War medal reunited with owner's son
A First World War medal found in an abandoned garden shed is to be reunited with its owner's son after a public appeal to trace the family.
Graham Banks discovered the medal in friend Jennifer Ette's garden as he helped demolish a derelict shed two weeks ago.
The First World War victory medal was awarded to EW Follows of the Worcestershire Regiment. Despite no longer having any ribbon on it, it bears the inscription "The Great War for Civilisation 1914-1919" as well as Mr Follows' name, regiment and service number.
Graham Banks holding the service medal of Soldier EW Follows of the Worcestershire Regiment
With worldwide commemorations of the start of the First World War taking place this week, the pair, from Rugby, Warwickshire, were keen to reunite the medal with its owners' relatives.
And just days after they publicised their find, Mr Follows' son John came forward to claim his father's medal.
Mr Follows, from Hatton, Warwickshire, told the Daily Telegraph his employer had seen the story and asked him if he knew the owner.
He said his father had rarely spoken about the war, other than revealing he was in charge of a mule team in France.
He told the newspaper: "He never mentioned a word of it. The only thing he said to me was once, when the sun was shining, he said: 'When the sun shone in the trenches, we used to pick ticks off each other.'"
Mr Follows told the Telegraph he believed the medal ended up in Rugby when his father's brother moved to the town in the 1930s.
Mr Banks, who found the medal, said he could not believe they had found the medal's owner so quickly.
The 33-year-old barman said: "It was always our hope that we would be able to give the medal back to one of the relatives of EW Follows.
"We thought it was a bit like fate that it had reappeared in the year of the centenary, and felt quite strongly that the medal should be with the family.
"I couldn't believe it when I found out his son still lived in the area, although I was more expecting it to be a grandchild or great-grandchild. I'm looking forward to meeting Mr Follows so I can reunite him with his father's medal."
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