# First world war medal found in a ditch



## old medic (29 Oct 2009)

First world war medal found in a ditch
By THE CANADIAN PRESS 

copy at:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/10/28/11556046-cp.html

VICTORIA — The city of Victoria is trying to track down the family of a First World War veteran whose victory medal was found on the side of the road.

A city worker found the medal last year in a cardboard box in a ditch.

The truck driver and a city manager have been trying for a year to find the family of Maj. G.D. Walker, whose name is engraved on the medal.

But calls to the Canadian Forces, the Canadian Archives and local police haven’t helped to find the family.

Manager David Myles says that with Remembrance Day approaching, they’re making a public appeal for help.

The British Empire medal — which was handed out to all Commonwealth soldiers, including Canadians — is bronze, features the winged figure of Victory on one side and the words “The Great War for Civilization” on the back.


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## Neolithium (29 Oct 2009)

Hopefully that gets back to the family ASAP.


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## Michael OLeary (29 Oct 2009)

Some comments from other forums:



> ... there is no "G.D. Walker" to be found among the Attestation Papers at LAC.



LAC = Library and Archives Canada



> There was a Maj. George Dutton Walker, Nots & Derby Regt. and General List, in the British Army. Perhaps this is his victory medal.



Also, from the description _"bronze, features the winged figure of Victory on one side and the words “The Great War for Civilization”"_, it is a First World War Victory Medal, not a British Empire Medal.


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## Dennis Ruhl (30 Oct 2009)

Neolithium said:
			
		

> Hopefully that gets back to the family ASAP.



In most cases it is the family who gave it away, threw it away, sold it, or in relatively few cases lost it.  I am not sure that a whole lot of people even know their grandfather's/great-grandfather's names.  I do genealogy and a lot of people have no clue of their ancestry even 2 or 3 generations back.


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## mariomike (30 Oct 2009)

Dennis Ruhl said:
			
		

> In most cases it is the family who gave it away, threw it away, sold it, or in relatively few cases lost it.  I am not sure that a whole lot of people even know their grandfather's/great-grandfather's names.



Sad, but likely true, Dennis. But, they could probably name the finalists on "American Idol"!


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## Dennis Ruhl (30 Oct 2009)

mariomike said:
			
		

> Sad, but likely true, Dennis. But, they could probably name the finalists on "American Idol"!



Whenever we run into the same unusual spelling of a very common English surname that my wife's family uses and we try to determine a relationship, the people often blank on their grandfather's first name.


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## old medic (11 Nov 2009)

Here is the happy ending to this story. 
I noticed a number of other research forums and sites jumped on this and had it figured out fairly quick.

The Canadian Press
Tuesday Nov. 10, 2009 5:19 PM ET
copy at : http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091110/stolen_medal_091110/20091110?hub=Canada



> VICTORIA — The thief who left a First World War medal in an abandoned cardboard box marked "free" obviously had no idea of the infinite value of sacrifice and memories.
> 
> But City of Victoria engineering department worker Rick Brown sure did, and the family of one war veteran is forever grateful.
> 
> ...


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## 1feral1 (11 Nov 2009)

A happy ending.

Good.

OWDU


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