Long-lost nephew turns up on Long Eaton doorstep playing bagpipes

A Derbyshire man had the Christmas Day surprise of his life when he unexpectedly met his Canadian half nephew for the first time when he showed up playing bagpipes at his front door.

Tom Russell, 74, of Towell Grove, Long Eaton, said he began exploring his family tree after he retired in 2010.

“Over the years I was successful in finding most of my relatives in the UK, Ireland and Italy, with the help of family members and, of course, the Internet,” he said. “The one missing part was my father’s family, and all I had was the fact he was in the Canadian army during WW2, and based in England.”

The former Royal Mail man said that his father Thomas Hutchinson, who was his half nephew’s grandfather, fought in both world wars.

He moved to Canada from Dundee, Scotland, at some point after the end of the First World War before returning to Britain close to the start of the Second World War.

After fathering Mr Russell he was unable to take him back to Canada. He was then adopted after his mother lost her job.

After his daughter helped in the search on Facebook, Mr Russell managed to make contact with someone in Canada using his father’s military rank of Regimental Sergeant Major.

He made “discreet enquiries” to the contact, who was his half nephew Brian Hutchinson, and found that “various small details and dates (about his father) matched”.

“As the contact was now very intrigued, I revealed the reason for my veiled questioning, at which point he became very excited as he had for some years thought there was something he didn’t know,” said Mr Russell. “We investigated further to the point we did a DNA test which proved a perfect match.”

The “biggest shock” was yet to come however. On Christmas Day Mr Russell’s half nephew, Brian Hutchinson, in his 60s, appeared outside his front door playing the bagpipes, having flown in overnight from Toronto.

He then celebrated New Year’s Eve with his uncle before heading out across England. He has visited numerous locations including Nottingham and York. He will visit London before returning home to Woodstock, Ontario.

Watching the “accomplished” bagpipe player arrive was almost too much for Mr Russell who said he “virtually collapsed in a heap”.

“I’m still very emotional about it,” he said. “The rest of the family were in on it whilst I was kept in the dark like a mushroom.”