WW1

Pte. Alexander SMITH – Border Regiment (1898-1977)

A Victory Medal. A name deliberately scratched away. A service number just legible beneath a magnifying glass. It was the only thread available — and it led to the story of Alexander Smith of Pendleton (near Salford), a printer’s assistant who twice lied about his age to serve his country, survived the mud of the Somme, and earned the Military Medal before returning quietly to the streets he had grown up on. His name was scrubbed from his medal, his service records destroyed, and his neighbourhood demolished. This is the story of putting him back together again.

The Medal In The Garden | George William BRERETON (1874-1940)

An interesting bit of detective work presented itself to me at the end of August on a local Facebook page for Hadleigh, Essex. A local chap named Ron had been digging a large hole in his garden in order to insert a sunken trampoline for his grandchildren, when two feet down he unearthed a silver medal. Closer inspection revealed it to be a King George V naval Long Service and Good Conduct medal for a G W BRERETON. Ron wondered if any members of the Brererton family were still living in the area in the hopes of being able to pass it on back to them, and I decided to help.