Success Stories

Missing SMITH medal found on eBay

To have a listing on the Medals Gone Missing website is to greatly improve your chances of having that lost war medal of an ancestor, returned to your family.  Undoubtably, Ken SMITH of New South Wales in Australia will attest to that. 

His great grandfather Charles Gilbert SMITH departed Australia's shores for service during the Great War of 1914-1918.    As such, his full medal entitlement consisted of the British War Medal and the 1914-1918 Victory Medal. Unfortunately, these war service medals went missing.

In May 2011, Ken SMITH of New South Wales submitted a listing for his great grandfather's missing war medals.   Two years later in July 2013, Medals Gone Missing located one of the medals being offered for sale on eBay and we made immediate contact with Ken.  Undertaking the bidding himself, Ken was successful in the auction which saw 28 bids.  Well done Ken!

It is extremely humbling when a family shows such sincere gratitude.  The Medals Gone Missing Administrator was tickled pink to received the following email:-

Dear Gary,

I would like to once again thank you for your help in locating the British War Medal that belonged to my great grandfather (Charles Gilbert Smith 4409).  The medal has arrived back to the family and we are all thrilled beyond words.  I’ve attached a photo of two of Charlie’s great, great grandchildren with the medal, and I think that the smile on their faces says it all.
To be honest, I never really expected that we would find any of Charlie’s items from the war, and to actually be able to hold this has made us all very happy indeed.  I can say with some certainty, that this medal has not been seen in the family since before Charlie’s death in 1927.  So it has been missing for (at least) eighty six years.
The only other certainty is that without the help of Medals Gone Missing, this medal would never have been found. ..... Let’s hope we can locate the Victory Medal that is still out there too.  Without your help we would not have known about the auction and it would been lost again for years.  Incidentally, the medal is in perfect condition!
All the best,
Ken Smith and family

Missing Medal of 2/16th Kokoda Trail Veteran Returned

When Medals Gone Missing located this Second World War Defence Medal on ebay, they had no idea of the story that would unfold about the recipient whose name was stamped on the edge.  Clarence Hubert MASKIELL was a Western Australian who served with the 2/16th Infantry Battalion.  It was not until his grandson made a chance discovery of this medal whilst conducting a geneology search, that we became aware of the history behind the medal.

As it turns out, the medal recipent took part in the iconic battle of Brigade Hill and Mission Ridge on the Kokoda Trail during September of 1942.  Clarence MASKIELL was wounded during this intense fighting and as a result, was forced to make his agonising way across this harsh jungle track before he could receive adequate medical attention.

It is particularly satisfying for the Medals Gone Missing Administrator to return the medal of a Kokoda Trail veteran, especially as Gary Traynor is a trek leader and Kokoda historian along the track.

The descendants of Clarence Hubert MASKIELL have indicated that their grandfather never elaborated about this incident on the Kokoda Trail which nearly cost him his life. His grand daughter Linda states “He never really spoke of the war but as children we were always fascinated by the wound in his arm and the various stories he told us how he ended up with it! The stories he told us about his bullet wound had nothing to do with the war!  But maybe as we were young at the time he thought it easier for us to understand.”  And how this once missing war medal came to be on eBay is anybody’s guess.   Linda was very generous in her praise and went on to say “I think it’s a wonderful service you provide and I’m sure the return of these medals to their rightful families brings many people great joy and appreciation of your efforts”.  In response, the Medals Gone Missing Administrator was very humbled to be able to restore this precious award to its rightful place.