Medals Reunited New Zealand©

18591 ~ JAMES LENNIE SWAINSON     During the first week of December I received a phone call from a gentleman in Christchurch regarding his father’s stolen World War 2 medals.  Trevor’s father had been a Sapper in the NZ Engineers during WW2 who had served in the Pacific (twice) with the 3rd (NZ Division, 2NZEF (IP).**  When James Lennie Swainson died in … [Read more...]

76399 - William Roy Wesley BARRIBALL  In April 2015 I received an inquiry from a former RNZAF colleague regarding his grandfather’s missing war medal.  Roger related to me the story of how he had been perusing TradeMe and came upon an historical sale for a medal he recognised – his grandfathers!   To Roger’s knowledge the medal had been in his mother’s … [Read more...]

~ CAPT. CHARLES HAROLD FORBES, LAC. JOHN GRAHAM FORBES, CPL. CHARLES HENRI ZIMMERMAN ~          I am usually very careful not to open mail that bounces into my SPAM email box however one had caught my eye that warranted a closer look.  Despite the big orange banner warning me that Gmail could not verify the email address and I should be alert to … [Read more...]

~ 18762 DONALD NEIL REED – RNZN ~     In October 2018 a  message on the Medals Reunited New Zealand FACEBOOK page arrived from Lorraine “Raine” Stewart of Auckland.  The message said "I would like to find the owner of this medal.  The name is 18762 WMEM D N REED.  Been in our possession for years yet have no idea who it belongs to.  It needs … [Read more...]

38443 ~ WILLIAM McDONALD McQUEEN     16586 ~ FREDERICK JOHN KILBURN ROLFE     Bruce Collier is a Vietnam Veteran and member of the Mercury Bay RSA in Whitianga.  I have had the privilege of assisting this RSA with reuniting a number of medals and memorabilia in the past (refer Castaing and Bach posts).  Bruce advised me he had been given a … [Read more...]

This week I had the pleasure of contacting a young man who was a key figure in the return of a Victory Medal in 2017.  The medal had been sent to the parents of 23/38 Sergeant George William Dines who had been killed the during the opening battle of the Somme campaign in 1916.  The Battle of Flers-Courcelette was the first significant engagement for the New Zealanders in … [Read more...]

9/594 ~ WILLIAM ROBERT STANLEY     A medal posted on our Medals~FOUND page has resulted in another successful claim and return to the descendant family of a Dunedin born First World War soldier, Rifleman William Robert Stanley.               Staffordshire to Dunedin      Robert STANLEY (1809-1876), an … [Read more...]

26/1044 ~ WILLIAM MANSON     Retired New Zealand Army Officer Huia Ockwell, a born and bred Dunedin-ite, served in the NZ Army's territorial and regular forces from 1955–1972.  He served as a member of both the Royal NZ Artillery and later the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. Commissioned as a Territorial Force officer in 1956, Huia was inspired to continue … [Read more...]

EDWARD WAHANUI SIMON ~ NZ Prison Service     Four weeks ago I received a request from the NZ Police in Auckland for help to return a medal that had been found by a woman and her daughter who were taking exercise during the COVID-19 Level Four 'Lockdown' in May this year.  Police Sgt. Mike Nolan from the Waitakeri Station contacted me for assistance to identify … [Read more...]