A Heartfelt Discovery: Returning a WWI Medal After Over 100 Years

Here’s an incredible story from one of our valued customers and an outstanding detectorist, Stacy Pink. A well-known prospector, Stacy made one of her most exciting discoveries of 2024—a WWI Return from Active Service medal, engraved with the number 17807 and belonging to Thomas Wilson Connor. Unearthed in Ballarat, the find was thrilling, but the journey to reunite the medal with its rightful family turned out to be even more extraordinary.

Thanks to the help of some amazing members in my Facebook Group, we were able to track down the recipient’s family. Through some careful research, we found Thomas Connor’s next of kin, Kay Smith, who lives in Canberra. Kay shared with me that Thomas, originally from Marong, Victoria, later settled in Bendigo. Unfortunately, Mr. Connor and his wife, Alice Ann Connor, never had children, but Kay is his 2nd Great-Great Granddaughter’s niece.

The story took on even more significance for me when Kay told me it was her great uncle’s medal, which had been missing for over a hundred years. It’s incredibly humbling to be the one to return such a meaningful piece of history to her family.

We’ve had a few chats, and Kay is so excited to receive the medal. She had traced her family tree, which is how we connected through the internet. It’s amazing to think that something that was lost for so long is now going to a family member who is deeply connected to the past.

I’ll be posting the medal to Kay in the coming weeks, and it feels like such an honour to be a part of this story. "Thank you for your service, Thomas Wilson Connor," and lest we forget.

What an incredible experience this has been, and I can’t wait to see Kay receive the medal that once belonged to her great-great uncle.

Kindest respect,
Stacy Pink