A silver cross medal lost 35 years ago is about to be reunited with its rightful owners, thanks to social media.
Within hours, the man who discovered it had connected with relatives of the young private killed during the Second World War.
Since retiring, Collins Sawler spends quite a bit of time with his metal detector, sometimes hours at a time.
He’s found quite a few things, but nothing compares to the medal he found earlier in the week.
“I didn’t know what type of medal it was at first,” says Sawler, “but I knew I had to give it back.”
A silver cross medal is typically awarded to the mothers and other family members of service personnel who die while on active duty.
Sawler’s daughter, Elizabeth, was determined to find out more about the fallen soldier.
“I just went to the veterans’ website,” explains Elizabeth. “And I just typed in his initials.”
Private Samuel James Carr served with the West Nova Scotia Regiment in Italy.
He was 21 when he was killed by a sniper in May 1944.
The family posted photos of the medal on Facebook and within hours social media had done its work.
The Sawler’s have connected with several of Private Samuel Carr’s relatives, still living in Nova Scotia.
“Oh I was pretty shaky,” says Private Carr’s sister, Gertie Carr. “I was really, really so happy and glad over it. But it was such a surprise and shock to us, you know after all those years.”
The medal was lost 35 years ago in Bridgewater.
Sawler found it buried at a ball field, roughly 15 kilometres away in Blockhouse.
Plans are now underway to reunite it with its rightful owners.
“It would mean an awful lot because we did without it for a long time,” adds Carr. “We thought about it more so on Remembrance Day, more than any day.”
“It really warms your heart to do it,” says Collins Sawler. “To find something like that and give it back to the people.”
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell.
