Mike Royden's Local History Pages

BNN Mission Unfindable - The Family of Adolf Hitler' - presenter: Katja Schuurman

The brief of the programme was to research the family of Adolf Hitler and to track down living relatives. I was telephoned by the producer Marlin Weghorst of the Dutch BNN TV programme who wanted to come to Liverpool to follow the Liverpool link with the Hitler family.

(Hitler's half brother Alois lived in Upper Stanhope Street c.1911/13. His son William was born there in 1912. What has been vigorously debated over the years is to whether or not Adolf visited Alois during 1912/13. Personally I don't believe that there is any reliable evidence to say that he did and it is highly likely that he was in Vienna at the time he was supposed to be in Liverpool).

Here presenter Katja Schuurman is Googling for what she can find on Hitler's family.

Katja Schuurman Googling for Hitler relatives

Katja comes across an article on my website which had been written after a similar enquiry from Radio 4 and had featured on the Making History programme a few months earlier.

Mike Royden meeting Katja Schuurman near the Record Office

'Liverpool Record Office'

Clearly not the record office, but the Picton Reading Room in Liverpool Central Library, but this was the location used to give the Dutch TV viewer the impression it was the L.R.O.

'Liverpool Record Office'

I also had to pretend to retrieve birth and marriage certificates, and other documents conveniently poking out from one of the shelves of the gallery behind the clock (while getting reassurance that it wouldn't be shown in the UK :-) But that was before the advent of IPlayer and TV programmes being uploaded to the net).

Can I get the 86 here?

Katja and crew look like they are waiting for a bus, but they are discussing the next shot in Dale Street.

Alois Hitler was know to have been a waiter in a restaurant near here in 1912.

Upper Stanhope Street

This is the former location of Alois Hitler's family home.

Upper Stanhope Street

Katja, Director and Producer

Upper Stanhope Street

Adjusting the microphone pick-up. So he said anyway. Three other blokes look on to make sure everything is ok.

Beauties and the Beast

Katja and producer Marlin with Mike Royden

Watch the programme

An 'iplayer' format of the full programme acan be watched on the BNN TV website here. This was broadcast on Dutch TV, but much of it is in English or subtitled. The first 10 minutes or so are in Dutch. This includes a visit to an establishment where genetics are studied.

You may need to download and install the Windows plug-in from the page this link directs you to ensure the video player runs.

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