Fowler - Vietnam War pair

217186 Stephen Fowler served with 131 Divisional Locating Battery during the Vietnam War. He tells us that his medals went missing before 1982 when he moved from NSW to WA. The medals are in pretty good condition so have probably been sitting locked away all that time.

The returned medal tally is now 735 and these are from the NSW RSL box.

Norman Warran Castle

SX3890 Norman Warran Castle served in the 2/6th Field Ambulance and saw active service in North Africa. His medals (forwarded from the NSW RSL) are in as issued condition and have never been mounted for wear.
We have learnt from the family that Norman lived in NSW for many years following the war so his medals must have gone missing during that time.

The returned medal tally is now 733.

For those with an interest in the naming of medals there are a couple of interesting aspects with this group. The naming on the stars is usually squarely in the center of the reverse of the medal. However, on these two, especially the 39-45 Star, the naming is to the left (picture above). Also the naming on the rim of medals is usually in the center. On this ASM as the letters progress around the medal they tilt up. So much so that the top of the 'T' in Castle has caused the edge to swell up when it was stamped. This can be seen in the picture below.

Harold Livingston Blakeney

6035 Harold Livingston Blakeney served with 22 Bn AIF. His service record doesn't give much away about what he did while in France in relation to the war.
However, most of the entries are typical of most other service records I've read. He was hospitalised with VD on several occasions and had disciplinary action taken against him for being AWOL. I'm sure his service extended well beyond these two events but there is very little to indicate where he was or where he fought.
The returned medal tally is now 728 and these are from the NSW RSL box.

Garnet Basil Clarke

NX52573 Garnet Basil Clarke served as a commando in the 2/5 Commando Sqn during WWII. This link provides detail on the unit's campaign in PNG and Borneo.
Clarke's medals came to me from the NSW RSL. The medals where found in a house that was being demolished.
The returned medal tally is now 724.

Another Vietnam War pair

21867 Robert James McLeod served as a sapper with the Royal Australian Engineers. He completed two tours of Vietnam, the first with 8 RAR and the second with 17 Construction Regiment.

Bob tells us that the medals went missing in 1974/5 when he was involved was in a car accident and his car was towed away. It was not until he went to clean out the wreck that he discovered that someone had beaten him to it, and 'ratted' the car, taking everything of value including his medals.

Bob has received an official duplicate set of medals as well as those additional medals which have been awarded since the Vietnam War ended.

The returned medal tally is now 720 and these are from the NSW RSL box.

Frederick Lancelot Bottle

NX34125 Frederick Lancelot Bottle originally came from the Kurrajong area of NSW. This is a rural community past Windsor. I took a punt and rung a person with the same surname listed in the Whitepages as living in the same area. After a bit of checking it turns out that the person I rung is Bottle's great nephew.

While a connection with the family has been made it is still unclear how the medals went missing in the first place.

As can be seen from the photos the ribbons are in a bad way and even though they are mounted for wear as a group of four there is still one medal missing. The 1939-45 Star is not with the group.

The returned medal tally is now 718 and these are from the NSW RSL box.

Vietnam War Pair

Two more medals out of the NSW RSL box are the Vietnam War pair awarded to 216773 Gregory George Fishburn. Greg was a member of the Australian Army Catering Corps and served in Vietnam with 8RAR. Bill did the work to track down Greg who tells us that the medals were lost some time ago and after living for many years in QLD and having moved back to NSW he is not sure how that ended up back in Sydney.
The returned medal tally is now 714.



I just noticed that the ribbon on the Vietnam Campaign medal appears to be the wrong way around. That is my fault, I didn't turn the medal around on the suspender swivel to make it all look proper.

Father and son groups

One of our strangest requests came to us through the Victoria RSL from the executor of a deceased estate. The request was: who 'owned' the war service medals that were amongst several otherwise unknown items discovered on the death of their current 'owner'.
The executor at the time realising the value of the medals to the family concerned withheld them, pending research into whose medals they actually were and how they fitted into the estate.
Finally after considerable research, we were able to advise the executor that the medals were those of 3101 Leo John O'KANE and his son VX26838 Leo James Edward O'KANE (KIA at Buna, New Guinea in 1942). The 'owner' in question was in fact the daughter of John and the sister of Leo and the medals have now been passed to her next of kin.
The returned medal tally is now 712.

Vietnam War Campaign Medal

One of the medals out of the NSW RSL box is the Vietnam War Campaign Medal awarded to 216524 John Lawrence Bruce. John served with 4th Field Regiment RAA during the Vietnam War.
The returned medal tally is now 703.

11th ALH Victory Medal

971 Clement Nash Finnis served with 11th Australian Light Horse Regiment. His service record doesn't give much away about his service other than some illness, hospitalisation and disciplinary action which was taken against him.

Following the war he returned to South Australia but late moved to NSW. Finnis never married and this medal will be sent back to his nephew. This medal is from the NSW RSL box which I posted about recently.

The medal returned tally is now 702.

1st of the NSW medals returned

One of the medals in the NSW box is the SVN medal awarded to 2786975 PTE John Redman. I've managed to locate him and will return the medal shortly. Mr Redman tells me that he last saw this medal when he attended the Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Parade in Sydney in 1987.

After having a great celebration he returned to where he was staying only to discover the next morning that his medals were missing.
The returned medal tally is now 701.

NSW RSL lost medals

Over the years, I've established very positive relationships with the RSL National HQ and the State Branch HQs.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the WA RSL forwarded me all the medals that had been handed in to them. I've managed to return about 50% of this lot.
Recently, the NSW RSL asked if I would mind looking after the medals that they have had sent to them over the years. Needless to say I jumped at the chance.
You can imagine my surprise when I received a rather large box yesterday. It took me all day to catalogue the contents. There are 81 individual packages containing 181 medals. The majority are from WWII and awarded to NSW servicemen.
This link is to the NSW RSL lost medals page.
These pictures show the box pre and post catalogue.

700th medal returned

20 years ago, four medals awarded to 18801 John Reuben Owen RAN were stolen from his son's home. The medals resurfaced several years ago having been found in a rubbish bin in Melbourne.
There has been several attempts to locate Owen's family, including through the RSL, all to no avail. Lost Medals Australia was approached to assist with the search.
Through Bill's efforts and those of the wonderful Australian Surname Group members, Owen's son has been located and the medals will be returned to him.
The search was a little complicated mainly due to the fact that Owen had been christened as John Reuben ELWARD. The research details can be found at this link.
This return is significant for Lost Medals Australia as in now marks the 700th medal that has been returned.
(Pictures soon)

PTE Henry Hayden, Liverpool Regiment

It is not uncommon for searches we conduct to start well, hit a series of brick walls and then pick up momentum again. That is the case with the WWI Victory Medal awarded to 22400 PTE Henry Hayden , Liverpool Regiment.
The medal was sent to me by Julie from Perth, WA. It was found amongst her father's possessions having been bought at auction many years ago. Julie was keen to see the medal back with the family so she did a fair bit of research herself.
Julie had found the following information about Henry:
“Private Hayden died on 30 July 1916 in the area of Guillemont in France. It is on the eastern edge of the British Expeditionary Force's sector of the Somme battlefield. He was a member of the 20th Battalion The King's Liverpool Regiment.”
This link is the Henry’s CWGC entry.
In the 1920s Henry’s son, William Henry Hayden, moved to Australia and was living in Adelaide. Based on this information from Julie, I worked out that William later moved to Victoria and served during WWII (VX4226 PTE Hayden). He died in 1959 and is buried in Fawkner Memorial Park, Melbourne. That is where I ran in to a brick wall.
On a hunch, I enlisted the help of one of the fantastic Yuku ladies, Sue. Sue was able to provide me with the names of Henry’s other children which were Leonard, Joseph, Emily and Thomas. Leonard also served during WWII (SX 6372 PTE L.J. Hayden) and returned to South Australia after the war. Sue also provided the name of one of Leonard’s sons and a possible address in SA.
This morning I rang the people listed at that address and sure enough, it is the right family. Leonard’s son John died seven years ago but his wife Rita was familiar with the Hayden family history. She is quite excited that this medal will be returned to the family very soon.
The returned medal tally is now 696.

John Marriott Cuming

Two of the three WWI medals awarded to 1524 John Marriott Cuming were amongst those recently sent to me by the WA RSL. Originally from Victoria, his family moved to WA prior to the out break of war. From his service record I know that John was a serving member of the Royal Navy Reserve when he enlisted.
As is the case with most WWI service records, John's shows mostly administrative entries and medical problems rather than where he fought. He received a gun shot wound, had heart trouble and spent some time in a VDH.
The search for John's family was reasonably simple. A rather uncommon surname in WA was my starting point. I took a punt on an entry in the White Pages and after checking with other family members it turns out the chap I rung is John's great nephew. John did not have any children of his own.
The medals pictured are John's 1914/15 Star and British War Medal. Where his Victory Medals is, is any ones guess.
The medal returned tally is now 695.

Frederick Henry Andrews

It is not often that we know almost exactly what has happened to a set of medals we return.
Bill is responsible for tracking down the family of VX65750 Frederick Henry Andrews, in fact he found his son, John. From John we know that the medals were stolen during a house break in about 2002. Along with the medals some Masonic Lodge regalia were also stolen.
Whoever found all these items handed them in to a Masonic Lodge who in turn contacted Bill. With his usual diligence Bill tracked down John and the medals were returned to him.
The medals returned tally is now 693.

James Michael Dunn

NX173891 James Michael Dunn's medals have been sitting somewhere being well looked after since they were issued. The medals are in as issued condition and have never been mounted for wear. James was a soldier from NSW and the medals came to me from Victoria. Where they have been since being issued in the early 1950s is any ones guess but they have been looked after.

The returned medal tally is now 688.

Matthew Neil Dolan

SX10181 Matthew Neil Dolan's Pacific Star has had a mysterious past. Dolan's other three WWII medals are with his son and it wasn't until Matthew's funeral that a fellow digger pointed out one medal was missing. Matthew was from SA and this medal came to me fro WA so how it got there is any ones guess. I just very pleased that the full group is now reunited.

The medal returned tally is now 684.

Defence Force Service Medal

I recently received a Defence Force Service Medal awarded to John Egmanis who served in the RAAF. Thanks to a bit of help from Air Force HQ I got a clue that led me straight to John.

The medal tally is now 683.

Leslie Midford DIXON

The medal to 3333 A-Cpl Leslie Midford Dixon is one of those that are not seen often. His unit was the 1st Pioneer Battalion and rather uncommon.

The search has been difficult and very lengthy, well done to Bill for persisting. The medal will soon be sent back to the family of Dixon.

The returned medal tally is now 682.

John Binnie Livie

WX29772 John Binnie Livie was originally from Scotland but emigrated to Australia as a youth. These medal were sent to me by the WA Branch of the RSL as mentioned in a previous post.
I now know that the medals were stolen about five years ago. The theft occur ed a day or so after John's death notice appeared in the local paper.
The medal returned tally is now 681.

Frederick Harris

The pictured medals were awarded to SX39634 Frederick William John Harris who was from South Australia. However, I like the note that his place of enlistment was 'Field, New Guinea'. This search was arduous to say the least and not helped by the difficulty we have in accessing South Australian records. Bill prevailed and has located Harris' niece who will soon receive these medals.

The returned medal tally is now 677.

DAVID ERNEST ELLIOTT

NX129487 DAVID ERNEST ELLIOTT enlisted in Papua but was originally from NSW. I found very little information about him on the Internet. The only reference I did find was enough to provide a link to his son (thank you Janette). Elliott was entitled to four medals for his service in WWI but only three were sent to me. They are in as issued condition and still in their box of issue.

The returned medal tally is now 674.

Australian Active Service Medal

Another medal sent to me recently by the WA RSL was the AASM (clasp Iraq 2003) awarded to AB Simon Holloway. It took a bit to track him down but the day after the medal arrived at my address I was able to speak to Simon and arrange for his medal to be sent back to him

The returned medal tally is now 671.

James Gorman

One of the medals I received from the WA RSL was the BWM awarded to 2219 Dvr James Gorman. His service record is quite extensive and shows that came from a small town in South West WA. I found that he was buried in a town close to this so I checked the White Pages. There was one entry with the same name so I took a punt and rung them. Sure enough they are related. I found the great grand son of James.

The returned medal tally is now 670.

Thanks to the RSL

On this blog and our web site I mentioned several times the fantastic relationship I have with the RSL National HQ and the State Branches. In the past they have provided me with research assistance and other support. They have also provided me with medals that have been handed in.
In the last couple of days I have received several sets of lost medals from the WA RSL. Over the next few weeks I hope to solve some of these research cases. Indeed, I've located the families of two sets I received and will post details shortly.

Chivers update

I have recently received a photo of Henry Joseph Chivers from his family so I've added it to the relevant post.

Another international return

Since Apr 06 I have been researching the 14/15 Star awarded to 14420 PTE Ralph Dudgeon, Coldstream Guards. I received some bits of information from the British Medal Forum and the Great War Forum. Unfortunately, no clues of any substance was generated. The only link to Dudgeon's later life is an entry on the NSW BDM that he died in Mona Vale in 1969. While his records shows that he had a wife named Annie we just couldn't find anything else.
The power of the Internet proved itself yet again toady when I received an email from Dudgeon's great niece who lives in England.
The returned medal tally is now 669.


PS. John S, we have almost returned all the medals you sent me four years ago.

James Green

3433 James Albert Green was from Tasmania and served with 1st Divisional Artillery Column. His service record is a bit more detailed than most I have come across. This is because there is a considerable amount of correspondence from the family who took him in when he was young. This all gave some detail about his younger life and hints to the geographic area he came from. This was the clue I needed that led me to a distant relative and in turn the name of James' son which was Gerald. There is also a letter from a Mrs A Dillion which turns out to be his future mother in law. What this letter didn't give was the name of James' fiancee which I now know to be Patricia.

The hint about Gerald led to James' grand daughter who lives in Melbourne. Bill found her through the Electoral Rolls. After the war James was a miner and worked around Victoria. However, the medal was sent to me from near where he lived in Tasmania. I wonder where it has been since it was sent to James in the early 1920s?

The returned medal tally is now 668.

PHILIP BASS

The search for the family of QX17878 Phillip Bass has been a difficult one. I've had his Pacific Star for eight years after it was given to me by the QLD RSL. As was a common occurrence for WWI and WWII, birth dates were sometimes manipulated to bring volunteers in to the required age limits. This is what appears to Harv been done by Bass, so matching up the records has been difficult.

This link to Yuku shows the amount of detail our researches go to. Bill also learnt a valuable lesson about the names Sydney and Sidney. Time for more coffee Bill.

The medal will now be returned to the nephew of Phillip Bass.

The returned medal tally is now 667.