Granddaughter searching for Great War medal (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Granddaughter searching for Great War medal

2:16pm Thursday 12th July 2012 in Looking Back

A GRANDdaughter is trying to trace a long lost medal awarded to her grandfather for bravery in the First World War.

Thomas Foley, of Heyes Street, Blackburn, earned the Distinguished Conduct Medal for going over the top to the aid of a severely wounded colleague only 70 yards from enemy lines.

He was then badly injured himself, losing part of an arm and was discharged from the 1st Kings Liverpool Regiment in 1917.

He died in Park Lee Hospital in Blackburn from TB resulting from his injuries and it is believed his medal and others he had been awarded disappeared while he was a patient there.

Now Elaine Maguire, who lives in Lytham, particularly wants to find the DCM, along with his citation and any entry relating to his bravery.

She told Looking Back: “I feel so proud of the granddad I never knew and would love to trace his medals and any news about him.

“My father was only seven years old when granddad died from his injuries and it was his cherished hope that the medal would be found before he, too, died, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

“I would like to carry on in my father’s memory to try to ascertain what happened to his medals, which went missing, according to my father, while he was a patient at Park Lee.

She added: “I know it’s a long shot, but it would be amazing if a collector had any of his gallantry medals, just to know where they are would be wonderful. His regiment number \I belive was 9838.”

Mrs Maguire can be contacted at 23 Evesham Road, Lytham St Annes FY8 1HE.

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