Godfrey's war medals returned to his family after detective work and fundraising

Steve Taylor from Market Drayton was determined to try to find the medals of his cousin's father, Godfrey Dennis Thomas, which were sold after his death in 1982. They included the Distinguished Flying medal.

After painstaking research he found that there were being auctioned in the south of England but, when he contacted the auction house discovered they had already been sold.

He then managed to track down the new owner of the medals who agree to sell them to Steve.

"I can not thank this person enough," Steve said.

"When I explained he was happy to let me have the medals for the market price."

Steve, 69, raised the money, more than £3,000 with a sponsored swim clocking up 6,194 lengths at Market Drayton swimming and fitness centre.

These numbers represent an amalgamation of Godfrey’s Second World War flying record and act as a celebration of the war hero’s achievements.

Steve, who himself served from 1973 to 2000 in the Aircraft Avionics branch retiring as a chief technician was able to pass on the medals to his cousin, Iris Thomas at the Royal Air Force Museum at Cosford.

"I met up with my cousin, Iris Thomas; her daughter, Nadine; her Grand-daughter, Meghan and her Great Grand-daughter, Charlotte.

"It was quite an emotional event made all the more special because the curator of the Midlands branch of the RAF Museum at Cosford, one, Darren Priday, allowed us a private viewing of the museum’s Handley Page Hampden bomber.

"It was this aircraft type that Godfrey completed all of his 32 missions from which he earned his Distinguished Flying Medal."

In fact the aircraft was from a squadron that Godfrey was attached to for a time.

"He may even have flown in that aircraft."

Attached to the medals was a gold Caterpiller Clip, given to those in the airforce who had had to bail out and use an Irvin parachute, something that Godrey had to do returning from a mission and unable to land the plane because of its damage.

"Godfrey had kept the D-ring and the piece of string that was attached to the parachute that saved his life and the family still have it," Steve said.

"That and a lot of photographs and other memorabilia with the medals can now be kept for generations to come."

Money from the sponsored swim that was left over after buying the medals will be given to the Royal British Legion.