Family's joy as relic hunter unearths relative's war badge and tracks them down

14 March 2023 , 20:13

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Family are reunited with relative's precious war badge

A metal detectorist who unearthed a First World War badge has generously reunited it with the soldier’s surviving relatives.

Dave Batchelor found the Silver War Badge earlier this month.

Using a unique number on the back of the pin, he was able to find out it belonged to a soldier called Fred Brown.

Then after an appeal online he found the soldier’s great-nephew.

Mr Batchelor, from Durham, found the badge in a field near Northallerton, North Yorks, and got help from a military online forum to trace Mr Brown’s family.

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He said: “I was going along and got a really good signal, pinpointed it and dug down. Out she popped.

“I could see it was silver. I’ve been detecting for years and never found someone’s name so quickly. You find artefacts and can’t put a name to them so this is probably the best find I’ve ever had.”

The Silver War Badge recovered by Dave Batchelor

Research revealed Mr Brown was born around 1878 and lived in Thirsk, North Yorks. He served in the 4th and 7th Battalions, Yorkshire Regiment and was wounded, probably in France, in 1917.

He then served in the Agricultural Company, Labour Corps, before being discharged in 1919 due to sickness.

His great-great niece Zoe Hancock had been unaware of Mr Brown’s existence and called the find “incredible”.

Her father John Brown added: “I’ve found a great-uncle I didn’t know about.

“Now I have I feel like I want to take him for a pint but I can’t.”

Enthusiasts from Mr Batchelor’s club North Detecting Events said returning the badge was a “truly amazing gesture”.

Anthony Pickering of NDE said of the Silver War Badge: “They were issued so the recipient didn’t have an opinion cast on them for not being active in the war effort, somewhat sad as the injury or discharge would have been because of the bravery and courage they had shown.”

The family are thinking of giving the badge to a Yorkshire museum.

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