A 103-year-old D-Day veteran was reunited with his war medals just in time for Veterans Day.
The story came about through a remarkable coincidence when an amateur WWII historian came across the man’s military record and medals, and contacted the family wondering if he still had them.
“They may be just a piece of metal but the medals are something that I hold very close to my heart,” said veteran Douglas Halley, proudly wearing them on his sweater. “They remind me of all my brothers in arms who I was with who helped me get through in the war.”
Halley was just 20 when he landed on the Normandy beaches with the Royal Artillery in the second wave of troops, having been conscripted into the war out of the shop where he was training to be a butcher.
Born in England’s South Yorkshire, Halley was awarded 3 medals: the 1939-45 Star, the France and Germany Star, and the War Medal 1939-45.
He accidentally left them pinned to his uniform, which he returned at the end of the war in 1945—thus losing them exactly when they were the most prestigious of honors.
Last January, 27-year-old Joseph Smith contacted Halley’s grandson, Luke Halley, after seeing Luke’s Veterans Day (called Remembrance Day in the UK) Facebook post about his grandfather.
Smith has been travelling across the UK documenting veterans’ stories for a project titled, The Last of The Greats. He hopes to document as many veterans’ stories for the younger generation so they can learn about and remember their sacrifices.
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It was for this project that Smith came across Halley and his medals, contacted Luke via Facebook, and asked if the veteran still had them. Learning about the accident with the uniform in 1945, Smith helped the Halley family contact the Ministry of Defense and fill out the necessary forms to have the medals returned.
“If I can help a veteran or their family in any way, be it getting hold of medals or finding out further information, it is the least I can do,” Smith told the Southwest News Service. “It is an honor, really.”
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Halley has nothing good to remember from the war, least of all that fateful day in early June when he descended “petrified” from his ship into the waters off the Normandy beaches.
Nevertheless, he said he was “delighted” to have the medals back “for myself and my family after everything I went through. It is especially great to have them in time for Remembrance Day.”
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