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Search for medals lost in Thames Divers find medals lost in Thames
(19 minutes later)
A veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation is hoping a team of scuba divers can help reunite him with his war medals after they fell into the river Thames. Scuba divers have recovered war medals lost by a veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation in World War II after they fell into the river Thames.
Charles Brown, 93, lost the medals last Sunday as he boarded a boat during the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships cruise from Kingston to Weybridge.Charles Brown, 93, lost the medals last Sunday as he boarded a boat during the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships cruise from Kingston to Weybridge.
The two rows of medals, including an OBE, fell into a shallow water. The two rows of medals included an OBE, a Dunkirk and Normandy campaign medal.
Divers from Teddington Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) began their search for the medals on Saturday. Divers from Teddington Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) found them soon after beginning their search.
I really hope they find my medals because one of them is an OBE and they only give one of those out Charles Brown Scuba divers began their fingertip search near Kingston Bridge at about 1100 BST on Saturday.
Scuba divers began their fingertip search near Kingston Bridge about 1100 BST. Earlier attempts to recover the medals with magnets proved unsuccessful.
'No drama'
Mr Brown lost the medals from the breast pocket of his jacket as he used his walking frame to board a boat near Kingston Bridge.Mr Brown lost the medals from the breast pocket of his jacket as he used his walking frame to board a boat near Kingston Bridge.
Earlier attempts to recover the medals with magnets, which fell in a shallow stretch of water, proved unsuccessful. Earlier Mr Brown had said: "I really hope they find my medals because one of them is an OBE and they only give one of those out - there's no second medal if I lose it."
Mr Brown said: "I really hope they find my medals because one of them is an OBE and they only give one of those out - there's no second medal if I lose it." Malcolm Miatt, operations manager at Teddington RNLI, said: "Our divers found them almost immediately, there was no drama at all.
Malcolm Miatt, operations manager at Teddington RNLI, said: "When we heard about what happened to the old chap we said we would help out. It's not typical RNLI work but we had an operation in the area anyway. "The medals are a bit muddy and dirty and we'd like to get them cleaned up.
"The heavy rains recently have turned up a lot of silt so visibility is awful. "The old guy is a hero and truly deserved to get his medals back, the RNLI is delighted to have cheered him up."
"It's going to be a fingertip search on a grid pattern but it's a real needle in a haystack." Mr Brown is on his way to be reunited with the medals.