A Canadian who bought a set of World War Two medals online is trying to return them to the family of the soldier – who was from Aberdeen.
Ken Willigar, from Waterloo, Canada, came across a set of World War Two medals still in the original box when he was scouring Facebook marketplace.
The 68-year-old does a lot of buying and selling on the online platform and bought the four medals for $100 (£60).
The box contained the 1939-1945 Star, the France and Germany Star, the 1939-1945 Defence Medal and the 1939-1945 War Medal.
It also had the name D. Hanna and an address on Desswood Place, Aberdeen.
Mr Willigar said normally medals come on a bar and cannot be traced, but because these came in the original box it had the owner’s name and address on it.
He wants to gift the World War Two medals back to the family, who he hopes may still be in the Aberdeen area.
He has already tried to find relatives of D. Hanna online without any luck.
The person who sold the medals to Mr Willigar told him they’d bought them from Mr Hanna’s wife when she moved to a nursing home.
Although Mr Willigar doesn’t know much about the Hanna family, the man selling the medals to him said Mrs Hanna was a school teacher with no siblings – but Mr Willigar is still hoping to find a relative.
‘Just seems the right thing to do’
Mr Willigar, who is now retired, says his mother was from Gorebridge in Midlothian and he tries to visit Scotland every year.
The Scottish find really “touched” Mr Willigar and he says he has “nothing but admiration” for anyone who serves their country.
After being given his own father’s medals, Mr Willigar feels strongly about returning the medals to the right family.
“Finding them just touched my heart,” he explained.
“My father and his brother joined the North Nova Scotia Highlanders During the war, and I lost my uncle in Normandy where he is buried.
“I was always so proud of my father and uncle and was given my father’s medals when he passed.
“My cousin and I donated their medals to the Normandy Canadian War Museum, so to me getting these back to the family just seems the right thing to do.”
If you have any information that may help Mr Willigar, or know the family these medals may belong to, you can contact him by emailing 1willie@rogers.com
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