A medal for bravery earned during a battle in the First World War has been returned to the veteranB次元官网网址檚 family.
The Military Medal B次元官网网址� awarded to Sgt. John Petrie Austin for successfully leading an attack against an enemy trench position in 1917 B次元官网网址� was returned to his family during a presentation at Vancouver Island Military Museum on Monday, Jan. 31.
The medal was found and turned over to military museum staff by Liam Robertson, a Nanaimo city worker who was part of a crew cleaning up garbage in a park in early December.
The medal, Robertson said, was in a shopping cart filled with items that was going to be tossed in a dumpster bin, but when the cart proved too heavy for two men to lift, Robertson started emptying the cart by hand.
B次元官网网址淥ne of the things was a fanny pack and right in the fanny pack there was this medal,B次元官网网址� Robertson said. B次元官网网址淚 thought at first maybe it was a piece of a costume or something and then I read on the side it had a name and identifying information, so in talking with my coworker, we agreed that it would be a good idea to bring it to the museum because the gentlemen here would know what to do with it.B次元官网网址�
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Margaret Sloat, AustinB次元官网网址檚 daughter, said she knew little about her fatherB次元官网网址檚 military history. He died when she was 15 years old, she said, from emphysema resulting from a poison gas attack in the First World War. She had no idea what the significance of the medal was.
B次元官网网址淒ad never talked about it. He would never wear itB次元官网网址次元官网网址� Sloat said. B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 even know heB次元官网网址檇 been injured except for being gassed. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what he eventually died of.B次元官网网址�
Sloat said the medal was in a box of jewelry stolen from her home in Nanoose Bay in 2019.
It was by fluke the medal came back to her, she said, when she happened to spot a link to a B次元官网网址 Bulletin story about the medal on social media.
B次元官网网址淛ohn Austin. I said, isnB次元官网网址檛 that interesting. ThatB次元官网网址檚 my dadB次元官网网址檚 name, but you know, thereB次元官网网址檚 a million Austins around and then the further on I read, I started thinking, my God, this all sounds familiar. This is my dad,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t was strictly a fluke. A total fluke.B次元官网网址�
She said if the house hadnB次元官网网址檛 been robbed she wouldnB次元官网网址檛 ever have learned about her fatherB次元官网网址檚 war record because I she had no idea of the medalB次元官网网址檚 significance.
Greg Devenish, a VIMM director and volunteer who did the research to identify John Austin, presented the medal to Sloat. He also provided Joan Fayter B次元官网网址� daughter of John AustinB次元官网网址檚 brother Roy, who was also injured in the First World War B次元官网网址� with the information about her father that he compiled during the research into her uncleB次元官网网址檚 military history.
Research unearths history of First World War mystery medal found in
B次元官网网址� Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
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