World Of Secrets - Searching for Soldier Dad: 3. Ghosts

Episode Date: May 4, 2026

Cathy and Peter confront their demons. Their searches for their fathers take them to dark and desperate places. And back in London, it’s time to reveal the results of the DNA analysis, with life-ch...anging consequences. This episode contains references to suicide and self-harm, which some listeners may find upsetting. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service. Please note, the image being used is for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model. Presenter: Ivana Davidovic Series producer: Josephine Casserly Sound design: Tom Brignell Executive producer: Matt Willis Commissioning senior producers: Katy Davis and Anne Dixey Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Chicago, 2011, a cop is murdered. Police and prosecutors swear they have the trigger man. He swears he didn't do it. How far will each side go to prove their right? Like it's just one bombshell after another, you know, where you're like, what? What? The story of a PlayStation, a brain-eating amoeba, and the relentless pursuit of justice.
Starting point is 00:00:29 Off duty, out now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Before we start, just a warning that this episode contains references to suicide and self-harm, which some listeners may find upsetting. Kathy and her mom Maggie are at one of the clubs on Anuki's main street. It's January 2024 and it's Kathy's 18th birthday. I'll be the one to buy her the first drink. The dance floor is bathed in red light. Green lasers cut through the dark.
Starting point is 00:01:10 At the front, the DJ plays the latest Kenyan hits mixed with Nigerian Afrobeats. Everyone is dancing. Then she had a cocktail. Very big cocktail. Waitresses balancing trays of shots thread their way through the crowd. She was well-behaved.
Starting point is 00:01:28 Have a nice girl. A nice girl. Then, at a table right at the back, Maggie spots a group of British soldiers. She marches up to them with Kathy in tow. She pushed me like that. With a mischievous grin, Maggie points at Kathy and tells them, I've got something that belongs to you.
Starting point is 00:01:52 I'm like, oh. Then she's like, what, it's true? At first, the soldiers look confused. The guy was like, what? I said this one. Then they're cotton on. They're being teased. Almost everyone in Anuki knows about the children with British fathers.
Starting point is 00:02:10 They sit back down at their table and Kathy and Maggie continue their night. She enjoyed that. Actually, we went home at what time? Like 6 a.m.? Yeah. Six a.m.? Yeah. I love Maggie's irreverent humour. But this story is tinged with sadness.
Starting point is 00:02:30 Even on a day which is meant to be a celebration, she can't escape the spectre of Kathy's missing dad. Beneath her jokes, there is a darkness. Even the sight of British soldiers is enough to remind her of Phil, the man who proposed to her, who wrote all those love letters, who held Cathy when she was seven months old, and then left with no explanation. Through Cathy's teenage years, his absence has haunted them more than ever.
Starting point is 00:03:02 This is World of Secrets, Season 12, Searching for Soldier Dad, a BBC World Service investigation. I'm Ivana Davidovich, a BBC journalist. For the past two years, I've been following DNA detectives as they tracked down the British soldiers who fathered children in Kenya and then disappeared. Episode three, ghosts. Kids, how are you?
Starting point is 00:03:42 Kids, oh, this kid. I want to understand more about. about Kathy's experience growing up. So we go to her old primary school where we're warmly welcomed by the principal. There is still a picture of her on the wall. Do you still swimmer? Kathy was the school's star swimmer.
Starting point is 00:04:05 But this isn't a happy stroll down memory lane. Kathy was one of only a few mixed-race people in the school. I did have a couple of bullies and they did make my life a living hell here. What was the bullying about? What were they telling you? At that age, mostly just you being weird. That's how they put it.
Starting point is 00:04:29 You being weird, like, different. But was that the first time you realized, actually, am I different? Yeah. There is a stereotype in Kenya. If you have a white parent, you must be rich. But Kathy, she wasn't. And so she was ridiculed. Okay, let me show you my favorite spot to cry.
Starting point is 00:04:52 Or like the corner there, I go and like crouch down and then start crying until I felt better. You know, sometimes I come back here. It's mostly where most of my trauma is. So I come here most of the time to just reflect, think about it, appreciate who I am today, and continue. continue with life. When Cathy was little, her mum told her that her dad was a soldier who had died. But when she was 10, she found her dad's Facebook profile and realised he was alive. She messaged him. But she got no reply. From this point onwards, every now and again when she got home from school,
Starting point is 00:05:40 she'd sent him a message, sharing updates about her life, asking him questions. But the response was always the same. Silence. When Kathy moved up to secondary school, she hoped to leave the bullying behind, but it got worse. Some of the students stole her belongings, and one night, a girl even cut off her hair. Meanwhile, her mum Maggie was struggling too. Providing for the family alone, without the support of Kathy's dad, was taking its toll. Maggie worked so many hours that often she only slept for an hour a night. Kathy would usually tell her mum everything, but not
Starting point is 00:06:27 this. I'd be emotional, I'd be angry a lot, and I just didn't know how to open up to tell her this and this is going on in my life because she has her own problems. However, there was someone she confided in, her dad.
Starting point is 00:06:43 She kept sending messages into the void. By the time Kathy was 15, five years of zero communication, one-sided, I was like, it was fed up. The rejection she felt from her father, from the other kids at school, gnawed away at her. Like, I could feel my heart hurting, and I felt like my lungs were on fire, because I felt like screaming, I felt like shouting, I felt angry at everyone, I felt angry at myself.
Starting point is 00:07:14 And then with the situation at home and everything else, I eventually, I eventually, I eventually learned about like self-harm. I mean, it wasn't exactly pleasurable, but it made the emotional pain physical. By the time of her exams, Kathy felt like her life was closing in on her. That week was a tough week because it was exam week and the bullies
Starting point is 00:07:43 and like all that pressure was on my head already. She poured all of her feelings into the Facebook messages to her dad. I was just literally just crying for help. I was like just telling him this happened today. Me and Mom fought. Let's say someone bullied me or I feel like this.
Starting point is 00:08:06 I just mostly try to get him to talk to me by maybe saying something that might trigger him. Kathy's self-harm escalated. And most of the times there's blood and all that. I used to like wrap some tissue on my arm to not get it in the clothes and all that. I mean, everything would be a bit better if I was not around because she won't have stress for school fees. She wouldn't be thinking of buying extra clothes or anything for me.
Starting point is 00:08:38 So I thought it would be better if I just like died. And now that's when I started attempting suicide. Another pupil found out that Kathy had tried to take her own life. She told me Kate, man, don't do this to yourself, don't do this to your mum. So I was taken to the principal's office, the principal talked to me, he tried to give me, like, cancel it. He even hired a therapist for me. Like, I'd have a therapy session like almost every week, like twice a week at least. As Kathy's telling me this, I look over at her mum, Maggie, sitting on the sofa next to her.
Starting point is 00:09:15 Tears rolled down her cheeks. She holds Kathy's hand tightly. You're finding it hard to listen to this, right? Yeah? Today, they're so close. But back then, Kathy told her mum nothing. When she was at home, she would go to her room and avoid eye contact. Until one day, she reached for a glass of water and her sleeve edged up.
Starting point is 00:09:44 Maggie noticed the scars on her daughter's arm. And I was like, what are you doing? You know, I was shocked. Like, I told her, she knew you all. how I used to work. I never slept because I want this money. I'll go sleep like 30 minutes or one hour. She will come from school
Starting point is 00:10:01 and sometimes she'll be like, oh, mom, when are you going to sleep? You know, I didn't know it was affecting her. So, let's just say I kind of like fought my depression alone. I didn't know who to talk to at that time. It was really a hard time. And then I felt so small
Starting point is 00:10:22 I felt like I was being a burden to everyone. Me and mom argued like almost every day. Because I feel like, you know, I'm also going through my, you know, my own. And I'm trying because I'm doing all of this because of you, you know. And when I tell her that maybe she will feel offended and like, Mom, you don't love me. And I'm like, I love you so much in this world. Nobody will love you the way I love you.
Starting point is 00:10:49 So we should have each other because we are there for each other. Um, that time when I went home with the scars, the mum did take a picture. Maggie sent the picture to Kathy's dad. I was like, you know, please, you know, I was breeding with him. Help our daughter, she will die. But I never get to respond. At that time, just because I knew I was talking to a ghost,
Starting point is 00:11:20 I just literally poured my heart out. It's like a journal. I was writing a journal, but I was talking to someone who's not there. You said, oh, he was just like messaging a ghost. but you still, there was still a reason what you were doing it, right? You'd never met this guy. So you must have deep down wanted something no matter how unlikely it was, do you think? I mean, I just wanted everything to be over.
Starting point is 00:11:45 Like all the suffering, the pain. I just needed a safe space. And the only safe space I could find at that time was texting the ghost. Because the ghost won't talk back. Ghosts, these absent soldier dads about whom only fragments of information are known. He was a good guy. You look just like him. It's just enough to paint a blurry picture. Now there is a chance to bring these ghosts back to life. You know that feeling when you have a dream, which is so perfect that when you wake up,
Starting point is 00:12:30 you will yourself to go back to sleep and step back into the fantasy. But the harder you try, the more it fades from view. And no matter what you do, reality returns. I even had a dream one time that he came here. I had that dream with my dad. And in that dream, he told me he loves me, you know. I'm coming for you. But I woke up.
Starting point is 00:13:00 I tried to go back to sleep so that I can continue dreaming, but it was not possible. We heard Peter in the last episode, talking about his parents' meeting in one of Nanyuki's nightclubs. I first speak to him at his grandparents' avocado farm, the golden late evening sun filtering through the leaves. We're here with a lawyer to take a sample of Peter's DNA. He tells me about his childhood. I'm born in the ghetto. I've been through... He grew up in what he calls the ghetto.
Starting point is 00:13:37 Just a few minutes dry from the center of Nanyuki, it feels a world away. It's a maze of bumpy unpaved roads, row after row of wooden houses with washing lines strung up outside. Growing up here, Peter learned to think quickly. He often had to get himself out of difficult situations because, as the only mixed-race kid in his neighbourhood, he stood out. Because I was the only one in the ghetto, white, you know. In the 90s, people didn't like the white people, you know?
Starting point is 00:14:13 Peter doesn't describe himself as mixed race. He describes himself as white. The first time I hear this, I'm taken aback. He points to his skin as he says it. And I hear the same thing from other mixed race people I meet in Kenya, that they're seen and often see them. themselves as white. It makes me think about how we see race
Starting point is 00:14:37 and how it is constructed socially and historically. It's often the part that's different around which our identities are formed. So even when I was born, they were saying a macas to the family. That's what they used to believe in because of the white people who came here, murdered our women, raped our women.
Starting point is 00:15:01 You know, they still have those things. in their mind. They know white people are bad, you know. That's what the old generation knows about white people. So we were having a very hard time, you know. Not all children of British soldiers in Anuki are mixed race, but for those who are, even everyday life can be more challenging. Making this series, I've heard about shops increasing their prices for mixed-raced customers, and of a mixed-raced child being taunted and called a coloniser. Kenya was, of course, a British colony until the 60s.
Starting point is 00:15:36 Being mixed race in rural Kenya, not only did Peter grow up not knowing his white British father, he hardly knew any white people. His only connection to his father was the colour of his skin. Throughout his childhood, he was desperate to know more about his other side. When he was a teenager, he travelled to the army base on the outskirts of Nanyuki to ask for help finding his dad. They told me they have an office for, I don't know, they call it something affairs.
Starting point is 00:16:08 We try to get some help from them. We try to get an appointment to see the officer in charge of that office. The British base has liaison officers to communicate with the local community. Peter says he was told he needed to speak to one of them. I should go there. I try to go there, but they never gave me an appointment. They always used to tell me the one in charge, is not around. The one in charge is not around.
Starting point is 00:16:35 The next year, he tried again. But once more, Peter says, he was shooed away. I tried my best to find my dad. And I always needed him. As a boy, you need your dad most. Peter later tried to ask an NGO for help finding his father. He scoured social media, searching for what his mum told him his father's name was.
Starting point is 00:17:00 Before long he found someone. The moment he saw the photo, he was convinced it was him. But when Peter sent a message, he was blocked. All my energy was gone. I was hopeless. And since that day, I've been very hopeless. Peter's childhood hope turns into adult despair. I couldn't do anything about my dad, you know.
Starting point is 00:17:28 It came a point I said, ah, Enough is enough. Let me forget about him, you know. And I start drinking, drinking, drinking, drinking. And the more you drink, the more stress you get. You know? I was shaking, like, when I don't drink in the morning, I shake. You know? Take drugs. I don't sleep enough. I don't eat enough. I well, you know, all stressed up, I don't shower, I don't, I'm just living. You know?
Starting point is 00:17:59 I'm hopeless, like a hopeless person, you know? You're just living for the sake of living. You're just existing, but you're nobody. You're feeling like you're nobody. In his 20s on the weekends, he goes out to Nanuki's infamous bars and clubs, the same bars where his mom and dad met. When he sees the British soldiers, his rage boils over. Even I fight with them with the British soldiers in the club.
Starting point is 00:18:27 You know, they are very stupid. Those boys, you know, they are 20, 21, 22, you know. They are very stupid. They have bad language, you know. So many times I fight with them. For me, because I was angry at my dad, I was angry at every white man. You know? Because I see what my dad did to my mom,
Starting point is 00:18:48 also these boys will do the same to other women. So they are all the same, you know. Peter's mom is also drinking heavily. The ghost of his dad haunts her too. At night, he lies awake, listening as she plays the music that she and his dad enjoyed together in the 90s. Even when she drinks, she put music,
Starting point is 00:19:13 she has to call my dad's name. That name I used to hear it a lot of times, my dad's name. Even though they were only together for a few months, she can't let go. the dashed dreams of a better future, the lack of information about what happened, why he never returned.
Starting point is 00:19:34 My mum always tell me that she loved my dad. Even she got married to another man, her heart is still with him, you know. When Peter is in his late 20s, his mom's health deteriorates and her drinking worsens. When you bring her food, she throw it away. You think she has eaten, but she has driven it. So she was finishing herself slowly, slowly, you know, because of the stress.
Starting point is 00:20:02 And she always stopped to see my dad one day, you know. She never gave up on him. Peter's mum dies just after his 30th birthday. He feels alone. His desperation to find his dad is now overpowering. By this time, Peter says that he has been to the British military base to ask for help six times. Two weeks after his mum's death,
Starting point is 00:20:31 he goes to the base again. He asks the same questions and gets the same response. He goes to a nearby bar and he drinks. After he leaves, he feels compelled to go back to the army base. It's pulling him in like a magnet.
Starting point is 00:20:50 He gazes up at the five-meter security fence. I think I have that blood, that military blood for my dad. I'm never scared, you know. Peter starts to climb. The soldiers in the watchtower turn their guns on him. They shout, enemy, enemy.
Starting point is 00:21:08 But Peter doesn't stop. He shouts back, how can you shoot me? I'm one of your people. He keeps climbing until the military police pull up on the street below. Then he lets go and drops to the floor. Every time I get such response from someone,
Starting point is 00:21:26 I get more strong, you know. The struggles I go through, they make me stronger every day, you know. Seeing the damage that alcohol caused to his mum was the push that Peter needed to stop his own drinking. Instead, he focused on the one thing that made him feel better, his work as a chef. It always make me happy when I'm cooking for people. When I'm cooking, I don't think I feel free, you know?
Starting point is 00:21:55 By the time we meet him, Peter is in a much better place. He now has a three. year old son of his own. I will try to do my best and not repeat the mistakes my dad did. And seeing him with his son, Joe, it's clear that he's a very different kind of father. Joe is never more than a step or two away from Peter's side as they walk around the farm, picking fruit from the bushes to eat. But Peter's yearning for his father has never faded.
Starting point is 00:22:24 There's always a feeling that a dad brings to the family. There's some love you get from your dad, you don't get from your mom, you know. Like, I was missing a lot, a lot. He tells me he loves the idea of living in the UK. My blood is British. When I see the British flag somewhere, I always feel something in my... Yeah, I get goosebumps. His face lights up as he talks.
Starting point is 00:22:54 I remember what he told me about his mum, how she dreamed of meeting a white man and moving to the UK. Peter has conflicting emotions. A patriotism for Britain, a country he knows little of, as well as a rage towards their soldiers. And he yearns for the love of his father, but he feels anger at the man who left his mum. It's clear that the DNA project is reigniting a hope in him,
Starting point is 00:23:21 which he lost many years ago. But I have to ask, How would he feel if things don't go to plan? What if he's found and he just completely refuses to engage? How would that feel for you? Okay, I would feel bad because I still love him. Yeah? And he can change my life if I meet him.
Starting point is 00:23:52 Over the five days we're spending Anuki, the numbers involved in this project snowball. By the time we leave, DNA samples have been collected from 17 people. The oldest is 69. He believes his father was an army officer when Kenya was still a British colony in the 50s. It's clear we're tapping into a pattern that spans decades. And it continues. The youngest is just 18 months old. As we leave for the airport, in my head, I run back over all the people we've spoken to. the mothers in desperate need of child support,
Starting point is 00:24:33 the women searching for answers about why their partners left, and the children eager to understand the other half of their identity. Those suspicions we encountered on the first day have given way to optimism, and the mood among Kelvin and the other lawyers is high. It's been an amazing week. Do you ever think that, like, what if people get in touch to their fathers, but being these men in their lives actually makes their lives worse? Sadly, it is one of the options available.
Starting point is 00:25:08 But in the end, it solves the question of who was my father. I mean, it gives them closure to their end. But to the extent of whether a compatible relationship is formed thereafter, it's a question. There is so much hope, so much possibility. But I can't shake a feeling of nervousness. What if people's fathers are not found and hopes are dashed? And what if this project opens a Pandora's box that no one's prepared for? At Britbox, character is everything.
Starting point is 00:25:53 Stream the iconic characters defining British TV on Britbox, including Ludwig. I think I might just have solved a murder. Vera. Now we're getting somewhere. Agatha Christie's Poirot. I'm sure. And more beloved favourites. I'm a policeman.
Starting point is 00:26:06 I'm professional. I'm a tie. I'm more. I'm the Duchess of York. Once you know them, you never quite forget them. I ain't being vain. I just am special. Stream the best of British TV on Britbox.
Starting point is 00:26:17 Watch with a free trial today at Britbox.com. Chicago, 2011. A cop is murdered. Police and prosecutors swear they have the trigger man. He swears he didn't do it. How far will each side go to prove their right? Like it's just one bombshell after another. You know, where you're like, what?
Starting point is 00:26:37 What? The story of a PlayStation, a brain-eating amoeba, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Off-duty, out now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, James, it's Ivana here. I just wondered if you had any news about the DNA results. Back in London, the wait for the DNA results begins. We were told this process would take weeks, but the weeks turn into months.
Starting point is 00:27:10 And the participants in Kenya tell me they're feeling restless and impatient. Until. James. Hi, how are you? God, so nice to see you. Last time it was Kenya. Very different.
Starting point is 00:27:24 Lovely to meet you. On an unusually sunny March day in London, I meet one of the project's lawyers, James Netto. He's joined by Denise Syndicom Court. She's the geneticists from King's College London, who was taking the DNA samples in Nanyuki. It feels like it's been ages. It's been waiting.
Starting point is 00:27:42 We're in the offices of James's law firm in London, and it has a glorious view overlooking St Paul's Cathedral. Please park yourself here. Not busy day, yes. The tension in the room is palpable, because today is the day. I was excited as well. As a scientist, I do look at it objectively.
Starting point is 00:28:04 So we've got some really interesting results, some surprising results. Denise has been analysed. the DNA samples. Fine. All right then. Do you want to have a look at what I've put on the PowerPoint? Sure. So which one should we look at it now? She's been investigating whether their DNA matches with anyone else who has uploaded their sample to Ancestri's huge database of tens of millions of people.
Starting point is 00:28:27 Where she finds a match, she analyzes the samples to see how close the relative is. And today, she's going to reveal what she's found, to us. But more importantly, to James' client. who are on the phone from Nanyuki. Your connection is a bit wobbly. We call Kenny and Laura Kelvin. He has gathered together several of the participants in his office so James and Denise can talk to them directly.
Starting point is 00:28:52 We have a full house here today. Thank you everyone for your patients. We've had a lot of work to do going through these DNA results, so thank you very much for waiting. I hope it hasn't been too long. What we're going to do, what we intend to do, speak to each one of you individually so that we can discuss the DNA results we've now have to have to be
Starting point is 00:29:09 One by one, the participants take the phone. One woman is told that her uncle has been found, and a man is told that he might have a half-brother. These are all close matches. It's amazing to have found any kind of relative. But there is one result, which is a direct hit. This is the news that Denise is most excited to deliver. So we have one case where we're confident.
Starting point is 00:29:39 We have the parent and we have his name as well. Wow. This is Case P. James and his paralegals have assigned each of the cases a letter. On the table in front of him are a dozen folders, one for each case. And Case P, the one with a bullseye on the father, is someone we know well. So Peter, can you hear me properly? Yeah, I can hear well. Great. I've got some exciting news for you.
Starting point is 00:30:07 We have been able to find your dad. Really? That's good. That's good. Yeah, we found out who your dad is. His father is a man in his 50s, living in Yorkshire in the north of England. That's good. I'm happy to hear that. Thank you very much. I know this is a lot to take in at short notice, but this is brilliant news. I will reach out to start some communication with him. How do you feel about this? I'm excited and also confused.
Starting point is 00:30:36 but I hope I will be able to see him and meet him. Yeah, that's all I want. There's no promise as to how things will go, but we'll try hard. There's no guarantee that your father will want to engage with you. Look, it's his decision. Okay, thank you very much. Okay, James, thank you. Bye-bye.
Starting point is 00:30:57 Kelvin tells me that after the call, Peter is in tears, overcome by emotion. In the room in London, James is grinning. And there is still more news to deliver. The next voice on the line is Cathy's. Kathy. Can we speak to Kathy, please? Yeah, Cathy. Kathy, hey, it's great to see you again. How you doing?
Starting point is 00:31:16 Yes, it's nice to see you too. Denise's PowerPoint chart shows what analysis of Kathy's DNA has revealed about her heritage. 19% Scottish, 15% English slash north-western Europe, and then 10% Germanic. But the only relatives they've managed to find are much more distant than Peter. Distant connections. What are we talking? Half great aunt or uncle or a great grandaunt or uncle. However, James is not just relying on the DNA analysis to find his fathers. Cathy and her mum Maggie provided so much information about Cathy's father,
Starting point is 00:31:57 his name, his Facebook account. James has managed to track him down to a town on the south coast of England. All these bits of the jigsaw, when you put them together, it really does show that this gentleman is really quite likely that this gentleman is your dad. And the next step is to write to him. He might just block me, he might ignore me. I don't know. You're definitely, definitely, definitely British. There's no two ways about it.
Starting point is 00:32:23 Good to know. So, yes. How do you feel about it? I'm conflicted in a way. But I have hopes. Yeah, I do. James sits back in his chair and looks relieved. And I can feel Kelvin's delight even over the unstable connection. Yeah, it's been a good day today.
Starting point is 00:32:48 Really good time to kick off. It's a good beginning and we are on the right foot. So thank you, James, thank you, team. And have a blessed afternoon. Kelvin, can you hear me? Yes, I can hear you. It's six months later and a lot has happened. I can see you.
Starting point is 00:33:08 I can see you. James has been writing to the potential fathers he's found, and some of their responses have surprised us. A few have written back to James saying they want to make contact with their children. Today, James is sitting on a video call waiting for a father and son to join. They are about to speak to each other for the very first time. At the start of this process, we didn't know if we would find any fathers, let us. let alone witness a reunion. A man in his 50s appears on the screen,
Starting point is 00:33:42 then a man in his 30s with a toddler on his lap. It's Peter and his son Joe. Peter's dad didn't want to be part of the series, so you will just hear Peter's half of the conversation. Gambo, I'm happy to see you. I'm struck by the warmth between them, by the ease of the conversation. Peter's bottom lip quivers.
Starting point is 00:34:04 I'm just happy that you accepted me. Peter says that his dad tells him that he had no idea Peter's mom was pregnant and that he had a son. He asks about his life and Peter tells him that he's a chef. We make barbecue together when I come. I hope we see us very soon. I say God love for you, Dad.
Starting point is 00:34:27 Dad, it rolls off his tongue so easily. This is the moment Peter has been dreaming of all his life. The moment he was grasping for as he threw himself at the fence of the British military camp. Promises are made about adding him to the family WhatsApp group,
Starting point is 00:34:46 maybe meeting in person one day. Thank you for your time, Dad. I'm too happy today. Take care to Dad. Bye, Dad. After the call, Peter is sitting with his little boy Joe in his lap. His eyes are glistening.
Starting point is 00:35:05 He's looking into the distance. trying to gather his thoughts. Speaking to my dad for the first time, it hasn't be easy. I feel different now than how I used to feel before. It's a different feeling that I can't explain right now. Like right now, I found my dad.
Starting point is 00:35:28 I feel like I have someone, you understand? But all in all, all, like I found my dad. But all in all, I forgive him for everything. My hope for the future is I spend more time with him. All the pain that I've been carrying all this 30 years, thinking about my dad, all the discrimination I get from people. That's what has come out.
Starting point is 00:35:59 You know, that pain has come out as joy. Peter's dad is no longer a ghost. This man who represents the other half of Peter's identity is now very real. The father he's been so desperate for now feels so close. I just hope it delivers. There's one other person that everyone has been desperate to find a match for.
Starting point is 00:36:33 Yvonne's mum died when she was a baby and she believed her dad did too. We met her in her village and she told us about her dream to be a journalist. The initial DNA results only found a very distant relative. It didn't seem particularly hopeful. But one day, I'm on my way into work when I get a voice note from James that stops me in my tracks.
Starting point is 00:36:58 Ivana, hi, it's James here. I just wanted to give you some breaking news. So, Yvonne, the young woman whose mother is very sadly deceased. He's got a lead in her car. case. Yvonne's DNA has been matched with a woman who is her distant relative. James has spoken to this woman and asked her if anyone in the family has links to the British military. She could think of no one she was related to who had any links to the British army apart from one chap. I found him on LinkedIn and his LinkedIn profile reveals that he was in
Starting point is 00:37:36 Kenya between 2005 and 2009, which means he was there. when Yvonne was conceived and born. This man could be Yvonne's father. And this man is not dead. Yvonne, the orphan, may not be an orphan. But can we find him? We are looking for this chap all over the shop. And every time we try and knock on his door, he's not there.
Starting point is 00:38:05 That's next time on World of Secrets. This has been episode three or five of season. 12 of World of Secrets, Searching for Soldier Dad from the BBC World Service. World of Secrets, Searching for Soldier Dad is a long-form audio production for the BBC World Service. It's presented by me, Ivana Davidovich. The series is produced and written by Josephine Cassily. The series editor is Matt Willis. Sound design and mix by Tom Brignall. We would like as many people as possible to hear our investigations, so please Please leave a rating and a review and do tell others about world of secrets.
Starting point is 00:39:06 At Britbox, character is everything. Stream the iconic characters defining British TV on Britbox, including Ludwig. I think I might just have solved a murder. Vera. Now we're getting so weird. Agatha Christie's Poirot. Oh, sure. And more beloved favourites.
Starting point is 00:39:22 I'm a policeman. I'm professional. I'm a time lord. I'm the Duchess of York. Once you know them, you never quite forget them. I be in vain. I just am special. Stream the best of British TV on Britbox.
Starting point is 00:39:34 Watch with a free trial today at Britbox.com.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.