A set of military medals is being returned to their rightful owner after 30 years.
The medals, belonging to Private J. E. Gilbert and including the South Atlantic Medal and a UN Peacekeeping Medal, were rediscovered and are set to be returned through the efforts of an auctioneer, a veterans’ association, and the goodwill of a fellow serviceman.
The medals were lost during a marital separation in the 1990s and sold at an auction in Yorkshire in 1997.
They resurfaced late last year when they were brought to Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood by the vendor for valuation and potential sale.
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Rachel Littlewood, managing director at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, said: "So pleased they are going back to their rightful owner"
The medals caught the attention of Adrian Logan, chairman of the northeast Somerset branch of the Parachute Regimental Association (NES PRA), who spotted them in the auctioneer’s online catalogue.
Mr Logan suspected the medals might belong to "Jimmy" Gilbert, a veteran he knew.
In January of this year, Private Gilbert lost his replica medals.
Mr Logan contacted Ms Littlewood to share his concerns.
After discussing the timeline, they quickly concluded that the medals at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood could not be the replicas, as the originals had been brought to the auctioneers in December 2025, before the loss of the replicas.
Mr Logan then reached out to Nigel Cooper, the veteran and Army Air Corps member who had purchased the medals in good faith at the Yorkshire auction.
Upon hearing the full story, Mr Cooper immediately agreed to return the medals to Private Gilbert—requesting only a pint in return.
Arrangements are now being made for Mr Cooper and Private Gilbert to meet, return the medals, and share the promised pint.
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