When Constable Ben Wallbank of the Nelson Police called me in 2017 to ask if I could return a war medal he had recovered, my response was as it always is - yes, it will be my pleasure. Little did I know how long this journey would last but at last it did, after 18 months of research. The decision to return the medals of a WW1 nurse to her descendant 'nursing family' at Nelson … [Read more...]
R/2-B/28 SISTER SYLVIA BROWN ~ Nurse’s war efforts recognised with medals gifted to Nelson Hospital.
May 18, 2019 By
!! STOLEN MEDALS !! ~ Timaru, prior to 2019
May 11, 2019 By
STOLEN~STOLEN~STOLEN~STOLEN~STOLEN~STOLEN From the South Canterbury RSA - again ! South Canterbury RSA "stars" yet again in its on-going 'MISSING MEDALS' saga. A family who lent their WW1 Military Cross and WW1 Medal Trio group of:7/753 CAPT Duncan Bain MURCHISON, MC Canterbury Mounted Rifles, 2nd Reinforcements had gone to retrieve the medals from the RSA … [Read more...]
DERYCK REEVE BACH ~ A Whitanga soldier’s unclaimed war medals & memorabilia: RSA asks MRNZ for help to return it to family.
May 3, 2019 By
33356 ~DERYCK REEVE BACH Following the successful return of Second World War medals left at a Whitianga op shop in 2017 (refer Roland Castaing story), two boxes of medals and memorabilia were handed in to the same RSA that had requested our help to reunite the Castaing medals. WW2 veteran Deryck Bach had been retired in Whitianga for some years and … [Read more...]
UPDATE ~ George Firman – RNZAF, Died on Air Operations
April 27, 2019 By
NZ4312786 ~ LAC George Firman ~ 40 Squadron RNZAF In September 2018 we related the story of the death of 22 year old LAC George Firman (see below), one of 20 airmen on board a 40 Squadron Dakota aircraft that was returning to New Zealand from the Pacific Islands, having completed their tour of duty. Bound for RNZAF Station Whenuapai, the aircraft … [Read more...]
DAVID MALCOLM FRANK LINES ~ NZDSM “National Service” medal recovered from donated goods to a Nelson Op-Shop.
April 14, 2019 By
787536 ~ DAVID MALCOLM FRANK LINES Eagle-eyed former British Army and NZ Territorial Force soldier Ann Stafford is a volunteer at the Nelson SPCA Op Shop. When she spotted a NZDF medal case among a pile of donated goods a few weeks ago, she convinced her supervisor it should be returned to the owner rather than sold. Problem?: the donated … [Read more...]
PERCIVAL RICHARD SIMEON ~ Borneo General Service Medal lost 50 years ago reunited with its Perth owner.
April 8, 2019 By
40399 ~ PERCIVAL RICHARD SIMEON Former Kiwi soldier Percy Simeon is now 74 and lives in Perth, Western Australia. When I rang him and told him I was holding his General Service Medal 1962 with clasp BORNEO in my hand, he was thunderstruck. “How did you get that?” he asked. Being cautious in not knowing the man, and also cognizant that he … [Read more...]
NORTH & SOUTH magazine chats with Medals Reunited New Zealand© – April 2019 Edition
April 1, 2019 By
Fiona and Tim are Nelson based freelance journalists who are very much in tune with each other's skills. Fiona the accomplished story teller is very ably supported by husband Tim, the ace behind the lens whose pictures help to bring life to Fiona's writing. They produce a wide variety of general interest articles about New Zealand and its people for N & S among … [Read more...]
RONALD GORDON HAY-MACKENZIE ~ Unclaimed WW2 medals of Westport POW united with family after 63 years.
March 31, 2019 By
16586 ~ RONALD GORDON HAY-MACKENZIE Hay-Mackenzie is a name associated with early Otago from the 1840s, and later with Westport from 1897 to the present day. Like friendly societies, volunteer fire brigades, military units and bands, the lodge played a vital role in the social and business life of the colonial male. Tertius Hay-Mackenzie (1846-1906) was a 26 year old … [Read more...]
PTE Anthony Devlin’s Boer War medal & London’s centennial Remembrance Parade 2018 ~ UPDATE
March 6, 2019 By
Yesterday I received an the email (below) from Kieron Graham of Carlisle, Cumbria in the north-east of England. Kieron and son Jacob are direct descendants of 6359 Pte. Anthony Devlin, East Lancashire Regiment who fought in both the Boer War and First World War. Kieron was the recipient of Pte. Devlin's Queen's South Africa medal that had been found in the Hokianga some … [Read more...]
FREDERICK EVERARD NEEDHAM ~ Taihape boy’s war medal gift of 80 years ago finds a home with recipient’s nephew.
March 4, 2019 By
81281 / 53890 / 413354 ~ FREDERICK EVERARD NEEDHAM ~ NZ Army & RNZAF When Mary of Upper Hutt read her grandfather's military record of service in the NZ Expeditionary Force (NZEF) during WW1, she noted that it appeared his war medals had never been issued. There was a medal action stamp on the file that read "MEDAL ACTION … [Read more...]
