Northampton man reunited with Dad's long-lost WWI medal after over 30 years

A Northampton man was reunited with a piece of his father's history yesterday after a long-lost WWI medal finally found its way back home.

It has been over 40 years since Bill Birch last saw his father Jack's WWI medal after it went missing after his death in 1977.

But last week, Private Jack Birch's medal resurfaced - after it was listed for an auction on eBay.

Now, following a Chronicle & Echo fundraising campaign to buy the medal outright, Bill was yesterday (February 1) able to welcome his father's medal home to its rightful place.

"I bet it's got a story to tell after all these years," said Bill.

"It's lovely to see it again. It's great that it turned up after all."

Private Jack Birch of the Northamptonshire Yeomanry and a veteran of the First World War passed away in 1977.

But after Bill's mother died in 1987, when the family went to clear out their parents' home they discovered Jack's British War Medal could not be found.

It hasn't been seen since - until last week, when it was appeared for sale online through auctioning website eBay.

However, the Chronicle & Echo did not want to see Bill pay for a piece of his own family's history, or risk it falling into a private collection never to be seen again.

Instead, this newspaper held an online crowdfunding campaign and worked with the seller to buy the medal outright so it could return home.

The crowdfunding goal of £75 was met in under an hour.Any more funds that exceed the £75 target will be donated to the Air Ambulance Service, which was chosen by Bill's family.

For more information, visit the medal's GoFundMe page here.