WAR MEDALS GO HOME

THE family of two war heroes has thanked two anglers who discovered a precious collection of medals floating in the River Loddon.

Martin Moore and Russell Hatchett, of Swallowfield AC, were litter clearing on the club’s stretch in Berkshire when they spotted a box in the margins.

Seeing it contained First and Second World War medals, the pair contacted Swallowfield Parish Council, which used social media and an ancestry website to locate the owners.

They discovered the First World War medals belonged to Royal Navy Petty Officer Oliver Reed, and the Second World War medals had been awarded posthumously to Mr Reed’s son

Alfred. Petty Officer Reed fought on the HMS Noble and his son served on the HMS Cornwall before it was sunk by the Japanese in the Indian Ocean in 1942.

Mr Reed’s great nephew Oliver Dunn-Hipp, who collected the medals during a ceremony, was said to be stunned by the find.

The medals are returned to their grateful owners.

The medals were in fine condition.