2 medal stories

More great work from Bill

One of our most enduring relationships is with the Victorian Police force, an organisation who the longer I deal with its uniformed officers, the more grows my admiration and respect.

The following are two stories, that while successful in their outcomes, are different in their reporting.

This is two stories in one, both in support of the Victoria Police.

In the first case it was four medals, 39-45 and Pacific Stars the War Medal and the 39-35 ASM. It all began with an email:

'G’day Bill, I have been given your details in the belief that you may be able to assist us’

And so the search began that concluded this week with the return of an ex POW’s medals to his surviving family.

The second story began with a phone call from Senior Constable Amy Virgona of the Frankston Police Station. Amy had the medals of VX20252 Derek Leslie Austin, which had been handed in by a builder after been found on a house renovation site.

In many ways the search was straightforward, and it was from Derek’s death notice that I obtained the names of his surviving children. Two phone calls later and I was finally able to speak to his eldest son, Bill. I've now passed Bill’s details to Amy for her to arrange the return.

Derek Austin had quite an interesting military career, enlisting in June 1940, at the age of 19 he would see service in the Middle East, as part of the Tobruk Garrison, an experience that would stamp him as one of a select band of people; a Rat of Tobruk. Its emblem he wore proudly on his medal bar. He would also wear the Polish Armed Forces in the West Military Cross of which only 100 were awarded to Australians who served alongside Polish forces in Tobruk. Derek later served in New Guinea. 

From these two stories, 12 more medals have been returned. The tally is now 1593.

Family relationship chart

I have come across this chart which helps work out family relationship across generations.

Hubert Gell

Hubert Edwin Gell was the son of Albert and Daisy Gell. His brother was Alan and sister was Dorothy Daisy Gell. Neither Hubert or Alan married and they died in 1969 and 1990 respectively. It was Dorothy's family who I then followed.
Dorothy was married to Edwin William Dale, their daughter was Hazel Temple Dale who married Aubrey Richmond Goldsmith. It is the grandson of Hazel and Aubrey who I've recently been in contact with and to who I'll send the medals to.
Hubert's medals are in as issued condition and have never been mounted for wear. Thanks to Angela G who sent the medals to me.
The returned medal tally is now 1581.

 

 

Walter Lyons

It is Bill's turn to have a purple patch.

The story begins as so many of late with an email from an RSL sub-branch. On this occasion it was from Trevor Clerke, the Secretary of the Port Vincent RSL sub-branch, SA.

‘We recently had handed to us WW1 medals for 2628 Walter Roy Lyons. One of the townsfolk, well into their 70's were finally cleaning out some of the effects from their parents who had run a boarding house in Sale, this they think that is how the medals were in his Dad's general box of bits (like we all have). They have no ribbons but are tied together, with what appears to be jeweller’s chain’.

And so the search began.

Walter was 21 when he enlisted on the 26 May 1915, serving in France as a driver with the 3^rd Field Artillery Brigade. Like many returning Soldiers from the First World war, Roy never married, spending the years following WW1 as an itinerant worker. While this presented problems in trying to track his travels, it later transpired that he kept in constant touch with his family. I did find his brother Charles, who also had served in France during WW1 and WIA, but he too proved to be equally elusive. However, it was the relationship Walter kept up with his sister, Kathleen that helped in the end to locate his family. I might also add the death notice of his niece Barbara Sexton, the daughter of Kathleen, that played no little part in the conclusion of the search. That conclusion was locating Frank Sexton, Walter’s great nephew.

I recently received the following from Frank;

“Hi Bill and Trevor, thank you so very much for the effort in tracking our family line and contacting me. When I was first contacted by Fiona from Anne Wilson Funerals and then spoke to you Bill, the news that my Great Uncles medals had been found was unbelievable and for me like winning the lottery. I had just turned 8 when "Uncle Roy" as we called him died, but remember him always happy to see us and always so nice to me.

In later years I had wondered what happened to his and his brother's personal property as they had no other family, but put it down to those who don’t really have the same respect for history as some of us. No matter, the fact that you have again given his family a tangible connection to Uncle Roy and to a life changing part of his life as a 21 year old is absolutely wonderful. 

Bill, once I have the medals mounted and on display it will be a pleasure to send you photos.’

Shortly, Trevor will be meeting with Frank Sexton, Walter’s great nephew where the medals long missing from the family, will ‘go home’.

The returned medal tally is now 1575.

 

 

 

Frederick Glover

This is Bill's story about the lost 1939-1945 Australian Service Medal of PM6121 Frederick John Glover. Bill also has some advice for readers.

“About 3 years ago at a dawn service in Hastings” was the reply to my question asking Frederick’s son John when had he last seen his father’s ASM. The obvious question from John to me “how did you get them, where have they been?” was I had to admit circumspect. It was handed into ANZAC House in Melbourne last week but where they have been for the last three years I did not know.

The return, as has been the case so often lately, is a result of some fine sleuthing by the team of the Australian Surname Group. A brilliant bit of deductive reason by Liz who thought of researching the ABN number of Plasters, to find John, as he was a plasterer by trade. And a bit of research by yours truly who spent considerable hours on the internet, punching in a wide series of combinations, then ringing around. (Oh I will dread this month’s bill.)

However I closed my post to the Australian Surname Group Forum with this somewhat impromptu remark:

‘I dread ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day, since the 11th I have received 3 medals in the mail, all of which appear to have come unstuck or unpinned. Medals are too heavy for safety pins.’

But unfortunately people are loathe to change the set up on Dad’s or Grandad’s medals. The pins worked okay for 40 or more years for him or her. So why not for me?

Well ribbon degrades with time, it tears, pins bend under stress, and come undone.

Look at the pin, you can see how it has become bent out of alignment with time, particularly when you look at the size of the medal and its apparent weight.

So to all our followers if you have a relatives medals, please check them before you wear them. And if they are held only by a safety pin. then get them mounted. As I said to Frederick’s son John, "You have been lucky in getting the medal back, you may not be as lucky if forbid there is a next time."

The returned medal tally is now 1572.

Timor Leste Solidarity Medal

I mentioned before that some stories we can't tell completely. This is sometimes due to family circumstances or the medals might be subject to a police investigation. This case is along those lines.
I received this Timor Leste Solidarity Medal from my contact Jackie of Australia Post. The medal had come adrift from it's packaging. Luckily the cardboard sleeve had the soldier's name so I was able to track him down. It wasn't easy but a very helpful grandfather pointed me in the right direction.
It turns out that the medal was awarded to a former soldier who is now a Queensland Police Officer. 
The returned medal tally is now 1572.

Ross Fenn

The family research resources available on line are simply fantastic. That is until I hit a brick wall then the frustration really sets in.
With the search for Stoker Edward Ross Fenn I raced through the years finding loads of information until his death in 1977. Then nothing. Ross appears in a couple of family trees on Ancestry.com.au and the tree owners have been very helpful but the last piece of the jigsaw has been very elusive. I did work out that Ross had three children but working out who they were was proving very difficult.
One contact on Ancestry, Sandra, was able to put me in touch with Ken Ryan who in turn referred me to Bert Roberts. I spoke to Bert tonight and even though he had no immediate information to give me he graciously committed to help me out. As I composed an email to him I had to revisit all the research and evidence I had found. As I checked the addresses Ross had lived at I found a name in the 1968 electoral roll I recognised living in the same suburb. I had to look at google maps to locate the address and on a whim checked out the initial/name combination in the White Pages. In a neighboring suburb from that 1968 entry I found the same name. I took a punt and called the number and ended up speaking to Ross' son. Now I can report back to Sandra, Ken and Bert that I've found the missing piece they were all looking for.
Thanks also goes to Kay R and John P who donated the medals to me in September.
The returned medal tally is now 1571.

Allan Aulsebrook

This story has some rather odd twists. I received the Australian Service Medal 1939-45 awarded to LCPL Allan Lumsden Aulsebrook from the Australian Embassy in London after it had been handed in. The WWII nominal roll shows that Allan, a member of the Australian Army Canteen Service, died in June 1945. How interesting.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site gave part of the answer but the mystery grew when I read he died in Cowra. I knew that the Cowra Breakout was in August 1944 so he wasn't one of the four Australian's killed by the escaping Japanese POWs. It was from the AWM that I found he died of illness.
Allan never married I started looking at his siblings. His brother John had two daughters Janet and Lynette. Through Ancestry.com I found an Aulsebrook family tree. I sent off a message to the tree owner, Phil, who as it turns out lives in Canada. Phil was able to put me in touch with Lynette and the search is now resolved. Although I am scratching my head a bit at how a medal awarded to a soldier who died in Cowra ended up in England.
The returned medal tally is now 1567.

 

Another return with no story to tell

This return really has no story behind it but what details there are can't really be published.
I was first contacted by a journalist in WA who was running with a story about WWI tribute medallion that had been found in Perth. I did the research on behalf of the finder, located the family and put them all in touch with each other. The search is resolved which is really all that I can report.
The returned medal tally is now 1566.

Daphne Olsen

This story had several facets to it that I didn't expect when I first received the WWII medals awarded to QF266064 Daphne Elizabeth Olsen.
The medals came to me from WO2 Allen S who had received them from a gent who recovered then from a shirt donated to a charity store. When I first looked at the rim it struck me that the naming was done by lazer engraving rather then impressed. That means that the medals were issued after the early 1990s when this method was first introduced.
It didn't take long to work out that Daphne was married to QX54716 David Olsen. This lead me to find that David died on 16 Mar 45. The next piece of information was a memorial notice I found in the Townsville Bullition.

This confirmed that David died of wounds but more importantly there is an additional clue that David and Daphne had a son also named David. The electoral roll provided me the address that Daphne was living at in 1949 but then the clues ran out. I returned to the newspaper and deciphered that the other part of the notice was placed my Mr and Mrs N.G. Clark. This turned out to be Norman Gutherson Clark, Daphne's father. This name lead me to a family tree on Ancestry and ultimately to David Olsen who I spoke to this afternoon.

Thank you to Russell Clark for his assistance.
The returned medal tally is now 1565.

 Even though it is hard to read this is a picture of David's head stone at the Brisbane (Lutwyche) Cemetery.

Arthur Warren

This story is about the WWI Victory Medal awarded to 200 PTE Arthur Warren and Bill's search for Arthur's family.

Medal searches fall into many categories. One is the ‘interrupted category’.

Such was the search for the next of kin of 200 PTE Arthur WARREN. Originally awarded in the 1920s the story moves forward to late 1990’s when Arthur’s Victory Medal was found in Preston, on a rubbish pile in front of a house that was being renovated. A medal that would probably not been found but consigned to the tip, had it not been in a little silver case that caught the eye of a man out walking his dog.

So we step forward to 2013 and a request from Jerry a veteran of Afghanistan, who had been passed the medal and was requesting help in returning it to Arthur’s family.

This is how I summarised the story to the team of the Australian Surname Group, when I emailed them the result of the search

‘Team, tonight I sent of the following message:

‘Good evening all.

Jerry say hello to Peter the grandson of Arthur Warren.

Peter say hello to Jerry who is really responsible for this email, for it was Jerry and his enquiry to the Jude, the Office Manager at the State Offices of the RSL that started the search.

At that point I am going to say no more. I have however left attached the photos that Jerry forwarded to me.

Regards to you both

 Bill’

Shortly thereafter I received the following from Jerry

‘Thanks Bill

Spoke to Peter and all is well. So dammed happy to get the medal to a relative. Feels so good to get something so precious back to another vets family’

And from Peter:

‘Hi Bill

 I am happy and grateful for all the effort you have put in to trace us.'

In reality I feel I have done little, if thanks are in order then they should go to the team of the Australian Surname Group.
The returned medal tally is now 1563.

Terence Clifford

I had a really nice email from Jenni M recently who contacted me on behalf of her daughter who found 4 Vietnam War medals. The medals, found near Bundaberg, QLD, were awarded to R42526 Terence John Clifford.
I was able to follow Terry via the electoral rolls up until 1980 and he was still in the RAN. I hit a brick wall so asked some contacts in Defence if anyone had served with Terry. This requested through up an interesting referral. Based on the service number I was told that Terry was most likely a tradesman so it was suggested I try the RAN Skilled Hands website. Before I could follow this lead a very kind person posted my request and within a day I received an email from Terry. I was then able to put him in touch with Jenni. He now has his medals.
Thank you to all those who reached out to their contacts to help me in this search. How the medals ended up in Bundy remains a mystery.
The returned medal tally is now 1562.

Farquhar Fraser McKay

I recently received an email from Chris H who had two WWI medals that he found in the 1980s when demolishing a house in Sawtell, NSW. The medals were awarded to Farquhar Fraser McKay. McKay was a constable in the NSW Police Force who didn't enlist early in the war as he was the only means of support for his mother after two of his brothers enlisted. One was Alexander who died of disease at Gallipoil. The second brother, Ewan, enlisted in 1915 and died of wounds received in France in 1916. When McKay's mother died he was free to enlist, at aged 30, and served in 13th Battalion, AIF. This link is to his service record.
When he enlisted, McKay listed his sister, Annie Bathgate as his next of kin. He survived the war but died in 1926 in Newcastle having never married. It was through the Bathgate family that I traced the closest relative. I have been in contact with McKay's great nephew, Ian, who tells me McKay's neice served during WWII. This was Captain Mairi Fraser Bathgate of the 2/5 Australian General Hospital She saw service in Palestine, Egypt, Greece, Crete, Eritrea, New Guinea, & Morotai during WW2.
Thanks to Ian for permission to use the picture of McKay and to Chris for initiating this return. The returned medal tally is now 1558.

Vivian Maizey

When the medals awarded to NX163524 Vivian Mervyn Maizey went missing his daughter gave up hope of ever seeing them again.

But after a long search, that started at the Bondi RSL, jumped to Victoria, and ended up back in NSW, where the medals were originally recovered, the medals are home with Vivian’s daughter.
That short description doesn't begin to cover the twists and turns involved in this search.Perhaps the really frustrating part of the search was to be told by a Police Constable that it was an ‘interesting recovery’ and who merely smiled when asked ‘how interesting?’.
The returned medal tally is now 1556.