War hero's medal back home after 90 years

Published on Friday 18 April 2008 10:31

A FIRST World War medal belonging to the brother of a fallen soldier has been discovered in soil after more than 90 years.

The medal belonged to Robert Dodds whose brother William was gunned down in front of him in 1916. Both men were awarded the medals at the end of the conflict.

But Robert's precious Victory Medal went missing soon after his return, leaving him only with his dead brother's posthumously-awarded Star Medal.

However the medal eventually turned up when a walker discovered it buried in soil in the John Muir Country Park, near Dunbar.

Retired labourer Peter Aitchison, 81, was walking in the park around 15 years ago when he saw the tip of the bronze medal poking out of the ground.

After a quick clean, he saw the medal was inscribed '1026 Private Robert Dodds, 8th Royal Scots' and so began a search for the owner's family.

But it wasn't until reading an article about a fallen Tranent soldier that his search threw up anything.

Mr Aitchison said: "A Royal Scots historian I got in touch with helped me out immensely.

"He told me Robert Dodds was related to a Pte. William Dodds, who was said to come from Tranent. After finding out that little bit of information I was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery."

After putting a letter in the paper about the medal, local man James Smith, 93, read it and realised the medal belonged to his late father-in-law.

Mr Smith immediately phoned his daughter, Helen Reynolds, 60, at her home in Stratford-Upon-Avon to tell her the news.

Mrs Reynolds, who had her great uncle William Dodds' Star Medal in her possession, was overjoyed to learn of Mr Aitchison's find.

She said: "I couldn't really believe it at first. My grandfather's medal was lost a long time ago and everyone in the family thought it was gone forever.

"When I contacted Peter I was almost overwhelmed with emotion. To think after all this time the medal would turn up is just extraordinary.

"We are really thrilled to bits to have both medals back in the family where they belong.

"I would just like to thank Mr Aitchison for all he has done, because a lot of people would not have gone to the effort he has to track us down."

Mrs Reynolds and her husband drove 350 miles from their home in Stratford to the East Lothian village of West Barns to collect the medal in person.

She said: "I had always wondered what had really happened to the medal as both my grandfather and his brother enlisted for the Great War at the same time. I've had William's medal ever since I was a little girl, and every time I look at it I think of my grandfather."

Robert and William Dodds enlisted together in 1914 and served in the same Royal Scot regiment.

Mr Aitchison added: "I was quite emotional when I handed the medal back. I felt elated just to have helped someone out like this. It felt like someone had given me a medal."