I have tried for 5 years to find out where and when my father, Ivor Hopwood, died in Australia. I have contacted all the state BMD departments and tried all the main geneological sites to find out where and when he died in Australia but had no success. I have also put appeals for information in several newspapers but did not get a single response. He seems simply to have gone 'off the radar'.
Ivor was the twin brother of Eric who was born near Mold, Flintshire in North Wales,UK on 4th July 1919. His father was William Alfred Hopwood who was a Primary School Headmaster and his mother was Annie Connah. He had siblings, Eric, his twin brother, Eileen born 1921, Dorothy born 1924 and Cyril born 1926.
I know that my mother received a letter from a solicitor informing her that he had died intestate in Australia and asking her her had she a claim on his estate. I never saw the letter but I can only guess that it arrived in the 1960's or 1970's. His occupation whilst he was in the UK was a telecommunications engineer. He married 3 times - the first time to my mother Iris Davies in Holywell in 1941, the second to Elinor Thursfield in Manchester UK in 1951 and finally to Margaret Brown in Preston in 1954. Myself and my brother, also Ivor were the only children of these marriages. His departure to Australia would therefore be after 1954. I have searched the register for the deaths of British citizens who died overseas but his name does not appear in that. I have had searches done for me in all the Australian states (except Tasmania), by people who work in the BMD departments but they could not find a record of his death up to 1974.
I have also contacted an ABC TV programme called 'Can we Help' hoping that they would take the search on board for me but so far I have had no reply.
Can anyone help me find out where he died and when? I hope to visit Australia in October and I would like to see where my father is buried. (I am 68 years old!!!!)
