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Divers find medals lost in Thames Veteran reunited with lost medals
(about 3 hours later)
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. A 93-year-old veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation has been reunited with war medals after they were recovered by scuba divers from 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 lost two rows of 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 included an OBE, a Dunkirk and Normandy campaign medal. Mr Brown said he was "emotional" about the medals which included an OBE, a Dunkirk and Normandy campaign medal.
Divers from Teddington Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) found them soon after beginning their search. Divers from Teddington Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) found them.
Scuba divers began their fingertip search near Kingston Bridge at about 1100 BST on Saturday.Scuba divers began their fingertip search near Kingston Bridge at about 1100 BST on Saturday.
Earlier attempts to recover the medals with magnets proved unsuccessful. I wasn't a celebrity, a pop singer or a cricketer, these medals were what I was proud of Charles Brown
'No drama' Last week attempts to recover the medals with magnets proved unsuccessful.
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 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." On hearing about the recovery Mr Brown, who is originally from Southwark in south London, came to the riverside from his care home in Woking, Surrey.
Malcolm Miatt, operations manager at Teddington RNLI, said: "Our divers found them almost immediately, there was no drama at all. He said: "I do get a bit emotional because these medals meant so much to me. I wasn't a celebrity, a pop singer or a cricketer, these medals were what I was proud of.
"The medals are a bit muddy and dirty and we'd like to get them cleaned up. "I'm not going to be celebrating with cream cakes or anything like that, just having the medals back is enough for me."
"The old guy is a hero and truly deserved to get his medals back, the RNLI is delighted to have cheered him up." Poor visibility
Mr Brown is on his way to be reunited with the medals. Malcolm Miatt, operations manager at Teddington RNLI, said: "It was a fingertip search on a grid pattern. I wasn't sure that we'd find the medals because they been down there all week.
RNLI's helmsman and experienced scuba diver Jean-Pierre Trenque, who led the dive, said: "It was quite dark but surprisingly we had probably half a metre visibility in there.
"I literally just went in the water, straight down the wall, we had good datum where the medals had been dropped and I didn't think they would have drifted too much."
Mr Brown, who joined the army as a volunteer in 1939, was a tank transporter and fought a rear guard defence at Dunkirk.
He was one of the last off the beach during the evacuation.