Former RAF man and superspy Harold ‘Lee’ Tracey originally born in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland passed away at the age of 93 in Shropshire, May 2019, the Belfast Telegraph reported. It was believed that he had no next of kin and it was feared that Mr Tracey would have no one at his funeral.  However, the article said the Shrewsbury RAF Association gave Mr Tracey a hero’s send-off with 250 military veterans standing in salute for a man who worked for MI6, bugging hotel rooms and everyday items on politicians’ desks; years later he developed technology that we still use today such as police bodycams.

When Finders International heard that no family had been located to attend his funeral, they stepped in to trace the family tree leading them to Samuel Brooks, the nephew of Mr Tracey.  Samuel was eight years old when he last saw his uncle, the article reports.  Samuel had been sent away to a children’s home by his violent father but fondly remembers Mr Tracey, or ‘Lee’ as he was known to Samuel, as an incredibly interesting man, “I thought he was brilliant.”

The article said that Samuel, a keen inventor himself, was heartbroken to not only discover that his uncle had passed away but that he had not been able to attend the funeral. “The first I heard about it was I got a knock at the door two weeks ago…from heir hunters Finders International.

If I had known where he was I would have been there every day with him. He could have come and lived with me and my wife here and we would have looked after him because he gave me hope and a little joy when I had none in that children’s home. And that meant so much to me.”

You can read the full Belfast Telegraph article here.

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