Name: Long-lost brothers meet after 80 years apart
Uploaded: 2025-12-09T13:50:02.523Z
Duration: 1 min 42 s
Description: Canadian Frank McGrath and his Dutch grandniece Amber Hogervorst tell The National about the moment Frank met Frans Bannik, the brother he never knew existed.

Canadian Frank McGrath and his Dutch grandniece Amber Hogervorst tell The National about the moment Frank met Frans Bannik, the brother he never knew existed.

Frank McGrath and Frans Baneg, half-brothers separated for 80 years, recently met for the first time. Their father, a Canadian soldier stationed in the Netherlands during World War II, was unaware he had a son there, while Frank grew up in Canada.

The brothers' connection was discovered after Frans' granddaughter arranged a DNA test, leading to email contact and their eventual reunion. Both men were raised as only children and have since found many similarities, now working to make up for lost time and share family history.

Long-lost brothers meet after 80 years apart

This is Frank McGrath and Frans Baneg. They are half-brothers who only recently found out about each other. So here's a story. Their father was a Canadian soldier in the Netherlands during the Second World War. Frans is still there now but thanks to his granddaughter and a DNA test the brothers have finally met and that makes our moment. Hey, big brother. I didn't know he existed. He didn't know I existed. It's like we've known each other forever. I got a DNA test. We convinced our grandfather to do a test as well. My grandfather had a half-brother in Canada. I sent Frank an email immediately and he responded a few weeks later. My father was a soldier in the Canadian Army. He spent seven, eight months in Belgium and the Netherlands. He was probably separated from Frans' mother as he was repositioned. I met another Dutch girl who was my mother and she emigrated to Canada. For my grandfather to have a brother, you can win the lottery, and this felt like that. They have so many similarities as well. Just the little things, the way they sit, the way they talk. We're very comfortable together. Comparing our histories, we were both brought up as only children. He was this spitting image of our father. We have this common link and it's amazingly strong. It's unbelievable. That's lovely. So Frans never knew his father. His father had no idea he had a son in the Netherlands. But Frank grew up with his dad, so he's been filling in Frans on all that he missed. They have a lot of time to make up for.

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