tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192199024815760901.post4975654957606530197..comments2024-03-20T19:00:53.291+11:00Comments on Lost Medals Australia: Thomas Joshua LyonsLost Medals Australiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06304542743529806167noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192199024815760901.post-80448225798611447362015-03-31T11:39:06.203+11:002015-03-31T11:39:06.203+11:00Thank you Glyn and your team for all your hard wor...Thank you Glyn and your team for all your hard work. It was an extraordinary day yesterday when I was contacted by the ABC at Newcastle and told of the discovery of this medal. The medal was stolen from my parents house in 1983 along with a lot of other memorabilia and pre-decimal coin collections.<br /><br />I knew nothing about this medal as my father never spoke of his family or relatives for what reason I do not know. The only thing I knew about this particular person was that in the mid 90's my mother gave me a medallion from the Australian government to record the death of my great uncle.<br /><br />When I was in Normandy last October, I suddenly remembered my late mother doing this and emailed my sister Darina to ask her what details she knew of this great uncle as perhaps I could visit his grave if he was indeed killed in Europe. Through another amazing coincidence she had attended that day a funeral for a good friend and met a lady who was into genealogy and she discussed my request with her. That lady came up with the name Lyons which was a small help but there were still over 300 of them registered as serving in the First World War. The medallion my mother had given me could not be located. Through the efforts of my sister and her friend I was given the name Thomas James Lyons and through a process of elimination actually found his records at the Australian War Memorial site.<br />What a larrikin he was. If anybody wants to read a good story, please go into his records as he was 42 years and 8 months when he enlisted, a single man being a commercial traveller from Victoria, and a huge physical presence. He was court-martialled for disobeying an order and strangely changed his name by statutory declaration in January 1917 when he went AWOL in England for a short time. I believe I am the first relatives to actually ever visit his grave.<br /><br />There are many questions surrounding why he enrolled at such a late age, why had he never married, why did he go AWOL in England and change his name, why was his Battalion actually at Polyoon Woods the day he received his wounds when they were supposed to be resting at Armenteries?<br /><br />All I can say is I am eternally grateful for the return of the medal and will reunite it with the medallion given to me by my mother.<br /><br />Please keep up the good work.<br /><br />Leo MuggletonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192199024815760901.post-31676216130158625102015-03-30T22:21:07.343+11:002015-03-30T22:21:07.343+11:00Well done Rod ... and what a wonderful outcome :)Well done Rod ... and what a wonderful outcome :)Sandra Playlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07941141599126397334noreply@blogger.com