Who Do You Think You Are - Olly Murs 19th Sep

[kiterunner]

On BBC1 at 9 p.m. and repeated next Wednesday night / Thursday morning at 00:40.

[Margaret in Burton]

That was interesting

[kiterunner]

Episode summary

Olly Murs was born and grew up in Essex, one of three children of Pete Murs and Vicky-Lynn nee Pollard, who lived near Witham. He now lives with his wife Amelia, still in Essex. Olly's paternal grandfather Eddie Murs was Latvian but never told Olly much about his past, although Olly did know that there was a link with a Latvian circus. Olly went to see his dad, who told him that Eddie came over from Latvia as a teenager, and that in 2002 he (Pete) took Eddie back to visit Latvia for a few days. He showed Olly a video of their visit to Riga, where Eddie was from. He also showed Olly Eddie's birth certificate, which gave his name as Eduards Jankovskis and his mother's name as Veronika Jankovska, with no father's name. Eddie was born in Jan 1932. Pete also gave Olly a little cutout photo of Eddie's father Eduard Albert Murs and his wife Katrine nee Berzins, as circus performers. Their marriage certificate dated 5 Dec 1929 showed that Eduard sr was born 21 Oct 1890 in Riga, and that they both worked at the Salamonska Circus in Riga. Pete told Olly that Eddie was sent to live with Eduard sr during WW2 somewhere safer than Riga, and that he never saw Veronika again, although she wrote him some letters in the 1960's or 1970's to which he never replied as he had felt that she sent him away because she didn't care about him.

Olly went to Riga, to the Salamonska Circus where he met the circus's archivist who showed him a picture of Eduard and Katrine's act, which was called Murr & Muré. They would do one month of shows in Riga and then move on somewhere else. A Sirkus Maxim programme from Finland billed them as the Morello act. There was also a Mademoiselle Verona mentioned in the programme. Olly went to the Latvian State Historical Archives and met an archivist who showed him Veronika's birth registration, whihch was written in Russian. It said that she was born on the 17 Aug 1909 in a village some distance from Riga, daughter of Josiph and Tekla Jankovskis. The archives had Veronika's passport issued 25 Apr 1931, when she lived in Riga, and it had a stamp for a work permit allowing her to work in Finland with the Circus Maxim. They also had Eduard and Katrine's passport which had the same stamp. A newspaper article about the circus dated 14 Aug 1931 mentioned Miss Verona the trapeze artist. She would have been 4 months pregnant with Eddie at that time.

Olly met an historian who took him to the apartment where Veronika lived when Eddie was born. They moved out in April 1932. Olly was shown an unemployment claim form in Tekla's name from June 1932 which said that her husband Josiph and grandson Eduard lived with her in the village. A photo from a newspaper dated April 1932 showed Miss Verona, trapeze gymnast. A 1939 Riga apartment register showed that Eddie was back living with Veronika by then. Latvia was then occupied by the USSR. Olly went to the Museum of Occupation of Latvia and met an historian who told him that in June 1941, thousands of people were deported to labour camps in Siberia, and that then the Nazis invaded and killed thousands of Latvian Jews and Jews from other countries who had been sent there. A marriage certificate showed that Veronika married Voldemar / Vladimir Eiche in Feb 1942 but they got divorced in Dec 1943. The Soviets then reinvaded Latvia and the Germans evacuated. A house registration book from 1944 said that Eduard Jankovski left for Germany on the 5th Sep 1944. Olly met an historian from the Latvians Abroad Museum, who told him that a lot of refugees left Latvia on boats at that time and showed him Eddie's refugee camp registation card from 1945 which called him Eduard Murs. There was also a photo of him aged 15 in a refugee camp. A 1948 registration card for Eduard sr showed that he went to Harwich on the 10th May 1948.

Olly went to the Latvian State Archives and met an historian who showed him Veronika's criminal record - she was arrested on the 15th Dec 1950 for the political crime of making anti-Soviet statements. A closed court hearing was held on the 5th Mar 1951 where she pled not guilty but was found guilty and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment in a corrective labour camp with no appeal allowed. Olly went to the former KGB HQ in Latvia, now a museum, and met an historian who told him that Veronika was in a labour camp for 2 years, then transferred to Russia, and then released in 1956 and returned to Latvia. Newspaper ads from 1957 showed that she was trying to contact Eddie, and she also contacted the International Red Cross to try to find him. Her death certificate showed that she died in 1988 and she was buried in a cemetery on the outskirts of Riga, in Section 13, meaning that she was buried by the state because she had no family left. Olly went to the cemetery.

[kiterunner]

I don't think they have had a Latvian episode before. Yes, I thought it was interesting too. Though I didn't get why Olly was so shocked about the long prison sentence for speaking out against the state - it's much the same in Russia today.

[Olde Crone]

I wanted to know so much more! How did Veronika earn her living when she went back to Latvia? Surely not as a circus performer.

OC

[ElizabethHerts]

Originally Posted by kiterunner

Episode summary

Her death certificate showed that she died in 1988 and she was buried in a cemetery on the outskirts of Riga, in Section 13, meaning that she was buried by the state because she had no family left. Olly went to the cemetery.

I would have thought that she had an unmarked grave because she was poor, not necessarily because she had no family.

This episode was very interesting and I was pleased that the entire programme focussed on Olly's Latvian heritage.

[Ann from Sussex]

It was the most interesting WDYTYA for a long time I thought. How lucky you are if you are tracing Latvian ancestors: all those different records!

[ElizabethHerts]

Originally Posted by Ann from Sussex

It was the most interesting WDYTYA for a long time I thought. How lucky you are if you are tracing Latvian ancestors: all those different records!

Some countries keep much more detailed records than we do.

I lived in Germany for a while and moved flats. I had to go to the offices in Düsseldorf to register my "Umzug" (move) with all my documents.

[Olde Crone]

It makes me laugh, though. All these famous (presumably well off) people who say "I've always wanted to know" .....why didn't they employ a genealogist?

It was very interesting and I feel that this series is back on track, after several series of history lessons!

OC

[Margaret in Burton]

Originally Posted by Olde Crone

It makes me laugh, though. All these famous (presumably well off) people who say "I've always wanted to know" .....why didn't they employ a genealogist?

It was very interesting and I feel that this series is back on track, after several series of history lessons!

OC

Next weeks is Gemma Collins. I can’t even stand the sound of her voice. I’ve read that because she discovers an ancestor lived in the same street as one of the victims of Jack the Ripper she’s convinced her ancestor is the Ripper.
Totally over the top like she always is.

Shall I watch it, unsure, probably but I doubt I’ll say I enjoyed it.