13 May 2012

WWII group of six - Fredrick Ellis


One of the many contacts Lost Medals Australia has is with Australia War Graves who recently passed Bill's details to James Eastwood who was researching the lost medals  of VX4203 Fredrick Ernest Ellis. James had purchased the medals from a curio shop in Geelong. Today, with help from Bill, James had the distinctive honour and pleasure of speaking to Fredrick's daughter, Lynley. Bill says that finding Lynley was 'lucky' research but if you have followed our blog will know this is a euphemism for long hours at the State Library hunting through the newspaper archives and their old electoral rolls.
What is most important is that Fredrick's medals are going home. How the medals came to be in a coin and curio shop in Geelong is a question that none of us can answer. But as Bill said to both Lynley and James how they got there is not as important as James's generosity, his patience to see the search through and his trust that we would help him find Fred's family. Now after many travels a soldier's medals have 'come home'.
The returned medal tally is now 1138.

3 comments:

  1. My mother, Lynley passed Papa's (Fredrick Ellis) medals to me (his grand daughter) earlier this year. Today, I had the honour of wearing these medals to the Dawn Service in Canberra. I am so proud of Papa and felt that much closer to him today. So I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you Glyn and Jim for the time and effort you put in to finding us and returning Papa's medals home to us. It means the world to us. As Dr Nelson said today, its about "values not value".
    Warmest regards
    Georgianna Duggan.

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    1. It's amazing how the internet works! I am sitting here watching the march with my mother Diane Taylor, daughter of my Grandfather Frederick Ernest Ellis and we were researching my Grandfather. Mum had no idea that she still didn't have his medals as she had moved to Melbourne and normally only brings out the small replicas. and we're now trying to work out how she came to no longer have them! We're blown away by the timing of this and it's amazing to hear you're marching with the very same medals that I used to match with in Geelong as a child. We'd like to get in touch!! Regard, Aaron Frederick Taylor. Soon to be Aaron Frederick Ellis. My email is aaronfellis79@gmail.com

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    2. By no means take my response to indicate we're looking for the medals back. There is both sides to the family obviously. We're just glad to hear you're matching with them and suprised my Mum no longer had them! March proud. Feel free to get in touch!

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