WW1 medal reunited with family by metal detectorist

A World War One soldier's medal has been reunited with one of his descendants after it was found in a field by a metal detectorist.

Steve Denton was out with his club in Bedfordshire earlier this month when he came across the medal which belonged to Pte Francis Joseph Tysoe.

Using the internet, Mr Denton and his wife tracked down Pte Tysoe's great great niece, Abigayle Bartaby.

She said "it was a bit of a shock" to find out about the medal.

Mr Denton said he was in Moggerhanger and was "just coming back to my car to have my coffee break" when he got a signal, dug 6 ins (15cm) and found the 1914-15 Star medal, which is one of a set of three.

He found the name on the medal and said "from that moment on it became personal".

Pte Tysoe died in March 1915 at the battle of Neuve Chappelle in France and Ms Bartaby said "it's just strange how his medal ended up in a field in Moggerhanger".

Ms Bartaby, who lives in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, also thanked Mr Denton for donating a metal detector to her son.

She said she has since discovered her great great uncle was already part of the army before the war and "it was his free will" to go to fight.

He was in the same battalion as his brother, Herbert Tysoe, who died almost two months later.

Mr Denton said: "To be able to give that medal back to where it should be is more than money I would have thought - it is to me anyway."

He and his club now plan on trying to track down the other two medals in the set.