Skip to content

Lost WW1 medals returned to 'elated' grandson

BBC John Singleton in a short sleeved shirt smiles as he holds three medals. Standing next to him is Sarah Trehy with dark curly hair, also smiling.BBC
John Singleton has been reunited with his grandfather's medals after Sarah Trehy brought them to his home

A man from Derbyshire has been reunited with his grandfather’s World War One medals which were lost on Armistice Day last year.

John Singleton, 78, was wearing the three medals at a Remembrance event in Dronfield when he realised they had slipped from his jacket.

He put posters up around the town offering a £200 reward for anyone with information to come forward, to no avail.

But seven months on, the medals were spotted by Charlie Gore on his way home from work, placed on the steps of the cenotaph.

He arranged for them to be returned and it was an emotional moment for Mr Singleton when Mr Gore's sister, Sarah Trehy, brought the medals to his home.

“I thought I’d never ever seen them again. I’ll be perfectly honest, I had no hope," he said.

"I was going to contact the Ministry of Defence to get replica medals. I didn’t believe it at first until Sarah turned up.”

Ms Trehy said it was "so lovely to bring them home" to Mr Singleton.

Supplied John Singleton dressed in full uniform wearing three medals on his chestSupplied
John Singleton was wounded fighting at the Somme

The medals were awarded to the retired police officer's grandfather, also called John Singleton, who was a gunner with the Royal Light Infantry and was severely hurt when hit in the chest by shrapnel during the Battle of the Somme.

He survived the injury and the war, later joining the fire brigade in Sheffield where he became a chief inspector.

Mr Singleton always wore his grandfather's Mons Star, Victory Medal and King's Medal, alongside his own medals awarded during his 22-year police career, at the service at Dronfield Cenotaph, near the town's library.

Three old medals in tissue paper are held in a man's hands.
Mr Singleton's grandfather was awarded the Mons Star, Victory Medal and King's Medal

Mr Singleton said he was "elated" to see the medals again but admitted they were not in the best condition.

"You can tell they’ve been somewhere scruffy, perhaps in a garden,” he said.

Mr Singleton says he is "determined" to look after the medals and make sure that he never loses them again.

He added: “I’m going to parcel them up and send them to a medal specialist to have them remounted with a brand news safety catch."

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.

See more