A request to find out about his grandad’s service in the police had unexpected consequences for Paul Hewitt.
Cheshire Police Museum Researcher Will Brown was asked to investigate Paul’s grandad Inspecter James Hewit.
And a twist of fate some years later revealed that Paul and his family had an unknown cousin living in New Zealand.
Paul’s oldest brother Malcolm explained that Paul approached the museum in 2016 to find out about their grandad who served in their home town of Warrington. Paul and Will kept in touch over the years.
“Earlier this year Will made contact with Paul and informed him that someone else was requesting help in finding information regarding our grandad, this person said that Inspector James Hewitt was also his grandad, the plot thickens,” said Malcolm.
Will asked for further details from the other party, Ben Sheppard, and the Hewitt family subsequently received a 20-page email proving Ben’s claim.
Malcolm said: “I was tasked to make contact with this person, which I was very happy to do, as this person was in fact a cousin who had been given up for adoption at birth and now resides in New Zealand on the other side of the world. “
They discovered that Brian and his wife Lee, have a son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. Emails were exchanged and a plan to meet in the UK was hatched.
Malcome said: “We as a family were totally unaware that Brian even existed and were not aware that any of my other cousins had any knowledge of him.
“We were all very happy that Brian wanted to visit not only his adoptive family but also his birth family. This he did and what a trip down memory lane it was.”
Brian arrived in the UK in September and went to visit his step-sister Jean. Then he stayed at Malcolms’s home in Norwich, Norfolk, where he met his cousin Paul who travelled from London. He also met Malcolm’s wife Margaret, nephew Scott with his wife Suzi and their children Max and Barney.
Malcolm said: “Later, on that eventful evening we all joined together with Brian and delved into our many old photographs and memories of our past family.
“Brian found this most informative and found some snaps of his birth father and his mum, our auntie when she was a young woman.”
After the visit Malcolm, Paul and Brian travelled to Warrington for a stay. They visited the Police Museum in Arpley Street, which had been instrumental in them making contact.
They enjoyed a tour hosted by Manager Peter Hampson and volunteers.
Malcolm said: “We all had different questions about policing and bygone events all of which were answered in very professional manner I am very much aware that the three of us would have never met had in not been for the museum for which we are most grateful.
“After our visit we moved on to find dwellings that our grandparents used to live and to show Brian, enabling him to return home to New Zealand with memories of not only Warrington but his grandparents as well.”
They visited St Wilfrid’s Church, Grappenhall, where Brian’s birth parents were married, and then to a care home in Grappenhall where a cousin is receiving care.
Later that night they met another cousin and his family had travelled to join them.
Malcolm said: “We all had a pleasant evening discussing old times and family matters none of which would have happened without the help and dedication of the Museum of Policing once again many thanks.”