Reflections on Finding a Missing War Medal – Good luck, Coincidence or Providence? A story from a First World War Descendant & the Missing War Medal which found its way home.

Recently this site told the story of a medal gone missing. It was the medal of Andrew Ross FAULKNER, an ordinary bloke, unremarkable, hard working, married with kids and with a commitment that the life of his children ought be better than his.

It was entirely by chance that I discovered Andrew’s medal. I had been doing some more family tree research on the web and keyed in variations of his name. There, I was taken to Medals Gone Missing with some information posted that a lady had his British War Medal in her possession and was wanting it returned to his family. I could scarcely believe it. I knew in the moment that it was his.  Good luck, coincidence, providence?

IMAGE RIGHT: The British War Medal of Andrew Ross FAULKNER.  Once missing, now found.  It is only through the kind and generous gesture of an anonymous woman, that this war medal found its way home.

Great curiosity swelled within – who had it the medal? How did they get it?  Were they related to me?  Was there a friendship between her family and that of my grandfather?  And why now, after nearly 90 years, was it to be returned to family?  What secrets did this missing war medal harbor; where had it been;  had it suffered trauma; was there any news about his Victory Medal?

I had never heard of Medals Gone Missing but I was in touch within an instant. Soon Gary, the site administrator and I were corresponding. The lady who had the medal and in whose safe keeping it had been for so long, sought anonymity and could offer very little of its history. She was wedded to altruism – she wanted nothing for it and refused an offer of a small token of appreciation.  I know nothing of her, yet she is special to me.

Soon the medal was with me. To me it had come home; once more in the family. I reflected. I had had no particular interest in my family history until 2010 when a visit to graves of my forbears kindled some interest. Who were these people? Where did they hail from? Why did they choose Bright, Victoria? What did they do?  Did they have successful and fulfilled lives? How did they make it through tough times? Soon I was researching the family. The web had made it so much easier. It was addictive. A great sense of accomplishment came to me when, after a few weeks,  I had marshalled enough information to fill 5 pages. ( Now I have 55 pages and have traced back family to the early 1600’s.)  I wondered too what kindled this interest.  I think I have the answer. It’s because of our own transience and mortality. As we age we are moved to reflect about who we are, why we are and what shaped us. Retirement too gives us space and time –  if you’re in that space don’t waste it!

Along the way I found near and distant relatives. I found the descendants of the family of a gentleman who had written to Sarah, my great, great, great Grandmother. He was a grocer in Philadelphia and a friend of her husband, William who had gone there in search of a better life.  Sarah and kids waited in rural Ireland for news. It was 1848 when a letter arrived. It was not from her husband as she had hoped. It was from the grocer bringing her the sad news that her husband had died there unexpectedly.  Sarah had 9 children.  There were over 30,000 families in the USA that carried the surname of the author of that letter.  I found the one who hailed from the grocer! To our mutual great surprise the original letter was found and a copy returned to the family 163 years after it was penned.  The family had in fact inherited his writing desk. Good luck, coincidence, providence?

Sarah came to Australia with her boys in 1850.  She was Andrew’s Grandmother. Her son William, born 1824 was Andrew’s father. He came to Australia in 1844 at just 18 and married another Irish immigrant Ellen Swan.

IMAGE LEFT: A formal portrait of the medal recipient, Andrew Ross FAULKER.

Andrew Ross FAULKNER was the sixth born (1872).  Andrew, like his Dad, was a miner. He married a local girl, Marie Louise, the only child of Jules DAGON an immigrant miner from Bern, Switzerland and Margaret Scouller, an immigrant from Scotland.  As outlined in the earlier article, Andrew served in WW1. He was one of 212 persons born in Bright or Wandiligong who enlisted for the Great War – 4 were women.   He joined at Wandiligong at 44 years of age, following an intensive recruitment drive for experienced miners and engineers. Like many from the district he was proud to serve King and country. He served in France and Belgium with the Tunnelling Company whose job it was to tunnel under the German lines in order to blow them up; and the Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company (B.G.R.O.C).  He slipped quietly back to Wandiligong in 1919. More of Andrew’s story is found in the earlier piece appearing on this site.

My sincere thanks go to Gary for the wonderful work he does.  Like so many before my discovery, he has been instrumental in reconnecting families with medals so deservedly bestowed on brave men and women  who gave so much. There is no good luck or coincidence here. Providence? Yes, I’m sure.  I’m sure of another thing too: good and selfless work!

TO READ THE ORIGINAL STORY which relates to this missing war medal being returned to the descendants of Andrew Ross FAULKNER, please CLICK HERE.