.
38:30You can lay multiple mines.
38:31So there's the risk of,
38:33where's the rest of this minefield?
38:34What have we just gone into?
38:37Wow, it must have been so much of iron, so scary.
38:43Despite the terrible weather,
38:45choppy seas and the threat of further German mines,
38:51Bill's ship, the Devara,
38:53lowered a small boat with five of its crew
38:55to attempt a rescue mission
38:57to pull the survivors of the Earl Lennox
38:59from the sea to safety.
39:02So where would my great-grandfather have been?
39:05We can see here a list.
39:07For the crew of a small boat
39:08that's actually rescuing people from the sea.
39:10You've got William Dowden, first engineer.
39:13The Devara's crew did everything
39:15in their power to save life
39:17and behaved splendidly.
39:19This, to me, just sounds so dangerous.
39:22And he put himself in that risk,
39:26in that danger to go out and rescue others.
39:27And obviously that makes me very proud.
39:30The attach list is submitted in accordance with an admiralty.
39:35A letter.
39:36What does this mean exactly?
39:38The admiralty were anxious that the men
39:40who had been involved in the rescue
39:42received a letter demonstrating their lordship's praise
39:47and appreciation for what they've done.
39:49So it's a real demonstration of the level of heroism,
39:57skill that's been put into this rescue.
39:59So this is a massive honour for them?
40:01It is, yeah.
40:11I was worried that my great-grandfather, Bill,
40:16wasn't going to be a particularly great person.
40:19I was so wrong.
40:22Seeing what he sacrificed for his family,
40:26for other lives, for his country,
40:29I definitely said the traits in my great-grandfather, Bill,
40:34within my dad.
40:35That work ethic, putting everybody else first,
40:38that is my dad through and through.
40:42But what that doesn't answer
40:44is why my grandfather, Frank,
40:47was still informally adopted.
40:51And I really want to get to the bottom of this.
40:53Why, out of six children,
40:56was my grandfather, Frank, given up?
41:01After serving his country during World War I,
41:04Amy's great-grandfather, Bill,
41:06returned home to New Tradigar
41:08to his work in the mines.
41:10And in September 1919,
41:13her grandfather, Frank, was born,
41:15Bill and Louisa's sixth and youngest child.
41:19To find out what happened next to the family,
41:21Amy has come to the former site of Elliot Colliery
41:24in New Tradigar
41:25to meet mining history expert Ben Curtis.
41:28Hi, Ben.
41:29This place is amazing.
41:32Yeah, it is, isn't it?
41:33This is an extraordinary space.
41:34This is the winding house
41:36of what was Elliot's colliery,
41:39which is a big colliery in this part of the world.
41:43Firstly, I need to stop you.
41:44A Welsh accent.
41:46Yeah.
41:46Are you from round?
41:46I'm from just down the valley,
41:48from here, near Ysrad Mynach.
41:49Ah, I learned how to dance in Ysrad Mynach.
41:52Ah, fantastic.
41:52Yes.
41:53Amazing.
41:54Yes, small world.
41:55It is indeed, it is.
41:56Anyway, sorry, carry on.
41:57Yes.
41:57Tell me about this.
41:58We're here because your great-grandfather
42:02lived in New Tradigar
42:04and we believe this is where he was working at this time.
42:06So we believe he worked here.
42:09Wow.
42:09I know my great-grandfather, Bill,
42:12returned to the colliery once the war ended.
42:16What was he coming back to?
42:19It was kind of coming back at a period,
42:21sort of a calm before the storm,
42:22in terms of the coal industry.
42:26Since 1916, the British coal industry
42:29had been under government management
42:30and wages were high.
42:31But in 1921, control was handed back
42:35to private companies like Powell Dufferin,
42:37the owners of Elliot Colliery,
42:39who Amy's great-grandfather, Bill, was working for.
42:43Powell Dufferin was a very big, powerful company,
42:48very anti-union.
42:50Workers, you know, who worked for them
42:53and kind of joke that the PD,
42:54which is written on the side of all the colliery wagons,
42:56didn't stand for Powell Dufferin,
42:58but for poverty and dole or poverty and death.
43:00Poverty and death is how the workers saw it.
43:04And the companies announced
43:05that they would be looking to cut workers' wages
43:07by approximately half.
43:09And if you didn't accept that,
43:11then you couldn't work for them anymore.
43:12And why did they do this?
43:14They were quite ruthless.
43:16Their biggest cost that they faced as coal owners
43:18was the wage bill.
43:27The union, strengthened by the social and economic change
43:31sweeping Britain after World War I,
43:33refused to submit to the colliery owners' new terms.
43:38But on the 1st of April 1921,
43:41one million British miners, including Bill Dowden,
43:44were locked out of the mines
43:46in an attempt to force them to accept lower wages
43:48and harsher working conditions.
43:58The machinery of Britain's coal fields ground to a halt.
44:04So essentially, it was like a strike,
44:09but instead of the workers saying they weren't going to work,
44:13it was the coal company saying,
44:14we aren't going to allow anyone to work
44:16unless they accept these reduced terms and conditions.
44:20And miners didn't want to accept.
44:22So if you have a look.
44:25Ballot returns.
44:27Men vote for prolonging the struggle,
44:29surprising figures for South Wales.
44:31So with the votes in,
44:32it is collective decisions that they're making.
44:35And New Tredegar is one of the communities there.
44:38You can see where there's a strong vote
44:39against accepting the terms.
44:42Yes, only 121 for and 475 against.
44:47Does this mean that my great-grandfather,
44:49Bill's main source of income, has disappeared?
44:53At a stroke, you know,
44:54the miners and their families were kind of
44:56essentially without wages.
44:58I know my great-grandfather and great-grandmother
45:00had six children.
45:02I have no idea how they would have survived.
45:06Just seems so unfair.
45:08Absolutely.
45:09He would have been one of the people who was locked out.
45:10He was bound up in this situation.
45:12And you had these soup kitchens set up
45:15around the coalfield where miners and their families
45:17were fed and to provide them with kind of food
45:21when they didn't have any other sources of income.
45:23Communities always stuck together, didn't they?
45:25And I think that's why,
45:27as you being a Valleys boy as well,
45:29it has certainly carried on, I feel, in Wales,
45:33that community value and looking out for one another.
45:37Absolutely.
45:37So my great-grandfather would have been massively
45:41affecting sort of his family.
45:42Yeah.
45:43At this point, they'd been locked out for two months
45:45or by July, the miners have to accept
45:48that they have been defeated
45:50and they'd kind of go back and accept
45:51the reduced terms and conditions.
45:53Really?
45:54All that sacrifice.
45:54And they ended up having to give in.
45:58And my dad told me that his great-grandmother
46:01passed away when his father was just 18 months old.
46:07So that would have been right in the middle of this.
46:13Difficult to imagine.
46:14I have no information about what happened to Louisa,
46:18why she passed away,
46:19but I do really feel for my great-grandfather, Bill.
46:24Everything's kind of like piecing together now
46:25why my grandfather then was informally adopted.
46:46I was told Louisa passed away,
46:49but I had no idea it was during
46:52that awful lock-out period with the colliery.
46:55I do want to find out how she died.
47:01Right, so let's go into the search.
47:05Death certificate.
47:0819, I'm going to try 21.
47:12Let's just hope this is right.
47:16Surname, Doudon.
47:20Louisa.
47:25New Tradega.
47:27Okay, right, search.
47:29It's come up.
47:32When and where?
47:3318th of May, 1921, 65,
47:38Queens Road, New Tradega.
47:39So we know this is Louisa,
47:4139 years old,
47:42wife of William Doudon,
47:44cause of death,
47:47carcinoma mammy.
47:50Carcinoma mammy.
47:51Isn't that breast cancer?
47:53Is it?
47:54It's breast cancer.
47:58Oh, my goodness.
48:00Wow.
48:01At 39 years old.
48:04Oh, my goodness.
48:06That's made me a little bit emotional.
48:10I can take a bit of a pause if that suits you.
48:16She was only in her 30s.
48:20I wonder if there's a link
48:26between who and me.
48:29Wow.
48:30Oh, my goodness.
48:37But what an awful few years they went through.
48:40With the war,
48:42and then this cancer diagnosis,
48:44never mind.
48:46Then,
48:48the lockout with the collieries.
48:53My mum had breast cancer.
48:56And,
48:57you know,
48:57witnessing her go through it,
48:59that was tough.
49:00And,
49:00I just thought of the family
49:02having to go through what we went through,
49:04and it would have been worse then.
49:08But also,
49:11knowing the timing as well.
49:15And poor
49:17Bill
49:19losing his wife to breast cancer,
49:21and then having six children.
49:23Also,
49:24she had the same type of,
49:25one of the same type of breast cancers as me.
49:27And I'd really love to find out more.
49:30Did she
49:32get surgery?
49:33Did she
49:33have treatment?
49:36You know,
49:37was,
49:42you know,
49:43was there a chance
49:44of cure?
49:49Knowing what she went through.
49:52It's horrible.
49:53But also,
49:53like,
49:53I'm lucky.
49:54I'm still here.
49:56It took her life.
49:57Do you know what I mean?
49:57It's a bit raw.
50:02To find out more
50:03about her great-grandmother
50:04for Louisa's Breast Cancer Treatment,
50:06Amy is meeting
50:07medical historian
50:08Agnes Arnold-Forster.
50:11Agnes,
50:12thank you so much
50:13for meeting me today,
50:14because I've got so many questions.
50:16Do you know what it was like
50:18to have a cancer diagnosis
50:19back in 1921?
50:22Well,
50:22it would have been
50:23quite similar
50:24to having a cancer diagnosis today.
50:26It would have been something
50:27that she'd have probably
50:28felt the lump,
50:29gone to see
50:30a healthcare professional,
50:32and it would have
50:32given her a diagnosis.
50:33But there was no
50:34NHS back then,
50:35so what would that
50:36have been like for her?
50:37It was quite common
50:38for someone with cancer
50:39to receive free
50:40or heavily subsidised treatment.
50:42So,
50:43what treatment,
50:44what was available
50:45for my great-grandmother
50:46Louisa then?
50:47The main treatment
50:48for breast cancer
50:49at this time
50:50would have been surgery.
50:51Mastectomies
50:52were first developed
50:53at the end
50:53of the 19th century.
50:54So, like,
50:55chemotherapy for me,
50:57that was not available
50:58for my great-grandmother Louisa?
51:00No,
51:01the kind of
51:01life-saving treatments
51:02that we have available
51:03to us today
51:03were not an option
51:04for her.
51:05Yeah,
51:05so literally,
51:06really,
51:07the only option
51:08for her
51:08would have been
51:10surgery
51:11if she was to have it.
51:12Yeah.
51:13Back then in 1921,
51:15was cancer curable?
51:17Unfortunately,
51:18no.
51:19Cancer was
51:19well known
51:20to be
51:21an incurable disease
51:23and so
51:24she probably
51:25would have known
51:26that this was
51:27likely going to be
51:28the thing
51:28that she passed away from.
51:30I can't imagine.
51:32I know what it's like
51:32to have a cancer diagnosis
51:34but I'm a lucky one,
51:36do you know what I mean?
51:37I've been able
51:37to come out
51:38the other side.
51:41Louisa had six children.
51:43The eldest was 11
51:45and the youngest
51:46was baby Frank,
51:47Amy's grandfather,
51:48who was just a year old.
51:51The team has managed
51:53to track down
51:54some photos
51:54from a descendant
51:55on another branch
51:56of the Dowden family.
51:58So this would have been
52:00Louisa?
52:00Yes.
52:02That we think
52:03is baby Nora.
52:06So, obviously,
52:07these are the three girls?
52:09Yeah,
52:09that's Marion,
52:10Phyllis and Jessie.
52:13And the baby,
52:14we're not totally sure.
52:16We think it's either
52:17Norman or maybe Frank.
52:19My grandfather.
52:21Yeah, yeah.
52:22When I was a little girl,
52:23I had her like this.
52:24Oh, really?
52:25Oh.
52:26Yeah,
52:27they're so young looking,
52:28I think.
52:29I know.
52:29You instantly just feel
52:31for these children
52:32to lose their mum
52:34and also how,
52:35yeah,
52:36the girls grew out
52:37without mother
52:38but probably also had
52:39to become a mother,
52:41really,
52:42to the younger siblings.
52:45And we have actually
52:46managed to trace
52:47what sort of happens
52:48to the family
52:48shortly after Louisa dies.
52:50The 1921 census,
52:51which is what we've got here,
52:54was done on the 19th of June.
52:56So you've got Marion,
52:5911 years, one month,
53:00so just turned 11.
53:02You've got Phyllis,
53:04nine years old,
53:05eight months old.
53:06And then you've got Jessie,
53:08eight years and two months.
53:09It's just heartbreaking
53:10to see a family
53:13go through losing a mum.
53:16And we know on this day
53:18where the census
53:18was taken in June,
53:19she only passed away
53:2118th of May.
53:22It says you're
53:22a father away from home.
53:24Yeah.
53:24So they would have
53:25looked after themselves
53:27at 11 years old.
53:28Yeah.
53:32And provided for themselves.
53:34Well, how would they
53:35have got food?
53:36Well, they probably
53:37would have been
53:38financially supported
53:39by their dad
53:39and actually Bill
53:41we also know
53:44if you look here.
53:46So obviously
53:47he's not at
53:48Queen's Road.
53:50So he's in Cardiff.
53:54William Robert Dowden,
53:55a visitor.
53:58So why would he
53:59have been there?
54:00Well, we don't know
54:01for sure,
54:02but we can speculate
54:03that he was probably
54:04there looking for work.
54:07And I'm sure
54:08that wouldn't have been
54:08out of choice.
54:09that was him
54:09doing the right thing
54:10by his family,
54:11trying to provide.
54:14So what about
54:14the other children?
54:16So Nora and Norman,
54:17they were both
54:18living with families
54:19near New Tradega.
54:20Somebody helping
54:22Bill out at the time.
54:25Yeah.
54:26I couldn't imagine
54:27what it was like
54:28to be told,
54:29you've got cancer,
54:30and knowing then
54:31that's a death sentence.
54:32I'd imagine Louisa
54:35and Bill
54:36had to make
54:36a very difficult decision,
54:38most likely to give,
54:39I'm assuming,
54:40about my grandfather,
54:41Frank.
54:42And now must have been
54:43absolutely heartbreaking.
54:45Now she understands
54:47the tragic circumstances
54:48that led to
54:49her great-grandparents
54:50giving up their youngest son,
54:52her grandfather, Frank,
54:53Amy wants to pay
54:54her respects
54:55to Bill and Louisa.
54:56She's discovered
54:57that they are buried here
54:59in Gwaila de Brithdia
55:00Cemetery
55:01in New Tradega.
55:03Ah, Louisa Dowden.
55:06And also of William Dowden,
55:08her husband.
55:09I'm glad they're buried together,
55:11because it was
55:13such sad circumstances.
55:17And they were,
55:19you know,
55:20torn apart young.
55:21I understand now everything
55:22and why.
55:23I think at the beginning
55:24I was a bit worried
55:25my great-grandfather,
55:26Bill, was a bad man,
55:27but no, absolutely not.
55:29I hope he knows
55:31and is proud
55:32that the decision he made
55:34was the right decision
55:35for my grandfather, Frank,
55:36because their family life,
55:38their work ethic,
55:40he's definitely,
55:40I feel, filtered through.
55:44It says,
55:45Louisa Dowden
55:46knew Tradega.
55:49So clearly
55:52she was embraced,
55:54loved
55:55and respected
55:57within
55:58the New Tradega community.
56:01So even though
56:02she was an English woman,
56:03she'd had a Welsh woman.
56:05It's on her grave.
56:18I've learned that my family
56:20has gone through
56:20the most challenging
56:21of times.
56:22Losing a daughter
56:23who was just 14 years old,
56:26losing wives
56:27at such a young age,
56:29in your late 30s.
56:34They were definitely fighters
56:36and they obviously
56:37needed to dig deep.
56:38And there's been many times
56:39in my life
56:40where I've needed to dig deep
56:42through the tough times,
56:44through the struggles,
56:45through my dancing career,
56:46through also my health battles.
56:47I definitely see
56:49a like for like
56:50between them
56:51and me.
56:52It's definitely strengthened
56:53my belonging
56:55and my Welsh connection
56:56and being up here
56:58on the mountains
56:59and looking out.
57:02It's so calm.
57:04The landscape
57:05is so beautiful.
57:07So typical,
57:08beautiful Wales.
57:11I am Welsh.
57:12Welsh and proud.
57:15Cheers.
57:16Do you all go well.
57:20Details of organisations
57:22offering help and support
57:24with cancer
57:25or if you've been
57:26a victim of crime
57:28are available
57:28on the BBC Action Line website.
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