Stolen, found/returned medals (merged)

[Grunt_031]

I received a email from one of my collector brethren of a theft of medals from a residence in Calgary. Please keep you eyes and ears open and hopefully they can be safely recovered.

I have cut and paste the information below.

I'm sending this e-mail to a small number of dealers and collectors of war
medals. I found your e-mail addresses on your web sites.

Last week (November 20, 2007), a burglary occurred at my sister-in-law's
home in Calgary. (It's possible she too has contacted one or more of you, in
which case I apologize for this similar message.) The thieves got away with
a box--which was locked, so they probably thought it contained jewellery--of
medals and honours earned by my father-in-law the late Col. Fred L.P.T.
Clifford, RCA (RMC 2259), CO of the 13th Field Regiment in Normandy and
other campaigns. Among them were his OBE, CD,  and numerous other
decorations from WWII and later service in Indochina.

Our family is devastated by this loss, as these treasures represented Col.
Clifford's life and legacy and were to be given to his only grandchild.
Unfortunately, the CBC and other media in Calgary have declined to publicize
the theft because they covered a similar occurrence for another family not
long before this happened.

I'm writing to you in case you should come across or hear about these medals
or anyone tries to interest you in them. It's a long shot; but if you do
hear anything about them,  please contact me at cnbishop@can.rogers.com. And
if anyone approaches you with them, our family would be very grateful if you
would acquire them and contact me. Upon their safe return, we would of
course cover any related expenses incurred by you.

Even if you hear nothing, if you can pass along this request to other
dealers or collectors you know to be reputable and honest, that too would be
very much appreciated, as would any other ideas you might have that could
possibly help us retrieve these treasures.

Thank you for any help.


Carolyn Bishop
e-mail:  cnbishop@can.rogers.com

 

[armyvern]

Hmmm. Hope they find the bastards that stole them.

Question for the experts here ...

The article says that the Colonel's CD was amongst the medals stolen -- have they always been engraved with the recipients name as they are now?

 

[Michael OLeary]

Hmmm. Hope they find the bastards that stole them.

Question for the experts here ...

The article says that the Colonel's CD was amongst the medals stolen -- have they always been engraved with the recipients name as they are now?

The EiiR version is engraved as we now get them.  The GvR version had a suspension bar with "CANADA" on it and the recipient's details were on the back of the bar.

 

[Shamrock]

Yeah, and collectors are the scum of the Earth.

 

[armyvern]

The EiiR version is engraved as we now get them.  The GvR version had a suspension bar with "CANADA" on it and the recipient's details were on the back of the bar.

So, that's good then. At least one of the stolen medals is readily identifable as to it's rightful owner.

Another question (I'm no expert here!!), is there such thing as a database maintained somewhere to track the names/particulars etc of stolen honours and awards so that anyone seeing them listed "for sale" could confirm whether or not they were hot?

Kind of like how the 1st Canadian Parachute Bn website lists lost/stolen coin serial numbers to be on the lookout for?

 

[Michael OLeary]

No, there's no singular database that I know of.  It would be best if the information was posted to a number of collectors forums, where any web search by an ethical prospective buyer (if they reappear) would turn up a hit on the reported theft.

For example:

British Medal Forum

And it's already there - http://www.britishmedalforum.com//viewtopic.php?t=22947&highlight=

 

[Jorkapp]

From DWAN news aggregator:

PUBLICATION:  Waterloo Region Record
DATE:  2008.06.07
EDITION:  Final
SECTION:  News
PAGE:  D15
DATELINE:  BURLINGTON
SOURCE:  The Canadian Press
COPYRIGHT:  © 2008 Torstar Corporation
WORD COUNT:  99

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Veteran has his medals stolen while at event at legion hall

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Second World War veteran has had his medals stolen from the Royal Canadian Legion in Burlington. The 85-year-old man was at an event at the legion in May with more than 200 people. He left his five medals in a small black box on a table. When he returned, they were gone. All the medals are from the British army and one is rare -- one of only 1,000 made. Halton Regional Police are asking anyone who comes across the medals to contact them.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Very, very low in deed.

 

[OldSolduer]

LoneWolf I think someone needs a blanket party....

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Now I know it could be ANYONE, but usually people that go to the Legion have an idea about those things and what they mean.  I hope that's not the case here.

 

[freeze_time311]

What a horrible thing to do.  The thief truly has no soul.

 

[Sigger]

I would rip that persons face off.  I am so mad right now.

 

[geo]

Is it not possible that another veteran accidentaly left with the medals - thinking they were his OR his friend's?

Better than average chance that they will turn up IMHO

 

[RTaylor]

What piece of shit dirtbag would do such a thing...honestly.

I've gotten my fingers crossed that they were misplaced by someone and they'll turn up, or that a security camera somewhere picked up whoever stole them.

Either way, I hope the hero gets them back and plants his foot up the thieve's ass.

 

[TacticalW]

If that wasn't an accident and some guy actually stole it... wow... what a low life. Bloody pathetic bastard... I can go on and on, it makes me sick.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Well done lad.


http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/04/07/9042076-cp.html

Mountie's military links reunite widow with keepsakes

By THE CANADIAN PRESS
   
NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. - A Quebec widow will see the return of her late husband's stolen war medals, thanks to a North Vancouver RCMP officer and former military serviceman.

A unique wooden plaque with several medals on it was among the items found in March 2008 in a stolen truck in North Vancouver.
Const. Rob Pearson, a member of the North Vancouver RCMP traffic unit, went to work early last month after receiving the file.

Attempts to track the owner had hit a dead end but Pearson, a former serviceman with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, tapped his military links to find out the medals were awarded to Pierre Leduc for Second World War service in Italy with the Royal 22nd Regiment, the Van Doos.

An invitation for a 75th anniversary in Gatineau, Que., was also found with the medals and the organizers were able to give Pearson the contact information for Luduc's widow, Carmen.

Police say she was thrilled to learn the medals are now on their way back to her.

 

[geo]

BZ to Constable Pearson

 

[noneck]

Rob is a buddy of mine, he is known affectionately as the "Old ba%^ard". This is his second file related to the CF recently. About a year ago he arrested a man impersonating a soldier in the North Van Legion. This POS was cadging free drinks from the patrons by spinning tales of his recent tour to Afghanistan, that is until  Rob sussed him out as a fraud and asked him for his military ID.

BZ Rob.

Noneck

 

[Michael OLeary]

This guy? http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/55646.0.html

 

[noneck]

Yeah the same guy, but that was his first arrest in Delta. He tried the same thing in N Van a short while later and that's when Rob arrested him. He told Rob he didn't have any CF ID as the Delta PD had taken it off him during the previous arrest.

He had supposedly impersonated many different occupations to include a Doctor amongst other things. Dude needed some serious mental health assistance!