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Medals Found: Lost Hero's Story Rediscovered
7 Nov
Summary
- WW1 captain's lost medals returned to family after 50 years.
- Medals were stolen from aunt's house in the 1970s.
- Uncle's bravery revealed by the 'jewel in the crown' clasp.
Captain Jack Strain's lost World War I medals have been returned to his family nearly a century after his death. The medals, comprising a British War Medal and Victory Medal with a Mention in Despatches clasp, disappeared from his aunt's home in Hampshire during a burglary in the 1970s. Recently, a military memorabilia collector contacted the family after finding the group for sale.
The medals now belong to Jack's great-nephew, Maj Anthony Kironde-Strain, an officer in today's British Army, marking a poignant intergenerational connection. Jack Strain was a promising young man, born in Brazil in 1896, who studied medicine at Cambridge before enlisting. He was killed at the age of 20 in 1917 during the Battle of Ypres in Belgium while serving as a Forward Observation Officer.
The discovery of the medals, particularly the rare Mention in Despatches clasp, has illuminated the extreme bravery of Jack's final hours. His commanding officer noted he died with another officer, found lying side-by-side. The medals were presented posthumously to the family in 1923, having been purchased by the collector in the 1990s.
