A Falklands War veteran, Keith Eamer, has been joyfully reunited with his war medals almost four decades after they were stolen. The medals were taken from the boot of Mr. Eamer's car on
his wedding day in 1984.
A friend of Mr. Eamer recently spotted the medals for sale online, prompting police intervention and the subsequent return of the medals to Mr. Eamer, who hails from Gloucester.
Expressing his shock and disbelief, Mr. Eamer stated, "I had given up all hope of them being found," and he initially wasn't even convinced that the recovered medals were indeed his. The medals, engraved with Mr. Eamer's name, rank, and number, had been awarded for his service in the 2nd Battalion Regiment (2 Para) during the Falklands War and in Northern Ireland.
Recounting the theft, Mr. Eamer explained, "I put the medals in the boot of my car after the wedding ceremony, and the next day they were gone. I was devastated. And it didn't go down well with the regiment either, as I got seven days' restriction of privileges!"
Overwhelmed with emotion upon realizing the medals were indeed his, Mr. Eamer expressed gratitude for their return, particularly ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
Wearing replica medals since the originals were stolen, Mr. Eamer admitted feeling like "a fraud" during military ceremonies. The return of the authentic medals has brought immense relief, and Mr. Eamer deemed it the "best Christmas present" he could ever receive.
The medals were initially put up for sale online by War & Son, dealers of military medals and antiques in Leominster. Steve Nuwar from War & Son explained that the medals were acquired about 30 years ago from a collector's extensive collection, stored in ice-cream tubs. The online listing caught Mr. Eamer's attention, leading to their removal from the website and the commencement of the process to return them.
Steve Nuwar expressed the uniqueness of the situation, stating, "This is completely without precedent. We have helped families reacquire medals that have gone missing over generations. But we have never had anything happen like this, where the medals were stolen and returned to their original recipient."
Mr. Eamer conveyed his gratitude to Gloucestershire Constabulary for their assistance in reuniting him with his long-lost medals. Photo by geni, Wikimedia commons.