Medals reunited with grandson

When two World War I medals were found lying in the grass in Whitianga, on the Coromandel Peninsula, one Anzac Day, it was the start of a remarkable journey to see them reunited with their owners’ grandson.

The medals, one belonging to William McQueen, the other to Frederick Rolfe, were handed into the Mercury Bay RSA, after someone allegedly found them ‘‘in the grass’’ after an Anzac Day parade in 2019.

The RSA restored the medals, as they were in a rough condition, their ribbons rotted, and attempted to track the descendants of the two men, before contacting Ian Martyn from Medals Reunited New Zealand, based in Nelson.

Martyn started searching for McQueen first, tracking his descendants to a man in Victoria, Australia, before being put in touch with family in Scotland, Shona Barclay.

Barclay was able to put Martyn in touch with McQueen’s grandson, Denis McQueen, who lives in Wellington.

He asked McQueen whether the other name, Frederick Rolfe, rang a bell.

‘‘And Denis said, ‘Well yes it does, Rolfe is my grandfather.’ ’’

Martyn had been unaware until then that Rolfe and McQueen were known to each other. All New Zealand soldiers were awarded two medals for serving overseas; a British War Medal 1914-1918, and a Victory Medal.

McQueen was already in possession of one of each, the pairs to the medals that were found, one belonging to each grandfather. He had believed them to be a pair, not having read the tiny inscription around the edge of each medal.

He said it was quite emotional to have all four medals in his possession.

‘‘All four medals would have been together at some stage, in our house... When Dad died, or perhaps before he died, two went missing, I just can’t imagine how.’’

He had no idea how the medals had ended up in Whitianga.

Grandfather McQueen had served with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade on the Western Front, and fought at both the battles of Messines and Passchendaele.

According to Denis, McQueen was also the fifth man on the ladder when New Zealanders liberating the French town of Le

Quesnoy scaled the ancient walls.

‘‘The advance party was five men. I found a newspaper clipping about the taking of the town, on which my grandmother, in her handwriting, had written that Bill was the fifth man. This was in the last week of the war.’’

Grandfather Rolfe had served in Egypt. McQueen said while he knew both his grandfathers, neither had spoken much of their time in the war.

Denis McQueen has been reunited with two medals, one from each of his grandfathers, after they were found in Whitianga. ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF Left: The four, reunited medals. The two on the outside were the ones found in Whitianga, the centre two were in McQueen’s possession. Top right: Frederick Rolfe, pictured left, served in Egypt during World War I. Right: William McQueen, who fought on the Western Front, including at the Battles of Messines and Passchendaele and the liberation of Le Quesnoy.